A new challenge

[Basvarken]

I bought a Les Paul bass Tune-O-Matic bridge on Ebay. It turned out to have the wrong string spacing for my project.

Then I tried to find nylon saddles just like the ones on the original two point aka "Evertilt".
But they turn out to be as rare as hens teeth...

So I had to think of something else.
I realised that the bridge on my BaCHbird had a bridge very similar to what I had in mind. And more important: with un-notched saddles!

Traded the Tune-O-Matic bridge for a BaCH bridge with notched saddles with Peter (from the Tractor and Jazzbird).
Put the notched BaCH bridge on my BaCHbird.

And then took my own BaCH bridge and filed the notches in the right place for my desired string spacing.

[Dave W]

Necessity is the mother of invention.

[Basvarken]

I thought Frank Zappa 

[Pilgrim]

Naw, quite often necessity is just a mother.

[exiledarchangel]

I bought a Les Paul bass Tune-O-Matic bridge on Ebay. It turned out to have the wrong string spacing for my project.

Then I tried to find nylon saddles just like the ones on the original two point aka "Evertilt".
But they turn out to be as rare as hens teeth...

So I had to think of something else.
I realised that the bridge on my BaCHbird had a bridge very similar to what I had in mind. And more important: with un-notched saddles!

Traded the Tune-O-Matic bridge for a BaCH bridge with notched saddles with Peter (from the Tractor and Jazzbird).
Put the notched BaCH bridge on my BaCHbird.

And then took my own BaCH bridge and filed the notches in the right place for my desired string spacing.

Genious! If you were German, I'd call you MacGyver!

[Basvarken]

Finally some more progress:
I routed the truss rod slot.
And made some room for the truss rod bolt at the back side of the fret board.

I still have to cut off the last part of the fret board. I am going to use it as a "stealth" truss rod cover.




Next I will glue the fretboard to the neck. Then I can start shaping the neck.

[Highlander]

That's when the fun begins... 

[ramone57]

lookin' good, Rob!

[Saf]

looking Great!

[birdie]

Rob, how's it going? Any more pics?

[Basvarken]

Not really the most resounding news.

I routed the hole for the switch on the upper bout.
Plus did some milling for the control plates.



And I glued the fret board on.
Which isn't exactly a succes... although I secured it with little blocks, that I nailed to the sides of the neck, it did shift about one mm to the left at the top nut.
Luckily I still have enough wood left to correct that, but it still bugs me...

[drbassman]

I always drill two small holes in the center of two fret channels (3 and 15 typically) and secure the board with a couple mini metal pins.  They pull right out afterward and the board never shifts.

[Dave W]

I always drill two small holes in the center of two fret channels (3 and 15 typically) and secure the board with a couple mini metal pins.  They pull right out afterward and the board never shifts.

Yep, you can use one of the tiny numbered wire gauge size drills with a smaller diameter than the fret slot width (I think #74 and above).

[Basvarken]

Yeah, that would have worked more secure than the method I used.

Or I should have sticked by the idea that I used once before:
That time I used simple staples that I cut off, so only the two sharp pins sticked out just enough to keep the fretboard in place once glued and clamped.
The only disadvantage of using staples is the fact that they forever stay there between the neck and fretboard.

[birdie]

ED Schaefer showed me how to insert two small drill bits, into the first and close to the last fret, one at the left side of the fretboard and the other to the right- in the slot. This keeps the board firmly in place.