Winter Build Off 2023 - Databass - Assembly

[NedRyerson]

OK, so instead of waxing poetic about Lt. Cmdr. Data, here's some progress. I didn't like the white pickguard that came with the kit and since I mentioned before that it was routed for guitar humbuckers, I need a new pickguard.

So out of some 3-ply pickguard ABS, I made one by copying the white one from the kit. First, get the MDF sheet.

Turned the MDF into a template but with J-bass pickup routs and a control pattern that's deliberate and will come into clarity later. Please disregard the obvious moment of router distraction in the shorter point on the left I'll make up for it when I cut the black ABS.

Also, you like how I wrote "top" on the template as if I'd get confused and forget how the pickguard would align to the body?

The proper -- for this project -- pickguard cut of 3-ply black ABS. OMG so much plastic fragments sticking to EVERYTHING.

Of course, after this, I learned about router bits made specifically for plastic.

Lining up the original pickguard to my new one to drill the screw holes:

And then a bit of countersink:

 

[Ben Rose]

Looking forward to this build. I named my dog Data for all of the same reasons.

 

[2groggy]

I actually used to work for an industrial computing company named qdata, named for characters q and Data from TNG.

 

[MVE]

My first band in high school was named “The Q”, we thought we were omnipotent. Lol

 

[NedRyerson]

Power has been fluctuating at the house due to storms, so no power tools today. But I did do a trial dry-fit of parts while I still had lights.

I hope the control pattern looks a bit more obvious now with the intended two volumes and one tone.

 

[Beej]

Now that's hawt!

 

[NedRyerson]

Couple of coats of paint on the body. Also painted the headstock face to match. This pic was from a few coats ago. Letting it all dry for a while before I clear-coat and start finish-sanding.

 

[NedRyerson]

Tomorrow, we pack up and begin our trek back home. Unfortunately, while here at the vacation home, we got hit with some kind of cold, flu, plague this week that went in staggered approaches. My son had it first, then my wife, then my daughter. So in the midst of all of that, I was running around wiping up dripping noses, being a surrogate pillow for my patients, doing laundry (SO much laundry), and then, just as my kids were recovering and my wife was on the mend, I got it. Pretty much right after my last post in this thread, actually.

Took me down for about two days.

I need a vacation from my vacation

We're coming back up in about two weeks for MLK weekend when the kids have an extra day off of school, so I can get a little bit more work in. The extra time was still a bit fortuitous because I got a chance today to actually look at the rest of the parts that came with this kit and...... yeah, I need to order some more replacements.

Should've looked at those way earlier.

 

[NedRyerson]

Took a solo trip to the cottage. Was originally supposed to meet a tech from the gas company to replace our meter and also pick up my all-season tires from the basement, and the day of the appointment (yesterday) they decided to cancel because -- oh, their bad -- the meter had already been replaced recently anyway so they didn't have to.

Great job in planning, guys. Thanks for making me drive up here in some nasty winter weather yesterday, thinking I was going to die on the highway....

Anyway, I managed to make more progress on Databass since the derailment due to illness in December. Body is done. Then I realized that the tuning machines I was going to use aren't going to work because I neglected to measure the post holes in the headstock before ordering the tuners in the first place

So I ordered proper tuners, which will be arriving at my main home where I'll be taking the parts to complete, since I don't have to do any more cutting or finishing work.

 

[Flamingo21]

I like how this is coming together. Cool bass.

 

[NedRyerson]

Sadly, I'm gonna have to withdraw from WBO. The tuners don't fit because of the shape of the headstock. I wanted to use black because that's what fits the theme, as opposed to the chrome tuners that came with this kit.

Unfortunately, with limited choices in terms of post width vs. color, the Gotoh FB30 back plates are too big for the V-shaped headstock. I can't use them for this bass, and the original chrome tuners are in the cottage which is a 3½ hour drive away.

I don't have the funds to buy yet another set of tuners that might or might not fit, and certainly not enough time before the deadline.

 

[Crawforde]

Ouch.
That’s no fun, but keep us updated when you get back to it.

 

[Reedt2000]

That sucks, I just cut the head off of a jackson spectra neck, I don't need the tuners, you want em? I don't know where you are but pay postage and I'll send em to ya.

It's these:

 

[NedRyerson]

OK, making a last-ditch effort to stay in the game. Monday night, right?

 

[Jon Clegg]

OK, making a last-ditch effort to stay in the game. Monday night, right?

Yep, 7 PM Eastern. That's the spirit!!!

 

[Jon Clegg]

That sucks, I just cut the head off of a jackson spectra neck, I don't need the tuners, you want em? I don't know where you are but pay postage and I'll send em to ya.

It's these:

View attachment 5001592

That's the LC spirit right there!

 

[NedRyerson]

Courtesy of @Reedt2000 , Databass is done!

This is my submission to the Winter Build Off 2023 in the Assembly Category.

Specs:

• Body: basswood Flying-V (all major components from an import kit)
• Neck: maple, with rosewood fretboard. TNG-era Starfleet emblem affixed to headstock.
• Neck/Body Join: bolt-on
• Scale Length: 34"
• Strings: Ernie Ball Super Slinky (100 - 80 - 65 - 45)
• Pickups: Wilkinson J-bass. Original black covers spray painted in gold to represent Data's eyes.
• Electronics: A250K pots, .047uF cap
• Controls: 2 vol, 1 tone
• Knobs: two gold knobs (volume for each pickup), one gold with black pearloid top for master tone. The pattern replicates Data's rank pips of two solid/one open as shown on his uniform.
• Pickguards/Covers: 3-ply ABS, B-W-B, custom cut based on original kit-included pickguard (which was white) to accommodate different pickup and control config
• Bridge: Hipshot Supertone
• Tuners: Emergency Jackson tuners, courtesy of forum member Reedt2000
• Finish: Krylon "Bright Idea" yellow spray paint on body and headstock, Tru-Oil for back of neck.

Features (tell us about your instrument):

Inspired by the term "Databass" and an image mash-up sent to me by a friend featuring a photo of Star Trek: TNG's Lt. Cmdr. Data superimposed on a stock bass picture. Also applies to my nerddom since I'm a data analyst by profession and work in databases every day. This project began and stalled several times since late 2020/early 2021.

While I would've ultimately loved to have built the body from scratch in the shape of the Starfleet vector symbol, at the time I was contemplating this project, I hadn't cut a body from blank yet and wasn't confident in my abilities. Nor did I have the apprpriate tools available. I sought the next closest thing, which was some form of V-shaped bass body.

After I bought the kit, I knew I needed to replace the included chrome hardware with black to better fit the Star Trek uniform aesthetic. I also noticed that the kit included generic guitar humbuckers instead of proper bass pickups, so those got replaced as well.

Insert final submission pics into your post here:

 

[Flamingo21]

Is the yellow as full and warm in real life as it looks on my screen? Very pretty!

 

[Reedt2000]

Courtesy of @Reedt2000 , Databass is done!

This is my submission to the Winter Build Off 2023 in the Assembly Category.

Specs:

• Body: basswood Flying-V (all major components from an import kit)
• Neck: maple, with rosewood fretboard. TNG-era Starfleet emblem affixed to headstock.
• Neck/Body Join: bolt-on
• Scale Length: 34"
• Strings: Ernie Ball Super Slinky (100 - 80 - 65 - 45)
• Pickups: Wilkinson J-bass. Original black covers spray painted in gold to represent Data's eyes.
• Electronics: A250K pots, .047uF cap
• Controls: 2 vol, 1 tone
• Knobs: two gold knobs (volume for each pickup), one gold with black pearloid top for master tone. The pattern replicates Data's rank pips of two solid/one open as shown on his uniform.
• Pickguards/Covers: 3-ply ABS, B-W-B, custom cut based on original kit-included pickguard (which was white) to accommodate different pickup and control config
• Bridge: Hipshot Supertone
• Tuners: Emergency Jackson tuners, courtesy of forum member Reedt2000
• Finish: Krylon "Bright Idea" yellow spray paint on body and headstock, Tru-Oil for back of neck.

Features (tell us about your instrument):

Inspired by the term "Databass" and an image mash-up sent to me by a friend featuring a photo of Star Trek: TNG's Lt. Cmdr. Data superimposed on a stock bass picture. Also applies to my nerddom since I'm a data analyst by profession and work in databases every day. This project began and stalled several times since late 2020/early 2021.

While I would've ultimately loved to have built the body from scratch in the shape of the Starfleet vector symbol, at the time I was contemplating this project, I hadn't cut a body from blank yet and wasn't confident in my abilities. Nor did I have the apprpriate tools available. I sought the next closest thing, which was some form of V-shaped bass body.

After I bought the kit, I knew I needed to replace the included chrome hardware with black to better fit the Star Trek uniform aesthetic. I also noticed that the kit included generic guitar humbuckers instead of proper bass pickups, so those got replaced as well.

Insert final submission pics into your post here:

Oh hell yeah!

That looks awesome

 

[Crawforde]

Awesome!
Live long and May the force be with you!