Five string scrap pile build

[two fingers]

Those fret marker inlays on the side of the board are just beautiful. Such a beautiful, original, simple thing but it just sets this whole instrument off for me. I would grin every time I looked at them if it were my bass.

The rest of the bass ain't bad either! Ha!

 

[Big B.]

Managed to squeeze in some lab time over the holiday and I've got some pics to prove it.

The next order of business was to attach the neck. In solidarity with Mr. Habraken I decided to use some old ferrules I had laying around and some nice fat screws.

First the holes are located and drilled.

The heck heel is transferred to the neck with a pencil to avoid shaping past the heel transition.

Once the holes for the ferrules are drilled I tap them in with a hammer and attach the neck.

Once the neck is attached the bridge can be located. The tuners and bridge are from last year's Mad Scientist bass. This bass will keep the satin hardware and the fretless will get the black hardware it deserves.

Next I locate the tuners and drill out the holes.

I used a piece of ziricote and cut it to size for the nut. A few drops of CA glue it in place.

A little work with a rasp and orbital sander and the body is really starting to take shape.

In the next installment we"ll rout the pickups in and slap some strings on it. Good times.

 

[Big B.]

+

+

=

(That's how Mad Science works)



Now that you know where we're going I'll show you how we got there.

First I found a piece of half inch mdf for the template and used the pickups as a pattern to attach blocks for routing. I use a thin piece of cardboard as a spacer to give just a slight bit of air around the pickup. This lets the pickup fit with out friction and opens the corners just enough to let a 3/8" pattern bit do the entire rout.

Next I use the same 3/8" bit to rout out the template.

I attach the template to the body with two long strips of double sided duct tape. It works great. Give it a good wack with a hammer up and down the template and it wont move unless you want it to.

Using the 3/8" bit and a plunge router I rout the pickups as deep as the template allows and then after removing the template I can use the opening itself to rout to final depth.

Next we simply add pickups and strings and it's damn near being a real bass. It plays really well with a nice slap feel and thick acoustic sound.

Next time we'll make the truss rod access and finish carving the neck.

 

[Big B.]

It's been a few months since I posted in this thread but progress has been made and the bass is nearly complete. The bass was wired up for a while to use on some gigs and after a couple months I broke it back down for prep work and finishing. First the neck had to be carved thinner and then finish sanded. After A few coats of vinyl sealer things are looking good. The fingerboard is sprayed, frets and all, and the excess lacquer will be removed from the frets during final setup.

Next the body is carved and finish sanded to prep for clearcoating. After sanding to 320 grit I mount the body on a finishing stand. With the body completely suspended I use a very fine grit sanding sponge and work the entire body to smooth out the surface and remove any marks left from incidental contact.

Weather permitting, I'll spay the vinyl sealer coats tomorrow and the following day I can begin spraying lacquer on the body and neck.

 

[DiAnnoMih]

WOW

 

[Hopkins]

Very nice Brandon.

 

[gjbassist]

Based on the thread title I was expecting a bass made from parts found in a junk pile! Instead I see a beautiful bass that looks like it came from a boutique builder! Very nice work!

 

[Bassgeer]

Looks awesome! I love the figuring on that fingerboard!

 

[Thumpin_P]

Ummm...wow! As usual...

 

[Big B.]

Thanks guys, its been in a while since I got work done on instruments and I'm glad to have a few to finish in the next several months.

I just finished my fourth coat of vinyl sealer on the body and everything is looking great so far. It's very humid out today so I spray the finish on my porch and then bring the body inside to the climate controlled air. This allows the finish to dry without blushing.

I'll let the finish dry overnight and tomorrow I'll sand it down and start with the lacquer coats.

 

[Big B.]

After fighting humidity all week the last coats of finish have been sprayed. And now we wait...

The shop I work in is next to a custom metal artisan so Monday I am going to speak to him about making some metal logos for my headstocks.

 

[Hopkins]

After fighting humidity all week the last coats of finish have been sprayed. And now we wait...

[/IMG]

[/IMG]

[/IMG]

The shop I work in is next to a custom metal artisan so Monday I am going to speak to him about making some metal logos for my headstocks.

Looks great Brandon, the waiting game is the reason I quit using Nitro in favor of a two part urethane.

If you are thinking about a bulk order for logos Big Blue Saw has pretty good pricing if you order a large quantity, not so much for a small batch order though. That's if the metal guy you know doesn't pan out. I ordered my last batch of logos through them, they came out great. I also had them make some pickup rings for some T-40 pickups I bought. There are lots of metal places around here but they always have a minimum order that is just unrealistic for what I am doing. Big Blue Saw is pretty good for small parts.

 

[Big B.]

Oddly enough, I was going to send you a PM this morning asking who you got your logos from. I think they looked great and I am very interested in talking to them about a bulk order. My guy is more of a hand craftsman (expensive) but owes me a favor.

I am also interested in trying your urethane finish soon. Your pics look fantastic but I want to see it in person and spray it myself to really get a feel for it. I've applied most finishes out there but for whatever reason the look of a lacquer finish has always spoken to me in particular. There's a certain warmth that it brings to the wood that I love.

 

[MuthaFunk]

Wow! What an amazing looking instrument! Thanks for doing up such a nice thread to document it's creation. Sub'd!

 

[SaintMez]

Looks great Brandon! That pic of the back really shows off the contrast of the woods. Love that curly maple in there!

 

[MrArose13]

That bass is SO SWEET! see, this is why I cant throw wood away. HA,HA. Well done B, well... done.

 

[IAmACrocodile]

Absolutely beautiful! I usually go for basses with quite a traditional appearance (Tele basses, Rivolis and Rickenbackers being favourites), but this bass looks so elegant, so tasteful and so well made - it really is a beauty! I love it!

It's very nice to see offcuts being used to create something beautiful, which will be owned and loved by generations of musicians.

 

[DiAnnoMih]

It looks amazing.

 

[Big B.]

Thanks so much much for the compliments. I've been without a fretted bass for quite a while so it's nice to have a complete platoon again. I spent some time this weekend wetsanding and polishing the finish. I'm really happy with how the top and fingerboard match. It does'nt carry over in the picture but the fingerboard is buffed to a high gloss as well. All thats left is to find the last pickup screw and wire in the Delano preamp. I'll get some pics and sounclips when it's finally complete.

 

[Hopkins]

Looks beautiful as usual B.