Hi Folks,
This technically may be a first build - I am building this concurrently with another bass I have a thread on, but I think this one will be finished second. Having two on the go at once means I can can work on one while I'm waiting for glue to set on the other.
This is a body only build, in the shape of an Ibanez SR series using a 4 string Ibanez neck I deferetted several years ago
The build started when a bulldozer driver working for me to clear for a solar farm called me and asked if I'd like some fancy timber, called hairy oak. He had cut a few logs for me that sat for months in my garage.
My first project using the wood was a side table
Thinking I was onto something nice, I set about cutting up a log to make a bass.
The log I started with
As you can see, it was full of rotten sections and scars from bushfires. I have since discovered that this is fairly typical of hairy oak, meaning my dreams of a solid hairy oak guitar were dashed. The solution - make it a laminate top!
Being a strong advocate of the "if you can't perfectly hide it, make it stand out" philosophy, I decided on a pine/cedar/pine veneer at each join
Gluing all of this together without a jointer, thicknesser, sash clamps or a doweling jig meant that by the time I flattened this mess using a router sled, it went from 35mm to 15mm thick! Not to worry, it was only ever destined to be a top.
After tidy up and a quick mock up, it was starting to show promise.
Onto the back - some nice Aussie rosewood. This could have been a two piece, but it wasn't going to be a perfect blend, so back to the veneer pile.
Tidied up and flattened with the router sled
I wet down the top and back to see how well they would match and was pleasantly surprised by the matching tones.
The top has been shaped (except the top horn which is too long) and will be used as a routing template for the the bottom once glued together.
Tonight I glued the top to the core, with a pine veneer between the two. Toothpicks in the neck pocket and bridge stopped everything shifting once I got the clamps on.
And that brings me up to date. It will come out of clamps tomorrow and hopefully the body will start taking shape over the weekend.
This technically may be a first build - I am building this concurrently with another bass I have a thread on, but I think this one will be finished second. Having two on the go at once means I can can work on one while I'm waiting for glue to set on the other.
This is a body only build, in the shape of an Ibanez SR series using a 4 string Ibanez neck I deferetted several years ago
The build started when a bulldozer driver working for me to clear for a solar farm called me and asked if I'd like some fancy timber, called hairy oak. He had cut a few logs for me that sat for months in my garage.
My first project using the wood was a side table
Thinking I was onto something nice, I set about cutting up a log to make a bass.
The log I started with
As you can see, it was full of rotten sections and scars from bushfires. I have since discovered that this is fairly typical of hairy oak, meaning my dreams of a solid hairy oak guitar were dashed. The solution - make it a laminate top!
Being a strong advocate of the "if you can't perfectly hide it, make it stand out" philosophy, I decided on a pine/cedar/pine veneer at each join
Gluing all of this together without a jointer, thicknesser, sash clamps or a doweling jig meant that by the time I flattened this mess using a router sled, it went from 35mm to 15mm thick! Not to worry, it was only ever destined to be a top.
After tidy up and a quick mock up, it was starting to show promise.
Onto the back - some nice Aussie rosewood. This could have been a two piece, but it wasn't going to be a perfect blend, so back to the veneer pile.
Tidied up and flattened with the router sled
I wet down the top and back to see how well they would match and was pleasantly surprised by the matching tones.
The top has been shaped (except the top horn which is too long) and will be used as a routing template for the the bottom once glued together.
Tonight I glued the top to the core, with a pine veneer between the two. Toothpicks in the neck pocket and bridge stopped everything shifting once I got the clamps on.
And that brings me up to date. It will come out of clamps tomorrow and hopefully the body will start taking shape over the weekend.
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