Winter Build Off 2022 - Toby-or-not-Toby

[2groggy]

Yeah, that wraparound bridge looks so much better than the Fender of Gibson trem units.

If it were up to me, I'd make it a bridge pickup, but not too aggressive, 1-2 inches from the bridge. Just above the second knob maybe?

I'd move it closer to the bridge as well. You'll have a tone knob to knock brightness off if you need to.

Kind of like this bass VI?

 

[TFM94]

Kind of like this bass VI?
View attachment 4553704

Like that!

 

[2groggy]

So the painted headstock of the bass VI conversion neck...

... gave me this ear worm ...

... so I stripped the paint off.

I'd been told that the paint was to hide a natural wood discolouration. That must be the dark "skid mark" across from the G string tuner hole. I can live with that.

 

[2groggy]

Put it in the sweet spot.

By that, I presume that you vote for where a P-bass pick-up would land when adjusted to 30" scale. Correct?

 

[2groggy]

While I was in the shop, I slapped together a quick pick-up template. I'll let the glue dry overnight and then remove the screws and clear out the bottom layer.

 

[2groggy]

I temporarily mounted the neck to the body to measure the new centre line. Then drilled the post holes for the bridge and routed the pick-up cavity.

The pickup cavity is deeper than the pickup required because I plan to use this cavity and the side strat jack openings as the only access to the controls. I haven't figured out how yet, but I will.

 

[Reedt2000]

I plan to use this cavity and the side strat jack openings as the only access to the controls. I haven't figured out how yet, but I will.

That should totally work. Fish the pickup lead out of the jack plate hole, wire up the pots and jack, use the surgical tube trick to fish the pots into place, button up the jack, and Robert's your mother's brother

 

[2groggy]

That should totally work. Fish the pickup lead out of the jack plate hole, wire up the pots and jack, use the surgical tube trick to fish the pots into place, button up the jack, and Robert's your mother's brother

Like the push-pull pot version of a ship in a bottle.

 

[2groggy]

I loved the idea of putting the strat jack on the side, but the idea gave way to the practicality of mounting the flat plate on a flat surface. So the jack is going on the back.

I also drilled the slant holes from the pick-up cavity and bridge post.

Now I can tidy up the round over and sides and start on the finishing.

 

[2groggy]

There was some chip out from cutting the neck pocket that needed repair. I cut out a rectangle of the bead and cove, then fit a patch.

 

[2groggy]

I haven't posted on this build in a while because I was slowly adding a few coats of tung oil.

Until today.... I wired up the harness and pulled everything into the cavity through the strat jack using the surgical tubing trick.

Then I wired the pickup and mounted the neck. This one is getting close to done.

 

[2groggy]

I've had a busy couple of weeks at work and have neglected things like pictures in the last few days. I strung up the Toby and, after adjusting the neck angle with shims, adjusted the intonation. The neck and nut had previously been used with the same gauge of strings, so the set-up was easy.

I'll call this substantially complete. I may still tweak a few things.

 

[2groggy]

Let me add a list of lessons learned.

• The Toby shape balances well, even once lightened by chambering.
• A strat jack on the back of a chambered body is actually large enough to act as a control cover plate. The surgical tubing trick to pull pots into position actually works.
• Bead and cove sides are fine for gentle curves but less so for the ends of thin horns. So the experiment of forming curved sides without building molds worked, but still needs improvement.
• if you use bead and cove, pay the money and buy it from a marine supply store. They have far more consistent quality than home-made B+C.
• Locking tuners don't fit the low E and A of a bass VI set of strings.
• There is an inverse relationship between quality of wiring and later volume of cursing. Wiring a volume pot without turning it upside down, results in it being wired backwards (CCW = louder). This results in loud swearing. Rewiring the pot correctly reduces the volume of future cursing.
• I like Lace pick-ups (I already knew that)

 

[2groggy]

Toby-or-not-Toby Build Summary

The original goal to "re-think of how to build a hollow or semi hollow body without either hogging out large amounts of valuable material or pre-building complicated bending molds for what may be a one off shape."

I stole the "inside-out" build method from a previous hobby - building hollow wood surf craft. I just left out the fibreglass.

The method is to start with an internal light but rigid frame, and build out, component by component and finish with the show faces. Each component is clamped then trimmed to the previous one, and later becomes the clamping and trimming guide for the next step.

The Frame


The inner wrap (in place of kerfing)


Show faces trimmed to inner wrap


Show Sides trimmed to top and bottom

I had a lot of difficulties getting veneer to bend and adhere. As the goal was to build without making a body perimeter mold, I changed to a bead and cove style for the show sides.

And then all of the regular luthiery stuff

 

[Flamingo21]

Thanks, 2groggy. I bookmarked that post in order to steal your idea later.

 

[Flying B]

What's the surgical tubing trick? Looks great by the way.

 

[2groggy]

What's the surgical tubing trick? Looks great by the way.

put one end of the tube over the potentiometer shaft to fish it through the hole in the hollow body

 

[Flying B]

Ahhh.. Clever!

 

[2groggy]

This is my submission in the partial build category for the 2022 WBO.

The Toby-or-not-Toby-Caster is a semi-hollow flat top Tobias shaped body with a used bass-VI conversion neck. The design is a re-think of how to build a hollow or semi hollow body without either hogging out large amounts of valuable material or pre-building complicated bending molds for what may be a one-off shape.

Specifications:

Body: Poplar core, ¼” plywood frame, wiggle-board inner side wraps, maple veneer top and bottom, ash bead and cove sides

Neck: Bass VI telecaster conversion neck originally made by DC Kunkle

• 30” scale
• 12” radius
• the staggered locking tuners were already on the neck

Strings: Ernie Ball Slinky Custom Gauge P/N 2837, 0.020” – 0.090”

Pickup: Lace Aluma90 Black

Controls: Volume push-pull for coil tap, Tone with .047 uF cap

Jack: Strat type jack on the back of the body, acting as the only access to the control cavity

Bridge: Wrap-around bridge

Finish: Truoil

Strap buttons: Generic


The build came in on time and on budget, even after changing materials on the sides.

• Parts Estimate: C$ 755 including neck and tuners at original landed cost
• Effort Budget: 56 hours
• Effort Actual: 48 hours

 

[dwizum]

The bound look outlining the maple is super cool!