de afwerking mk3-6 - A build diary.

[blablas]

Thanks.

 

[TheBass]

There is no optimum pickup position!

It's a first time body design, but not my first build with this kind of pickups.
The pickup position I'm using here with dual coil pickups was determined when I build my previous six string bass. The center of the bridge coil is roughly on the same center as the Musicman humbucker bridge coil, relative to this coil I position the neck pickup, the center of the coil closest to the neck is on the same distance that's between the (jazz) pickups of a Warwick Corvette, these two coils are the ones I will use in single coil mode.
These distances have been upscaled to a 35 inch scale by the way.

I really like the sound these positions give me, and then there are also the added sound possibilities with the Series/single/parallel switch for each pickup.

Well ... 'optimum' was perhaps the wrong word. I guess I rather meant 'best for you'. Anyway, great craftmanship ! I really love chambered basses and can't wait to hear some soundsamples

 

[blablas]

Ready to be oiled.

 

[lbridenstine]

Looks good! Can't wait to see it with oil.

 

[blablas]

Finished oiling the backside.

 

[Splods]

Drools*

 

[lbridenstine]

That looks amazing. Looking forward to seeing the front.

 

[blablas]

Here it is.

Finished oiling.

 

[lbridenstine]

That looks great!

 

[HaMMerHeD]

Spectacular execution.

 

[blablas]

Mounted some hardware.

In the end I made my choice to go for the black variation of the truss rod covers.
I already made them, together with the silver colored variant I showed here before, at the time I thought I preferred those, but now together with all the other mounted black hardware the black ones look better.

 

[lbridenstine]

Good choice.

 

[blablas]

Shielded.

And dated & signed.

 

[wraub]

Really good looking instrument, nicely done!

 

[blablas]

Preamp, output and switches are mounted, also put on the knobs.
Friday I will mount the pickups, wire everything up, make the nut, put on the strings and adjust the whole thing.

 

[lbridenstine]

Did you make the knobs?

 

[blablas]

Yes, just check page 2 of this topic (you even commented on them at the end of the page ).

 

[lbridenstine]

Yes, just check page 2 of this topic (you even commented on them at the end of the page ).

Haha, whoops. Thanks for the reminder.

How do you clamp the knobs in the jaws without denting the wood? I need to re-make mine very soon. The first attempt went kind of okay... except they were rough, lopsided, and crushed/dented from the jaws.

 

[6stringpanda]

So Beautiful!!!!

Want one.

 

[blablas]

How do you clamp the knobs in the jaws without denting the wood?

Carefully......


Carefully...... the complete answer: The outer diameter is bigger than I want them to be while drilling and tapping the hole that will hold them on my "special tool" (just a piece of brass rod on which I cut a tread on which the knob can be screwed).
Once they can be placed on this tool the outside can be machined to the proper diameter and finished of.
For the machining that follows now (drilling the hole for the pot shaft and making the chamber for the pot nut) you don't need that much clamping force, you can clamp the knob very lightly in the jaws, or even put a piece of paper around the knob before clamping.

I'm using a advanced metal machining lathe for making these knobs by the way (at work).