What's On Your Workbench?

[rojo412]

Needed a pickup mule... had a failed build from the past... made a pickup mule out of it.

It's capable of testing 1 or 2 pickups (or a dual coil) with volume, pan, and series/parallel. No solder required, back plate comes off.

 

[dwizum]

Yellow strings?

 

[rojo412]

Yeah, just some leftover strings. Hate em! But they will tell me if a pickup works well enough.

 

[herndonbassist]

I've got a few things in play at the moment, but this is the one that's getting the most attention right now:

Ignore the pink yoga mat, that's what I use on my bench to protect the finish when I'm over there and not on the shopmate. The mortise is in much better shape than the tenon ( which I'm currently working on ). I haven't decided what I'm going to do to address the finish that was cracking around the joint. I did save the piece of binding that's obviously missing in the photo.

This is a 12-string Gibson copy ( laminate sides, top and back ) that was given to us, and the action was almost 1/2" at the 12th fret. The bridge was bottomed out, and the trapeze holding the strings gave almost NO break angle. Needless to say the only way to get this playable again was a reset.

 

[Big B.]

Got this little iron in the fire.

It's going to be a fretless 5 string.
Ziricote top and fingerboard, one piece swamp ash body and multi-lam maple neck. The swamp ash is extra lightweight and the body is thinned down to around 1 3/8" thick so it's going to be a feather weight for sure.

 

[Tom0Blam0]

Not really what's on my workbench, but it's my new workbench. I just moved from Indiana to Tennessee and was fortunate to find a place with an awesome workshop in the basement! I still need to get my tools set up and everything unboxed but I'm pretty stoked.

With a baby on the way and a new job for my wife and I, plus some work to be done in the house I imagine I won't be getting to spend a ton of time in there in the immediate future, but it's nice to have the option when the time is there!

 

[Jeff Siddall]

Got this little iron in the fire.

View attachment 3892285

View attachment 3892287

It going to be a fretless 5 string.
Ziricote top and fingerboard, one piece swamp ash body and multi-lam maple neck. The swamp ash is extra lightweight and the body is thinned down to around 1 3/8" thick so it's going to be a feather weight for sure.

Gaaah, you people and your unbelievably nice ziricote basses! Seriously, that looks fantastic.

 

[TerribleTim68]

Needed a pickup mule... had a failed build from the past... made a pickup mule out of it.

View attachment 3890963
View attachment 3890964
It's capable of testing 1 or 2 pickups (or a dual coil) with volume, pan, and series/parallel. No solder required, back plate comes off.

This is a FAILED build? Jesus, I'm screwed.

 

[tubedude]

Progress so far on the Betterbacker. Tapering the ebony pickup rings, then ready to start the finishing schedule.

 

[TerribleTim68]

Progress so far on the Betterbacker. Tapering the ebony pickup rings, then ready to start the finishing schedule.

That binding tho.

 

[tubedude]

That binding tho.

My first binding attempt. My first bass as a matter of fact. 19 guitars, but my first bass and binding attempt. I'll know how to do it right next time!

 

[TerribleTim68]

... I'll know how to do it right next time!

Pretty sure I said this line about 100 times over the weekend. Pretty sure I'll make the same mistakes again tho.

 

[rojo412]

I now have this mounted above my bench, to try and curtail my future mistakes...

Thanks, @rogerbmiller for looking out

 

[rojo412]

This is a FAILED build? Jesus, I'm screwed.

I just hope my mistakes keep others from making the same things happen. I have a fairly decent amount of nice wood, wrapped up in projects that will never actually work and it makes me sad to a degree.
But when it does come to weird stuff that needs to be made (wall art, pickup mules, tap handles for a bar, cutting boards), there is definitely a cool factor to the resulting work of that being made from failed basses.
Just sayin'...

 

[dwizum]

I'm right with you in terms of giving "failed" projects a second life. If I think something is a failure, I'll usually just stop and set it aside and wait until circumstances and/or my brain's back burner come up with something.

And now that you mention it, I do need a tap handle for my kegerator, and I happen have the headstock I sawed off the 5 string converted-to-4-string-headless bass I did for my son last year sitting in a drawer in my shop...

 

[TerribleTim68]

I now have this mounted above my bench, to try and curtail my future mistakes...

View attachment 3893824...

Apparently I need one that says "Follow The Steps In Order!" Even after @ctmullins was kind enough to give me a detailed "Order Of Operations" I somehow got way too excited and did stupid things out of order.
Luckily, I think for the most part I was able to save me from..........me.

 

[rojo412]

Oh good, I'm not the only one thinking that headstocks from bum necks would make great tap handles!
Out of curiosity, what size threaded insert is needed for a standard tap handle?

 

[TerribleTim68]

Oh good, I'm not the only one thinking that headstocks from bum necks would make great tap handles!
Out of curiosity, what size threaded insert is needed for a standard tap handle?

3/8"-16 UNC (coarse)

 

[dwizum]

Thanks @TerribleTim68 - now I don't have to run downstairs and check! I bought a bag of the inserts a few months ago and just haven't gotten around to making a handle. I still have the cheapo black plastic handle on there but I am proud enough of my homebrew to say that it deserves better!

Now I have to think up a catchy bass-associated name for the IPA I have in there...

 

[TerribleTim68]

Beer taps is something I deal with a lot with my day job, designing bars.

As for a catchy name for a bass-associated IPA, "Low-Ender" isn't horrible.