Headless, 24 fan-fret 5-string project - the Meteorlite

[JIO]

I'm wondering how I should finish this bass. Something dark? Something light? Lot's of options. Will wait until it's all together and maybe hearing/playing it will help guide me.

 

[JIO]

Ordered parts for this 5'r; strings (D'Addario EXL170-5SL 45-130 nickel round-wounds), black flush-mount Dunlop Straplok's, black neck bolt ferrels (needed two more), and the EMG pre. Meanwhile - working on getting the body ready for finishing. First off after sanding was applying Wood Hardener as the wood is soft and light. I've used this with success on a very light torrified body I made years ago. Once cured I sanded and coated with satin poly clear. Both acted as grain-filler and when sanding let me know where I needed more product and more contouring. Each time applying product & sanding, the 'feel' becomes more ideal. Light helps too, but fingers are never wrong.

I'm currently thinking about finishing it using this 'hammered' texture spray. Kind of visually referencing the Klein K-bass Zolatone textured finish [RX33-448] and I do like bronze as a colour.

From their product copy: Perfect for old wheelbarrows, wheel rims, patio furniture, railings and more. This bass body will be in the 'more' category...

 

[JIO]

Started working on the neck. I finally figured out how to remove the hs string-clamps and the neck does have a tr. The center clamp screws were cut shorter but still were in the way of tr access. Will need to deal with that. Rasped, filed, flat-bladed and sanded there profile and will continue tomorrow. Way better already. Rolled over the fb edges and need to file the fret-ends tomorrow. Also will rout the J pu cavities. Once the pre is here I'll determine the control cavity.

 

[JIO]

Bought a rattle-can of the Hammered finish. My local hardware store only had a very dark brown version. Haven't experimented with it yet but I'm sure I can come up with something special incorporating other products. Key is being textured. Finished shaping/sanding the neck, routed for the J pu's, filled the fret-ends, added aluminum fb side position dots and did the first 'hand-rubbed' satin poly finish on the neck. Also, neck bolt ferrules arrived. At this rate I can complete it by week's end as long as the parts show-up in the next few days.

 

[JIO]

Sprayed a piece of the leftover wood from cutting out the body. Started with a few coats of red oxide primer, and then shot 4 coats of the Hammered spray. It looks cool & all but not much of a textured effect. You can tell it's 'metal' (not metal-flake) looking but a bit too subtle. So... I remembered I had a qt of paint from a past decorative job I did years ago. It's made by Benjamin Moore (my preferred house-paint) and it's part of their decorative Molten Metal line called "Gun Smoke". It's very thick and the instructions say do not thin. So I brushed on the first coat on sample wood and used a small/thin dry roller to even it out and left it to dry overnight. This morning I added a gloppy second layer and lightly coated the roller cover. It coated nicely/laid out evenly and is definitely textured both physically and visually. I think this is what I was looking for. On the Hammered sample, I dusted it with Montana "Hologram" and it looked great. So once the Gunsmoke sample cures (overnight) I'll dust it with the Hologram spray. I think that combo will rock visually and it will have a nice subtly textured feel.

Hammered finish w/Hologram metal-flake

Gun Smoke -

The thick 'Molten Metal' product once laid out evenly forms tiny bubbly pockets of metallic texture - once the Hologram is added, the final coats will be Stew Mac satin nitro which will quiet it down nicely.

 

[JIO]

modern art -

 

[JIO]

EMG pre arrived, determined a cavity layout & routed. Waiting for the barrel jack - should arrive tomorrow.

EMG recommends the V control to be last in the chain. (lowest position)

Tight height tolerances due to the body being 1-1/4" thick, I cut a very thin cover of aluminum with a shallow ledge. Cover will be held on using 4 tiny rare-earth magnets. Cover will get the same finish as the body.

 

[ctmullins]

Nice clean work. But - aluminum is non-ferrous, so why the magnets?

 

[Flying B]

I'm guessing magnets glued to the cover & corresponding magnets glued into the cavity

 

[No such thing]

Well I always apply axle grease to the very fine threads on all of my headless tuners, whether made in China (not likely), Brazil (pretty likely), Germany (not lately), or the USA (home sweet home). Those are some tiny threads, and if they're machined poorly they will need all the help they can get.

I put a dry lube on mine.

Dust clings less to that and where I live theres a fair amount of dust etc.
2 dogs as well.

Dry Lube Spray - Dirt & Dust Resistant Dry Lube | WD-40

Reduce friction and provide long-lasting lubrication with the dry lube spray from WD-40. This formula dries quickly and resists dirt and dust. WD-40 Dry Lube Spray is great for door and window tracks, slides, belts, rollers and hinges.

www.wd40.com

 

[JIO]

I'm guessing magnets glued to the cover & corresponding magnets glued into the cavity

Yes, I drilled aligning holes in the aluminum & cavity ledge and super-glued magnets in both ledge & cover. Magnets will be installed on the cavity ledge later. Also drilled a pinky hole to remove it - it's a snug fit. Base paint is metallic gold and after doing a bit of filling/sanding, re-coating on both cover & body (until smooth) I'll start the finishing process which is fairly involved.

 

[JIO]

Nice clean work. But - aluminum is non-ferrous, so why the magnets?

Thanks - as I've described above

 

[JIO]

Flush-mount Dunlop Straplok system installed - barrel jack has yet to appear.

Finishing process begins - Rustoleum "Metallic" (gold) - coat #1. Will do a couple more coat & fine sand to eliminate grain & shoot more coats later. After a cold streak it was warmer today so ideal for starting the finish.

 

[JIO]

Creating many individually unique basses, it's easier for me if they each have a name/handle - a way to refer to them. Because of my recent acquisition of the vintage Steve Klein K-bass and how it timely influenced my ergo design for the body - this bass is now christened the Gildaxe G5 - or simply G5. I'm starting to get excited about it finished/assembled. As we are approaching the year's end - it may not be completed this year as I have a pressing Decorative Arts project to finalize during this transitional period. I'll do as much as I can do in the mean time until it's done, and that's... ok!

 

[JIO]

Sanded smooth, barrel jack arrived/drilled for it, and shot a couple coats. So far so good. As it's located at the bend (armpit?), I made a maple go-between/collar so it sits flush. I'll need to do one for the inside also. It gets a bit tricky, but this sort of location for the jack works for me. I've tried about every location a jack can be and some definitely work better than others. I referenced this location on my Ex-Factorbird fretless -

 

[Core Creek]

I was lead to believe they are the same as used on Ibanez basses but they are not branded. They are well made and work as they should. I know there are a lot of copycat parts out there - I once returned tuners I ordered that looked like Gotoh's but upon close inspection the casting was very crude.
View attachment 7314564

Where do you get these?

 

[JIO]

Where do you get these?

Boy, it's been a while! I only recall buying 3 5-string sets at the same time - one silver, one black and one gold. Frankly I don't remember where. Either on eBay or from AllParts.

 

[JIO]

First layer of the Molten Metal "Gunsmoke" product. It's molasses thick (Do Not Thin) so I brushed it on as best I could and stippled it to even it out leaving the gold undercoat to peek through. Overnight dry/cure and tomorrow is where the magic starts happening. Second layer will be stippled on and will be much easier to control. Basically a Decorative Arts technique similar to doing a stencil. I'll lay out the product evenly on a flat piece of cardboard and pounce it with a chip-brush grabbing paint at the bristle end and evenly pounce it over the body. The built-up paint will cure doing its 'spore' thing and the stippling will further subtly texture the body. It will mostly obscure the gold, but the product is not fully opaque so it will still play a role in the final 'look'. After a few days of curing (always longer when paint is thick as this product is) last pass will be the Hologram spray -

Here's the angled collars I mentioned - contoured maple on both sides for a stable jack once tightened down.

 

[JIO]

Second layer applied - went as well as I anticipated. Possibly the best finish for metal... It's a little "sci-fi"... the GEO "Sci-fiver"... catchy... (since there's no "catchy" icon... I used "Robot"... just because)

it's a bit reptilian...

...a late '60s local trio where I grew up were called "Bumpy Action"... always loved that band name -

 

[JIO]

Shielding done and magnets installed in the cavity shelf. I have to own my mis-alignment of the magnets... it just seems like no matter how much you consider each aspect of the process... it's never enough. In this case - they do what's required and aren't seen once the cover is positioned.

Sprayed the Montana Hologram, let it cure, rubbed it down with a brown 3M fiber pad to knock off any sharp metallic particles and started final coating using hand-rubbed gloss poly. Will do multiple coats. Looks like it'll be done by years-end after all.

It looks much better in person - will take better pics once it's assembled