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Winter Build-Off 2022: Bamboo EUB

#261
Matt Liebenau said:
I do love a good pinstriped upright but I’d have to learn how to do it myself or find someone who does it with paint and then clear it. I’m not sure I could live with tape.
Click to expand...
I hear you, but the result might be acceptable? after being cleared.
Mostly trying to goad @Max Bogosity out of the analysis paralysis, and provide some helpful (hopefully) suggestions.
I think a wrap could be cool.
Flip Flop? Chrome? Gold? Carbon Fiber? lenticular rainbow?
 
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#262
RichterScale said:
I think this should be at one end or the other.
I like Beej's idea of darkening the edges and doing a darker tinted clear that makes it resemble an old classic violin, etc would look amazing. E
Click to expand...
Or use dye to get the yellow/ amber, and chocolate brown on the edges, will work better that the store bought "wood stain"
 
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#264
Max Bogosity said:
Also thinking about finishing. Here are some pretty unimpressive tests on scraps of the body plywood, endpin mahogany, and neck bamboo. This is hardware store Minwax stain. In real life it looks like a better, browner red on the plywood, about the same on the mahogany, and a disturbing pink colour on the bamboo.
View attachment 4787033
Click to expand...
I assume stain isn't going to work well on the bamboo because it's impregnated with epoxy or something. You could probably do OK by mixing dye into a clear finish. I like your color choice.
 
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#265
La la la, I hear nothing about finishing.

Next up, the sound hole/neck joint access port. I laid out a series of ovals on scrap and picked out one that I figured I could get my hand through fairly easily, then transferred the shape to the side of the bass. The straight line represents the limit of how far forward the port can be without running into the corner reinforcement.
IMG_5213D.JPG


Or at least where I thought it was. I carefully marked it before gluing the top and back on, then some fool sanded off the marks. To double-check, I drilled a hole in a safe spot and used a piece of scrap to probe inside and marked where it crossed the edge of the hole while contacting the corner block. Looks pretty close.
IMG_5214D.JPG


Artsy shot up through the endpin hole. You can see the little top and back alignment blocks I mentioned earlier.
IMG_5215.JPG


Rough cut out. That's about as close to the line as I was willing to get, given how splintery it gets with the jigsaw.
IMG_5216D.JPG


I didn't leave any too much room between the top and the highest neck bolt. It doesn't quite touch.
IMG_5220D.JPG


And I couldn't resist putting it together just to see how it looks. Haven't measured it, but the alignment of neck to body looks pretty good at a distance. Up close, the neck tenon needs some adjustment.
IMG_5217D.JPG

IMG_5218D.JPG


And now that I look at it, the side is a completely different colour than the top. It's entirely possible I did something stupid like mix up the inside and outside when I assembled it...
 
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#267
Max Bogosity said:
La la la, I hear nothing about finishing.

Next up, the sound hole/neck joint access port. I laid out a series of ovals on scrap and picked out one that I figured I could get my hand through fairly easily, then transferred the shape to the side of the bass. The straight line represents the limit of how far forward the port can be without running into the corner reinforcement.
View attachment 4789438

Or at least where I thought it was. I carefully marked it before gluing the top and back on, then some fool sanded off the marks. To double-check, I drilled a hole in a safe spot and used a piece of scrap to probe inside and marked where it crossed the edge of the hole while contacting the corner block. Looks pretty close.
View attachment 4789439

Artsy shot up through the endpin hole. You can see the little top and back alignment blocks I mentioned earlier.
View attachment 4789440

Rough cut out. That's about as close to the line as I was willing to get, given how splintery it gets with the jigsaw.
View attachment 4789442

I didn't leave any too much room between the top and the highest neck bolt. It doesn't quite touch.
View attachment 4789443

And I couldn't resist putting it together just to see how it looks. Haven't measured it, but the alignment of neck to body looks pretty good at a distance. Up close, the neck tenon needs some adjustment.
View attachment 4789447
View attachment 4789456

And now that I look at it, the side is a completely different colour than the top. It's entirely possible I did something stupid like mix up the inside and outside when I assembled it...
Click to expand...
I thought the color difference between the sides and top was intentional. It looks good and unless only one side is that way don't worry about it. If it is only one side then a solid color finish is the fix.
 
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#271
Max Bogosity said:
La la la, I hear nothing about finishing.

Next up, the sound hole/neck joint access port. I laid out a series of ovals on scrap and picked out one that I figured I could get my hand through fairly easily, then transferred the shape to the side of the bass. The straight line represents the limit of how far forward the port can be without running into the corner reinforcement.
View attachment 4789438

Or at least where I thought it was. I carefully marked it before gluing the top and back on, then some fool sanded off the marks. To double-check, I drilled a hole in a safe spot and used a piece of scrap to probe inside and marked where it crossed the edge of the hole while contacting the corner block. Looks pretty close.
View attachment 4789439

Artsy shot up through the endpin hole. You can see the little top and back alignment blocks I mentioned earlier.
View attachment 4789440

Rough cut out. That's about as close to the line as I was willing to get, given how splintery it gets with the jigsaw.
View attachment 4789442

I didn't leave any too much room between the top and the highest neck bolt. It doesn't quite touch.
View attachment 4789443

And I couldn't resist putting it together just to see how it looks. Haven't measured it, but the alignment of neck to body looks pretty good at a distance. Up close, the neck tenon needs some adjustment.
View attachment 4789447
View attachment 4789456

And now that I look at it, the side is a completely different colour than the top. It's entirely possible I did something stupid like mix up the inside and outside when I assembled it...
Click to expand...
That looks fantastic! Now I'm really standing by my thoughts of a high end polished finish. It looks so pro... :thumbsup:
 
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#273
Thanks for the kind words, all. It seems to be moving in the right direction.

Random thoughts on finish:
  • False alarm on the top and side colours. They match in person. Best guess is that my phone was confused by the lighting.
  • I'm not going to do a wrap on this bass, but fear not, I have some truly offensively gaudy drum wrap lined up for a future project.
  • Not too sure about a burst on the body. That would be cool on almost any other instrument, but with such a long narrow body I'm afraid it'll look like the Eye of Sauron. Which might make it the best bass for metal, but probably not the look I'm going for.
  • But a burst on the neck makes sense. That will help hide the crappy plywood look where the bamboo laminations run out at the heel and pegbox.image.png
  • Pinstripes are cool.
  • By the time I'm actually ready to finish it's going to start getting cold.
  • I know a guy who does custom motorcycle paint and owes me a favour.
 
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#279
I was browsing the AUB section on Thomann's site a few weeks ago and discovered that uprights are available with all kinds of interesting finishes. You gots yer various wood tones, sunbursts, white, black, skeleton...
13215876_800.jpg

...more woodtones, a nice two-tone, tiger...
9608604_800.jpg

...some nice matte blacks, four or five different iridescent flame finishes...
12508307_800.jpg

...and something obliquely called "taxi", because I guess there's no market for ska double-basses...
13216376_800.jpg


Forgot to mention: That skelly bass has a special secret skull hidden on the back. Can you find it?
13215826_800.jpg


So anyway, feel free to steal any of these ideas, they weren't mine to begin with.
 
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