WBO 2022: Löwenbäss

[RichterScale]

I'm excited to see how this all turns out! I don't think you could have picked a cooler shape to go with... the Divas are just sexy as hell.

Yep, Marleaux nailed it with that one. Between that pup in roughly a stingray placement and a distiller, I'm hoping the frame I build around these things, does them justice.
Hopefully I can get my fingers to work good enough again to get a decent recording. If this thing sounds and plays anything like I'm envisioning and I can't get my act together enough to pop out a good recording, I'll find someone who can play bass and have them record something.

 

[Level5wizard]

So, I have some still shots of a rough google sketchup model I did for a visual proof of concept on the string anchors. I found some alum spacers that have the perfect ID for the ball ends. The trick is, how to keep them from slipping out under tension, without a lip at the top to catch the ball.
What I came up with was to install them at a slightly larger than 90° angle to the string. That way, as the string pulls forward, it wants to pull down into the body, rather than up and out. At least, that's my theory.
My method to connect them all conductively will be to install .010" alum flashing between the board and body, drill through the wood and alum together and as I pound the alum tubes in, they should scrape along the edge of the holes in the the flashing. I haven't worked out the finer details yet, but that's the direction I'm headed. Since they are on an angle, once filed flush to the board, they will look like an oval, instead of a circle. Which I'm hoping looks cool and intentional.

That's brilliant.

 

[RichterScale]

That's brilliant.

Only if it works.
Whether or not something works is the fine line between being brilliant, or an idiot.

 

[RichterScale]

I have to give some credit to @Bruce Johnson
Scrolling through @mapleglo's Diva build, I saw this post Winter Build Off 2018 - Diva Inspired
which led me to this post Top load individual string anchor "ferrules"...?
which put the idea in my head.

 

[dwizum]

I am totally stealing that idea.

As soon as you do it, work all the kinks out, and share the secrets.

 

[RichterScale]

I am totally stealing that idea.

As soon as you do it, work all the kinks out, and share the secrets.

I think the most challenging part will be determining the string angle to the saddle, then making a ramp/jig to hold the bass under the drill press. Room isn't an issue because of the weird little gantry press I made, that I can scoot right out to the edge of the bench or table and bolt it down. But keeping the bass at the right angle and perfectly square across the horizontal axis as I move over for each hole might be tricky.
I'll have to clamp a guide to the table to slide the jig against.
Also, these tubes are spacers. Hopefully they sell alum tubing in the same dimensions. The ID and wall thickness are perfect for this application.

 

[dwizum]

What's the outside diameter of the spacers?

I'd be tempted to make a guide block that was nice and thick, like an inch, on the drill press with the angled table. You could make the block with an angled top surface so the drill bit is entering it square and won't try to wander. This way, if you mess it up you can toss it and make another guide block. Then once the block is perfect, clamp it to the bass to ensure the holes all line up correctly and the bit doesn't wander.

 

[RichterScale]

What's the outside diameter of the spacers?

I think 1/2". They may even be a few 000 over 1/2", which would be ideal.
I have to measure again. I forgot.

 

[RichterScale]

Nope, totally remembered wrong.
Looks like I need an 11mm bit.

 

[RichterScale]

Duh.
That's 7/16.

 

[Flamingo21]

Dang! You're right. That caliper should have a fraction setting.

Of course, programming a fraction setting gives headaches because when and how to round off? When it measures 11/64 can it round off to 1/16? And when it measures just over 11/64? Round off to 1/16 or 3/32??
So yeah, I get why it doesn't have that option, but for you as an end user missing the fact that it's 7/16: I feel you, in spite of living in the metric world myself.

 

[RichterScale]

That caliper does fractions in 128ths.
Not very convenient. If I need to be that precise, I just use decimals. It wouldn' be too bad if it was 64ths.

 

[dwizum]

I have the same caliper. I don't often use the fraction setting, and when I do, it's more of a "what's close to this" function than an exact measurement. If I measure something in decimal and get an odd looking number (like .4395!) I leave the jaws, switch to fraction, then move the wheel in and out a few clicks to see which fractions are "nearby" the weird number.

 

[RichterScale]

I have the same caliper. I don't often use the fraction setting, and when I do, it's more of a "what's close to this" function than an exact measurement. If I measure something in decimal and get an odd looking number (like .4395!) I leave the jaws, switch to fraction, then move the wheel in and out a few clicks to see which fractions are "nearby" the weird number.

I've actually done that a few times, just to see what the closest fraction was.
But today was a brain fog day. Woke up like that and it hung around all day.

 

[Camaro69]

Don't y'all have a drill and tap chart?

 

[RichterScale]

Don't y'all have a drill and tap chart?

I usually just Google conversions

 

[Max Bogosity]

But keeping the bass at the right angle and perfectly square across the horizontal axis as I move over for each hole might be tricky.

Rather than trying to keep them exactly square to each other, what if you were to splay them out a little to follow the flare at the end of the fingerboard extension. That might help hide any little deviations in angle or spacing.

 

[RichterScale]

Don't wanna get too fancy in that area.
The saddles will sit right in the board, in recessed slots. I wanna keep the strings straight in their path so there's only down force on the saddles and nothing creating torque to the side.
I could curve them like a smile, or angle them, but I wanna keep the string path straight.

 

[RichterScale]

Now that I've gotten this far into the build, I can stop flip-floppin on some of the design stuff. Some of it had to wait until the build started to see how it would pan out. Mostly little details, but I like to sweat the details and let them hold me up.
I liked the little scoop reveal of maple on the headstock, but to embed the lion head, it has to go away. It didn't look right with the lion head in the middle of the scoop and even if I could make the headstock longer and fit both, that didn't look good either. Also, I designed the shape of the control cavity first. which dictated the limited options for knob layout, which is backwards. So, the control cover has a cool shape, that will never be seen, but the controls on the front will look kinda blah. I'm just gonna put them in a straight line and go on faith that they look better in person than in a crappy 2D MS paint drawing. This is what happens when you procrastinate because you're nervous about screwing up the next steps, so you divert attention to little details, out of order.
Blah blah blah words words drawings yada yada.
This is the last tweakage. Time to just do it. Next pics will be build pics worth looking at.
Even my wife, who couldn't possibly care less about my little guitar building hobby said, "don't you have to finish your guitar thing soon?" ( I stayed home today. I think it had more to do with getting rid of me than interest in my hobbies).

 

[Flamingo21]

I'm just gonna put them in a straight line and go on faith that they look better in person than in a crappy 2D MS paint drawing.

Everything looks better in person than in a crappy 2D MS paint drawing.