Yep, I'm done. Way too much work.
RichterScale inc. LLC sells pine acoustic basses. We have one left.
Some assembly required.
RichterScale inc. LLC sells pine acoustic basses. We have one left.
Some assembly required.
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Laguna burger build
- Thread starter RichterScale
- Start date
Rôckhewer
Commercial User
- Feb 28, 2015
- 2,922
- 9,028
- Disclosures
- Owner/Builder- RockHewer Custom Guitars LLC
- Apr 18, 2008
- 16,011
- 1
- 31,719
- Disclosures
- I'm highly opinionated and extremely self-assured
Yes, practice wood.
Yes, I at least need a shinto.
If I would've used any heavy duty power sanders on the pine, it would've taken way too much off. This was a really ratty batch of 2x4s from depot. Really light, dry and almost falling apart.
Yes, I do need to remove more material from around the neck area. That was at the end and was tired and worried I'd hit the neck with the file. I actually did get a scratch, but it's light and should sand out.
The upper horn and the body in general felt completely different and much more comfortable to hold in the sitting position, just from the shaping and sanding you see in the pic. But something still feels a little off about it. I really like the way it looks, but I might have to draw it up again with it ever so slightly closer to the neck.
Yes, I at least need a shinto.
If I would've used any heavy duty power sanders on the pine, it would've taken way too much off. This was a really ratty batch of 2x4s from depot. Really light, dry and almost falling apart.
Yes, I do need to remove more material from around the neck area. That was at the end and was tired and worried I'd hit the neck with the file. I actually did get a scratch, but it's light and should sand out.
The upper horn and the body in general felt completely different and much more comfortable to hold in the sitting position, just from the shaping and sanding you see in the pic. But something still feels a little off about it. I really like the way it looks, but I might have to draw it up again with it ever so slightly closer to the neck.
Now you have to make that part of the design. Put the lips and eye on the backside of the horn. You will make a few people laugh over the years with it.
Rôckhewer
Commercial User
- Feb 28, 2015
- 2,922
- 9,028
- Disclosures
- Owner/Builder- RockHewer Custom Guitars LLC
Yup.
...sexy af
I wish I didn't see it. Or post it.
It can never be unseen.
Shooting for sexy brontosaurus. Copy that.
I stayed late and did that at work, after working all day. I was pretty spent by 7pm. I'm glad I stopped when I did. I'm sure you all know what happens when you're tired, your brain is full of saw dust and you try to push on for another hour.
I have a few things to get done this morning and then I should be able to sneak it out and work on it in the afternoon.
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If you're doing all that with sanding blocks, the one good thing is: as soon as you buy a good rasp, it'll REALLY blow your mind. 
It may seem like "oh no I don't want something that cuts TOO fast" but both the shinto and iwasaki rasps are very controllable. By adjusting the power you're putting into them and the angle you're slipping them at you can really dig in or back off and do highly finessed detail work. They're really magical tools and can be much more precise than sanding.
And then you can step up to a power tool for carving and get your mind blown again.
Something like @Rôckhewer's disc, or my favorite, one of these:
Again, it may look scary, or like it'll cut too fast, but it can be finessed once you learn the feel of it. This thing will chew through wood as fast or as slow as you want. I do all my rough carving with it now - I can crank out a bass neck in a few minutes. Caving a ukulele neck is a blink and you'll miss it event. It probably takes me longer to get the tools out and clamp the blank in place than it does to carve it. It's almost to the point of being so fast, and so precise, that it's anticlimactic and it takes away the "fun."
But I'm basically at a point where my hands are shot and I can't do much heavy duty work under my own power any more, so tools like this are game changing. I used to toil away with sanding and lesser rasps to shape stuff, I don't think I'd even be able to finish a bass doing that any more. Tools like the shinto, iwasaki, and this carving donut are what keeps me in business.
It may seem like "oh no I don't want something that cuts TOO fast" but both the shinto and iwasaki rasps are very controllable. By adjusting the power you're putting into them and the angle you're slipping them at you can really dig in or back off and do highly finessed detail work. They're really magical tools and can be much more precise than sanding.
And then you can step up to a power tool for carving and get your mind blown again.
Something like @Rôckhewer's disc, or my favorite, one of these: Again, it may look scary, or like it'll cut too fast, but it can be finessed once you learn the feel of it. This thing will chew through wood as fast or as slow as you want. I do all my rough carving with it now - I can crank out a bass neck in a few minutes. Caving a ukulele neck is a blink and you'll miss it event. It probably takes me longer to get the tools out and clamp the blank in place than it does to carve it. It's almost to the point of being so fast, and so precise, that it's anticlimactic and it takes away the "fun."
But I'm basically at a point where my hands are shot and I can't do much heavy duty work under my own power any more, so tools like this are game changing. I used to toil away with sanding and lesser rasps to shape stuff, I don't think I'd even be able to finish a bass doing that any more. Tools like the shinto, iwasaki, and this carving donut are what keeps me in business.
Resaw blade should be here today.If you're doing all that with sanding blocks, the one good thing is: as soon as you buy a good rasp, it'll REALLY blow your mind.
I forgot to order a shinto, so I'm going to attempt to find one locally after work today. I'm not touching that walnut and mahogany without a shinto.
I think I'll throw a small cut off from each of the hardwoods in the vice and practice different grain orientation with the shinto.
What I really need to be doing is building the router sled.
So, that's next.
I need to be practical, methodical and efficient with how I spend my screwing-off time at work.
I can tell you that I spend many meetings at my day job mentally rehearsing whatever process or step I have to do next in my shop! It's all about maximizing available resources (including brainpower!)
I grabbed the wood out of the van and put it in the shop so that it's at room temp when I plane it (it's colder outside and wide temp swings day-night this time of year). Not sure how much that matters, but it felt like the right thing to do. Also, the walnut seems a little darker and more nicely figured than I remembered. Maybe I was in a hurry when I bought it or just different lighting(?).
Dunno. But I'm happy.
Dunno. But I'm happy.
I have no business even thinking about this yet, but I'm gonna jot these thoughts down and come back to them later, to see if they sound ridiculous.
1st, I don't like to talk or think about the fact that I bought a '90-91 Ric 4003 Fireglow in '91. I wanted black but they only had Fireglow and it was on sale for $750. That was 30 yrs ago (holy crap). I had that bass for maybe 5 yrs. It's a long story, but the neck broke and it wasn't repairable. I wish I still had it. That's all I care to say or think about it.
Anyway, paying the going price for a mint vintage Ric is out of the question.
So, one project I've been thinking about is a custom Ric.
It would be identical to a vintage 4003 in all ways except:
Ebony board, double bridge pups, walnut body, control cavity in back with no pickguard like a 4004.
It would have triangle inlays, binding and 4003 controls.
A pic of such a bass does not exist.
Just have to imagine it.
1st, I don't like to talk or think about the fact that I bought a '90-91 Ric 4003 Fireglow in '91. I wanted black but they only had Fireglow and it was on sale for $750. That was 30 yrs ago (holy crap). I had that bass for maybe 5 yrs. It's a long story, but the neck broke and it wasn't repairable. I wish I still had it. That's all I care to say or think about it.
Anyway, paying the going price for a mint vintage Ric is out of the question.
So, one project I've been thinking about is a custom Ric.
It would be identical to a vintage 4003 in all ways except:
Ebony board, double bridge pups, walnut body, control cavity in back with no pickguard like a 4004.
It would have triangle inlays, binding and 4003 controls.
A pic of such a bass does not exist.
Just have to imagine it.
- Apr 18, 2008
- 16,011
- 1
- 31,719
- Disclosures
- I'm highly opinionated and extremely self-assured
I absolutely love my homemade Ric-alike. But it wasn’t my first build, or third, or fifth. I needed to learn the ropes before tackling it, but it came out terrific. @Gilmourisgod has done a couple of really nice ones too.
For me, a primary reason for building is to create fantasy versions of instruments that are not available from the manufacturers, tailored to my exact tastes and specs. So I fully support your vision!
For me, a primary reason for building is to create fantasy versions of instruments that are not available from the manufacturers, tailored to my exact tastes and specs. So I fully support your vision!
I totally agree that I need a few basses under my belt and have to at least be not terrible at building.
The Ric has a lot of sentimental value and I would want it to be perfect.
The Ric has a lot of sentimental value and I would want it to be perfect.
I had one of those crappy days where I was kinda out of it, not much energy and making little mistakes all day.
I decided to skip firing up the new resaw blade or running the planing jig on a day like that.
However, I did decide to torture myself at the end of the day. There's probably about a dozen more possible combos,...maybe 100 just by moving the paper 1/4" in any direction, but here's a few.
On one side of the board, left is green and right is blue. Flip the board over and left is orange and right is pink.
So, can't combine green/orange or blue/pink. And there's a crack on one end, running with the grain about 5" in from the end.
I decided to skip firing up the new resaw blade or running the planing jig on a day like that.
However, I did decide to torture myself at the end of the day. There's probably about a dozen more possible combos,...maybe 100 just by moving the paper 1/4" in any direction, but here's a few.
On one side of the board, left is green and right is blue. Flip the board over and left is orange and right is pink.
So, can't combine green/orange or blue/pink. And there's a crack on one end, running with the grain about 5" in from the end.
