• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Summer Build Off 2024 - Fretless Summer Nights

J

James Carter

Jan 12, 2024
122
273
#1
This is my first time to enter such a competition and this will be my fourth from scratch guitar build.

This will be a fairly straight-forward four string fretless bass. It will be a laminated hard maple and padauk neck through construction with. The fretboard will be ebony.

It will be a simple passive P-J configuration. One volume, one tone and a 3-way switch. The hardware will mount from the back and there will not be a pickguard. It will have black Gotoh tuners with one Hipshot D-tuner and a Hipshot Kickass bridge.

The shape will be based on a traditional P-bass with some additional rounding and contouring. I have not decided on the body wood yet. Overall, I want the bass to be dark.

I will add additional details as the build progresses.

James

20240623_210123.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: JRA, Bruce Johnson, 13ghosts and 12 others
#2
A few other details. The fingerboard will be unlined... sort of. I plan on adding markers on the edge similar to the Ibanez SRF700.

I like the idea of a zero-fret on my builds, so I'm trying to figure out how to create a zero-"fret" made out of ebony. I will need to come up with a way to make it easy to replace as it wears out and make several spares. Perhaps something that is held in place by the string tension.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Crawforde
#5
James Carter said:
A few other details. The fingerboard will be unlined... sort of. I plan on adding markers on the edge similar to the Ibanez SRF700.

I like the idea of a zero-fret on my builds, so I'm trying to figure out how to create a zero-"fret" made out of ebony. I will need to come up with a way to make it easy to replace as it wears out and make several spares. Perhaps something that is held in place by the string tension.
Click to expand...

Hello James;

Nice looking project! Here's how I make my "zero blocks" from ebony, on my fretless Scroll Basses:

https://www.talkbass.com/threads/zero-fret.1655627/#post-28554162
 
  • Like
Reactions: Level5wizard and staccatogrowl
#9
Coming along. Sorry for the mess in the background. The headstock and the neck are thinned down. The body is the basic shape. Fingerboard radiused and is nice and flat. The body needs to be sanded down to be flat once again. Then I'll be shaping the headstock and I might go ahead and get the strings on it to make sure everything lines up.

The neck pickup is going to be a bit of a challenge because I want to keep the extended fingerboard. By my measurements, the pickup will butt right up against it. I'll be rounding the edges of the body a lot.

Then staining it all dark (after I do some tests on scrap wood first).
20240826_185706.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: JFlo, MonetBass, Reedt2000 and 1 other person
#13
I'm leaning so much building guitars. Most of it the hard way. I stained the guitar with black surface stain which was a mistake. I ended up sanding it all off and used penetrating stain which is semi-transparent. It's dark like I wanted, but I think I want to see the different wood better. I'm going to start light sanding to bring some of the maple back out.

I'm also wanting to put a matte finish on it. Is spray on polyurethane the right thing to do here?

Thanks,
Jimmy
 
#14
Might be too late since it sounds like you already re-stained it, but how does it look with just a clear coat? A lot of woods will darken under a clear coat, so just a clear coat might be enough to make the walnut look darker while keeping the maple light and the pauduk a natural red. It sounds like the most important lesson learned through this is to test finishes on scrap to make sure they do what you want them to do before you commit to using it on your work piece. Exactly what color a piece of wood will turn once finished can be hard to predict, so scrap is your friend.
 
  • Like
Reactions: James Carter
#15
I spent the evening sanding off the second attempt to stain. Good think I left enough material ;).

FWIW, I did try the second stain on a piece of scrap, and it looked 'okay', but it just didn't 'pop' when it was on the guitar. It didn't pop on the scrap so no surprise. I've been fighting the natural wood. I'm striving for a dark guitar without picking the right wood for what I'm wanting. I'm going to take your advice and clear coat it and let the wood's natural beauty come out.
 
#16
ddm0502 said:
ight be too late since it sounds like you already re-stained it, but how does it look with just a clear coat? A lot of woods will darken under a clear coat, so just a clear coat might be enough to make the walnut look darker while keeping the maple light and the pauduk a natural red. It sounds like the most important lesson learned through this is to test finishes on scrap to make sure they do what you want them to do before you commit to using it on your work piece. Exactly what color a piece of wood will turn once finished can be hard to predict, so scrap is your friend.
Click to expand...
What are your thoughts on tung oil for the walnut/padux/maple combination?
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back