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Crispy Cherry

With bigs chopped all I had left was to remove the string pins and install four new ones for bass space.
20220904_123719.jpg

The pins on these are just glued. I got a few pulled and than snapped one in process, and ended up cutting the rest. If I were to do this again I'd just cut em all and leave said holes plugged.

Anyway with that done I found four suitable screws and using a punch than the drill press drilled my new holes and super glued the screws in place before finally trimming them short (just long enough to hold the ball ends).

Drum roll...
20220905_110053.jpg

Proof of concept it works! Now this isn't the final jam mind, I still gotta take it apart and fix some things. Primarily I wanted to know what the action would be like here. I knew it'd be high even with the bridge bottomed out and as a result I'd have to rout a pocket for the rather tall bridge to sit at a reasonable hight. But I didn't know how much is need to rout. This gave me my answer. Just over 11/64ths at the 12th so that's about 6/64ths over what I'd want. So to get there I'd need to remove double that at the bridge (12/64ths) or rather 3/16.

What else is going on here.. pickup covers magically have appeared (sorry no pics of that process) the one for my bridge coil is just a chopped p bass cover that then got elongated with some scraps of plastic and more super glue. No epoxy on the bobbin that paper is wax coated anyway and with it sitting in a cover I don't forsee it needing any added protection from the elements.

The neck pickup cover was decided upon at this point. Don't know why things like this cross my mind sometimes but a cassette half makes an almost perfect sidewinder cover.

Just a little more to come.. that cream is gonna get painted black as well as the cassette. Gotta rout for the bridge, and the neck pickup needs a little more depth routed as well.
 
Isn’t that Bigsby a little…. um…. backwards?

I don’t doubt that you did that deliberately but wouldn’t that make operation counterintuitive? (There I go, bringing up that counter again….)
Oh nooooo!! Lol :roflmao:

Nah I meant that. It's a page from John entwistle. And yes it is counter intuitive as it functions backwards, although as a surprise to me not difficult at all to wrap my brain around. Also as a side it actually has to function this way as the strings have to depart the bigs at the bottom of the "axel"? to give down force to the bridge. Normally this would be done with the part I chopped off but there wasn't room for it so..
 
Love the cassette pickup cover and the bridge pickup bobbin as well. I was going to ask if the strings would have sufficient (or possibly any) break angle over the bridge if you lower the bridge more but it sounds like you’ve thought of that so… carry on with the coolness.
 
Oh nooooo!! Lol :roflmao:

Nah I meant that. It's a page from John entwistle. And yes it is counter intuitive as it functions backwards, although as a surprise to me not difficult at all to wrap my brain around. Also as a side it actually has to function this way as the strings have to depart the bigs at the bottom of the "axel"? to give down force to the bridge. Normally this would be done with the part I chopped off but there wasn't room for it so..

It fits the overall quirky nqture of the project, but if you wanted a more natural operation of the bigsby you could route a recess for it so the strings can pass over the axle and still have enough break angle over the bridge.
 
I’d flog this bass with Abandon. Gonzo Luthiery at its finest, and completely guilt free if dropped. Love it.

If I didn’t know any better, my friend, I’d think you might have developed a fear of dropping basses…. :bag::angel::roflmao:
 
It fits the overall quirky nqture of the project, but if you wanted a more natural operation of the bigsby you could route a recess for it so the strings can pass over the axle and still have enough break angle over the bridge.
Thought about that, I also thought about a few others including some weird vintage Japanese options, and as well the possibility of fabricating something new altogether.

In the end though this won the race as I knew it would be functional (because of Entwistle) and look the part, vintage Gibson look with a bigs just seems natural to me.

Also on the note of inlaying it I decided that was a no go because it would have had the bar sitting way to close to the body. It could be proped up with a spacer but that would likely be too flexible.
 
I’d flog this bass with Abandon. Gonzo Luthiery at its finest, and completely guilt free if dropped. Love it.

If I didn’t know any better, my friend, I’d think you might have developed a fear of dropping basses…. :bag::angel::roflmao:

True story, I used to play in an experimental electronic band and would get pretty routy on stage. Rubbing my bass against the amp, sliding it around on the stage, and yes occasionally dropping it.

Anyway we were pre show one night and I was showing the venue manager (also a bassist) my nice new custom bass. Than I went to lean it in a corner, and he piped up "oh let me grab you a stand that bass is too nice for that!" To which my friend who had seen us a few times just started laughing and said she doesn't need no freaking stands man! The manager looked confused and I just told him you'll see, I'm not sweating a few bumps and bruises.
 
With bigs chopped all I had left was to remove the string pins and install four new ones for bass space. View attachment 4813021
The pins on these are just glued. I got a few pulled and than snapped one in process, and ended up cutting the rest. If I were to do this again I'd just cut em all and leave said holes plugged.

Anyway with that done I found four suitable screws and using a punch than the drill press drilled my new holes and super glued the screws in place before finally trimming them short (just long enough to hold the ball ends).

Drum roll...
View attachment 4813036
Proof of concept it works! Now this isn't the final jam mind, I still gotta take it apart and fix some things. Primarily I wanted to know what the action would be like here. I knew it'd be high even with the bridge bottomed out and as a result I'd have to rout a pocket for the rather tall bridge to sit at a reasonable hight. But I didn't know how much is need to rout. This gave me my answer. Just over 11/64ths at the 12th so that's about 6/64ths over what I'd want. So to get there I'd need to remove double that at the bridge (12/64ths) or rather 3/16.

What else is going on here.. pickup covers magically have appeared (sorry no pics of that process) the one for my bridge coil is just a chopped p bass cover that then got elongated with some scraps of plastic and more super glue. No epoxy on the bobbin that paper is wax coated anyway and with it sitting in a cover I don't forsee it needing any added protection from the elements.

The neck pickup cover was decided upon at this point. Don't know why things like this cross my mind sometimes but a cassette half makes an almost perfect sidewinder cover.

Just a little more to come.. that cream is gonna get painted black as well as the cassette. Gotta rout for the bridge, and the neck pickup needs a little more depth routed as well.


Won't the pickup magnet erase the tape? = No more music.