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First Build - "Lucifer"

#681
Tim, I don't know if this is a good idea or not. I haven't thought it through. I took a break from cleaning the basement and it just popped in my head outta nowhere.
So, make a template for hogging out a larger section for pups. Then use an identical but negative template to make a piece that fits right back in. Can either be screwed in or magnets (not sure, didn't think much about that part).
The actual pup holes would be in the blank/plug. If you make a template for it, you can make as many and out of any wood you want. If you don't like the pups or the pup locations, you can make a new blank (green in the pics).
Just an idea. Again, it just popped in my head. I'm pretty sure that most of the times that happens, it's messages from aliens. So, it's probably a good idea.
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#684
XLunacy said:
I like the idea.You might want to look at this :

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Yours allows for reusing the same pickups and simply varying the location. Changing pickups will require some soldering, but with some sort of solderless system... :woot: The electronics should also be fully working even with a single pickup !
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Holy Christ that's crazy! I'm gonna leave that to RichterScale. ;)

I really want a certain aesthetic, and a huge swimming pool that removes all the work I put into that neck-thru portion isn't it.
 
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#686
RichterScale said:
Nope, I'm gonna do all my basses regular American style.
I was just making a suggestion that was off beat, since you're into all that weird fancy, funny color wood and crooked fret stuff.
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Funny color wood and crooked frets is my jam! :roflmao:

Actually, I have a plan for "build three" that will be solid color paint, probably neon green or maybe a taxi-cab yellow with black checkers around the edges. Haven't decided yet. :smug:
 
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#689
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#690
deff said:
At a time when platinum line 80/90s BCR Ironbirds are going for $3500, I'd say you picked a good time. Yes that bass that two years ago went for $400 tops is worth a mint now.
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Yeah, they are nuts. B.C. Rich hinted last year that they were bringing it back, but it has yet to happen. I suspect that's what drove prices up. I've got a platinum series Warlock and the Mockingbird MKII, so I'd really like to add the Ironbird to the collection, but a real one ain't gonna happen. Oh well, gives me something to build. you know....after this one and other one I've already started. :roflmao:
 
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#695
Any Progress Is Good Progress:
So I decided that I wanted to have a strung instrument by this weekend, even if it doesn't have electronics. Plus, I think it would help me answer a ton of questions if I had 5 perfect straight edges running the length of the fretboard. So after dinner today I got on that nut. First step was to get the tuners in the holes, then start with the low B and high G strings -
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Keeping in mind that it's rather crude at this point, it's more me muddling my way through this with some semblance of what needs to take place here but no real world experience. What I did know was, if you start with the outside strings and then do some maths you can probably start marking locations fairly accurately....I think. :cautious:

Two Becomes Five:
After some tick marks and some file action, we start getting additional strings on it. I had purchased a cheap set of Chinese nut slotting files. Yeah, yeah, I know. Buy good stuff and it'll work better. I'm more of the "buy the cheap ones and if you decide you wanna keep doing this AND you CAN do this, buy good ones on the next one" mentality. But, moving forward -
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I cant begin to explain how excited this moment made me. For the very first time, it had a voice! It said something! I could hear it! :cool:
I know, it wasn't tuned up, the nut wasn't cut, the action was a mile high. But I heard it!
A little more work on the nut, try to actually bring it up to tune -
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And we've got a thing -
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Lingering Questions:
1) The action is way too high. I suspected this would be the case, because my rookie mistake was not building a neck angle into it. I'm going to have to route a recess under the bridge saddles. The strings are about 4mm above the fretboard at the 24th fret and the saddles are bottomed out. But I'm okay with this, I just need to think it through and decide exactly how I want to do it.
2) Neck profile. Wow, it's WAY too chunky! I'm not sure what happened, I thought I had carved it to a profile I liked. But putting strings on it made it real, and it's super duper mega chunky. It's like the fat overweight American version of a P bass neck, I’m talking like if a P bass neck totally let itself go and had its own tv show called “My Big Fat Fabulous P Bass Neck”, wow. So I think I need to re-examine that neck profile and I'm probably gonna have to go back and re-carve that. I'm NOT happy with it AT ALL. That's kind of a major thing, but man I missed on that one.
3) I'm gonna leave it strung up for now and see how it reacts. Mostly because I'm curious. Partly because it makes me proud to see it like this. But yeah, it's almost like I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and it's not the Luthier Express coming to run me over! :cool:
 
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#696
Overall, I think it looks pretty darn amazeballs. :woot: The carving is really flowing and nice for the eye to follow, all the shapes and curves are well balanced, the colours look good together, even the nut looks alright. :smug:

Regarding the string height, it's sometimes possible to grind a little off the bottom of each saddle in order to bring them down in height. Depending on how much you need to drop it, it may be possible to get the needed drop this way. Some designs don't work, so you'd have to do some careful reviewing to see if it's possible. It's a lot less work than routing a cavity for the bridge, but you may end up having to do so anyway.
 
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#699
Congrats! That first string-up is always a great feeling! Usually followed by a sinking feeling when you see how far out the action is…. :laugh:

That oops-it’s-way-too-thick is a thing, for real. But it’s better than making it too thin!
 
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#700
That's looking great!

As @Beej pointed out, you might be able to file the saddles. I think on my bridge I will file down the string slots in the top of the saddles but you might be able to do either/both. And you probably still need to sink the bridges.

I am also planning an extra thick fretboard to get the strings high enough to allow for good action. It will probably end up about 9 mm (3/8") thick!
 
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