I think it will still look great with a G&L style control plate for mounting the pots......
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Losing Confidence
- Thread starter madmaskbass
- Start date
I think it will still look great with a G&L style control plate for mounting the pots......
Keep working. I've learned a good engineer is an engineer who has made a lot of mistakes. I assume the same applies to luthiers, plumbers, and pizza delivery drivers and musicians. Making mistakes is how we learn. The best advice is to recognize a mistake and learn to not repeat it.
Don't be so hard on yourself. From the pictures don't look that bad. I've seen worse. Unfortunately we are our worst critic. I've done many things that I was not happy with, but got nothing but praise from others. They don't see what you see. I say finish it up and play the 
out of it and use it as a learning experience. An old saying: If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Good luck on your next build, you've got it.
out of it and use it as a learning experience. An old saying: If at first you don't succeed, try, try again. Good luck on your next build, you've got it.
Great advice. And how many other life situations could this apply to. Got something 'hanging on the wall' that's been bugging you? You've tried to salvage it but you know it's never going to be what you thought it could? And you have other things staring you in the face that you know would give you way more happiness?
Just burn it.
However it turns out - keep it. You can always sell it as your first for big bucks when you become a renowned builder.
- Apr 18, 2008
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Awesome. I’d like to purchase an 11 x 14 print of that shot please!
My first bass was an unending list of mistakes. Most were put right by taking more wood off and accepting it being a bit smaller than I'd planned. I applied finish and stripped it all off again 3 times. I had to superglue the headless tuners together to stop them slipping. The result is a bass that I love playing but don't like looking at. One day, I'll take the finish off again and sculpt the body more. But I'll wait until I'm better at doing finish.
Nobody, and I mean NOBODY:
1. Drives a manual transmission car well the first time they try
2. Plays any musical instrument well the first time they try
3. Knocks it out of the park the first time they try to build something
The knowledge gained from the attempt is invaluable.
1. Drives a manual transmission car well the first time they try
2. Plays any musical instrument well the first time they try
3. Knocks it out of the park the first time they try to build something
The knowledge gained from the attempt is invaluable.
Agreed. From what I read compared to the pics, it's a pretty good first build.
I know I have, on more than one occasion, had to glue in shims/fills in neck pockets that "some how" ended up too wide/deep. I made a major routing error on a parts bass to the point of having to epoxy a block in place to fill the entire neck pocket and re-rout, sanded then re-sanded entire bass because of finishing mistakes/issues etc... Hang in there, you're doing a good job. Carry on and of course we will need progress pics.
You've learned some hard lessons. I've found that is often the best way to learn! You'll do better next time!
If it were me, I would step back and take a week away from the project.
Then when you return, take inventory of the project and see what is salvageable and what needs to be scrapped altogether.
I would determine if I wanted to do some of the items on the list, or farm them out to a luthier if I am over my head on some of the items on the list.
Whatever you do, don't give up. Keep going until you are finally able to play that first note.
Then when you return, take inventory of the project and see what is salvageable and what needs to be scrapped altogether.
I would determine if I wanted to do some of the items on the list, or farm them out to a luthier if I am over my head on some of the items on the list.
Whatever you do, don't give up. Keep going until you are finally able to play that first note.
A lot of good advice here!
It's a musical instrument you're building, don't forget. In addition to your fabrication problems, there might be issues with the finished instrument in concept, design, and/or dimensional mistakes which wouldn't show up at a glance like the finish defects and gouges.
If it were my project, I'd concentrate on making it playable, in case I might want to make changes in scale, layout, fix dimensional irregularities, etc. You win either way. If you did an outstanding job of designing it (first try? Forgive me for saying not bloody likely) you have a great sounding/playing bass which may not look too good. Or, you may find that it is the most dumb, awkward, mundane sounding clunker you ever played, so now you know how to get it right on bass mk. II. The functionality of the thing is important; it's a tool.
Did you ever see the prototype Fender Telecaster? It's a good example of "first get it running, then make it pretty".
protype fender telecaster - Bing images
Good luck.
Tom
It's a musical instrument you're building, don't forget. In addition to your fabrication problems, there might be issues with the finished instrument in concept, design, and/or dimensional mistakes which wouldn't show up at a glance like the finish defects and gouges.
If it were my project, I'd concentrate on making it playable, in case I might want to make changes in scale, layout, fix dimensional irregularities, etc. You win either way. If you did an outstanding job of designing it (first try? Forgive me for saying not bloody likely) you have a great sounding/playing bass which may not look too good. Or, you may find that it is the most dumb, awkward, mundane sounding clunker you ever played, so now you know how to get it right on bass mk. II. The functionality of the thing is important; it's a tool.
Did you ever see the prototype Fender Telecaster? It's a good example of "first get it running, then make it pretty".
protype fender telecaster - Bing images
Good luck.
Tom
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Don't get discouraged. It's your first...by your 100th+ you'll be a pro at it.
Besides, this will be special because not only is it your first, but you made it yourself too.
Besides, this will be special because not only is it your first, but you made it yourself too.
I think I have to agree with this. Completing this one can teach you all the things you need to do to make a playable instrument and what you need to incorporate into the next attempt. Thinking back my first four builds were exactly that. Each one better then the previous and led me to design a functional, ergonomic and effortlessly playable bass (attempt #5). If I can go from trash to treasure I believe, judging from your first try, you can too!
There is a learning curve to everything. In Luthiery, most start an apprentice to a master. The wisdom of that approach is obvious. You are coached and learn from those that have gone before you and shown where the "bodies are buried", so-to-speak. In your case, you dove into the deep end of the pool without a life vest. You didn't do too bad. There is still more to learn from the mistakes that you made, i.e., how to repair them. Perhaps craft wooden pickup collars to hide the imprecise routes. Perhaps a ramp. Perhaps craft a wood pickguard. It's all about learning more from the issues your errors have caused. Haste is not an error, its a character flaw. Kidding of course. You know rushing through something you are unfamiliar with does not end well. If your strengths do not include attention-to-detail, this may be the wrong pursuit for you. But more than anything, success is getting up after being knocked down and doing it again and again until its right. Maybe those interim projects should not include exotic or figured wood. Wait until you can get an alder build perfect before going after 5AAA flamed maple veneer laminated on a mahogany body. Best of luck to you and keep working. Maybe track to down a local luthier and get some pointers.
Bigger knobs; let some thin super glue wick into the tear out edges and sharpie any light areas showing.
Pickup route; run your router against a straightedge to nibble away just enough to straighten the cutout. Sharpie any light areas showing to reduce eye attraction.
Neck pocket; I cannot see what you’re talking about from the picture, but the veneer solution is valid.
Pickup route; run your router against a straightedge to nibble away just enough to straighten the cutout. Sharpie any light areas showing to reduce eye attraction.
Neck pocket; I cannot see what you’re talking about from the picture, but the veneer solution is valid.
