SBO22 Sceptre

[smart51]

My entry for the summer build off 2022 is Sceptre, a headless ultra short scale travel bass. It will be a 4 string of 650mm (25.59") scale, with a 'B string' tuned to E etc.

The laminate set neck will have maple outers and a wenge core with pin stripes of black dyed veneer either side of 2mm oak lipping. The body is a single piece of spalted beech and the fretboard is laburnum. I've read that laburnum is the closest a native British hardwood gets to rosewood. The knobs, tuners and strap buttons are also turned from laburnum. The timber is all left overs from other projects.

and I know people here like headless tuners, so here's a close up of the parts so far

 

[2groggy]

I tune mine with an Ikea hex key - more leverage and readily available.

 

[Max Bogosity]

I tune mine with an Ikea hex key - more leverage and readily available.

I like that, but I'd have to have the hex key attached with a chain to stop me losing it.

 

[2groggy]

magnet

Edit - on another I used piano tuning pegs and had a wrench attached with a string.

 

[smart51]

I've tried steel thumb screws before but the finger force needed to turn them is too great. These have brass threads and longer bodies. I don't know which of these two things make them easier to turn, but they work.

 

[Flying B]

Cool idea! Is that piece the second one up from the bottom the laburnum? It doesn't look very laburnum like to me... I've often thought it would make a good fret board.

 

[smart51]

Cool idea! Is that piece the second one up from the bottom the laburnum? It doesn't look very laburnum like to me... I've often thought it would make a good fret board.

Yes, that's the one. I bought a log of the stuff last year and split it. There was a bit of rot in the middle but I got some good pieces from it. It is quite light when first cut. That piece has been out in the sun for a couple of days which has darkened it slightly. It darkens a bit more when oiled.

 

[Flying B]

I used to turn quite a few bowls from it when I was a tree surgeon, most of the bits I used were much darker than that, with an almost white sapwood.

 

[smart51]

One neck blank

 

[Beej]

Dammit! You're miles ahead of me...

 

[smart51]

A couple of progress pics.

I mustn't have tightened the router properly because the bit slid up into the chuck. The bearing was only just riding on the pickup cavity template. The result was a chewed up template and cavity. It's now a bigger hole than I intended.

 

[TFM94]

Holy moly, that was fast! I thought I was making good progress this weekend, but you are knocking it out of the park (which you could literally do with this bass

It's hard to see in the pictures, but does it have a curved front and back?

 

[smart51]

Holy moly, that was fast! I thought I was making good progress this weekend, but you are knocking it out of the park (which you could literally do with this bass

It's hard to see in the pictures, but does it have a curved front and back?

Yes, the top has a 12" radius the same as the fret board. As I'm using individual tuners it will work. The back has a 3/4" round over on the edges. I put the radius on the top to take styling cues from an EUB, but the effect is a bit too subtle to be really noticeable.

 

[smart51]

Having held it in my hands for a bit I decided to reprofile the neck. I'm much happier with it now. Not that you could tell from a photo. So here are the tail piece and control cavity covers.

 

[Beej]

Holy moly bruh! You work fast.

 

[smart51]

Holy moly bruh! You work fast.

It's tiny. It takes no time at all.

 

[TFM94]

Having held it in my hands for a bit I decided to reprofile the neck. I'm much happier with it now. Not that you could tell from a photo. So here are the tail piece and control cavity covers.

View attachment 4732923

View attachment 4732924

You are really fast. If you keep up the pace you could enter five more builds into the SBO. What kind of pickup is that cavity for?

 

[smart51]

Who likes a bit of tung oil?

 

[smart51]

You are really fast. If you keep up the pace you could enter five more builds into the SBO. What kind of pickup is that cavity for?

It's just a generic rail humbucker. Rail pickups suit non standard string spacings where pole pieces dictate spacing to you.

 

[smart51]

Today is metalwork day. Here is the headpiece. I drilled the mounting holes and truss rod access on a square piece, then fitted it to the neck for shaping. The screw holes in the neck weren't straight so now the head piece is a bit wonky. It looks fine when fitted so I'll leave it.