SBO 2022 - Minimalist Medium Scale - Scratch Build

[Freekmagnet]

...the idea was that the small dots would loook like a moon orbiting a planet. I don't really like the way it turned out.

I actually dig the orbital dots. I think if they were maybe a little bigger, they’d make more of a statement as opposed to being more of a fine detail. That’d super cool and pretty different.

 

[BishopJP]

Cool. There’s a builder I follow on social media who does that a lot, and it sounds great. They liked it so much I think they made it the standard pickup compliment on one of their models.

Do you have a RWRP pair (a la single coil jazz bass), or will each pickup be hum cancelling?

Is that builder Alpher Instruments? I know they use 2 SCPB pick-ups as a regular option. They are definitely one of my inspirations!

I don't have the pick-ups; I am planning to wind them. I had thought about doing a pair of "split-singles", but I am new to winding and I don't know yet how to construct these. I know I can do a couple singles with one that is RWRP, so I may go with the easier solution until I get better at making pick-ups.

He was Lab and Visla (might have spelled that wrong) hound. We had his mom too. He was a good dog. A spaz until he was about 4 but smart and obedient. Oddly, didn’t like getting in the water, say a lake or creek, but would spend all day “attacking” the sprinkler.

The bodies look good. I like the black veneer accents. On the pickup wire drilling, that sleeve covers the shank on the aircraft bit and keeps it from marking the body? Very creative. I like and may steal it.

I've never had a Visla, but I hear good things about their temperament and intelligence. I hear you about the dogs being a spaz! Boxers are that way, too!

Edit: Yes, metal sleeve protects the body while drilling. It also helps hold the bit is place and guide it better 'cause I can apply pressure to the sleeve and direct the bit where I need it to go.

 

[BishopJP]

I actually dig the orbital dots. I think if they were maybe a little bigger, they’d make more of a statement as opposed to being more of a fine detail. That’d super cool and pretty different.

Thanks Jeremy! I may look for a larger plug cutter, maybe 3/8", and drill out the dots and redo larger. That might make it more clear as to what they are supposed to be. I am also considering making the "moons" black with the aluminum outline, again, it might read better.

 

[NKBassman]

Is that builder Alpher Instruments? I know they use 2 SCPB pick-ups as a regular option. They are definitely one of my inspirations!

Lol yes! One and the same. I just couldn’t remember their name before haha

 

[Flamingo21]

Started the round-overs (....) using a 1/2" radius bit, stopping shy of a full round-over leaving a hard edge at the top.

How do you stop short of a full round-over? Do you have template for this, like the body template but slightly smaller? Or do you just eye it?

 

[Matt Liebenau]

How do you stop short of a full round-over? Do you have template for this, like the body template but slightly smaller? Or do you just eye it?

It’s mostly how far you lower the roundover bit in the router. You can have it cut part of the radius, the whole radius or the whole radius with an edge on it. Try it on some scrap wood. Start with the bit up higher and see what it looks like as you lower the bit a little more and route again. This often works better with a larger radius roundover.

 

[BishopJP]

How do you stop short of a full round-over? Do you have template for this, like the body template but slightly smaller? Or do you just eye it?

Yep, what Matt said. I used a 1/2" round-over so I don't cut the full depth the first pass. Lower the bit a little at a time and stop short of the full 1/2, leaving the crisp line around the edge.

 

[BishopJP]

Not much progress this weekend.

I built a router jig to route the comfort carves on the body; thanks to @41hzthunder for the idea.
Helpful Router Accessory Fixtures and Tools

I built mine to carve a 30 degree bevel on a 9" radius, though I drilled an additional hole for a 10" radius. I used the 10" on the other body but forgot to get a pic.

the jig worked beautifully, but I need to change the angle of the bevel...

...at 30 degrees, the bevel is too steep and does not extend far enough into the body. I'll rebuild the jig and change the angle to 25 or even 20 degrees, see how that goes.

 

[Gary_M]

Not much progress this weekend.

I built a router jig to route the comfort carves on the body; thanks to @41hzthunder for the idea.
Helpful Router Accessory Fixtures and Tools

I built mine to carve a 30 degree bevel on a 9" radius, though I drilled an additional hole for a 10" radius. I used the 10" on the other body but forgot to get a pic.
View attachment 4789343

the jig worked beautifully, but I need to change the angle of the bevel...
View attachment 4789344...at 30 degrees, the bevel is too steep and does not extend far enough into the body. I'll rebuild the jig and change the angle to 25 or even 20 degrees, see how that goes.

That's pretty neat!

 

[Jeff Siddall]

Not much progress this weekend.

I built a router jig to route the comfort carves on the body; thanks to @41hzthunder for the idea.
Helpful Router Accessory Fixtures and Tools

I built mine to carve a 30 degree bevel on a 9" radius, though I drilled an additional hole for a 10" radius. I used the 10" on the other body but forgot to get a pic.
View attachment 4789343

the jig worked beautifully, but I need to change the angle of the bevel...
View attachment 4789344...at 30 degrees, the bevel is too steep and does not extend far enough into the body. I'll rebuild the jig and change the angle to 25 or even 20 degrees, see how that goes.

That's an interesting idea. Since the shape of the body on most basses is organic I had never thought of making the contours a precise angle/radius. I just go at mine with a flap sander until it looks comfy!

 

[BishopJP]

That's an interesting idea. Since the shape of the body on most basses is organic I had never thought of making the contours a precise angle/radius. I just go at mine with a flap sander until it looks comfy!

I usually go with the saw rasp, but I was finding that to be a bit tedious. When I saw @41hzthunder use this technique, I thought it was worth a try. I like it ok, I may try it again on future builds.

I definitely need to try power carving, though! A flap wheel or a carving disc would allow me to more organic shapes.

I need to build more instruments so I can try all these different techniques...

 

[Jeff Siddall]

I definitely need to try power carving, though! A flap wheel or a carving disc would allow me to more organic shapes.

Yeah, "tedious" and "flap disc" are not two words you use often in the same sentence. In literally a minute you can take off all the wood you want.

 

[BishopJP]

Yeah, "tedious" and "flap disc" are not two words you use often in the same sentence. In literally a minute you can take off all the wood you want.

...hopefully just the wood you want to take off!

 

[BishopJP]

Rebuilt the jig, now using a 25 degree angle for the bevel...

...both arm scoops are finished...

...I used a 10" radius on this one; it's fine, but I think I like the 9" radius better...

...9" radius...

...once I round over the hard edges, these edge shapes will sinuous and serpentine!

The fore arm and belly carves turned pretty close to what I had intended, though if I use this technique in future build, I would make the bevel even shallower, maybe 20 degrees.

All in all, I pleased with how these are turning out! We'll see if I make the deadline, though.

 

[Freekmagnet]

Wow, that jig is crazy!

 

[RichterScale]

sinuous and serpentine!

Definitely like how that looks.

 

[BishopJP]

Definitely like how that looks.

Thanks! Always been one of my favorite details on a solid body instrument.

 

[BishopJP]

Minimal progress this weekend, because life...

I did assemble some pick-up bobbins. I used the off-cuts from the fret boards, milled down to approx 3/32" and fiber board for the bottoms...

...I'm seeing in this pic that a couple may need the ends rounded a bit more.

Waddya think?

 

[NKBassman]

Minimal progress this weekend, because life...

I did assemble some pick-up bobbins. I used the off-cuts from the fret boards, milled down to approx 3/32" and fiber board for the bottoms...
View attachment 4797840 ...I'm seeing in this pic that a couple may need the ends rounded a bit more.

Waddya think?

Those look great! Love the wood tops. My only thought is that depending on your fretboard radius, you my want to consider staggering the A and D pole pieces a little bit. On my only jazz bass I eventually had to get radiused pickups (Nordstrand Jazz Blades) to soothe my OCD about string-to-string volume balance. In my defense that bass has a very tight neck radius, and the E/G strings were WAY louder than the A/D strings... it was super noticeable, and even way too much compression didn't do enough to even it out. Once I put the Nordys in, there was no more problem to speak of. All my other basses are split-P, and so they're adjustable string-to-string.

 

[BishopJP]

Those look great! Love the wood tops. My only thought is that depending on your fretboard radius, you my want to consider staggering the A and D pole pieces a little bit. On my only jazz bass I eventually had to get radiused pickups (Nordstrand Jazz Blades) to soothe my OCD about string-to-string volume balance. In my defense that bass has a very tight neck radius, and the E/G strings were WAY louder than the A/D strings... it was super noticeable, and even way too much compression didn't do enough to even it out. Once I put the Nordys in, there was no more problem to speak of. All my other basses are split-P, and so they're adjustable string-to-string.

I would like try staggered pole pieces, but that's all I have at the moment. I may also try split-singles next time; we'll see.