WBO 2023 - Bateries not included

[postalflunkie]

I submit for your approval my entry in the Scratchbuild category.

My nerdiness really isn't inspired by syfy or fantasy (not that I don't appreciate it), but from these awesome books I've had since the early days of my bass building back in the '80s.

I'll be building a bass with the nerdiest wiring I can come up with on a totally passive platform.

Single humbucker
Five way switching:
Single coil
Half out of phase
Parallel
Series
Series with OMG cap
Passive circuit:
Volume
Bass cut
Mid cut, with push pull for frequency selection
Trebble cut
And if I can work it out, I have a piezo pickup that might go under the bridge.

The bass will have my favorite Victory bass shape, but with neck-thru construction and a full round over on the edges.
The wood I have to work with is Purpleheart for the core, Maple accents, and Padauk top and botom. And I'll be chambering the body wings to cut down on weight.

Neck construction will be seven piece
Maple, Padauk and Purpleheart with a rosewood fretboard

And the wood pile:

(Nevermind the walnut in the stack, it just wanted to feel included)

 

[TerribleTim68]

...
(Nevermind the walnut in the stack, it just wanted to feel included)

"Some day fella...some day..."

 

[Jon Clegg]

The Victory is one of my favorite shapes, as well; two of my builds are based on that shape.

 

[Crawforde]

Pushing the boundaries of an 80’s inspired wiring/ pickup complex is pretty cool, or nerdy depending on your point of view. I’m in.

 

[postalflunkie]

Pushing the boundaries of an 80’s inspired wiring/ pickup complex is pretty cool, or nerdy depending on your point of view. I’m in.

Nothing against today's offerings, but the most innovative basses came out of the 80's

 

[Matt Liebenau]

I have 2 of those books. I also had a friend in high school who had a Victory Artist bass. He declined to sell it to me despite repeated blows to the head.

 

[AudioTaper]

I have 2 of those books also, I'll be following the build

 

[postalflunkie]

With all the Christmas activities behind us its time to start making something out in the garage.
Laid out all the stringers and made sure the end grain was in a favorable direction, wiped all the surfaces to be glued with naphtha and mixed up a big ol' cup of epoxy. Smeared that nasty sticky stuff on everything (and somehow managed to keep it of my shirt this time), put the pieces together and clamped the b-jeebers out of it.

That T-88 has a 72 hour cure time, so for the next couple days I'll be busy working on the fretboard.

 

[postalflunkie]

Out comes the fretting jig.

I cut the board for 24 frets plus a zero fret. I'll cut a channel for the guide nut later after the frets are all hammered in. The first time I tried a zero fret the nut end broke out because there was not enough material behind it, so I'm not taking any chances.

Now it's on to sanding the fretboard radius, but first I'm still deciding if I want to put position markers on the board or not.

 

[Reedt2000]

LED markers?

 

[postalflunkie]

Wouldn't work... remember the builds name

 

[Reedt2000]

Wouldn't work... remember the builds name

DC power coming in from a trs cable and purpose-built pedal/power-supply?

 

[postalflunkie]

Built In dynamo, the faster you play the brighter they get

 

[Crawforde]

Install an extra pickup that could be wired with an op amp and power the LEDs? No batteries

 

[postalflunkie]

A quick few minutes after work while my wife's out of the house (she doesn't care for the noise the planer makes).
Pulled off all the clamps, ran the neck blank through the band saw to remove the protruding padauk and purpleheart, then a few passes through the planer.

Neck blank is ready to work, but first... back to sanding the radius on the fretboard. I decided to go with position markers only on the side.

 

[ardgedee]

Built In dynamo, the faster you play the brighter they get

Weighted wheel on the dynamo; the more you thrash around, the more power you get.

 

[postalflunkie]

I

Weighted wheel on the dynamo; the more you thrash around, the more power you get.

If it makes too much light the lead guitarist will try to hog it all up

 

[postalflunkie]

I spent the last two days waiting for glue to dry on the body wing cores, maple vaneer on both sides of the purpleheart.

This was the first side, basically I do the top and botom at the same time and use the bulk of the purpleheart to ensure even clamping and no glue bubbles in the maple. I use wax paper to keep them from gluing to each other on the ends.

So I thought I'd take advantage of having a day off to clean up the body blanks and cut out the wing cores, no problem so far...

Then I got impatient and decided to use a pattern bit in the router table to clean up the edges and reminded myself why I bought a robosander.

That's UGLY!

Time for a new plan, preferably one that doesn't involve starting over. I looked at all the damage and decided that a simple readjustment of the body lines could do the trick.
Back to the bandsaw, then some creative use of the belt sander and I think this will work ok.

The more I look at it now, the more I like it, I'm calling it an "offset Victory body"

Crisis adverted.

 

[NKBassman]

I spent the last two days waiting for glue to dry on the body wing cores, maple vaneer on both sides of the purpleheart.

View attachment 4923892
This was the first side, basically I do the top and botom at the same time and use the bulk of the purpleheart to ensure even clamping and no glue bubbles in the maple. I use wax paper to keep them from gluing to each other on the ends.

So I thought I'd take advantage of having a day off to clean up the body blanks and cut out the wing cores, no problem so far...

Then I got impatient and decided to use a pattern bit in the router table to clean up the edges and reminded myself why I bought a robosander.
View attachment 4923896

That's UGLY!

Time for a new plan, preferably one that doesn't involve starting over. I looked at all the damage and decided that a simple readjustment of the body lines could do the trick.
Back to the bandsaw, then some creative use of the belt sander and I think this will work ok.
View attachment 4923897
The more I look at it now, the more I like it, I'm calling it an "offset Victory body"

Crisis adverted.

Final shape looks great!

 

[Jon Clegg]

I spent the last two days waiting for glue to dry on the body wing cores, maple vaneer on both sides of the purpleheart.

View attachment 4923892
This was the first side, basically I do the top and botom at the same time and use the bulk of the purpleheart to ensure even clamping and no glue bubbles in the maple. I use wax paper to keep them from gluing to each other on the ends.

So I thought I'd take advantage of having a day off to clean up the body blanks and cut out the wing cores, no problem so far...

Then I got impatient and decided to use a pattern bit in the router table to clean up the edges and reminded myself why I bought a robosander.
View attachment 4923896

That's UGLY!

Time for a new plan, preferably one that doesn't involve starting over. I looked at all the damage and decided that a simple readjustment of the body lines could do the trick.
Back to the bandsaw, then some creative use of the belt sander and I think this will work ok.
View attachment 4923897
The more I look at it now, the more I like it, I'm calling it an "offset Victory body"

Crisis adverted.

Ooof! I know this feeling. Nice save though. Makes the Victory look more swoopy, if you know what I mean