New headless build… might be a long thread :-)

[RichterScale]

That panel looks amazing.
So do the basses.
What kind of spray rig do you have?
Are you doing that with an air brush, a fancy pro level rig, or just an average, middle of the road HVLP setup?

 

[Barticus]

What is a…

a fancy pro level rig

? Not being sarcastic, just don’t know what that might be.

I just used my Paasche VL on those, it’s my tried and true old friend…

I have been doing painting/airbrushing for decades I started airbrushing tshirts in the 80s and then progressed to everything else you can image from signs, to motorcycles, to vans, show cars, semis, etc

A bigger gun is overkill and harder to control, IME

 

[RichterScale]

? Not being sarcastic, just don’t know what that might be.

Same here
I don't know thing one about spraying beyond rattle cans and an electric wagner sputter gun I painted a fence with 20 yrs ago. I've been looking at both electric and air HVLP guns (inexpensive HF stuff) and just trying to get a feel for the stuff people are using and getting good results with.

Paasche VL

Is that an airbrush setup?

 

[RichterScale]

Is that an airbrush setup?

I googled it

 

[Snert]

I just used my Paasche VL on those, it’s my tried and true old friend…

Like RS I did a search and realised this is the same gun my friend uses to do custom helmets. I, not knowing any better, would have assumed such a small applicator wouldn't be enough to do something like a bass body. Or is this better for a slower, lower paint flow approach as we're not using it to do production line quantities?

 

[Barticus]

Same here
I don't know thing one about spraying beyond rattle cans and an electric wagner sputter gun I painted a fence with 20 yrs ago. I've been looking at both electric and air HVLP guns (inexpensive HF stuff) and just trying to get a feel for the stuff people are using and getting good results with.

Is that an airbrush setup?

Ah okay, i’ll explain a bit of this to you for how I do it. I have a Pasche VL airbrush which is probably on the medium side it has a good size needle which allows me to control a decent amount of flow and pressure and I run somewhere around 30 pounds from my small Campbell Hausefeld compressor.

I’ll start off by saying my methods are a bit low tech and unconventional so some of the pros around here may frown upon them, but that’s okay, it works for me and has for years.

For the transtint color I run it pretty thick probably 3 to 1 with water to get the stain into the wood and prefer to spray. Then I come back through with some 1600 and knock it down to get it pretty smooth without going too far into the tint I don’t wanna take away any color I just wanna straighten it up and smooth it out a bit. Then I’ll hit it with tint and the instrument sealer vs water. I’ll redo the color with sealer for a matte finish. I can then sand off a bit if needed or leave it and just put another coat of the sealer with no color on top of it for finish coat.

 

[Barticus]

Like RS I did a search and realised this is the same gun my friend uses to do custom helmets. I, not knowing any better, would have assumed such a small applicator wouldn't be enough to do something like a bass body. Or is this better for a slower, lower paint flow approach as we're not using it to do production line quantities?

Yep I can/do helmets with it as well.

I mix up small bottles of color and clear that plug in directly. I can control it for very thin details, lines, etc. and then I can open up the flow and the needle to get more volume of paint for spraying something like a body. Again, this is my preference you could use a small touchup gun but for me it doesn’t offer enough control or detail to go in and control the pattern of spray and the volume easily enough… so my preference is to use this medium size airbrush.

 

[Barticus]

Okay all color is on and was able to get 3 coats of sealer and 3 coats of clear. I’ll let them both dry for 24hrs and then hit em with the big ole buffing wheel.

Tomorrow I’ll laser cut the accessory cover, not sure which wood I’ll go with… maybe Purpleheart or Zebrawood.

 

[Matt Liebenau]

I like the way the body turned out. It’s a burst but there’s variation within the areas of the colors. It should look good when the clear is done.

 

[Barticus]

My son’s amp faceplate is done… he’s super happy with the final outcome.

Now, this evening it’s onto the final assembly of the bass with accessory panel, bridge, neck and electronics. I’ll post final pictures once that is all done.

I keep reminding myself as I speed through the creation of the first body that this is really just a prototype for me to test out the new bits, templates, painting method and tinting that I plan to do on the final bodies. Those will be the Zebrawood, Black Limba and Purpleheart. I’ll focus way more on the detail and finishing with those now that I’m comfortable with the process I’ll be using.

 

[Barticus]

Control cover is a perfect fit with the laser.
The Cardboard tester

And the real deal in Purpleheart
The neodymium magnets are setting now, glued in with CA. A little Howard’s Feed n Wax will pretty up the Purpleheart.

 

[ctmullins]

Dude - where can I get a laser?

 

[Barticus]

Tonight, final assembly!

I had to do some pickup enlarging since my pickup routes were just a little too snug.

I masked it up

Laser cut a quick template, just 1mm larger in both directions

Used the small radius bit

yep, perfect fit

Blacked em out

Mounted the threaded inserts and springs

Dry fitting the neck and bridge

Magnets for the cover glue in, tested and work great

 

[Reedt2000]

Dude... that looks awesome!

This one is just a proof of concept build? With 2 more to come in fancier wood? If so, whatcha gonna do with this one?

 

[Barticus]

Dude... that looks awesome!

This one is just a proof of concept build? With 2 more to come in fancier wood? If so, whatcha gonna do with this one?

Play it, until I build the others. I’m waiting on some special neck woods for those

 

[Reedt2000]

Play it, until I build the others. I’m waiting on some special neck woods for those

Well, should you ever get tired of playing it, I might enjoy a chance to give it a go

 

[Barticus]

DONE, in less than 30 days.

Between last night and this morning I finished up the assembly and got all the electronics put in.

Intonation is dead on, the action is super low and it growls just like it should with the 3 band EMG BQC system in there with that mid control. I didn’t have enough of the double stacked metal knobs I had to use the EMG knobs, but I’ll swap those out.

It was a tight fit but everything‘s working great, The top horn being extended up to the 12th fret makes it balance really well and makes it seem like a 32 inch scale which is awesome.

I also had to learn 20 songs over the last two weeks, and rehearsal is tonight so it’s definitely going with me as the only bass

 

[RichterScale]

Oh no no no. Gonna need full frontal glamor shots, strung up.
I'm guessing a sound clip too.

 

[Reedt2000]

Oh no no no. Gonna need full frontal glamor shots, strung up.
I'm guessing a sound clip too.

Correct

 

[Barticus]

Oh no no no. Gonna need full frontal glamor shots, strung up.
I'm guessing a sound clip too.

Okay, okay… tough crowd here
agree this requires a sound clip don’t know about glamour shots, but sound clip for sure

that’s a good task for Friday