Well there is remaining metal, and it's just to ground the lug to the pot so i'll just solder a wire to it.
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Custom Grabber - 1st A to Z build
- Thread starter ThaCoast
- Start date
Little update on this: Getting the wood tuesday, getting the shinto saw rasp tomorrow. & going to the music store to get an update on the tuners. No news on the fretboard but no biggie.
Do not use that crappy wood for your neck, you would be better off with knotty pine.
It will crumble and disolve as soon as there is any moisture, even if its sealed.
Just go get some maple from lowes or homedepot or something, if its too expensive, skip the skarf joint and just use string trees for this build.
I like what your are doing tho. Grabbers are cool. They have a movable pickup right? Slides with the pickguard? I'm about movable pickups.
A page back or more, and a message i got my answer. I'm actually opting to get a one piece hard maple blank thats' 48 inches long x 6 inches wide x 1 inch thick. Also, i don't want to use a string tree for this build, i'd rather keep it looking close to the original just to my dad's specifications.
Thank you, it's a gift for my father as yo umay know so it's pretty much getting everything right. And yes it has a moving pickup, although mine isn't going to be a grabber pickup it's more an EBO pickup.
i built a whole bass from the 6 inches wide x 1 inch maple at h-depot, found a figured piece even. It was great wood, but I didnt know what i was doing, rushed, and flubbed the build.
I'm psyched you kept the movable pickup, nothing (imo) gives you more control of tone then placement.
Now...where's that batsuit?
I'm psyched you kept the movable pickup, nothing (imo) gives you more control of tone then placement.
Now...where's that batsuit?
It's in your fingers Bassman! ...it's in your fingers.
But you're right, pickup placement is important, without a doubt.
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The batsuit is done. hahaha, Took a year in the mix of school (mechanics degree) but it's finally finished. From this past weekend
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As i was looking at the body blank, & the real deal, i was thinking about what Potomac said. And i thought: "wait, maybe i should slim down from 17 inches at the widest point." But as i was looking at the real deal pictures, and the specs from flyguitars has it's widest point at 14.5 inches. So i drew it up, and thought: well this is pretty boring now. It seems too small and narrow. So i took my dearmond starfire special (which was my dads' for 7 years before passing it down to me) and measured it's widest part. 16.25 inches. So i think i'll go with that. I'll see first off if it still looks good with the slimmed down width, if not, we'll i'll just keep it at 17. Stay tuned, i will follow with pictures this week.
Body shaping is done. Behold my first masterpiece!!! Tummy, armrest & recessed cutaways are finished.
now here's a problem
I don't know how deep it is, but is there anyway i can fill it up with something better than my wood filler. Epoxy, bondo, wtvr else builders use to plug up unwanted holes. Thanks Tomorrow, i get the neck and the real fun can start. Most of the body will be done possibly next week. I know i keep saying this, but i'm a little behind due to school and bad weather. Also, the body is now a perfect 17 across the widest part. MEasuring 21.5 inches long and having a 2 inch depth, this is a MONSTER!
now here's a problem
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- Apr 18, 2008
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- I'm highly opinionated and extremely self-assured
Congrats! Looks good! It's rewarding to watch it take shape, isn't it?
Plywood is a lot more acceptable for body wood than neck wood. No reason this won't do just fine. Opaque finish, right?
I got the wood from Home depot. It was a huge piece of maple 8 ft x 4 ft x 11/16 inch thick. It's really anyones guess hahaha.
YEs it is rewarding. I'm anxious to get all the wood work done and start painting. Actually i don't think i'm going for an opaque finish, Although you may be right, i'm no good with painting terms. I'm using dupli color blue metal speck as a base coat, then applying rust o leum metallic deep purple overtop to get a dark purple flake in the end. Good thing i have a scrap piece of soft maple plywood left over, i'll paint that first before takling the real deal.
If you are going with a solid color on the body, I'd just fill it with bondo.
I just stumbled on a great way to copy a bass in another thread (rouge copy), find a pic perfectly flat, then find something you know the size of (for me it was 55mm at the nut) drop pic into photoshop and edit image size til your predetermined object is the right size (maybe measure the pickup or 24th fret). Print it out as 4-6 pieces, xacto into one piece (or have printed full size) then you can just trace it out on your blank, bridge position should be double checked, but on mine it came out perfectly.
Plus you get to see it.
Plus you get to see it.
Intense bat suit, looks like a lot of work.
I worked at a high end furniture refinishing place, we used bondo to fix stuff like that, but with a little extra hardener(just mix up a heaping teaspoon of grey with a pea size of hardener.) The hardcore guys can repaint the wood and even the grain but since your going to paint it it will be fine as is. Leave it sticking domed out from the fix, then cut flush with a razor as it starts to stiffen uo 5-10 minutes or so.. let it harden more before sanding or it will ball up and deteriorate. If there are air holes use a bit of nico stan because wood filler wont stick to bondo.
I worked at a high end furniture refinishing place, we used bondo to fix stuff like that, but with a little extra hardener(just mix up a heaping teaspoon of grey with a pea size of hardener.) The hardcore guys can repaint the wood and even the grain but since your going to paint it it will be fine as is. Leave it sticking domed out from the fix, then cut flush with a razor as it starts to stiffen uo 5-10 minutes or so.. let it harden more before sanding or it will ball up and deteriorate. If there are air holes use a bit of nico stan because wood filler wont stick to bondo.
The batsuit is made entirely of foam mats and foam sheets (minus the cowl). Two years of design, one year of full building & i'm pretty proud of it.
In retrospect of the printing idea, i had already drawn it up before hand full scale 1:1 so i have an idea of what it'll look like, plus the cavities are all drawn and everything is detailed on the side such as hole sizes, and other minor specs to it.
Thanks, i'll be getting some bondo tomorrow during the day, or maybe wednesday. IDK i'll be busy working on the neck & finishing the sanding process on the body to rid of pencil marks (upper horn still not quite shaped to perfection yet, only minor touch ups to be done on the sander.
Hopkins
Commercial User
I would use epoxy, its harder than bondo, and in my opinion is a better repair.
