Scarab Deluxe Bass

[JIO]

Much ground covered today - pics later. Right now I'm off to a fancy-schmancy holiday party in Cow Hollow near the Marina. Got all cleaned-up and lookin' sharp to hob-nob with the well-dressed set.

 

[JIO]

All cavities and wiring channels are done - the needful. Next stop - shaping

magnet holes drilled - will be the last step after the bass if finished. Still need to drill a jack-hole. Cant use the double-stack Dano pots - too deep and with no room to drop into the cavity, the knobs float way above the body. Will get some standard stacked pots instead which will fit with room to spare.

Installed the roller guides - pretty neat little detail. Note the red inlay in the nut.

And here it is up close and personal. Still don't know if it stays, but it's still in the running.

And a visualization of red fb position markers. Red black and green alway go together nicely... especially this time of year!

Here it is next to my other current project - seen here if interested : "How bad is it?" Silvertone Hornet resurrection Brothers of a different mother...

 

[JIO]

Did the bulk of the shaping - still need to round-over (router) the lower inset and fine tune all the sections. The tape is securing a split being glued. Must have hit a grain-vein.

Weight: 2lbs/13oz - on the road to a light bass!

My shaping is inspired by my Coral Deluxe Bass, but it's a bit more ergonomic at the seated position - I left that area mostly flat so it rests on the knee more comfortably.The "pincer" section will stay fairly flat also, so as not to be delicate there for standing against an amp.

 

[JIO]

Pretty much done with shaping/sanding the body. I'm considering having it CNC'd because hand shaping it is very labor intensive and having a program to make another seems like a good idea. I used rasps/files and a contour-comb to achieve consistent gradual contours.

Detail of the scallop - did the round-overs and sanded transitions. Lots going on on the body from flat to tapered.

Also cut the 2-piece pg. The main pg is clear with a matte surface on top, and the slightly higher piece is red acrylic. Will probably dull it (gloss surface). The higher red unit alludes to the Burns of London designs from the late 50's early 60's. I will be adding white pearl-swirl plastic under the clear pg, much like my Coral Deluxe Bass.

 

[Fat Freddy]

Pretty much done with shaping/sanding the body. I'm considering having it CNC'd because hand shaping it is very labor intensive and having a program to make another seems like a good idea. I used rasps/files and a contour-comb to achieve consistent gradual contours.

View attachment 3640474
Detail of the scallop - did the round-overs and sanded transitions. Lots going on on the body from flat to tapered.
View attachment 3640505

View attachment 3640507
Also cut the 2-piece pg. The main pg is clear with a matte surface on top, and the slightly higher piece is red acrylic. Will probably dull it (gloss surface). The higher red unit alludes to the Burns of London designs from the late 50's early 60's. I will be adding white pearl-swirl plastic under the clear pg, much like my Coral Deluxe Bass.
View attachment 3640532

Looks great...love those knobs...

 

[JIO]

Looks great...love those knobs...

Thanks! It's nice that you can buy repro's of the Dano knobs, bridges, and nuts. The knobs are exactly the same as 60's vintage ones, the bridges are mostly identical but the originals were a bit denser steel, and the aluminum nuts are actually better. And there are many options for the lipstick pu's out there - you can buy the ones that adjust from the back of the body also.

 

[JIO]

Did some fussy-work today installing red fret-position dots, strap-pegs, and hs scarab badge. Coated the body with wood-hardener as it is light and dents easily. The wood hardener works well to give it a tougher but thin coating that once sanded acts as a seal-coat for further finishing. Crappy pic - it's a chilly grey day today and not much good natural light is available. Pic taken before installing the 12th fret dots - I wanted to center them between the strings so I had to string it up and mark centers.

Drilled two holes in the medalion and used a red dot and a red side marker that continue the red-accent theme and act as a connection to the hs.

The red dots continue at the back and fit into the recessed holes for a 2-point gluing comnnection. It 'snaps' into position holding it in place w/o glueing, but once it's finished it will be attached with a couple small dabs of glue.

Not a great closeup - it's a grey day today -

Saw this pic on another thread - pretty much what I'll send Pat Wilkins to illustrate the finish I want. I have to decide if I want the hs face in the same grn/blk, or just black.

 

[postalflunkie]

Curious about the wood hardener, what did you use? I've got redwood that's going to need something to harden it.

 

[JIO]

Curious about the wood hardener, what did you use? I've got redwood that's going to need something to harden it.

It's very thin/viscus and toxic, so use with good ventilation. You have to move quickly as it starts setting/curing immediately. And use a throw-away brush, unless you clean it with Xylene. (another very toxic liquid) One coating is generally enough followed by sanding once cured. (overnight)

 

[Novarocker]

Curious about the wood hardener, what did you use? I've got redwood that's going to need something to harden it.

Echo @JIO recommendation on the minwax hardener. Fantastic stuff, works great on the pine I like to use. Though I admit I do a few coats, but I tend to go quick and thin.

 

[Indiedog]

Did some fussy-work today installing red fret-position dots, strap-pegs, and hs scarab badge. Coated the body with wood-hardener as it is light and dents easily. The wood hardener works well to give it a tougher but thin coating that once sanded acts as a seal-coat for further finishing. Crappy pic - it's a chilly grey day today and not much good natural light is available. Pic taken before installing the 12th fret dots - I wanted to center them between the strings so I had to string it up and mark centers.

View attachment 3643486
Drilled two holes in the medalion and used a red dot and a red side marker that continue the red-accent theme and act as a connection to the hs.
View attachment 3643482
The red dots continue at the back and fit into the recessed holes for a 2-point gluing comnnection. It 'snaps' into position holding it in place w/o glueing, but once it's finished it will be attached with a couple small dabs of glue.
View attachment 3643483
Not a great closeup - it's a grey day today -
View attachment 3643484
Saw this pic on another thread - pretty much what I'll send Pat Wilkins to illustrate the finish I want. I have to decide if I want the hs face in the same grn/blk, or just black.
View attachment 3643496

It is really coming together! I like the red dots!
Very cool, JIO!

 

[JIO]

Had to redo the pg, and now that it's cut-out/fitted, I had an idea for the "Burns-esque" raised red section. I wanted it to be there w/o screws so will attach it with magnets like the control cover. Then I thought, since it's so easy to remove, what if there was a space under it for ... picks!

Will be sending the body to Pat Wilkins for finishing. It's always a month+ wait so nothing much will happen here for a while.

 

[Indiedog]

Had to redo the pg, and now that it's cut-out/fitted, I had an idea for the "Burns-esque" raised red section. I wanted it to be there w/o screws so will attach it with magnets like the control cover. Then I thought, since it's so easy to remove, what if there was a space under it for ... picks!

View attachment 3654009
Will be sending the body to Pat Wilkins for finishing. It's always a month+ wait so nothing much will happen here for a while.

I love it!

 

[JIO]

Mailed the body to Pat today - he will get it on Monday. He's currently in the throngs of dealing with winter NAMM 2020 - so by the time he gets to my bass the smoke will have already cleared. Can't wait to see his wizardry. This is going to be an awesome bass!

 

[Reedt2000]

You gonna hip us to the final finish decision, or make us wait?

 

[JIO]

You gonna hip us to the final finish decision, or make us wait?

Oh, sorry - I posted it a few posts back - #87 ... Burns of London (semi-opaque) green with a black halo in gloss. The neck I'll do myself in satin poly clear, and most likely a black satin hs face. I considered doing the hs like the body - but I don't want to over-do the gestalt. Going for retro-modern chic. The thing is that when dealing with "retro" - it is easy to go too far. The first wave of retro in the late '80s/early'90s clearly showed this. It was "let's pull out all the stops!" - one of which should have been restraint... I do my best to 'allude-to' in a design sense w/o cheapening/over-stylizing where that look was coming from. It was all about making guitars/basses attractive to young players (like me!) who grew up with Roy Rogers cowboys, Sky King and rocket-ships.

 

[JIO]

Body is in SoCal at Pat's place. He will (eventually) shoot it with a semi-opaque white first and follow with a semi-opaque green so that it pops and still has a bit of the grain showing. Then the black halo ala Burns. He's in Winter NAMM hell right now - but by the time my bass gets to the front of the line, he'll have had some reprieve. Two NAMM's a year! (Winter and Summer)

 

[Bruce Johnson]

Hey JIO;

I like it; cool bass!

I guess I'm too late, because you've mailed the body to Pat, but there's a simple way to reinforce those wood points if you are worried about them getting broken. Drill a 9/32" hole, starting at the tip of the point, going straight back through the center of the "fang". Set a slug of 1/4" aluminum rod in there, surrounded by West Systems epoxy. Cut the rod length so the end is a little recessed, and epoxy in a wood plug out at the tip. A simple strong reinforcement without adding much weight. I've used this method often to protect pointyness.

 

[Indiedog]

Hey JIO;

I like it; cool bass!

I guess I'm too late, because you've mailed the body to Pat, but there's a simple way to reinforce those wood points if you are worried about them getting broken. Drill a 9/32" hole, starting at the tip of the point, going straight back through the center of the "fang". Set a slug of 1/4" aluminum rod in there, surrounded by West Systems epoxy. Cut the rod length so the end is a little recessed, and epoxy in a wood plug out at the tip. A simple strong reinforcement without adding much weight. I've used this method often to protect pointyness.

VERY clever, Bruce!
These sorts of hidden structural supports always intrigue me.

 

[JIO]

Hey JIO;

I like it; cool bass!

I guess I'm too late, because you've mailed the body to Pat, but there's a simple way to reinforce those wood points if you are worried about them getting broken. Drill a 9/32" hole, starting at the tip of the point, going straight back through the center of the "fang". Set a slug of 1/4" aluminum rod in there, surrounded by West Systems epoxy. Cut the rod length so the end is a little recessed, and epoxy in a wood plug out at the tip. A simple strong reinforcement without adding much weight. I've used this method often to protect pointyness.

Thanks! Nice to have you stop by to check out my new build Bruce! If I would have gotten this sooner I probably would have done what you described for "just in case" sake. I'll just have to hope whoever ends ups with it doesn't rough-house it. Once I get it back and assembled I was going to apply those small clear 'bumper' dots to each 'pincer' so it sits on them when upright against an amp. It's not a permanent thing, but would keep the touching points from wear and since they come in a sheet there's back-ups when they get knocked off. Most people use stands anyway, I just like to design my basses so that if the stand is forgotten for a gig, that it can 'stand on its own'.