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Joiner "Serenade" Build Progress
- Thread starter teej
- Start date
Did a bit of sanding and rubbed some spirits onto the neck blank. Some nice curl showed up in the birdseye maple and claro walnut.
I'd go for the birdseye top if you're still planning on doing an ebony fb, but I also really really like the opposite (ebony top w/ birdseye fb).
After an AWFULLY long time, I finally started working on my Serenade again. What started as a hobby has turned into a side job. I've been busy doing mostly restorations and repair work when I'm not at my day job, but recently I told my boss "Look, I need less hours." so now I've actually got time for myself. Anyway, today, I started routing out the chambers. For those new to this thread (and for those who have forgotten in the 1 1/2 years since I've updated), it's going to be piezo-only -- think Rob Allen or Rick Turner.
Let's see, what did I do today?
I was bouncing back-and-forth, between my travel bass and this one. After getting a new router (my old Bosch 1617 crapped out, but I think it's an easy fix -- short in the cord, or a burned-out switch perhaps), I routed the neck's truss rod channel. I rough cut the tone chambers with the forstner bit-equipped drill press. Let me tell ya... cheap Task Force forstners are CRAP. Get yourself some Freud bits. They cut through 1 1/4" walnut 20x faster.
Anyway, let's see, truss rod, rough cut chambers, OH! I rough cut the neck, too, from the heel to the nut (like a paddle head neck). I still don't have a headstock design, but with most of the neck cut, I can position it on the body and have a better idea than when the 6" wide board was there.
I was bouncing back-and-forth, between my travel bass and this one. After getting a new router (my old Bosch 1617 crapped out, but I think it's an easy fix -- short in the cord, or a burned-out switch perhaps), I routed the neck's truss rod channel. I rough cut the tone chambers with the forstner bit-equipped drill press. Let me tell ya... cheap Task Force forstners are CRAP. Get yourself some Freud bits. They cut through 1 1/4" walnut 20x faster.
Anyway, let's see, truss rod, rough cut chambers, OH! I rough cut the neck, too, from the heel to the nut (like a paddle head neck). I still don't have a headstock design, but with most of the neck cut, I can position it on the body and have a better idea than when the 6" wide board was there.
Slight change of plans. The other night, after I cut out the body and rough cut the neck, I did a mock-up, with the neck clamped to the body, and after viewing it all from different angles, I proclaimed "My god, that is ONE... SEXY... BASS." and had what could have been an orgasm. Because of that, I've decided to up the birdseye bling factor in the body and neck. Here's what I scored today....
By the way, since the creation of this thread, many photos have been removed or deleted. Since I can't edit my original posts, here are those photos....
By the way, since the creation of this thread, many photos have been removed or deleted. Since I can't edit my original posts, here are those photos....
I goofed.
I cut the scarf after the nut, instead of before it, so now I have to attach the headstock portion to the back of the neck, rather than the front. The end result is roughly the same, but now I'll have a weaker joint. To strengthen it, I'll insert 2-3 countersunk screws in the back of the headstock and cover them up with some sort of inlay.
I cut the scarf after the nut, instead of before it, so now I have to attach the headstock portion to the back of the neck, rather than the front. The end result is roughly the same, but now I'll have a weaker joint. To strengthen it, I'll insert 2-3 countersunk screws in the back of the headstock and cover them up with some sort of inlay.
I think I have a solution to my miscut scarf joint. The original plan was to have a 1/4" maple top on the body and headstock. This 1/4" on the headstock would obviously make it thicker -- thick enough to recut the scarf and join the two parts like I wanted (with the headstock glued between the neck and fingerboard, rather than to the back of the neck). I may have to steepen the angle from 11 deg. to 15, but I can live with that.
How much would you guys pay for a top like this? The seller is asking $100 + shipping, but I think it's kind of high. Having said that, it's 3/4" thick, so I could have it resawn into two tops.
Oh, I didn't notice the face until now. It's got eyes with brows, chin, nose, mouth open, long hair, and even a mustache. I won't have a face bass, though. :scowl: On the other hand, I could market it toward the "Jesus on Pancake / Mary on Underpass" crowd. I've found a creepy-looking old man on a maple top.
I've been thinking, lately, about the current pickup choice. Originally, I was going to use just a Fishman piezo, a la Rob Allen, because at the time, I was really into that woody upright sound. I still am, but I don't think it would be a very versatile bass. It would be great for the band since we mostly play bluesy folk Nora Jones-type stuff, but I like to have options, so I've been thinking about adding single magnetic pickup. It's like having a car with 400 HP. Do I need 400 HP? No, but I like knowing that it's there, should I ever have to use it.
Anyway, back to pickups.
I was thinking Bartolini at first, since they have the narrow soapbar pups. But if I'm going to add a pickup, I don't want it to stand out (I like the clean, uncluttered, pickup-less look), so I'm going to make wooden covers. Bartolinis with covers would be too bulky, in my opinion. That turned my direction toward Nordstrand because they make pups without covers epoxied on, specifically for wood covers. I was eying their NJ4SE set, or maybe even the DC soapbars. The thing is, though, I don't want exposed poles (which is why I like EMG and Bart ).
Oh, decisions, decisions......
Anyway, back to pickups.
I was thinking Bartolini at first, since they have the narrow soapbar pups. But if I'm going to add a pickup, I don't want it to stand out (I like the clean, uncluttered, pickup-less look), so I'm going to make wooden covers. Bartolinis with covers would be too bulky, in my opinion. That turned my direction toward Nordstrand because they make pups without covers epoxied on, specifically for wood covers. I was eying their NJ4SE set, or maybe even the DC soapbars. The thing is, though, I don't want exposed poles (which is why I like EMG and Bart
).Oh, decisions, decisions......
SDB Guitars
Commercial User
...That turned my direction toward Nordstrand because they make pups without covers epoxied on, specifically for wood covers. I was eying their NJ4SE set, or maybe even the DC soapbars. The thing is, though, I don't want exposed poles (which is why I like EMG and Bart
You don't *have* to expose the poles on the Nordstrand pickups. Witness this Fat Stack 6 set, with wooden covers... the thickness of the top above the pickups is about 1/16" or a little less (3/64"?). Nordstrand supplied an extra bobbin flat to set around the pole pieces so that they are "flush" with the top of the bobbin inside the covers.
As an aside, those covers were made by Roger at THG Knobs... he does *exemplary* work.
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[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
I scaled down and superimposed my body template over the photo. I liked the figure of this top, but wasn't keen at all with having a "face" on it, so I thought "Hmm... I'll just turn it upside-down." It actually works out good because that non-burly section at top-center will be mostly removed since that's the neck pocket. I was able to haggle the asking price ($100) down $20, so for $80, I have two nice looking maple burl tops, assuming I can find someone to resaw it. Would any decent cabinet shop be equipped for such a task?
It's been too long, I know, but looky what I've done since then!!
I almost botched the top. Well, rather I should say the guy at the cabinet shop did. I took it to a local place and had the guy run it through a jointer and then a planer. On the last pass through the planer, a bunch of shards of my top shot out and I thought "OH... MY... GOD." It's is a $90 top after all. If I resawed it, I could have gotten two tops, but I didn't plan on making another bass for a while. All is well, though. What the planer left me with was just enough to use.
In honor of my girlfriend, I glued a few strands of her hair under the top. Sounds creepy, I know, but I love her more than anything. Yes, even bass. Now a part of her is with me every time I play this instrument.
I scrapped most of the neck, saving only the headstock, grafting it onto one-piece birdseye maple. I thought the ebony lams would have been too stiff for the truss rod to have any effect. Fingerboard will be at least lined fretless, but possibly fretted. Sorry - true fretless just isn't for me.
So yeah, I know I originally wanted this to have a piezo pickup, like a Rob Allen, but that sound doesn't really appeal to me anymore. However, since the tone chambers were routed with piezo in mind, I only had about 3 3/4" of width to rout a pickup cavity, forcing me to use a narrow pickup, hence the single-coil P-bass pickup, which comes in at under 3.5". An ebony-capped wood cover is going over it, though. Controls will be passive -- standard volume/tone.
Hardware is black Gotoh tuners (for now, until I can find some cheap Hipshots) and I'm leaning toward single-string bridges, as opposed to a wooden one. Oh, and it will be string-thru of course.
I screwed in the strap buttons a while back, before the top was on and it's got really good balance, or at least it did then. I'm still concerned about the weight. I've got a bad back at my young age of 23, so lightweight instruments are virtually a must.
Anyway, I've got work at 5:00 and I've been in the shop most of the day. I'm beat! Nap time...
I almost botched the top. Well, rather I should say the guy at the cabinet shop did. I took it to a local place and had the guy run it through a jointer and then a planer. On the last pass through the planer, a bunch of shards of my top shot out and I thought "OH... MY... GOD." It's is a $90 top after all. If I resawed it, I could have gotten two tops, but I didn't plan on making another bass for a while. All is well, though. What the planer left me with was just enough to use.
In honor of my girlfriend, I glued a few strands of her hair under the top. Sounds creepy, I know, but I love her more than anything. Yes, even bass. Now a part of her is with me every time I play this instrument.
I scrapped most of the neck, saving only the headstock, grafting it onto one-piece birdseye maple. I thought the ebony lams would have been too stiff for the truss rod to have any effect. Fingerboard will be at least lined fretless, but possibly fretted. Sorry - true fretless just isn't for me.
So yeah, I know I originally wanted this to have a piezo pickup, like a Rob Allen, but that sound doesn't really appeal to me anymore. However, since the tone chambers were routed with piezo in mind, I only had about 3 3/4" of width to rout a pickup cavity, forcing me to use a narrow pickup, hence the single-coil P-bass pickup, which comes in at under 3.5". An ebony-capped wood cover is going over it, though. Controls will be passive -- standard volume/tone.
Hardware is black Gotoh tuners (for now, until I can find some cheap Hipshots) and I'm leaning toward single-string bridges, as opposed to a wooden one. Oh, and it will be string-thru of course.
I screwed in the strap buttons a while back, before the top was on and it's got really good balance, or at least it did then. I'm still concerned about the weight. I've got a bad back at my young age of 23, so lightweight instruments are virtually a must.
Anyway, I've got work at 5:00 and I've been in the shop most of the day. I'm beat! Nap time...
Not much to report today.
I got the pickup cavity routed and made a pickup cover. Like I mentioned in the previous post, it's just made from some scrap maple (nothing fancy - just plain ol' hard maple) and a Madagascar ebony fingerboard that I bought way back when but won't be using any time soon. That same fingerboard might supply the ebony for a wooden bridge. I cut off a 6" length as a blank and am in the process of designing it. Another bridge idea I had was to use a Tune-O-Matic style bridge and fashion an ebony "tailpiece." Since it's string-thru, it won't ACTUALLY function as an anchoring tailpiece, but merely sit there and look pretty.
UPDATE: Nah, I'm going to stick with the single-string bridges, as seen in the photo (but black, not chrome). What do you guys think??
I got the pickup cavity routed and made a pickup cover. Like I mentioned in the previous post, it's just made from some scrap maple (nothing fancy - just plain ol' hard maple) and a Madagascar ebony fingerboard that I bought way back when but won't be using any time soon. That same fingerboard might supply the ebony for a wooden bridge. I cut off a 6" length as a blank and am in the process of designing it. Another bridge idea I had was to use a Tune-O-Matic style bridge and fashion an ebony "tailpiece." Since it's string-thru, it won't ACTUALLY function as an anchoring tailpiece, but merely sit there and look pretty.
UPDATE: Nah, I'm going to stick with the single-string bridges, as seen in the photo (but black, not chrome). What do you guys think??
UPDATE: Nah, I'm going to stick with the single-string bridges, as seen in the photo (but black, not chrome). What do you guys think??
i like the singles, but they do have a much lower action than your usual one piece bridges. How high is the top of your fingerboard from the body, and do you have any neck angle?
On the next one I do, Im planning on using the singles but raising them up 3mm or so by placing them on a sub-bridge.
Thats looking really nice btw - I hope you kept the ebony neck for another project!
