My immediate reaction to Gonzo Luthiery was "band name" because that's my reaction to practically everything but then I thought about it; Gonzo Luthiery isn't a band name, it's the name of a guitar company!
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Crispy Cherry
- Thread starter SamanthaCay
- Start date
Simple routs require simple templates. Two different styles here.
The bridge one is such that the base of the router rides along the edges with the two short sides (easy to freehand) left open. The guide pieces are affixed with the masking tape super glue trick, tape on both surfaces than glued together. I learned about this a few years ago and have found I greatly prefer it over conventional double stick. I've had many templates slip using double stick but never with masking tape and super glue fwiw. The clean up is easier this way too.
Now the second rout is the same only it's setup so a guide bearing rides the edge. This is easier here because of two reasons, one the fingerboard is right there and we want to rout right up to it, and two there's already an existing cavity there that ends up being the template as I plunge further in.
Pretty simple stuff, these two just needed a little shave about an 1/8" or so on the neck rout and closer to a 1/4" inch on the bridge. For the actual routing I didn't really measure as I knew in both cases a little over was ideal to leave room for adjustment.
I had this red Christmas record that I used for a thunderbird pickguard years ago, seems fitting for this. Template made from hardboard first and used to than make the final cut. Normally I'd do this so I could trim the edge on a router with a trim bit but this time I just took the lazy rout and sanded the edge. Still good practice to template first to insure the size is right in the end.
Probably the thing I most forget on instruments is to drill pass through holes. This bass didn't have one for the bridge ground so that was added. These are the bits I use, a pretty good 3mm one that I bought years ago for a side dot do over job where I had to clear the body. This thing has paid for itself many times over. The big one I bought when I was a teenager! I didn't know it at the time but it's actually a masonry bit, but it's been sharpened and drills pretty clean especially if I pilot it with the small one. I didn't need the big one here but figured I'd share.
Doing some impromptu testing on this sidewinder, I actually left one of the coils alone! I figured ~14k would match better with the ~5k in the bridge.
This was me clip leading it to make sure I had the coils in phase (when they're out it usually sounds thin)
Now making sure my magnets were in phase. This little tool seemed gimmicky to me but it's proven itself handy as it's easier than using a magnet twiddled between my fingers.
Pickup cover has now magically painted itself black.
The transparent cassette got painted on the underside to keep the labeling intact. Remember when I said I would rout this with a little extra room? Um.. just enough lol. It's bulging in the middle but it all holds together well and it follows the string radius so I absolutely planed that. That's what I did, I precisely measured and did all the math to make that happen.
Anyway that's it folks, bass is pretty much done so I guess I'll see you all later..
The bridge one is such that the base of the router rides along the edges with the two short sides (easy to freehand) left open. The guide pieces are affixed with the masking tape super glue trick, tape on both surfaces than glued together. I learned about this a few years ago and have found I greatly prefer it over conventional double stick. I've had many templates slip using double stick but never with masking tape and super glue fwiw. The clean up is easier this way too.
Now the second rout is the same only it's setup so a guide bearing rides the edge. This is easier here because of two reasons, one the fingerboard is right there and we want to rout right up to it, and two there's already an existing cavity there that ends up being the template as I plunge further in.
Pretty simple stuff, these two just needed a little shave about an 1/8" or so on the neck rout and closer to a 1/4" inch on the bridge. For the actual routing I didn't really measure as I knew in both cases a little over was ideal to leave room for adjustment.
I had this red Christmas record that I used for a thunderbird pickguard years ago, seems fitting for this. Template made from hardboard first and used to than make the final cut. Normally I'd do this so I could trim the edge on a router with a trim bit but this time I just took the lazy rout and sanded the edge. Still good practice to template first to insure the size is right in the end.
Probably the thing I most forget on instruments is to drill pass through holes. This bass didn't have one for the bridge ground so that was added. These are the bits I use, a pretty good 3mm one that I bought years ago for a side dot do over job where I had to clear the body. This thing has paid for itself many times over. The big one I bought when I was a teenager! I didn't know it at the time but it's actually a masonry bit, but it's been sharpened and drills pretty clean especially if I pilot it with the small one. I didn't need the big one here but figured I'd share.
Doing some impromptu testing on this sidewinder, I actually left one of the coils alone! I figured ~14k would match better with the ~5k in the bridge.
This was me clip leading it to make sure I had the coils in phase (when they're out it usually sounds thin) Now making sure my magnets were in phase. This little tool seemed gimmicky to me but it's proven itself handy as it's easier than using a magnet twiddled between my fingers.
Pickup cover has now magically painted itself black.
The transparent cassette got painted on the underside to keep the labeling intact. Remember when I said I would rout this with a little extra room? Um.. just enough lol. It's bulging in the middle but it all holds together well and it follows the string radius so I absolutely planed that. That's what I did, I precisely measured and did all the math to make that happen.
Anyway that's it folks, bass is pretty much done so I guess I'll see you all later..
I feel like gonzo luthiery is just a bunch of dudes on psychedelics in a shop funded by one of their dad's. The wait times range between years and never ever forever.
Hold on! We still need portrait pics of the completed bass!
Those 1.2 k ohms mudbuckers appear in Epiphone EB-0s. I've encountered the same pickup in a Tokai EB-3 copy and a '90s Rivoli reissue. I gather a similar pickup is still sold under the 'Guyker' brand.
Uummm…. You just described a lot of guitar companies.I feel like gonzo luthiery is just a bunch of dudes on psychedelics in a shop funded by one of their dad's. The wait times range between years and never ever forever.
Nice! Will you use that same record for a pickguard?
The cassette turned out amazing, but aren't the polepieces too close to the strings?
The cassette turned out amazing, but aren't the polepieces too close to the strings?
I spent the last couple days mostly working on other stuff and racking my brain as to where I should photograph this fire demon of a bass.
So here it is, crispy cherry in a lynch esc space.
I think this vibe fits. Either this or a nasty dive bar, be it I don't go to nasty dive bars all too often these days, soon perhaps.
Is there more to do here?
Idk I'm pretty happy with it atm and have been playing it a ton. The action is 5/64-4/64 and I never even so much as cleaned the frets (might be a miracle that) no buzzes, no rubbing just great playability and sound.
The bridge pickup is open and grindy like the ric bridge sound I love so much, and the neck is over the top bassy, paired with fuzz and a tube amp it opens a portal to hell, thing absolutely rips.
At some point I'll get a YouTube up on it for those of you that wanna hear it. It's in the works and I'll post that here as soon as it exists.
I will put all the screws in the tuners soon lol. Pickguard is something I really thought about but as it is it's gonna stay non existent because I like it this way.
It's weird for me not scraping and oiling a fretboard, not cleaning the frets but somehow I think it's appropriate to leave it be for now. Same with the half melted binding, melted logo and a non perfect back of neck finish. I think the crisp cher is gonna tell me if it really needs something and otherwise I gotta set the perfectionist aside and let it ride.
So here it is, crispy cherry in a lynch esc space.
I think this vibe fits. Either this or a nasty dive bar, be it I don't go to nasty dive bars all too often these days, soon perhaps.
Is there more to do here?
Idk I'm pretty happy with it atm and have been playing it a ton. The action is 5/64-4/64 and I never even so much as cleaned the frets (might be a miracle that) no buzzes, no rubbing just great playability and sound.
The bridge pickup is open and grindy like the ric bridge sound I love so much, and the neck is over the top bassy, paired with fuzz and a tube amp it opens a portal to hell, thing absolutely rips.
At some point I'll get a YouTube up on it for those of you that wanna hear it. It's in the works and I'll post that here as soon as it exists.
I will put all the screws in the tuners soon lol. Pickguard is something I really thought about but as it is it's gonna stay non existent because I like it this way.
It's weird for me not scraping and oiling a fretboard, not cleaning the frets but somehow I think it's appropriate to leave it be for now. Same with the half melted binding, melted logo and a non perfect back of neck finish. I think the crisp cher is gonna tell me if it really needs something and otherwise I gotta set the perfectionist aside and let it ride.
This was a real hoot to watch come together. Thanks for taking us on the ride.
Now I call this heavy relic . You did real good resurrecting this thumper. Love the result and the process. How does bigsby on bass feel? Is it useable?
I would absolutely play that on stage. The fancier the stage, the better. I suspect you may need something permanently hanging out of the exposed wire channel though.
There is so much good about this bass.
And if there was ever a good excuse to start frequenting nasty dive bars again, this instrument would be it.
And if there was ever a good excuse to start frequenting nasty dive bars again, this instrument would be it.
Do you belieeeeeeve in life after log?
Hahaha, I knew it the second I typed it lol. I just meant a shortened pronunciation of cherry. Perhaps chur would have been better. Goddamnit that song is an infection that just won't go away now!!!
Great if you like to bend notes. Tis every bit as usable as a bigs on a geetar would be.
It's an amazing restoration. I think it would work in a Dario Argento sort of context too.
The only thing that would worry me if I tried to play it is that furrow with the hole at one end of it. As a kid I had a phobia (the only real one I ever had) of wormholes in old wood. I got over it, but that furrow and that hole would still make me nervous about where I put my fingers.
The Crispy Cherry Lodge! Now you have to play the TP intro theme on it!
How does that crispyness on the back of tje neck feel while playing? It looks like I would want to sand it off but maybe it's smooth enough?
Anyway, you did an amazing job in bringing it back to life in style.
How does that crispyness on the back of tje neck feel while playing? It looks like I would want to sand it off but maybe it's smooth enough?
Anyway, you did an amazing job in bringing it back to life in style.
- Jun 30, 2010
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