Virgin voyage (first build)! 6 string "P Style" bass

[yoshi]

I'm waiting for a plane to arrive off Amazon, to undo my fretboard mishaps, so until then here's a bit more (unrelated) progress:

Neck glueup! This was a lot of fun. I used Titebond III as it said it had a 15 min "open time". Worked a charm! I really love the contrast of the ash and wenge now it's glued flush. It's going to be a sexy neck that's for sure.

 

[yoshi]

Also, my pickups for the project arrived! I went for some EMG P6 (exactly what it sounds like: P bass pickups for a 6 string by EMG!). More info here incase anyone is curious/looking for something similar: Invalid Link Removed . I'm almost certain that this axe is going to be running on these P6 pickups only (active) placed more towards the neck than the bridge for a hopefully deeper sound. I'm not going to have any alternative pickup(s) at the bridge.

Would a pre amp be worth considering? I've no experience about this, just keen to get as hot a sound/tone as possible from this badboy.

I've attached a pretty pointless photo of them bagged up. Right now I'm making an MDF template for them to sit in that I can use to route the pickup slots into the bass body itself.

 

[Jisch]

I haven't used those particular pickups, but I have used EMG DC40s on a few builds.

On my last build the Preamp I got was bad, so while I waited for the new preamp I wired it up without one and played it for a couple of weeks. It really comes down to whether you want to twist knobs on your bass or on your amp. After playing the bass both ways I can say unequivocally that being able to adjust on the bass is the way to go (for me). I can switch quickly from a muddy to a bright sound (or anywhere in between) and basically leave the EQ on my amp flat. Even though the non-preamp configuration had a tone knob, it doesn't give you nearly the range of sounds that a simple preamp does. I've used the EMG BQC preamp on my last two basses, it gives a wide range of possibilities with a bass, treble and sweepable mid knob (not to mention volume and pickup selection).

 

[Barnaby]

Very, very cool! This is shaping up to be a great instrument.

On mine, there's no preamp, but I did get a Hartke box. The idea was that I could use it for all sorts of instruments, whereas an onboard could only be used in one. That...and the fact that it was less than $50 secondhand at a local store in Tokyo.

 

[yoshi]

...progress update (more for personal journal logging):

I have finally planed the erroneous slot-job from the maple fretboard. It took a lot of sweat-and-swear-words to do with a hand plane, but was very rewarding nonetheless. I also planed its sides into a more accurate taper which was extremely fun! I have then marked the frets with a super-fine pencil and steel rule, and triple checked the marking positions and that they are square. Going to start the actual slotting tonight/tomorrow so fingers crossed this time it works out well.

I got carried away with hand planing and planed the edges of the 2 body pieces two, and removed the 0.75mm gap that was at the left/right edges prior to planing. Very happy with the light-proof joint, and looking forward to gluing up.

I've also got some fretwire arriving soon, and plan on having a go at slotting some test frets on a spare board. I've also got the truss rod (dual action) arriving too, so should be able to plan/mark out the channel for it the neck.

Also, in what was one of the least scientific-science experiments ever, I rigged up the pickups to a jack and held them above my actual bass to get a rough idea of the sound - wow, really deep and smooth. Very impressed even at this stage. I should probably reenact this, moving it up 'n' down the body to see if I can figure out a general guide for eventual pickup placement...in search of the sweet spot so to speak!

Yep, lots of planning and no sawdust. The bass is still a big pile of expensive wood and an eclectic collection of tools on my flat's living room floor. Told ya it'd be a slow build

 

[yoshi]

By the way, for everyone else on this forum: I discovered Barnaby's handtool apartment build the other day on youtube. He documents it in video, well worth a watch:

 

[moody]

The only thought I have (I am not knowledgable) with the pickups being where they are it would seem worthwhile making the neck longer and the pocket in the body deeper for a better join??

 

[yoshi]

The only thought I have (I am not knowledgable) with the pickups being where they are it would seem worthwhile making the neck longer and the pocket in the body deeper for a better join??

Cheers for the thought - the pickup placement in the illustration were just to get a rough idea of how it could look. I'll bear in mind pickup placement with neck pocket/connection strength and integrity during placement though. Thanks for bringing it to my attention!

 

[yoshi]

My router arrived and I used it to bore the truss rod channel (with a 6mm bit).

As with every other step of this build, I made a stupid mistake... I changed bits, to accommodate the wider adjustment nut area, and forgot/didn't realise I had to readjust the depth gauge...as a result I almost routed right through where the back of the headstock will be! It's just a small hole, which upsets me a bit but should be fine. The truss rod is as snug as a bug! This was my first time using a router and I must say what an excellent tool it is! Marvellous!

As you can see, my workshop is indeed the balcony of a 5th floor London apartment...!

I also glued on some wings, ash surplus from the body planks, to bolster the neck's heel (6 string) and headstock shape. Once it's dried I'll (hand) plane it all level and get the fingerboard glued on.

Next week I'll be using my dad's bandsaw to liberate the neck within this billet - very exciting!

 

[yoshi]

I've glued the fretboard on!

I created a genius guidance system prior to gluing it: I put two tack nails in the dead center of the central (wenge) board and strung a tort string across to match up the centre line on the fretboard. This gave me an initial euphoric rush as I had technically built a one-string bass of sorts. After the elation fizzled, I lined the fretboard up according to the center string and the nut line, and then clamped it, and hammered in several tack nails flush against the fretboard at strategic positions...

...then I slid the fretboard out, stuck some tape over the truss rod, and spread the glue...and removed the tape (not shown)...

..and then, quite simply slid the fretboard back in flush against the tacks and clamped that mother in place. Got good glue squeeze-out and hope all's well. I do wish I had more clamps, but should be fine.

Next step is, as the previous post shows, to cut the neck/head out of the billet. And also to attach the nut.

 

[Marvin3242]

Looks good!

 

[Jonny5bass]

I do wish I had more clamps

Ahh, the clamp addiction has begun.

 

[yoshi]

Last week I finally cut out the neck from the billet. Sadly the power saw we were using (a panel saw with circular blade) had some safety guard that made it really hard to do cleanly... so my dad and I spent an hour hand sawing it out - vertically along the neck that is. Tiring work, but good fun and it got the job done. Also, as a bonus, the offcut of the billet is perfect for a guitar neck which I hope to build down the line.

Since then, I've cut out the (rough) headstock shape and done initial neck shaping using a shinto saw rasp (great piece of kit!). I'm having a beefy neck with volute as you can see. I have started this before putting the frets in as I'm not quite sure about how radiused - if any at all - I want the fretboard; I want to use the shaped neck to help me decide. So far I love it, and really dig the wenge stripe in its 3d glory.

I've also cut out the bottom half of the body. I did this with a jigsaw due to the panel saw reasoning above. It came out surprisingly clean. I've left the other half until after routing pickup holes and control cavity, just incase I need/want a flat edge for the router fence.

Question time!
My next big job's going to be routing the neck pocket. What is the best way to make sure this is in the right place? If it's even 1mm out it's going to mess up my scale length and fret positioning. Does it make sense to attach the bridge after neck pocket routing?

 

[Jisch]

I've only done one bolt on, but I can't think of a reason to put the bridge in place before doing the neck pocket. Do the neck pocket, mount the neck then run two pieces of string where your outside strings will be and use those as guides for where the bridge will go (of course setting it in place for your scale - or half your scale from the 12th fret). As was mentioned elsewhere, the shortest your bass strings will need to be is the scale length, so make sure your adjustment is back from that point.

 

[Daz JP]

Awesome work!

 

[yoshi]

More neck shaping!

Still a bit baseball-bat-esque but getting there. Keen to keep it chunky, but have to get it fretted and stringed to find the end point I suspect. Really digging the volute!

I also routed the neck pocket, which has a snug fit. I think it is slightly off at an angle, which I'll sort out properly once I attach the tuners, bridge and nut, and can sort out the alignment fully...

Another alternate view, with some bonus neck profile viewing and mockup hardware placement...

And a first impression mockup! Yowser! I think I'll move the pickups a bit closer to the bridge. Jack plug is probably going to be next to the knobs, ie on the front.

 

[yoshi]

I've fretted the entire neck and glued on the nut. I've also done a load more neck shaping and, being rather happy with the contours and thickness, did an initial sanding so I can get a more accurate idea of how it'll feel finished. Still a bit chunky and thick I think, but I'll wait 'til it's fully strung up to test that. Here's a teaser of the fretted neck. Frets were bought as a long piece of fretwire that I hammered in, cut off, and filed down (this part was incredible fun, really enjoyed it!).

I've also drilled the tuning peg holes! The squeamish may not wnat to read this bit: I shamefully did them freehand with a power drill. I did a 1.5mm pilot hole first, then blasted through it with an 11mm drill bit. It all came out fine! One of them's maybe 0.75mm out of central alignment but other than that I'm happy. The tuning pegs have a good fit.

 

[yoshi]

I've also planed down the body to a more sensible thickness (currently about 35mm, or 1.37inches, so still a bit of planing to go). As you can see, I've routed the pickup holes on the front. They're a tiny bit wobbly, but I'm happy for a first attempt. I've also drilled the screw holes for the bridge (they look a bit off center but that's because the screw holes on the bridge aren't 100% centered, sort of offset a it to the right). I've drilled the holes for the jack and two controls too - all with a 1.5mm pilot hole, followed by a good pounding from an 8mm bit. The jack hole will need filing somewhat as it seems to demand a 9mm drill bit (next size I have is 11).

Really enjoying this project. It is exhilarating to see if coming together! I am quite literally losing sleep with excitement.

 

[yoshi]

Busy day today! I've just (about) finished routing the control cavity. My pickups are active, so I had the nifty idea of routing a separate chamber for the battery. It's such a snug fit! Obviously I need to route a small channel between the main cavity and this for the battery wire. The plan is to have the whole thing covered by one large cover. I've left a bit of extra space as I may in the future install an on-board pre amp.

You may also notice that there's a stray routed channel jutting out from the cavity. Believe it or not that's intentional! It connects to the pickups on the other side. I'll either cover this channel with the afore-mentioned all-in-one cover, or maybe even fill it back in. I think this approach is cleaner and less accident prone than drilling a diagonal channel y'see.

snug as a 9volt bug

 

[yoshi]

Yesterday was another super busy day! I charged in to body shaping headfirst with my impressive shinto saw rasp. The results really brought the project to life! What else did I do...?! I drilled the small screw holes for the tuning pegs and got them all set up; I finished the control/jack cavities and got them installed; I got the pickups in and wired (no soldering yet); stuck the bridge on; and strung her up! Currently the neck's held on with a clamp as the screws haven't arrived yet.

Anyway, this gave me an initial feel for the bass! It's a cracker. And it sounds really, really good! Extremely deep and boomy just as desired. There's a lot of fretbuzz so I suspect I've many hours of fine-tuning once I get the neck on. Here's some teaser shots!

Initial thoughts: The neck is still way too thick. I'll have to give it a jolly good rasping! Also the body is still too thick, so I'll give that (even more) planing. Also, the neck is a little wider at the nut end than it should be, so I'll tighten that up (ie shave down the neck width at the nut) once I've got the neck bolted on for an absolute reference.

Not sure about finish! I quite dig it as it is...! What do you think?