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Summer Build Off 2024 - Get Ready!

#143
Yesterday I did some work preparing and dimensioning wood parts for the neck and body. I also made a couple of templates and planned out the remaining handful I have left to make. I also did an inventory of parts and discovered a few small things I needed to order and did that too. I'm still waiting on a couple of parts outside of those too, but otherwise, I'm nearly ready. :woot:

Just rubbin' it in. :smug:
 
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#144
Deciding on body style I was between a symmetrical body or an asymmetrical body, thinking since the head stock will not be symmetrical I will go with the left.

Body Styles.png


blue stain with red tortoise shell
 
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#145
GeezerEntwistle said:
Deciding on body style I was between a symmetrical body or an asymmetrical body, thinking since the head stock will not be symmetrical I will go with the left.

View attachment 5474230

blue stain with red tortoise shell
Click to expand...
I love the meteora shape! That's what I'll be doing for a partial build. Now I gotta clean my garage and tune up my bandsaw...
 
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#147
Seeking some clarification on "dimensioning."

I'm not a seasoned, trained woodworker -- Mostly learn by doing, and until last year was pretty much working with 1980s 6th grade woodshop knowledge. I'll be doing some scratch builds, so want to be sure I know where to stop with my prep so I don't violate the scratch build rules. I see that lumber may be "dimensioned" in advance, and it's clear that no glue ups or shaping is allowed. Just wondering where "dimensioning" stops. Here are the specific operations I'm wondering about.
  • With a really long and wide maple board that will be cut into strips for the laminates in a few necks, seems like crosscutting to length would be allowed. Can I also rip to final thickness, to basically get the "sticks" that will be assembled into the neck? (jointing/planing is out of the question, since I'd do that after glue-up)
  • Similarly, can I cut my walnut stringers to length and width? Can I thickness-sand them in advance too?
  • Bookmatched tops and bottoms from 3/4 boards: Since they're mentioned in the rules, sounds like I'd be OK resawing my 1/4" tops from the 3/4" board. Can I plane/thickness sand these in advance? I know I can't edge-glue them yet.
  • Body core blanks: Another 8-foot board, this time ash. Sounds like I can crosscut each half of the eventual body to length. Can I plane down to final thickness? Joint common edges? Basically everything up to glue up?
Think that covers it. Got my fingerboards ordered today. The end of LMII has really make that part complicated. I'll be trying the royal blackwood for fretless boards from stewmac, and resawing a maple one from a board from my local Woodcraft (who, by the way, stock lots of great options sized for guitar fingerboards, but none for bass. Grrr.
 
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#148
gormsby said:
Seeking some clarification on "dimensioning."

I'm not a seasoned, trained woodworker -- Mostly learn by doing, and until last year was pretty much working with 1980s 6th grade woodshop knowledge. I'll be doing some scratch builds, so want to be sure I know where to stop with my prep so I don't violate the scratch build rules. I see that lumber may be "dimensioned" in advance, and it's clear that no glue ups or shaping is allowed. Just wondering where "dimensioning" stops. Here are the specific operations I'm wondering about.
  • With a really long and wide maple board that will be cut into strips for the laminates in a few necks, seems like crosscutting to length would be allowed. Can I also rip to final thickness, to basically get the "sticks" that will be assembled into the neck? (jointing/planing is out of the question, since I'd do that after glue-up)
  • Similarly, can I cut my walnut stringers to length and width? Can I thickness-sand them in advance too?
  • Bookmatched tops and bottoms from 3/4 boards: Since they're mentioned in the rules, sounds like I'd be OK resawing my 1/4" tops from the 3/4" board. Can I plane/thickness sand these in advance? I know I can't edge-glue them yet.
  • Body core blanks: Another 8-foot board, this time ash. Sounds like I can crosscut each half of the eventual body to length. Can I plane down to final thickness? Joint common edges? Basically everything up to glue up?
Think that covers it. Got my fingerboards ordered today. The end of LMII has really make that part complicated. I'll be trying the royal blackwood for fretless boards from stewmac, and resawing a maple one from a board from my local Woodcraft (who, by the way, stock lots of great options sized for guitar fingerboards, but none for bass. Grrr.
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Yes, yes, yes and yes! You can prepare everything in billets, boards or strips right to the point of being glue-up ready. Just no gluing up and no cutting/shaping. So feel free to get everything ready so that on the starting day you can slather boards with glue and toss them in the clamps. If you have your templates all ready, you may even be able to get most of the body parts created the next day. :thumbsup:
 
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#149
working on my layout- when you are doing the nut to bridge length, do you just average the saddle position and call it the length or is there a specific spot on the bridge to measure from?

to add context- measurements from my "parts" bass of 34" was 2xs nut to 12th fret which put it average/close to the edge of saddle range. Im thinking the answer is "average" but hoping for confirmation before checking it off.
 
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#150
GeezerEntwistle said:
working on my layout- when you are doing the nut to bridge length, do you just average the saddle position and call it the length or is there a specific spot on the bridge to measure from?

to add context- measurements from my "parts" bass of 34" was 2xs nut to 12th fret which put it average/close to the edge of saddle range. Im thinking the answer is "average" but hoping for confirmation before checking it off.
Click to expand...
Your highest pitch string will be the one that is closest to the measured scale length, and all other saddles will sit back further by a small amount referred to as 'saddle compensation'. @rmmottola goes into it in elucidating detail here: Liutaio Mottola Lutherie Information Website

Saddles will generally always need to move away from the nut when compensating, so I tend to set the G saddle right on the scale length line (in your case 34" from nut). I push the saddle as far forward (towards nut) in it's travel, or back 1/8" or so and then mount the bridge at that location. It's nice to have a tiny bit of forward movement in saddles, but generally I try to maximize the travel available for the lowest strings, which means moving the bridge as far back as I can, while keeping the G string saddle at the end of it's travel and aligned with the scale length line.

Hope that makes sense! :thumbsup:
 
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#153
honza992 said:
I'm not sure if this has already been covered, but do I have to have all the wood for the initial entry photo? I've got neck wood but not (hollow) body wood. I won't have that till July.....
Click to expand...

I don't make the rules but I would guess that, provided you take another photo of the new wood also with the Build-off secret message in it when you get the new wood, it should be fine.

I think the rule is the way it is to stop people pre-fabbing stuff and/or uploading old photo sequences and pretending they're fresh.

But I'd wait for Beej to get the main ruling ...
 
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#154
Beej said:
Your highest pitch string will be the one that is closest to the measured scale length, and all other saddles will sit back further by a small amount referred to as 'saddle compensation'. @rmmottola goes into it in elucidating detail here: Liutaio Mottola Lutherie Information Website

Saddles will generally always need to move away from the nut when compensating, so I tend to set the G saddle right on the scale length line (in your case 34" from nut). I push the saddle as far forward (towards nut) in it's travel, or back 1/8" or so and then mount the bridge at that location. It's nice to have a tiny bit of forward movement in saddles, but generally I try to maximize the travel available for the lowest strings, which means moving the bridge as far back as I can, while keeping the G string saddle at the end of it's travel and aligned with the scale length line.

Hope that makes sense! :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

This should be a sticky! Lots of people have the same question. Generally, you will never need to shorten the string when intonating, so allow for most/all of the saddle travel rearward.

Nice one @Beej !
 
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#155
honza992 said:
I'm not sure if this has already been covered, but do I have to have all the wood for the initial entry photo? I've got neck wood but not (hollow) body wood. I won't have that till July.....
Click to expand...

Quills said:
I don't make the rules but I would guess that, provided you take another photo of the new wood also with the Build-off secret message in it when you get the new wood, it should be fine.

I think the rule is the way it is to stop people pre-fabbing stuff and/or uploading old photo sequences and pretending they're fresh.

But I'd wait for Beej to get the main ruling ...
Click to expand...
@Quills nailed it - the main thing is to prevent people from doing a bunch of work in advance and then entering under the 'wrong' category. :) If you include new lumber later and then just show your work at that point, you're good. :thumbsup:
 
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#156
ctmullins said:
This should be a sticky! Lots of people have the same question. Generally, you will never need to shorten the string when intonating, so allow for most/all of the saddle travel rearward.

Nice one @Beej !
Click to expand...

This is a question I had for myself too! super helpful! I've been considering using a hipshot D-style bridge without the tailpiece instead of the A-style, and I've been anxious about how to properly position it since there's less available adjustment.

On that note... does anyone know where I might find front string ferrules suitable for bass strings? I've seen these on plenty of guitars but haven't been able to turn up anything for basses.

front string ferrules.jpg


EDIT: might be moot - I was just looking at one of my other bridges, and it appears that I have about 6mm of compensation between my G and E strings, and the D-style bridge only offers about 4.5mm of adjustment...
 
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#157
tidbits said:
This is a question I had for myself too! super helpful! I've been considering using a hipshot D-style bridge without the tailpiece instead of the A-style, and I've been anxious about how to properly position it since there's less available adjustment.

On that note... does anyone know where I might find front string ferrules suitable for bass strings? I've seen these on plenty of guitars but haven't been able to turn up anything for basses.

View attachment 5476170

EDIT: might be moot - I was just looking at one of my other bridges, and it appears that I have about 6mm of compensation between my G and E strings, and the D-style bridge only offers about 4.5mm of adjustment...
Click to expand...
I got them from Guitar Madness on eBay.
 

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