Winter Build Off 2023- JazzRunner

[Bass-Babe]

"Technically I'm a Nerd" and long time scifi fan especially of dsark scifi like BladeRunner.
I had been wanting to re imagine another bronco into something completely new and since technically I am nerd I like buying used stuff and redesigning it into some more high tech with my home built parts. Well the time came when I saw a bronco for sale on FB for only 100$ "canadian" even. Thats like 73 usd. CHEAAAP.
I went out to look at it , body was mint as was neck except headstock was poorly painted red already, a too low crap misaligned string tree, cracked nut and had a crazy boomer of a hotrail pup in it and was very light.
I'm talking very light. I got it home it weighs 6.3lbs soaking wet..My other bronco weighed 8.5lbs when I got it, this felt fly weight comparatively as it is over 2lb lighter.
I quickly decided it was to be jazz style bronco but with my own diy pickguard and control panel , some custom bits.
I sat on it for a bit while deciding pickups/controls/colours general design etc.Then ordered what supplies I needed. pearl grey Pickguard blank , control parts, a nut that would fit it etc etc.
Since this is a nerdy build off and broncos have such narrow string spacing making pole lining up impossibe I decided blade pickups would be the thing.I found some G.M. Low noise bladed pickups (double stacked coil humbuckers) which are super within my budget of cheap at only 40$ for bridge and neck on Fleabay. I onlf found these by googling which led me some FS posts here on talkbass and some posters comments on what they may be like and took a chance.
Tuners on this bronco are much better than what came on my 2009(this one is a 2019) so they are staying as is the bridge. for now...

Strings will be labella 760FL-S dtf's.

I want it too look like a classic jazz bass with control panel etc and separate pickguard but want it to match and be custom to just this build so will be one of my diy designs.
I also want the thumb rest to be screwless and matching the pickguard ie semi invisible.( i have a plan for that
I have decided to for controls it will be V-V_T(with double stacked tone being a push pull series parallel switch).

 

[2groggy]

Welcome to the WBO, fellow user of colourful money.

 

[2groggy]

I don't mean to be a pedantic jerk, (yes I do), but that is a common nerd superpower. The "nerd" message is supposed to be physical, not virtual, to prove that the rest of the picture was not taken prior to the start of the build.

In reality, with an assembly build, started more than half way through, who would care other than exactly this crew full of pedantic nerds?

We don't really care. We just needle each other.

Cool build. Cooler Unimat lathe.

 

[Bruce Johnson]

Yes, the Unimat lathe solidifies your credentials as a Nerd, a Mechanical Nerd! Not just a keyboard-tapper.

This should be an interesting little bass.

 

[Bass-Babe]

I don't mean to be a pedantic jerk, (yes I do), but that is a common nerd superpower. The "nerd" message is supposed to be physical, not virtual, to prove that the rest of the picture was not taken prior to the start of the build.

In reality, with an assembly build, started more than half way through, who would care other than exactly this crew full of pedantic nerds?

We don't really care. We just needle each other.

Cool build. Cooler Unimat lathe.

A thought it was nerdy to edit it into the pic ...oh well.

 

[Bass-Babe]

Yes, the Unimat lathe solidifies your credentials as a Nerd, a Mechanical Nerd! Not just a keyboard-tapper.

This should be an interesting little bass.

I build custom airguns time to time and make muzzle brakes on my unimat...
here's a crosman1322 pumper that I built a stock for and then the carbon aluminum air-stripper muzzle brake all on my unimat with an adjustable inner air cone.

 

[2groggy]

Is the attachment at the back of your Unimat for thread cutting? Mine doesn't have that. I do have a mini table saw attachment though.

 

[Bass-Babe]

Going to deal with neck first.
So this donor bronco came with a poorly painted headstock and a crooked by 4mm string tree. The string tree is also too short and lacks grooves for the strings so they slip sideways. ugh.

I like the headstock painted idea so I will remove the old string tree and realign the mounting position to proper spot.Also going have a taller custom stainless string tree. Next will be fill hole and strip and repaint the headstock. I already have a laser cut metal fender strat headstock decal sitting around and since I'm on nerdy budget I will parts of it leaving out the strat name the leave out fender part in the custom shop logo(since I'm the custom shop not fender)..It will get clear coated over eventually.

 

[Bass-Babe]

I decided to use my metal checkering files and checker the top and reshape the tree. Yellow stuff is chock used so file does not pack up with shavings.

I then chucked it in my Unimat lathe to reshape and add some bling.

After a bit of wet sanding and steel wool here it is.A little bit of fine tip grooves add some more angles for light reflection and bling.

Next is busy time wetsanding the headstock for repainting. and removing the cracked nut (e slot). I've got a graphtech nut that should fit with some adjustments, E-G is .2mm wider than stock but should not matter.

 

[Flamingo21]

I'm not necessarily a Bronco lover, but that's one of the prettiest Broncos I've seen.
Welcome to the bunch, and good luck!

 

[Bass-Babe]

I'm not necessarily a Bronco lover, but that's one of the prettiest Broncos I've seen.
Welcome to the bunch, and good luck!

Thanks have you seen this one? I built it last year.

 

[Flamingo21]

Like you, I'm in the Red&Maple club, so I must've seen it there.

What's your experience with the two string saddles? I'm entertaining the thought of using them on a build.

 

[Bass-Babe]

Successfully got old nut with a carefull application of punch and rubber mallet.
I adjust the width of the new nut and got it in nicely.Also did a coat of hand rubbed tung oil on the dry as a [op corn fart maple fretboard. I used 2000 grit and wetsanded a the fretboard with circa1850 pure tung oil. let dry a bit and wipe off extra.

 

[Bass-Babe]

Like you, I'm in the Red&Maple club, so I must've seen it there.

What's your experience with the two string saddles? I'm entertaining the thought of using them on a build.

Never got to be intonated perfectly but its not especially of you don't play a ton up the neck.Conflicted want to change but don't seem to need to.

 

[Bass-Babe]

After wet sanding the old paint got several layers of fresh red gloss laid down. Will be wet sanded before clear coating as you can see "eggshell" in the paint.Also I filled in old hole and drilled new one in correct place for the tree.
Also note the I took the nut out for painting etc purposes. I will glue it in after.

 

[Bass-Babe]

In the meantime my control parts showed up although not quite what I expected... wiring was a mess and incorrect.
Awhile back I had order this (took awhile) I decided to grab this good deal on a V-V-Tone with push/pull series parallel. Going to cannibalize the parts , reshape the knobs a bit on my lathe and rewire per seymour duncan specs for what I want. The loaded plate was only 21$ on fleabay budget !


I will be changing the seymour duncan layout circuit a bit as I'm using the tone control as push /pull (series/para)instead of V1 neck like on the duncan diagram.

 

[Bass-Babe]

Is the attachment at the back of your Unimat for thread cutting? Mine doesn't have that. I do have a mini table saw attachment though.

Nope the attachment on the back is an extra mount for milling machine mode , there is also an index head sitting there.

 

[Bass-Babe]

Yesterday worked on the headstock got it wet sanded clear coated and wetsanded the clear. Decals on . Looks ok I think. Next will be layers of clear until it's deep enough that I can wet sand safely over the decals.

 

[Bass-Babe]

While headstock was drying I spent some time getting the pick guard template made. I use ⅜ mdf for this as it cheap sandable rigid , no splinters etc. First I mount the stock pickguard upside down on pg sized square of it with sticky foam tape.(pro tip I learned cover the pg face with green masking tape.This way the foam tape is only sticking to the tape intead of the guard) I learned this the hard way on my last build , spent way to long picking foam tape directly of the plastic it sticks to very hard after finishing the template.


Once on the mdf, center each mounting hole with pencil and a drilling punch make a dent so the 3/32 bit does not wander. Drill first hole and secure with a 4-40 x3/4 bolt I have a bunch of them laying around from hobbies, works perfect to grab guard and thread into the 3/32 hole just tight enough. I then Drill far side the opposite hole and secure the pgblank with another 4/40 and then work my way around makes sure each screw is lined up.
Next I sand which another sheet of mdf underneath the mdf secured to the pickguard with more foam tape
So two board layers with guard on top but upside down.I have a benchtop bandsaw I rescued from a metal recycling just big enough to cut ½ inch around the pickguard cutting both layers of mdf identical.
Then use a bottom bearing flush trim bit on my router tape I trace the pick guard onto the mdf folling the pickguard with the bearing.Gives you a clone.Bladerunner all about copies...


So now I have two identical templates of the original.Holes already drilled and centered.

I used one of the clones for surgery, ie I laid out the cut line for the control panel as I want it to look like a jazz bass with two piece style.Cutting the piece of freehand on the bandsaw was nerve wracking.But got it done pretty good.I used hot glue self adhesive melamine edge banding to rebuild the area of the control panel for kerf loss of 1/16.I want a tight fit between the control panel and the guard.
Time to clone again , made a plexi clone of the control panel so I can line up holes with the body cavity easily.
Tight fit for 4 holes. V V doublestacked tone (push pull para/series).Will be using narrow tall knobs.
now with pickguard piece.

The blanks !

Now I can reverse the clone process and cut pickguard and control panel as clones in grey pearl pg blank.
Masking tape and foam then drill the mounting holes directly thorugh pg blank material then securing with 4/40 bolts again to center the mounts. I prefer to layout and route the pickup locations with the final guard mounted so the main will have no hole routed in for the neck jazz blade pickup.(nerdy low noise ones)

 

[Bass-Babe]

By having a separate control panel it will allow me to make two pickguards and control panels with very little waste due to better use of Space. So I precut the guard so could make two sets if needed etc.

Drill, mount and route next.
Control panel done & PG and it fits!!! I use flush trim bit first then a 45' bevel to get the beveled edges . I will do some fine sanding on the bevels to make sure eeverything lines up, while mounted on the template to protect edges.