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Claro Walnut 5 String

#41
Lonnybass said:
Looks fabulous! Incredibly clean and precise work, I love how it all has come together.

The figuring on that walnut looks very similar in many ways to a redwood burl top I finished over the summer. Just like on your bass, there were a few voids and swirls around the area of the control cavity that made me a little nervous in terms of stability, so I opted to reinforce the inside floor of the cavity with a thin sheet of polycarbonate from Home Depot to give it some extra strength and ensure any loose spots in the burl had something rock-solid to adhere to.

Something to consider if you're at all concerned about the structural rigidity of that walnut!

Lonnybass
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Thanks Lonny! I'm not worried. It's solid. Just had a low spot I had to even out.
 
#42
I'm about done with the nitro application. Had a break of a couple days because I had to order more Nitro from LMI. I've done several coats with a level sand in between every 3rd coat. It's hanging at the moment waiting for a couple final coats and I will leave it to cure for 2 weeks. (Cardinal claims a 7 day cure...I give it a little more time to be on the safe side)

The Forstner bit markings in the pickup cavities are bugging me. I drilled the cavities to depth to save my router bit...next time I won't be doing that. I'd rather it look clean, even though its not seen.

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Headstock logo is on and waiting for several coats of nitro to build a level surface.

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#44
GuyForrest3rd said:
This is stunning. Subbed for sure!
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Thank you!

Not much to add as an update.
The headstock has had a few more coats of clear added. The body is done and hanging out of the way. I'll shoot a couple more coats of clear and level sand the headstock to get everything smooth and even. In the waiting period I am doing some preliminary planning for a Tele inspired guitar build that is next in line. Should be fun.
 
#46
aproud1 said:
If you need someone to do a final check out you can send it to Cincinnati. I'll make sure it's broken in for you. :)
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Thanks for offering Andy. I'll send it out right after the money clears the bank:)
This does beg a question for me though. How much should a new build be played before selling it? It's a stock build for my website that will be sold there or ill try some other places to sell it. I may not have a problem selling it locally...but you never know. I will make sure there are no problems and do a proper set up. Other than play it for 5 minutes and take pictures it's going in a case and getting stored away. I don't want to have any visible signs of wear.
 
#48
Nomad98 said:
VERY nice work on this bass. Don't know how I missed this one so far... Really like that you opted to match the top on the neck between the fingerboard end and the pickup.

GREAT JOB!
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Thanks Nomad! This build has gone pretty quickly for me. I set a tight deadline for the construction to see how quickly I could get through it. I spent a couple days building templates and updating some jigs so I think I could do the next one a little faster. The finish is the test of patience...hurry up and wait.
 
#49
This bass has been on break for the last few weeks but I'm back to working on it so I can get it completed before I get any more plates spinning. I get very busy between Thanksgiving and the New Year so its had plenty of time to cure. I've got a couple other builds in progress too so I want to give this more attention before I get any further into the others.

The nitro has cured and leveled easily with a dense foam block and MicroMesh. I use plenty of soapy water in a water bottle during the wet sanding phase. Can't be too careful around the drilled holes though so I squirt the MicroMesh with the water and not the body. I sanded up to 12000 and then used a polishing pad and StewMacs fine polishing compound. I'm definitely going to get a buffer soon. I love the look of polished gloss lacquer but it can get pretty time consuming without a proper buffer.

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I'm moving on to the neck to polish the headstock and neck cap. I'm hoping to assemble and get this into the neck jig for a set up in the next week or so. Until next time...
 
#52
Thanks Andy and Tewest86! I appreciate the kind words.

Just a quick update of today's work. The headstock was wet sanded and polished in the same manner as the body.

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The back of the neck is being done with Satin Poly. Did two thin coats today just rubbing it in with a clean cotton rag. Sanded with 220 after the first coat. Ill put a few more coats on and lightly sand until I'm satisfied with the look and feel of it.

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#56
HaMMerHeD said:
I really like the blunted horns. That's a cool touch.
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Thanks...that edge can be a pain. Gotta be careful when sanding. I made sure I had sufficient coverage of those areas when spraying the lacquer. And kept an eye on how much pressure I was applying when sanding them.
 

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