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Raykenbird 35" 5 Strings P/MM <First Build>

LowGrowl

LowGrowl

Jan 20, 2011
168
20
Mexico City
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#1
Hi everyone!

First of all I'm just a bass player, no luthier, no workshop, no fancy tools, just the average bass modifier (destructor). :hiding: I'm making this thread to share, and to learn.

So, after a lot of years of trying different basses, woods, bridges, pickups, scales, strings, pre-amps etc... I decided to ask a question to myself: What do I want? And the answer came from my favorite things:

I want a 5 strings bass that feels and plays like my 35" Laklands, can switch from my two favorite rock sounds P-Bass/Musicman and looks like a Gibson thunderbird.

So! I happen to have a Skyline 55-02 heavily modified (screwed up) by ME with no resale value at all... (BELLS RINGING). Maybe for my next build I'll try the laminated neck through body designs but for this rocker i decided to use this very comfortable and perfectly crafted neck. That would save me alot of trouble.

I'll go grab a sandwich, will be back with some pics!!

Ray
 
#2
For this built I'm planning to make use of most of the things i have laying arround including the neck of my Lakland 5502 and an old mahogany timber...

For the neck pocket routing I used a tecnique I saw in the FAQ's a while ago.

First I made a template of the back of the neck with my router. This is going to be used to position the holes in the neck pocket later...

Untitled.jpg


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#7
I was afraid of the depth of the pocket to be correct to the hight of the bridge, so I mounted everything and strung her up...

Untitled-1.jpg


After an hour of bridge adjustments Trussrod needed no adjustment, action is very good

AND

IT SOUNDS GOOD!!!
I compared to other basses (unplugged of course) and It sounds a little more middey than my swamp ash Jazz Bass, Not as tight as my warwick streamer stage II (necktrhoug bubinga, ovangkol, afzelia) but PUNCHY enaugh and with A LOT of harmonic content.... the thing really sings!!!

I'm really eager to keep this going. Next saturday I'll route the pickups cavities.
Any comment are more than welcome
Ray
 
#11
Time to use the transparent film print that i did earlier, this sheet shows the exact position of the pickups in relation to the center line of the bass core and the 12nd fret and 35" scale end. Nothing too fancy, just powerpoint and some basic math to go from 34" to 35".

Pickups will be a Delano PC5 AL/M2 and a Nordstrand MM5.4 located in their classic swetspots. (P bass coils position is reversed but the BEA side is still in the correct place for a regular p bass). The space between the centers was also corrected for this new position.


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#17
Bummer, but it happens, and it's not the end of the world! What are your plans for finish? If opaque, then it's less critical. If translucent, or especially natural, then you might want to chisel or route it out square and glue in a block from the same wood, trying to match the grain.
 
#19
ctmullins said:
Bummer, but it happens, and it's not the end of the world! What are your plans for finish? If opaque, then it's less critical. If translucent, or especially natural, then you might want to chisel or route it out square and glue in a block from the same wood, trying to match the grain.
Click to expand...


MPU said:
I'd route a straight edged shallow route that would follow the grain and go beneath bridge footprint. Then glue a matching piece on the routed cavity and level it with the top. If done well it would be an invisible fix.
Click to expand...


Thanks you for your advice, i will see what i can do, Im planning to stain it a little red and maybe oil and wax or Tru-Oil. I havent decided yet. I live in an apartment and for me to spray poly or something like that is imposible. And with the tools i have... well. I don't know, maybe i have no chance to be a perfectionist...

BUT I will have my workshop in the future... you bet!

*learning mode*

Ray
 

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