Finally revisiting a fretless project

[Dark Horse]

This is awesome, can't wait to see it come together!!!
I'm a fretless ampeg scroll player who also loves playing my fretless P... even though it isn't as pretty. This should solve that problem.

Thanks Coy !!! I appreciate the kind words… I'm excited to get this one finished and playing too!!!

Looks great! Tru Oil is great stuff and I've used it on necks for a long time. For bodies, I now use gloss General Finishes Arm R Seal. A more economical way to get the same result.

Thanks ! It's funny, I was looking through some of your build threads this evening and was impressed enough with the finish results that I took screen shots of your process with the Seal A Cell and Arm R Seal so that I could duplicate the process for this bass !!! Thank you for the inspiration and for sharing the process.

Daaaaaaaaaaaaaang!

thank you !!!

 

[MVE]

You don't think it needs reshaping at all?

Really love the asymmetry of the S and half S.
To me the bridge looks a little too massive.
A wood bridge about the same width as a metal bridge might look really cool.

 

[burgerdj]

So glad to hear your health has improved! Give that cancer hell. This looks like an incredible build - for what it's worth, I vote TruOil.

 

[Dark Horse]

Really love the asymmetry of the S and half S.
To me the bridge looks a little too massive.
A wood bridge about the same width as a metal bridge might look really cool.

Thanks !
I've been looking at it all last night and this morning, and I'm on the fence about making it smaller… but I ate that it "may" need a bit of streamlining

So glad to hear your health has improved! Give that cancer hell. This looks like an incredible build - for what it's worth, I vote TruOil.

Thank you so much !

after looking through some threads I think I'm leaning toned the General Finishes stuff that Lonnybass uses. He mentioned it earlier in this thread and the results are fantastic

 

[Koog]

I like the natural look and feel of oiled finishes, so that would be my first choice.

This bass is a super project. I really like your work. If it was a 32" scale, I'd be asking you for a price.

It makes very glad to know your health has improved. Wishing you continued improvement. My thoughts are with you.

Koog

 

[Dark Horse]

I like the natural look and feel of oiled finishes, so that would be my first choice.

This bass is a super project. I really like your work. If it was a 32" scale, I'd be asking you for a price.

It makes very glad to know your health has improved. Wishing you continued improvement. My thoughts are with you.

Koog

thank you so much for the kind words

 

[GKon]

Thanks Coy !!! I appreciate the kind words… I'm excited to get this one finished and playing too!!!



Thanks ! It's funny, I was looking through some of your build threads this evening and was impressed enough with the finish results that I took screen shots of your process with the Seal A Cell and Arm R Seal so that I could duplicate the process for this bass !!! Thank you for the inspiration and for sharing the process.



thank you !!!

You're welcome!

Also, I thought I'd share that your original build was an inspiration for me because, at the time, I was building a P-bass kit I had gotten from Thomann. I have always loved the Ampeg scroll basses, so In my search for ideas, one of the basses I came across was your original one. It was a pleasant surprise, and shock to my memory to see it pop up again on this post! (I'll add pics of mine just as a thank you for your inspiration).

The one you are currently building is truly beautiful. I absolutely love the larger f-hole that you have made in two parts. The use of negative space, and the design in between the top and bottom cutouts really set it off.

 

[Dark Horse]

You're welcome!

Also, I thought I'd share that your original build was an inspiration for me because, at the time, I was building a P-bass kit I had gotten from Thomann. I have always loved the Ampeg scroll basses, so In my search for ideas, one of the basses I came across was your original one. It was a pleasant surprise, and shock to my memory to see it pop up again on this post! (I'll add pics of mine just as a thank you for your inspiration).

The one you are currently building is truly beautiful. I absolutely love the larger f-hole that you have made in two parts. The use of negative space, and the design in between the top and bottom cutouts really set it off.

View attachment 5233269 View attachment 5233270 View attachment 5233271

Thank you so much for the kind words, and I'm stoked that my old build inspired you !

That's a really cool P mod/build you did !

 

[GKon]

Thank you so much for the kind words, and I'm stoked that my old build inspired you !

That's a really cool P mod/build you did !

You're quite welcome! And thank you for your kind words!

 

[Dark Horse]

CATASTROPHE DAY !!!

Ugh. I threw out my back yesterday, but I'm feeling a bit better today, so I wanted to get at least a little time on this bass. I shouldn't have tried. Not because of my back..but because of this:

I went to trim the fretboard to the neck dimensions and forgot I had been routing for binding late last week with that router… So the binding bit was in there. Anyway, long story short, the neck is ruined. Trashed. Junk. The bit took off too much wood from both the neck and fretboard. And yeah, I even measured it to see if I could trim it into a Jazz bass neck taper…. No dice. Not enough wood left.

So I guess I'll try to gut it and save the truss rod, and the rest is firewood.
This sucks. Don't try to work when you aren't feeling 100%…. You aren't focused and bad things happen. Could've been worse, could've been an actual accident. Instead it's just the loss of some really nice wood and some time.

lesson learned.

Gonna go lie down…I'll start building a new neck tomorrow if I'm feeling better.

 

[coy garcia]

 

[Beej]

Liked for sympathy... but... don't give up!

Maybe repurpose this into something radically different. Like maybe make a piece of a different wood that you glue into the missing chunk and make it look intentional.

Or do something Carl Thompson style and shave off that entire piece down the length of the neck, including the headstock, and glue on a new laminate down both sides of the neck, so the fretboard and existing taper get framed in with new stringers. You'd have to come up with a completely different design of course, but it would at least salvage those beautiful woods.

When life gives you lemons, build a bass out of them!

 

[burgerdj]

CATASTROPHE DAY !!!

Ugh. I threw out my back yesterday, but I'm feeling a bit better today, so I wanted to get at least a little time on this bass. I shouldn't have tried. Not because of my back..but because of this:

View attachment 5235419

I went to trim the fretboard to the neck dimensions and forgot I had been routing for binding late last week with that router… So the binding bit was in there. Anyway, long story short, the neck is ruined. Trashed. Junk. The bit took off too much wood from both the neck and fretboard. And yeah, I even measured it to see if I could trim it into a Jazz bass neck taper…. No dice. Not enough wood left.

So I guess I'll try to gut it and save the truss rod, and the rest is firewood.
This sucks. Don't try to work when you aren't feeling 100%…. You aren't focused and bad things happen. Could've been worse, could've been an actual accident. Instead it's just the loss of some really nice wood and some time.

lesson learned.

Gonna go lie down…I'll start building a new neck tomorrow if I'm feeling better.

TB needs to add a "dislike" button. Sorry, Dark Horse - this really bites.

 

[Dark Horse]

I figure it's just as important to share failures as it is triumphs. Everyone can learn from them, and everyone screws up. We all get knocked down, what matters is that we get back up !

 

[Dark Horse]

Liked for sympathy... but... don't give up!

Maybe repurpose this into something radically different. Like maybe make a piece of a different wood that you glue into the missing chunk and make it look intentional.

Or do something Carl Thompson style and shave off that entire piece down the length of the neck, including the headstock, and glue on a new laminate down both sides of the neck, so the fretboard and existing taper get framed in with new stringers. You'd have to come up with a completely different design of course, but it would at least salvage those beautiful woods.

When life gives you lemons, build a bass out of them!

 

[Dark Horse]

I'm gonna stick with this slogan….


"THERE'S NO CRYING IN BASS BUILDING!"

 

[GKon]

CATASTROPHE DAY !!!

Ugh. I threw out my back yesterday, but I'm feeling a bit better today, so I wanted to get at least a little time on this bass. I shouldn't have tried. Not because of my back..but because of this:

View attachment 5235419

I went to trim the fretboard to the neck dimensions and forgot I had been routing for binding late last week with that router… So the binding bit was in there. Anyway, long story short, the neck is ruined. Trashed. Junk. The bit took off too much wood from both the neck and fretboard. And yeah, I even measured it to see if I could trim it into a Jazz bass neck taper…. No dice. Not enough wood left.

So I guess I'll try to gut it and save the truss rod, and the rest is firewood.
This sucks. Don't try to work when you aren't feeling 100%…. You aren't focused and bad things happen. Could've been worse, could've been an actual accident. Instead it's just the loss of some really nice wood and some time.

lesson learned.

Gonna go lie down…I'll start building a new neck tomorrow if I'm feeling better.

Youch!!!! I have to be honest, that really sucks big time. I'm so sorry.

That being said, we've all been there, and done that in one form, or another.
I'm sure you'll be able to pick up the pieces (no pun intended) and turn it around to an awesome bass.

 

[boxerrider]

Super-Fine Cigar Box Bass Guitar!

 

[ardgedee]

Mark Sandman memorial two-string bass!

 

[burgerdj]

Mark Sandman memorial two-string bass!

+1 on a Sandman tribute!