Do what they say cant' be done...A Warmoth Build

[chadhargis]

Put a coat of Tru Oil on last night and another on this morning. Scuffed with a scotchbrite gray pad between coats to knock down any high spots. The neck is looking really good and I'm thinking three coats of oil will be plenty. I am not interested in a heavy glossy finish. I'll end up doing a "satin" finish on the back of the neck after it dries completely.

Next thing I need to do is apply the waterslide, let it dry, then do several light coats of SprayMax 2k over the decal. Once the poly dries, I can install the tuners and bolt up the neck. Put on a set of flats and give it a good set up.

Might need to tweak things from there as far as playability goes, but that's easy stuff.

 

[chadhargis]

The neck finishing, as far as applying finish, is complete.

I put on three coats of tru oil, put on the decal, and sprayed the front of the headstock to cover the decal. Yes, the decal is cloudy. But that's because I didn't put it on top of a glossy finish. You're actually seeing the dull wood behind it. Once I give the neck the "satin" treatment it will blend in fine.

The catalyzed SprayMax 2k is AWESOME! Dries fast and sprays really well. Next step is to sand the neck. I'm not a fan of super shiny necks. I am going to dull it down a bit using 2000 grit wet sanding until I get just the right satin look. The tru oil is dry, and the poly is supposed to be dry in 24 hours.

Once the poly is dry and sanded, I'll drill the locating holes for the tuners and mount them up. Then it'll be time for strings and setup.


Poly on front of headstock:

Tru Oil finish on the back of the headstock and rest of the neck. The Tru Oil is really easy to use!

 

[UbassDanno]

Is the neck and fretboard one piece?

 

[chadhargis]

Is the neck and fretboard one piece?

No. But the neck and board are the same wood. Separate pieces though. No skunk stripe on this neck. Truss rod was installed before the board was glued on.

 

[eastcoasteddie]

Maybe an optical illusion but the neck seems crooked to the body.... or the pickup looks crooked...

Nope. Ain’t nothin’ crooked there...
@Malak the Mad what I want to know is how you got them to route that oval hole that looks like it’s spec’ed for a stray-type jack plate. I thought they don’t do custom routing...I never saw them offer that jack on a J body.
My next bass will be a Warmoth build, and I have an idea of its specs...if it ever actually happens...

 

[TyBo]

The neck finishing, as far as applying finish, is complete.

I put on three coats of tru oil, put on the decal, and sprayed the front of the headstock to cover the decal. Yes, the decal is cloudy. But that's because I didn't put it on top of a glossy finish. You're actually seeing the dull wood behind it. Once I give the neck the "satin" treatment it will blend in fine.

The catalyzed SprayMax 2k is AWESOME! Dries fast and sprays really well. Next step is to sand the neck. I'm not a fan of super shiny necks. I am going to dull it down a bit using 2000 grit wet sanding until I get just the right satin look. The tru oil is dry, and the poly is supposed to be dry in 24 hours.

Once the poly is dry and sanded, I'll drill the locating holes for the tuners and mount them up. Then it'll be time for strings and setup.


Poly on front of headstock:
View attachment 3253427
Tru Oil finish on the back of the headstock and rest of the neck. The Tru Oil is really easy to use!
View attachment 3253428

Wow, that's just 3 coats of Tru Oil? Looks real good, seem to have a lot of coverage.

 

[chadhargis]

Wow, that's just 3 coats of Tru Oil? Looks real good, seem to have a lot of coverage.

Yeah, the Tru Oil is really awesome. One of the easiest finishes I've used.

 

[hypercarrots]

Nope. Ain’t nothin’ crooked there...
@Malak the Mad what I want to know is how you got them to route that oval hole that looks like it’s spec’ed for a stray-type jack plate. I thought they don’t do custom routing...I never saw them offer that jack on a J body.
My next bass will be a Warmoth build, and I have an idea of its specs...if it ever actually happens...

Read his post

 

[BAG]

You might have mentioned earlier but why did you go with a Fender decal? I'm probably a bit different to most in that I'd rather have a blank headstock.

 

[JoeWPgh]

You might have mentioned earlier but why did you go with a Fender decal? I'm probably a bit different to most in that I'd rather have a blank headstock.

I made a 'vintage' Fender decal that I sometimes like to use on my builds. Instead of Jazz Bass or Precision Bass, it says Parts Bass. The Original Contour Body decal says, Ripoff Contour Copy. I don't think I'm fooling anyone. Of course, part of me hopes that 20 years from now, someone comes here to ask, "What year did Fender make a Parts Bass?"

 

[Microbass]

I made a 'vintage' Fender decal that I sometimes like to use on my builds. Instead of Jazz Bass or Precision Bass, it says Parts Bass. The Genuine Contour Body decal says, Ripoff Contour Copy. I don't think I'm fooling anyone. Of course, part of me hopes that 20 years from now, someone comes here to ask, "What year did Fender make a Parts Bass?"

Haha! Excellent.

 

[chadhargis]

You might have mentioned earlier but why did you go with a Fender decal? I'm probably a bit different to most in that I'd rather have a blank headstock.

Basically my rational is that I'm making a quasi replica of the Fender American 60's Precision bass which retails for nearly $2000. I have a little more than half that amount in my Warmoth build and I have a nicer neck, pickup, wiring, and bridge. I'm using the same tuners and neck plate.

My build obviously isn't a rosewood board. I have lots of rosewood boards, and I really like the look of the roasted flame maple so I just went with that for the fingerboard too.

Of course I have no intention of ever trying to sell it as a Fender bass. I have much higher ethics than that.

Here's the bass I'm copying...somewhat...for less cash:

 

[UbassDanno]

Yeah, that roasted flame maple neck and fretboard are awesome!

 

[chadhargis]

Sigh....so things don't always go perfect.

So I was sanding out the headstock to give it the finish in my head, and it didn't look as good as I had imagined. So I've sanded the headstock back to bare wood and I'm starting over again. Luckily I have a spare waterslide.

But hey, this is half the fun. When you're an amateur, you don't fail, you experience delayed success. So this mistake cost me a couple of days. But what's a couple of days out of a lifetime.

First tack coat of poly on now...gonna do one more light coat followed by a medium wet coat and let 'er dry for 24 hours. Then set the decal, let it dry, and put three more coats of poly with some sanding in between.

 

[UbassDanno]

Here's the bass I'm copying...somewhat...for less cash:
View attachment 3254140

That's sweet, and you'll have something custom made by you.

 

[chadhargis]

That's sweet, and you'll have something custom made by you.

Yep...Got three coats of poly on tonight and I'm letting it dry. Love the Spraymax 2k. It dries so fast! In 24 hours it's hard as nails.

 

[JoeWPgh]

I don't think you need 3 coats under the waterslide. You have to remember that as thin as the waterslide is, it still has a thickness to it. I would do 2 or 3 coats around the decal. then another 2 or 3 over it.

 

[chadhargis]

I don't think you need 3 coats under the waterslide. You have to remember that as thin as the waterslide is, it still has a thickness to it. I would do 2 or 3 coats around the decal. then another 2 or 3 over it.

There won't be three coats under the decal after I level sand the poly and polish it. If the poly under the decal isn't shiny and level, then it will look dull and I won't be able to hide the edges adequately without the risk of sanding through to the decal.

So basically you need to finish the headstock completely, including making it shine, then put the decal on. I won't put much poly over the decal. Just enough that the edges "ghost" into the finish with some careful sanding.

My initial though was that I would do a satin finish as I don't really nice high shine finishes. But the flaw in my logic is that the satin haze obscured the decal and it just didn't look professional. My OCD kicked in and I started over.

 

[detracti]

I just ordered from Warmoth too.

I have a ~2k Fender American Hot Rod P, with a trans orange body. I love how it feels and plays, but wanted a traditional burst.

So I picked out a lightweight alder body, added the J bridge rout and black/red/yellow burst gloss finish.

I might have done better off ebay, and adding a bridge rout myself. But this way I know I'm getting exactly what I want.

 

[JoeWPgh]

I've done 2 roasted maple necks. The problem is they are too dark for the average waterslide to stand out. As for cloudy hazing? That's sometimes just a stage in the curing process. I don't mean to discourage you. Just don't go nuts over things you cannot control. Give it your best shot. You're already off to a good start.