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Padouk/Wenge/Ebony 5 string
- Thread starter Hopkins
- Start date
Damn dude, you're making it look easy!
That thin layer of lighter wood between the body piece & the padouk really makes all the difference
That thin layer of lighter wood between the body piece & the padouk really makes all the difference
Thanks guys 
The maple accent line was a last minute decision, I'm glad i went ahead and did it. There is also one under the fret board
The maple accent line was a last minute decision, I'm glad i went ahead and did it. There is also one under the fret board
I'm excited to see this when you finish it. It looks beautiful already. Mk1's sound damn good too; I've them in my Ibby
Well this baby is all but finished. I'm sorry, but I failed to get any pictures of the finishing or fretting process.
Here is the loaded body after Formby's low gloss tung oil, until the wood quit absorbing it, (four coats) and two coats of Minwas paste wax.
The electronics cavity shielded and wired up. The pre amp was pre wired. Im probably going to rewire everything, because I am pretty anal about neat and clean wiring.
And here she is assembled and strung up.
I love the way the wenge looks with the oil/wax finish. I almost wish I did a solid wenge body. It looks even better in person than in the pictures.
I made a truss rod cover out of ebony with a maple 'H' inlay, but after seeing it on the bass I don't like it much. I think I'm going to make one out of the pick guard material I made the cavity cover out of.
I was kind of worried about how it would play with the narrow string spacing at the nut, but it plays fantastic. This is my 5th build, and my 3rd neck. This is my best work by a long shot. I'm extremely pleased with how this bass turned out.
I still need to pick up some screws for the cavity and truss cover, but that is all this bass is lacking.
Here is the loaded body after Formby's low gloss tung oil, until the wood quit absorbing it, (four coats) and two coats of Minwas paste wax.
The electronics cavity shielded and wired up. The pre amp was pre wired. Im probably going to rewire everything, because I am pretty anal about neat and clean wiring.
And here she is assembled and strung up.
I love the way the wenge looks with the oil/wax finish. I almost wish I did a solid wenge body. It looks even better in person than in the pictures.
I made a truss rod cover out of ebony with a maple 'H' inlay, but after seeing it on the bass I don't like it much. I think I'm going to make one out of the pick guard material I made the cavity cover out of.
I was kind of worried about how it would play with the narrow string spacing at the nut, but it plays fantastic. This is my 5th build, and my 3rd neck. This is my best work by a long shot. I'm extremely pleased with how this bass turned out.
I still need to pick up some screws for the cavity and truss cover, but that is all this bass is lacking.
Wow!! very very nice! Great combo and I really like the logo. It looks like a Chinese character. Did you consider leaving truss rod access exposed? you can always put the logo on the top left of the headstock.
miziomix said:
That was my first attempt at inlay work, cutting into that head stock is frightening to me.
SaintMez
Commercial User
- Jan 3, 2010
- 428
- 59
- Disclosures
- Blood Brothers Guitars - Luthier, Porter Guitars - Contractor
Cool bass Hopkins, Looks great! Love that wood combo. I have 92 ibanez SR1306 that's a solid Padauk body with a wenge/bubinga neck. The Padauk has mellowed to a darker color over time. Almost a brownish red. That's a killer looking top. The inlay looks nice too.
Congrats! Looks great and I bet it plays great as well!
I really like that maple accent layer between the padouk and wenge - it really makes both woods surrounding it stand out.
A few questions - does the fretboard overhang touch the body (it looks like it does)? If it does, I assume that you planned (and planed) the neck so that the top surface of the neck (sans fretboard) is exactly flush with the top of the body. How is the sustain on those last few frets? It would be interesting to know if the sustain would be any different if you had gone with the set neck and glued the end of the fretboard to the body. Just thinking out loud....
Great job in general; I really enjoyed your build!
I really like that maple accent layer between the padouk and wenge - it really makes both woods surrounding it stand out.
A few questions - does the fretboard overhang touch the body (it looks like it does)? If it does, I assume that you planned (and planed) the neck so that the top surface of the neck (sans fretboard) is exactly flush with the top of the body. How is the sustain on those last few frets? It would be interesting to know if the sustain would be any different if you had gone with the set neck and glued the end of the fretboard to the body. Just thinking out loud....
Great job in general; I really enjoyed your build!
No there is a small gap between the body and the fretboard over hang. I used it at band practice today, being primarily a 4 string player it took some getting used to, but It played like a dream. I couldn't be happier.
I'm not at home right now, but I will try and get some sound clips later.
