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What's On Your Workbench?
- Thread starter HaMMerHeD
- Start date
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,587
- 221,949
- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
It sounds good too! Interesting - I have yet to make a brass/bone composite nut. I'll have to look those '70s Ibanez basses up.
Just found this '70s Ibanez guitar w/one - also found that they are offered for sale, but right now are "out of stock"
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Not hard to reproduce. I even have some heavy sheet brass bits I could use. I’ve just never gotten around to doing it. I have owned (and still own) Ibanez basses from that era and those original nuts look very classy. I won’t venture to speculate on whether or not they affect the sound in any noticeable way since I’ve never heard these instruments with anything other than their original brass/bone nuts.It sounds good too! Interesting - I have yet to make a brass/bone composite nut. I'll have to look those '70s Ibanez basses up.
Just found this '70s Ibanez guitar w/one - also found that they are offered for sale, but right now are "out of stock"
View attachment 4969320 View attachment 4969328
This ESP neck, circa 1989 or 1990, has been on a bunch of bodies over the years. For the past ten or so I’ve had it on the black body but it was never a winning combination.
The white body, which I believe is from a “Signature” brand bass from the mid 1990s (but I’m not sure) was orphaned when I used it’s neck (another fretless ESP) for another project. It’s a decent quality alder body and I’ve never used this particular neck on a passive J-bass so I thought I’d try this combination for a while and see how it goes.
The strings are a lighter gauge than I usually play (I don’t remember where I got them) but I figured the mid-forward sound of the DR PBs would go well with the scoopiness of a passive J. We shall see…
While it was on the bench I also gave the fingerboard a long-overdue dressing. It’s all pretty and shiny now.
The white body, which I believe is from a “Signature” brand bass from the mid 1990s (but I’m not sure) was orphaned when I used it’s neck (another fretless ESP) for another project. It’s a decent quality alder body and I’ve never used this particular neck on a passive J-bass so I thought I’d try this combination for a while and see how it goes.
The strings are a lighter gauge than I usually play (I don’t remember where I got them) but I figured the mid-forward sound of the DR PBs would go well with the scoopiness of a passive J. We shall see…
While it was on the bench I also gave the fingerboard a long-overdue dressing. It’s all pretty and shiny now.
Backstrapping Kawai F2B headstock.
30+ years has made a cast brass bridge quite dull. Sanding, more sanding, some sanding and finally polishing.
b
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I ran across this today…I’ve done a few refinishes in my day….ha!
The early 80’s
The early 80’s
Well, technically it is suspended above my workshop floor 
I showed some finish samples and some routing pics earlier in this thread for this 7-string guitar I'm building for a friend. Maybe I should have just made a build thread...
Tru-Oil over Stew-Mac water-based tint on quilted maple. It's very close to being ready to assemble.
I showed some finish samples and some routing pics earlier in this thread for this 7-string guitar I'm building for a friend. Maybe I should have just made a build thread...
Tru-Oil over Stew-Mac water-based tint on quilted maple. It's very close to being ready to assemble.
- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,587
- 221,949
- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
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Re-stringing the mandola after it's gotten some long overdue tweaks. I took the opportunity to give it two more coats of lacquer.
And a new strap!
And a new strap!
The first of my two matching Craftsman breast drills is finally reassembled.
I didn’t bother with any cosmetic considerations since it’s missing some teeth anyway but it’s working smoothly. Because of its dental issues it only works on the fast gear.
Putting the chuck back together was an infuriating process that had to be repeated four times with only a little bit less profanity each time. The next one should be easier.
That one’s still in pieces but all its gears are intact so I’ll actually take the time to make it pretty.
I didn’t bother with any cosmetic considerations since it’s missing some teeth anyway but it’s working smoothly. Because of its dental issues it only works on the fast gear.
Putting the chuck back together was an infuriating process that had to be repeated four times with only a little bit less profanity each time. The next one should be easier.
That one’s still in pieces but all its gears are intact so I’ll actually take the time to make it pretty.
Nothing on my workbench at the moment. But I did spend all day Saturday driving about 4 hours from home and then 4 hours back home to buy new truck. Well, not "new", but new to me anyways.
A small upgrade from my standard bed truck to one with extra wheels. It'll be nice when towing the stupid big RV, but it's certainly fun trying to park at the grocery store.
Anyways, I did clean my work bench off yesterday. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to do that inlay on the Telecaster build. I've tried a couple things and I'm just not feeling it. So I'm still testing and practicing. This is one of those things where I really wish I had a cnc or a laser or something.
A small upgrade from my standard bed truck to one with extra wheels. It'll be nice when towing the stupid big RV, but it's certainly fun trying to park at the grocery store.
Anyways, I did clean my work bench off yesterday. I'm still trying to figure out the best way to do that inlay on the Telecaster build. I've tried a couple things and I'm just not feeling it. So I'm still testing and practicing. This is one of those things where I really wish I had a cnc or a laser or something.
And now this:
Revisiting my friend’s battered thunderbird. This is the fourth round of heat treating for this neck. In addition to the forward bow I’m compensating for some twist this time as well. The old jointer plane (another back-burnered restoration project) is only there to add some weight to the heating blanket. There’s only so far heat will go so I know I’m also going to need to get some of my relief from dressing the fingerboard, compression fretting and dressing the frets. I’m fairly confident that the combination of all of the above will get me where I need to be. The frets are so thoroughly thrashed it needed refretting anyway. This particular restoration is an enormous job and my work schedule only allows me to take small bites.
While I had it clamped off to the bench anyway I used Stew-Mac’s nifty truss rod rescue tool since the rod was snapped off:
It’s a pretty expensive tool and I tried to think of any other way I could repair it without removing the fingerboard but, in the end, it really is the right tool for this job and it worked exactly as advertised.
Still to come before the refret is re-doing an old headstock repair that could have been done better but that’s not going to be anytime soon. I’m amazed I found time to do this much!
Revisiting my friend’s battered thunderbird. This is the fourth round of heat treating for this neck. In addition to the forward bow I’m compensating for some twist this time as well. The old jointer plane (another back-burnered restoration project) is only there to add some weight to the heating blanket. There’s only so far heat will go so I know I’m also going to need to get some of my relief from dressing the fingerboard, compression fretting and dressing the frets. I’m fairly confident that the combination of all of the above will get me where I need to be. The frets are so thoroughly thrashed it needed refretting anyway. This particular restoration is an enormous job and my work schedule only allows me to take small bites.
While I had it clamped off to the bench anyway I used Stew-Mac’s nifty truss rod rescue tool since the rod was snapped off:
It’s a pretty expensive tool and I tried to think of any other way I could repair it without removing the fingerboard but, in the end, it really is the right tool for this job and it worked exactly as advertised.
Still to come before the refret is re-doing an old headstock repair that could have been done better but that’s not going to be anytime soon. I’m amazed I found time to do this much!
On my workbench is.... something scary.
You see, ever since I started building instruments, I've been afraid to build my own neck. I've dreaded this more than soldering, or building something ugly, or disappointing the world. I did take a small step when I built a neck for the mandola. This small sturdy neck is just over six inches long.
But today this order came in from ToneFactory, with stuff for my next build. On the top row, you can see strap pins, copper tape, a jack, the usual stuff. The bottom row? Frets! A truss rod! Position markers! I'm forcing my hand. I WILL build my own bass neck. It'll be a while before I actually get around to this build, but there's no going back now.
I also ordered a slotted board, fret files, and a fret hammer, but those are on back order.
And if I succeed, and that neck actually works, then I may feel justified in calling myself an "amateur instrument builder". Until such time, I'm "someone with a workshop".
You see, ever since I started building instruments, I've been afraid to build my own neck. I've dreaded this more than soldering, or building something ugly, or disappointing the world. I did take a small step when I built a neck for the mandola. This small sturdy neck is just over six inches long.
But today this order came in from ToneFactory, with stuff for my next build. On the top row, you can see strap pins, copper tape, a jack, the usual stuff. The bottom row? Frets! A truss rod! Position markers! I'm forcing my hand. I WILL build my own bass neck. It'll be a while before I actually get around to this build, but there's no going back now.
I also ordered a slotted board, fret files, and a fret hammer, but those are on back order.
And if I succeed, and that neck actually works, then I may feel justified in calling myself an "amateur instrument builder". Until such time, I'm "someone with a workshop".
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Great to see that you're taking on the challenge of a neck build. I'm routing for you. Any info on what kind of neck this is going to be?
Looks like you have your materials and tools ready to go. My personal recommendation for necks, tool-wise, is a really good straight edge, notched if possible. I've seen a few cheap straight edges from the hardware store that weren't all that straight, and for necks/fretboards that can make a difference.
- Apr 18, 2008
- 16,003
- 1
- 31,694
- Disclosures
- I'm highly opinionated and extremely self-assured
I understand the feeling! I was scared to build my first too. But then I thought, “It’s only wood and wire”, and just went for it. And it’s easier, and more rewarding, than I thought!
You’ll do great. And, like everything, your first one will probably not be perfect, but that’s how we learn, right?
Something to consider: I’m doing zero frets on everything these days. It’s super easy, and eliminates a lot of nut fettling later.
Well I’m not a luthier so I apologize if this is against the goal of this thread. But..I AM a side-hustle leather-smith. I make a lot of different things, guitar straps being one of them. Here is a recent custom order for a guitar strap with rattlesnake inlay and lined with suede.
I have several good straightedges. I'm still looking into a notched one.
Umm... what do you want to know? Most of the choices are still in the air. So, it may or may not have:
- Three piece maple construction.
- Flat fretboard.
- Nineteen or more frets.
- Bruce Bars.
- Tilted headstock.
I'm sorry, but a zero fret is something I will only do at gunpoint! For me, part of the joy of playing a bass guitar (instead of a piano or a synthesizer) is having open strings that sound different from the other notes.
This probably has something to do with being a former viola player. To almost all viola players, playing open strings when they can actually be heard is part of the charm. In this we differ greatly from most violin players and cello players.
I don't want to sound negative, and I appreciate the suggestion.
