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SBO 2022 The 5 string Late-comer
- Thread starter Flying B
- Start date
Sorry to hear that. I keep reading how hard it is for companies to find employees these days, so hopefully that translates to a quick and easy job search.
Might be a long time before I get to finish this bass. I lost my job today. The company I worked for has gone under so bye bye massive workshop and big boy machines
I do have a small workshop of my own which actually would be perfect for guitar building but I'm subletting it at the moment as I haven't used it for so long so there's no room for me at the moment. I'm on good terms with the two guys in there, so hopefully we might be able to carve out a corner for me to tinker with bass guitars. Better start working on my cv.
Well $&@#. That totally sucks. It seems horrible, at first, but you will find a better job that will make you wonder why you stayed with this other employer for so long. Until then, hang in there brother and God speed.
Thanks everyone. I'm not too worried about it at the moment to be honest. Even though it looks like the UK is probably headed for another recession, there seems to be plenty of joinery work around and I have a few promising leads already.
More bummed about not being able to finish my bass!
More bummed about not being able to finish my bass!
Sorry to hear that. Woodworking-wise I was in a very similar situation two years ago. There was a public woodworking shop in my town where I could use awesome machines for a very small fee. Huge tablesaw, several bandsaws, drill presses, router tables, jointer, planer/thicknesser, belt and spindle sanders, you name it. Then it was closed during the pandemic and never reopened. That's when I put a workbench in my appartment and got a set of proper hand tools. Nowadays I'm still using my home setup and it is astonishing what can be done with very limited tools and some self-made jigs. For power tools I only have a router, a mini bandsaw (55" blade), and a electric hand drill. I can build the same quality instruments as before, it just takes a little longer. I think this has actually helped me develop some new woodworking skills and jigs that I wouldn't have tried otherwise.
I'm so sorry to hear this. Life can be cruel and unexpectedly harsh at times. I hope you get back on your feet soon and get back to finishing this great build of yours. You do great work and I'll look forwards to seeing your results when you are back on your feet again.
If it's any consolation, please don't see this as advice! The longest I've had between builds was 8 years! I started my bolt on sixer just after I moved county (south Kent to Wiltshire) into a new build house. But work and family commitments (and an angry wife) kind of took over and couldn't re-start it for 8 long and distracted years. When my wife deserted me about 10ish years ago, I found the time to complete it. It was a welcome distraction. Then when she divorced me and I had to sell the house and split the capitol assets. I also lost my job, got broke pretty quickly and ended up with no where to live. I had to return to south Kent and stay with friends. My workshop went into boxes and storage. I then returned to Wiltshire 4 years ago. It's nice to be stable again and building basses. I've been in a stable job for over three years, I have a home and enough space in my garage to call it my workshop and Wife 2.0 actually loves & likes me.
If it's any consolation, please don't see this as advice! The longest I've had between builds was 8 years! I started my bolt on sixer just after I moved county (south Kent to Wiltshire) into a new build house. But work and family commitments (and an angry wife) kind of took over and couldn't re-start it for 8 long and distracted years. When my wife deserted me about 10ish years ago, I found the time to complete it. It was a welcome distraction. Then when she divorced me and I had to sell the house and split the capitol assets. I also lost my job, got broke pretty quickly and ended up with no where to live. I had to return to south Kent and stay with friends. My workshop went into boxes and storage. I then returned to Wiltshire 4 years ago. It's nice to be stable again and building basses. I've been in a stable job for over three years, I have a home and enough space in my garage to call it my workshop and Wife 2.0 actually loves & likes me.
"Wife 2.0" made me laugh. 
I refer to my first wife as "The starter wife".
I refer to my first wife as "The starter wife".
"Wife 2.0" made me laugh.
I refer to my first wife as "The starter wife".
You’re lucky! I refer to my first wife as a huge mistake. And I’m sure she says the same about me
Oh, make no mistake, we haven't spoken to each other in probably 10 year and I haven't even seen her in that long either. And the only reason I saw/spoke to her then was because our daughter was getting married and I had to walk her (the daughter) down the isle. It's better if we just don't speak.
You’re lucky! I refer to my first wife as a huge mistake. And I’m sure she says the same about me
I'm completely with you! My ex avoids me (for which I'm grateful) but I think it's so that she doesn't have to pay for any college expenses of our son (for which I'm slightly ticked). I had full custody of him until he graduated school and am his only source of funds for college and related expenses. She's never given me a dime.... But, the silence is golden!
Well I got offered a job today so that's one half of the equation solved. Another joinery firm but this one has a full sized cnc machine...... Might come in handy!
That's amazing news. Congratulations with securing the new role.
Do you think you'll be using the CNC for actual bass production for for making accurate Jigs, templates and guides?
I've been trying to carve out a little space to do some bass building. I've got a workshop space which someone else is renting from me, but there's a little storage room on the back which I'm still paying for, so I've been trying to clear it out a bit. I think I'm nearly at the point where it's usable now, although it will be tricky as all my tools are packed up in boxes. Plus I'm going away for 10 days next week. So I've given up on the competition deadline, but hopefully will be able to restart working on this bass soon.
Well done on the clear out. Have a great holiday...and hey...there's always the winter build off!
Back in the game!
Finally made it into the workshop for a couple of hours this morning. Probably about half the time was spent rummaging through boxes looking for stuff but I did manage to work out the bridge & pickup placement and make a pickup template. Feels good to be at it again.
I have an unfortunate issue with the neck, but I'll address this next time, I'm too annoyed with myself now!
Finally made it into the workshop for a couple of hours this morning. Probably about half the time was spent rummaging through boxes looking for stuff but I did manage to work out the bridge & pickup placement and make a pickup template. Feels good to be at it again.
I have an unfortunate issue with the neck, but I'll address this next time, I'm too annoyed with myself now!
Made it in for a short session this morning. This nice small template cutter arrived so I could do the corners of the pickup routs. It's a decent fit.
I hogged out some waste on the rear for the cavity and then ran out of time.
Ok this is the annoying bit! I went to cut out the headstock shape at the bandsaw. Stuck a paper template to the back and went at it. Unfortunately I stuck it on back to front
Here it is from the front.
I had an offcut from the neck blank so I glued a bit back on.
I might need to reshape the headstock a bit as it's now not quite long enough. And i have a piece of ebony veneer I think I'll cover it with. We'll see how the back looks after it's been cleaned up, if necessary then I'll veneer that too. What a Muppet!
I hogged out some waste on the rear for the cavity and then ran out of time.
Ok this is the annoying bit! I went to cut out the headstock shape at the bandsaw. Stuck a paper template to the back and went at it. Unfortunately I stuck it on back to front
Here it is from the front.
I had an offcut from the neck blank so I glued a bit back on.
I might need to reshape the headstock a bit as it's now not quite long enough. And i have a piece of ebony veneer I think I'll cover it with. We'll see how the back looks after it's been cleaned up, if necessary then I'll veneer that too. What a Muppet!
Ok this is the annoying bit! I went to cut out the headstock shape at the bandsaw. Stuck a paper template to the back and went at it. Unfortunately I stuck it on back to front
Here it is from the front.
When I looked at the first pic I just assumed it was going to get a reverse headstock!
