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New Build- My Eighth, and a challenge

#21
That's pretty much the consensus of all I've been able to find. Get a barrier coat on and hope for the best.
I got the shellac while I was out today, but it'll be quite some time before I'm at that stage anyway.

Spent what little time I had in the shop today working on the body wings. Got the second one glued up. Nothing really to see. Just a buncha glue dryin'.
 
#23
I hope everyone is patient with my slow progress on this build. As many of you know, I've had my share of back problems over the last few years, and recently things have taken a turn towards my fourth surgery. Last year, I had a spinal fusion surgery to correct a torn disc at L5/S1. That fusion failed, and the end result so far has been the installation of a Spinal Cord Stimulator(SCS). Basically what that is, is a tens unit, the little shock therapy machine for sore muscles, redesigned for nerve damage issues and hard-wired directly to my spine. Whew. When the pain in my back gets too bad to handle, I push a button on a remote, and the SCS send an electrical impulse through my nerves to interrupt the pain signal. Sounds great in theory, but in practice hasn't really solved the intense pain caused by nerve damage and scar tissue from the surgery.
Recently a new problem has developed. The SCS has a battery pack that is implanted in my hip, right above my right butt cheek. That battery pack is rechargeable and has leads running from it to my upper back, where it is stitched into my spinal cord. Unfortunately, because I'm such a skinny guy, the battery pack has shifted under my skin (yes, it hurts ALOT), and the doctors are concerned that at some point it'll just rip right through the skin.
So the solution is yet another back surgery, to relocate the battery pack to the front, and reposition it in my lower abdomen. A fourth invasion. Can't wait.

The reason I mention all this is that over the next few weeks it may cause a slight delay in the progress of this build. I typically get about a 1/2 hour to 1 1/2 hours a day in the shop before the pain causes me to quit and spend the rest of the day sitting around like an old dude. Lately, because of the battery shifting, that time has shortened, so if it seems as though I'm a lazy builder who spends alot of time procrastinating, thats really not the case. I'm doing the best I can with the cards I've been dealt.
I started building as a way to keep myself from going insane since my injury prevents me from working a normal day job. I do my best to work for as long as I can each day, but I struggle with the fact that the pain medications I take for my condition often make it unsafe for me to work with certain power tools. Oxycontin and bandsaws don't mix.
So anyway, I'm done with my middle of the night rant. Please be patient with my progress on this build, and rest assured that if I am forced to take a break to recover from the surgery to move this battery, that I WILL return to finish this thread.
Hope that didnt bore anyone too much. I just got ripped out of a dead sleep by what felt like a hundred needles jammed in my lower back all at once, so I figured I'd get on here and share a little bit about the personal side of Rip Topaz.
Thanks for listening.
 
#26
Bridge just arrived. Looks nice. And solid. This thing has some heft to it.
5d207db2.jpg


Also, string ferrules are here, too.

Tomorrow's another day.

I managed to rough cut the second body wing before I had to call it quits. Here's a quick teaser of what's to come.
085e57a7.jpg

And a bit better of a mockup.
2e12abca.jpg
 
#28
Greetings from a drum builder. I'm really enjoying following this thread (bass is my primary instrument) and you're really going to have a gorgeous instrument when you are done!
From building drums and running a forum on that subject I've had the pleasure to experience many different wood types and their affect on sound. Just FYI here's my take on Ambrosia Maple (the wood you had selected for your top) and Cocobola.
Ambrosia Maple is a fairly soft wood - not hard like Northern Maple. It makes a lousy snare drum as most soft woods do - very dead sounding. But it might actually sound decent on a bass if you're going for the vintage sound. My 60s Precision is made of bass wood which is another soft wood. I think everyone knows the sound of vintage P basses so you can get an idea from that.
Cocobola on the other hand is a completely different beast. Makes great sounding snare drums - very alive - lots of tone. Expect a more modern sound from that wood.
There are some dangers with Cocobola however. Most people who work with it mask up heavily and wear long gloves. It has a poison ivy-ish affect on some and can be harmful to breath. When you work it, have plenty of ventilation.
Also, know that Cocobola is very prone to twist and move. NEVER build a neck out of it and let the wood sit for 2-4 weeks between every cutting. (And you should trim it down in steps). I bought a custom Cocobola neck from a highly regarded luthier in Georgia and it bowed like crazy. He took it back and built me another one and it did the same thing. Later he abandoned building with it altogether. But it can be done, and it's popular in drums, just know that it's not a stable wood and needs to be treated accordingly.
Here's the post from the drum builder's site with more info on Coco.
http://pdgood.us/drumshed/woodselection.html#cocobolo
 
#30
Before I started working with the cocobolo, I did lots of research on working with it safely. I make sure I'm well covered up with a good mask (not the cheap dust mask type), long sleeves, gloves.... Im always paranoid about causing allergic reactions, not for myself so much, but for the wife and kids. I've been being VERY careful with the coco, and I think it's gonna be fine and I'm going to end up with a spectacular bass when it's done.
 
#31
barnaclebeau said:
Lookin' good so far! I'm a sucker for cocobolo. Might have to stop building with it though, the dust screws my hands up.
Click to expand...

Yeah I'm hoping I don't have any reactions to it for awhile. I'm really enjoying working with it. But the minute I get a reaction, I'll move on. There are plenty of other woods out there if I end up reacting badly to the coco.
 
#32
Sounds like you're taking all the necessary precautions - everything should be fine. AND it will make for one heckuva beautiful bass. I don't think I've ever seen a T-bird done with such exotic wood - that should really work well with that design. :)
 
#33
Rip Topaz said:
Before I started working with the cocobolo, I did lots of research on working with it safely. I make sure I'm well covered up with a good mask (not the cheap dust mask type), long sleeves, gloves.... Im always paranoid about causing allergic reactions, not for myself so much, but for the wife and kids. I've been being VERY careful with the coco, and I think it's gonna be fine and I'm going to end up with a spectacular bass when it's done.
Click to expand...

Good ideas. I use a cartridge respirator and long sleeves, but I have an aversion to gloves around power tools.
 
#35
Quick brainstorm. I have to figure out where I want to put the switch for the LED. I'm thinking it'll end up on the edge of the upper horn, with the cavity to hold it and the battery in the upper horn.
Here's my thought. Since I'll have to route an extra cavity, I'm thinking of adding a few more lights. Well, only one more LED, but I'm considering designing a version of the bird emblem to go on the upper horn, which I'll light with fiber optics as well.
Too much? The coco is really beautiful and I don't want to hide any of the grain, so if I do it, the bird will only be visible when lit. The rest of the time you'll only see a faint grouping of tiny holes. They may actually end up small enough that the grain and the finish will mask them when they aren't lit up, but when on, the bird emblem will glow in red.
I know it'll be crazy hard to pull off, but I've got that part figured out. Problem is that once I start, there is no turning back.
Anyone got an opinion on this? Should I go for it or leave well enough alone?

Thanks to everyone who's following this so far. I'm hoping the end result makes everyone glad they sat through my ramblings.
 
#37
Rip Topaz said:
Quick brainstorm. I have to figure out where I want to put the switch for the LED. I'm thinking it'll end up on the edge of the upper horn, with the cavity to hold it and the battery in the upper horn.
Here's my thought. Since I'll have to route an extra cavity, I'm thinking of adding a few more lights. Well, only one more LED, but I'm considering designing a version of the bird emblem to go on the upper horn, which I'll light with fiber optics as well.
Too much? The coco is really beautiful and I don't want to hide any of the grain, so if I do it, the bird will only be visible when lit. The rest of the time you'll only see a faint grouping of tiny holes. They may actually end up small enough that the grain and the finish will mask them when they aren't lit up, but when on, the bird emblem will glow in red.
I know it'll be crazy hard to pull off, but I've got that part figured out. Problem is that once I start, there is no turning back.
Anyone got an opinion on this? Should I go for it or leave well enough alone?

Thanks to everyone who's following this so far. I'm hoping the end result makes everyone glad they sat through my ramblings.
Click to expand...
I think this is an awesome idea. Go for it. I love how adventurous builders are getting on this forum.

lowsound
 
#38
Just found out that the bridge I got apparently is the first one off the line. Cool.

Didn't get a whole lot done today. Had a sweet afternoon jam session with my drummer and spent the rest of the day just relaxing and laying around. Hopefully tomorrow I'll get the second body wing sanded to it's final shape and start on the neck. I need to route for the truss rod and figure out the routing to get the fiber optics to the body.
 
#40
So I had hoped to get some major work done today, but got wrapped up in appointments and craziness for most of the day.
When I finally managed to get into the shop, I managed about an hour, so I got the second body wing shaped on the belt/disc sander.
35508dbd.jpg


Then the boring stuff. I spent awhile testing out some epoxy mixtures for the bird inlay. Still haven't found something I like enough. Everything looks "cheap", and that'll ruin the cocobolo. I may end up scrapping the bird inlay on the front of the bass. A Facebook friend suggested on the back, like a tramp stamp. The more I think about it, the more I'm entertaining it.
 

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