The Hossenfeffer III Build

[Rôckhewer]

My local library has a laser cutter and it did NOT work for shell. Used it for all kinds of other stuff, though.

Ok... define "work".
While it is true... a C0² laser... especially a low power one like they might have in a library... will NOT cut all the way through a "shell blank" (which is typically 1 to 2mm thick)... BEFORE the shape degrades or it cracks due to excessive heat.
(Ask me how I know )
They WILL however... and quite handily... cut Ablam up to about .5mm... which is REAL shell.... just thin slices laminated into sheets.

 

[Rôckhewer]

Trying getting waist deep in a tank of water and garnet looking for a small piece of something in a tub the size of half a swimming pool sometime. It's not fun

Bruh.... they make these plastic honeycomb bricks for cutting small pieces on top of... no parts need go in the tank...

 

[Gilmourisgod]

You crazy Cool kids with lasers make me feel Worthless and Weak. Of COURSE you can get vinyl stickers obviously copied directly from Alembic.
Oval MOP WHITE SHELL Fretboard Markers Vinyl Inlays Sticker Decals for ANY BASS | eBay

But...... that would be lame. Per usual @Rôckhewer may have shamed me into learning a new skill, this time how to cut shell. Damn you, Rock!

 

[Rôckhewer]

Per usual @Rôckhewer may have shamed me into learning a new skill,

Maybe one of these days... you will (shame?) ...motivate... me to learn to do binding. That's definitely one up you have on me. Binding scares me.

 

[Reedt2000]

You crazy Cool kids with lasers make me feel Worthless and Weak. Of COURSE you can get vinyl stickers obviously copied directly from Alembic.
Oval MOP WHITE SHELL Fretboard Markers Vinyl Inlays Sticker Decals for ANY BASS | eBay

But...... that would be lame. Per usual @Rôckhewer may have shamed me into learning a new skill, this time how to cut shell. Damn you, Rock!

Seems to me those stickers would make perfect templates for ye old jewelers saw...

 

[Gilmourisgod]

So here’s the question:
Radius the board before or after cutting for inlays? On the HF II I cut recesses before radiusing, because it was easier to cut with the Dremel riding on a flat surface. On the other hand, radiusing by hand sucks, LMI can do it for me for a few bucks. What thickness Abalam or shell stock? Am I effectively bending it into a radius floor pocket, or setting it proud of the board and sanding it flush to radius? Ignorance Is Us.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

@Reedt2000
Don’t think that didn’t occur to me! $20 templates?

 

[TerribleTim68]

Have you tried paper portraits of presidents in hues of green (mostly, varying somewhat of late?)
They can be surprisingly effective as a persuasive tool.

Haha, well, he is my brother-in-law so I'm holding out hope there's some desire to chip in. But he's been super busy with actual paying work, so I'll cut him some slack. But only some!

 

[Reedt2000]

@Reedt2000
Don’t think that didn’t occur to me! $20 templates?

No disrespect intended

I don't think vinyl cutting is all that expensive and if they're templates they don't need to look cool. I wonder if you could design a whole sheet of various inlay sets and have them cut out of vinyl sticker? Then you'd have templates for this and future projects...

 

[deff]

Bruh.... they make these plastic honeycomb bricks for cutting small pieces on top of... no parts need go in the tank... View attachment 4082061

They do. Everyone has some sacrificial board. They get cut and you lose parts. They have ways if they're not idiots like the kid. Also my part was hardened titanium. It would have taken hours on the lab saw and the piece was small enough to fit in one of those holes. Sorry for busting up the thread with proper water jet protocol.

 

[Rôckhewer]

What thickness Abalam or shell stock? Am I effectively bending it into a radius floor pocket, or setting it proud of the board and sanding it flush to radius?

I have bent thin ablam to a pre radiused board... but I don't recommend it. There's just no room for errors in sanding. You can sand through too easy.
Plus the less expensive thin stuff is only one layer & super hard to cut by hand.
Needs to be glued to a backer to be cut with a jewelers saw... otherwise it just shatters.
The thicker Ablam that CAN be cut with a jewelers saw, is expensive...like $150 for a sheet. It's about 4 layers or so. It doesn't flake and crack as much... but still fiddly.
That's why I would personally recommend natural shell "blanks" for hand cutting. They don't need to be super thick to use on a flat board.. then radius after. And they are sold, sturdy, (no flakeing).
Also. thick shell is naturally slightly more rich & chatoyant than Ablam.
How thick?... dunno... do the math, draw a cross section

 

[Rôckhewer]

On the HF II I cut recesses before radiusing, because it was easier to cut with the Dremel riding on a flat surface.

Yeah before... great.
That way you don't have to guess if the shell is thick enough... it will be obvious.
And... it's easier to level protruding shell... than it is to radius/ level an entire board...shell included.
Also... some shell blanks are "guaged"... flat even thicknesses... and some not.
Frequently you can use the natural curvature of the shell to your advantage on the radius.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

I’m convinced then, I hadn’t considered the additional advantage of a traditional mop inlay being that you can infill around any tiny flaws with epoxy and sawdust or black CA. More obsessive YT tutorial watching on inlay technique for me! I’ll order the LMI Richlite board radiused and fret slotted, they can do that way better than I’ll ever be able to.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

Worked out some fret marker using Alembic imagery, kind of an interesting descending size progression from 3-12, then it starts over 15-24. Alembic uses a a small oval for the 24th, but I want something more similar to the 12th.

Ordered some white MOP blanks to cut them, but I'm totally clueless on jeweler's saws. This one comes with a little cutting jig, which I'd othwerwise have to make myself. Any advice or opinions on what constitutes a good quality saw appreciated. From what I've read, 3/0 is the blade size I want?
3 in 1 Professional Jeweler's Saw Set Saw 144 Blades and Wooden Pin with Clamp | eBay

 

[deff]

Worked out some fret marker using Alembic imagery, kind of an interesting descending size progression from 3-12, then it starts over 15-24. Alembic uses a a small oval for the 24th, but I want something more similar to the 12th.
View attachment 4085450

Ordered some white MOP blanks to cut them, but I'm totally clueless on jeweler's sas. Thsi one comes with a little cutting jig, which I'd othwerwise have to make myself. Any advice or opinions on what constitutes a good quality saw appreciated. From what I've read, 3/0 is the blade size I want?
3 in 1 Professional Jeweler's Saw Set Saw 144 Blades and Wooden Pin with Clamp | eBay

Don't know anything about the saws but if this is the final design it looks gorgeous

 

[Rôckhewer]

Any advice or opinions on what constitutes a good quality saw appreciated

I have about the same saw frame... works fine, I guess. I don't use it a lot.
#3...sure.... buy a bunch.
But maybe don't mount them backwards like the guy in the advert....
....or maybe he likes cutting on the "up-stroke"

 

[Gilmourisgod]

Don't know anything about the saws but if this is the final design it looks gorgeous

It think it's damn close, waiting for some parts like bridge, nut, and pups to arrive to take more accurate dimensions. The pickup locations are no more than approximate now, have to give that some thought. Alembic doesn't make a 32" scale except by special order, so I don't have any hard guide to place them. I rarely solo the neck pup, usually just blend some into the bridge. I'm wanting a more "burpy" Jazz tone out of this one, it will be my Fingerstyle bass. Maybe default to something close to Jazz spacing, though again, no 32" scale Jazz that I know of. I have to draw the section view too, I don't now if I'll have to add any neck angle with the Warwick bridge, hoping not.

Have to go lumber shopping for some hard maple and sapele mahogany this weekend, might have to mailorder the purple heart neck stringer stock, nobody seems to carry it locally now that my favorite cabinetmaker closed his shop. Bummed! Wood prices are nuts right now, so that will be my self-christmas this year.

 

[Beej]

Just as a point of note, my last bass build for the spring build off used jazz pickups in relative jazz locations (70's) on a 32" scale and it sounds just like a jazz.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

@Beej
If you have dimensions for 32” scale jazz pups from nut, I’d like to try it and see how it looks. Thanks for the tip!

 

[ardgedee]

The pickup locations are no more than approximate now, have to give that some thought. Alembic doesn't make a 32" scale except by special order, so I don't have any hard guide to place them.

A 32" scale bass has the 24th fret 1/2" closer to the bridge than a 34" scale. So relative to a full scale Alembic, the bridge pickup would only be a couple mm closer to the bridge, and the neck pickup would probably be no more than 3/8" closer to the bridge. I'm betting you could use the same distances as on a 34" scale and be, relatively speaking, within Alembic's own margins of error for pickup placement.