The Last Bass Outpost
Gear Discussion Forums => Bill's Shop: Projects, Mods & Repairs => Topic started by: drbassman on September 11, 2015, 09:06:30 AM
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Finally, I've had some time to get into the shop and finish something! This is #3 (1 and 2) will be next up on the bench. I am so happy with how this turned out. The fit and finish are really good and the sound is well beyond my expectations. The TV Jones pup is big and ballsy, it really does make me think of a p bass. I was worried about the single pup option, but the sound is so full and rich, I'm thrilled with the outcome. All I have left to do is install the strap buttons and control plate.
I'm working on pricing and how I'm going to sell it. Either eBay or at the House of Guitars. They want me to try and sell them at the HOG, but I know they can take a beating with people playing and messing with them. So, I'm not so sure about that option. Might try one just to see what happens. I'm working on a way to capture some audio of the bass. We'll see how that goes!
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/drbassman/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/DSCN1180_zpsomhbkyhh.jpg) (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/drbassman/media/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/DSCN1180_zpsomhbkyhh.jpg.html)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/drbassman/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/DSCN1182_zpssfershce.jpg) (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/drbassman/media/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/DSCN1182_zpssfershce.jpg.html)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/drbassman/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/DSCN1181_zpsdeqn1rza.jpg) (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/drbassman/media/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/DSCN1181_zpsdeqn1rza.jpg.html)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/drbassman/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/DSCN1176_zpsetcpbz8o.jpg) (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/drbassman/media/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/DSCN1176_zpsetcpbz8o.jpg.html)
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Beautiful, nice clean work and a classic layout. Congrats!
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Thanks Al. It's nice to see some closure on something! I'm not in a big rush to sell it. I want to take it to practice next week for a test run and get some good quality studio pics of it as well. Lots to do before I ship it out the door!
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The wood knobs just scream "boutique bass", which IMO is a superb touch.
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Beautiful... 8)
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Looks great. Nothing at all wrong about a single pickup bass as long as you choose the right pickup for the sound you want.
If I were you, I'd avoid placing it in any retail store where it's likely to get banged up unless it's more likely to be played by legitimate prospective buyers. And if you're considering eBay, also consider Reverb.com
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Nice work, doc!
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Thanks for the positive comments guys. Good suggestion Dave, I've looked at Reverb before, I check it out.
I think the semi-hollow ones are even better in terms of looks and unique sound. More to come next week.
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Looks great Doc!!!
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Very nice!
You know, your projects over a Reranch were among my earliest inspirations.
8)
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Very nice!
You know, your projects over a Reranch were among my earliest inspirations.
8)
Thanks, it was a great place learn and everyone there is so willing to share. I'll be going back now that things are shaking out. I'm happy to have played a small part in your evolution, you've got a great looking set of products now. I hope I can follow in your footsteps now and get my basses out there into players' hands.
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That is beautiful Bill, Simplicity at it's most elegant. Imho one pickup is really all you need. It's not the bass that isn't versatile, it's the player. Between using fingers or a pick ,where you strike the string and the tone control There isn't anything I can't get out of a one pup bass. Reverb, gbase and feebay are your best bets. I would not let that beauty sit unattended in a display case. Love the logo!
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Thanks Scott! It was fun to do. Wait till you see the other 2 finished! We'll get together and I'll let you check them out.
Numbers 4 and 5 might have two pups, we'll see how I feel about that after I finish the first three. I'm still a big fan of one pup myself.
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Nice tidy control cavity there. Good luck with the sales! eBay takes a heavy chunk of potential profit. I've been thinking of trying Reverb for my next sale(s) of used stuff.
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Good work doc!
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Thanks again guys! Here's bass #1 ready to go. I did blacken the f-holes as some of you suggested. It was a pain in the ass to get it right, but I did it! Not so easy doing this by hand. It turned out great however, so it was with it.
I've got my Reverb account set up and once I get my studio lighting set up, I'll take some HD pics. I love Reverb, they let you add Sound Cloud clips without any hassle. Probably will use TB as well. eBay's site is a crap in that category. I won't be using them for now.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/drbassman/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/DSCN1223_zps4nzrnuvm.jpg) (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/drbassman/media/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/DSCN1223_zps4nzrnuvm.jpg.html)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/drbassman/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/DSCN1224_zpszhdix5ur.jpg) (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/drbassman/media/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/DSCN1224_zpszhdix5ur.jpg.html)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/drbassman/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/DSCN1225_zpsja0z271c.jpg) (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/drbassman/media/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/DSCN1225_zpsja0z271c.jpg.html)
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That is beautiful...
All it needs is a low B string...
Seriously, it is a great looking design.
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Played both of the basses at practice last night and I was thrilled with the results. The maple top bass has the typical solid maple tone, brash and gnarly. The TV Jones pup is outstanding by itself. I was blown away, really. You can't find a better pup for $125 IMHO. The vintage white bass was very different in character. Even though it has the maple neck, the semi-hollow mahogany body seems to mellow it out just enough to make it sound like a slightly more aggressive HB bass. Again, the pup performs so well, I am sold on it as a mainstay.
I am going to do some computer recordings soon, so I'll keep you posted.
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Elegant! :toast:
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Thanks Dave, it turned out better than I expected.
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Took a couple shots with my new studio set up. A couple more adjustments and I should have some nice pics of my basses.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/drbassman/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/DSCN1226_zpsm53vzrxh.jpg) (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/drbassman/media/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/DSCN1226_zpsm53vzrxh.jpg.html)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/drbassman/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/DSCN1228_zpsy5bld8o5.jpg) (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/drbassman/media/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/DSCN1228_zpsy5bld8o5.jpg.html)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/drbassman/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/DSCN1232_zpsazzobcom.jpg) (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/drbassman/media/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/DSCN1232_zpsazzobcom.jpg.html)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/drbassman/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/DSCN1227_zpsmpnmeshz.jpg) (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/drbassman/media/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/DSCN1227_zpsmpnmeshz.jpg.html)
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Lighting is a trick. It appears to be as hard to get detail on the surface of a white bass as on a black bass. A little reflection or glare can wipe it out.
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For sure Al. I'm still experimenting with it.
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Try some diffusion material or bounce lighting..might reduce glare and let more detail stand out.
And ask Carlo for ideas - he takes beautiful photos.
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Very nice, I like it!
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I think your raw photos look good, doc! The full body shot is really the only one that needs help IMO. It's difficult to get a good reflection from a white object.
I photoshop my stuff quite a bit, mostly with levels, brightness and contrast. You can get a gray background to go black with a little practice. The contrast between background and the bass helps a lot to make it pop.
I also use a manual digital camera (Panasonic LX5). It allows me to set exposure and aperture if I need to. Mostly I just use the lightness/darkness function. A tripod is a big help.
From the camera. I clipped the edge of the Ebird so I hadn't used this 2 year old image until yesterday. It's also a little blurry.
(http://i976.photobucket.com/albums/ae241/cata1d0/02/P1040045_zps7w5gshdr.jpg) (http://s976.photobucket.com/user/cata1d0/media/02/P1040045_zps7w5gshdr.jpg.html)
Sharpened, color corrected and background extended.
(http://i976.photobucket.com/albums/ae241/cata1d0/02/P1040045P_zpsi1nnewez.jpg) (http://s976.photobucket.com/user/cata1d0/media/02/P1040045P_zpsi1nnewez.jpg.html)
Cut out and dropped into another corrected and extended image.
(http://i976.photobucket.com/albums/ae241/cata1d0/02/Ebird_zps1vi8qga4.jpg) (http://s976.photobucket.com/user/cata1d0/media/02/Ebird_zps1vi8qga4.jpg.html)
Sometimes it can be more fun than building the stuff!
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Thanks guys. It will just take some practice and as Carlo said, some adjusting of the images afterward. I have an indirect lighting system using umbrellas to diffuse the light. It's going to work well once I get used to it. White objects are a big pain to shoot for sure. This is especially true cuz it's really more vintage white than white.
Also, I've used Reverb as you guys suggested and I really like it! I've sold a couple items just to test it out and I love its simplicity and reasonable fees. Bye bye eBay! Next I'll work on a web site.
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DB#2 is finished. Thanks again Carlo. I'm finding that having good lighting isn't all you need. The glare issue is most of my problem, even with diffused lighting from umbrella deflectors. The surfaces are just too shiny! Color correctness is a problem too and I don't have photoshop to help me there. I did just find a color correction button in Photobucket of all places and it works really well. I think it's gonna be OK after all.
Note: I don't think I can sell this one. I put so much into it and I love the way it turned out. I'm gonna keep it for awhile and see how things work out.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/drbassman/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/034244a5-e87b-4cc6-8a13-b9cc59b31129_zpswilgntds.jpg) (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/drbassman/media/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/034244a5-e87b-4cc6-8a13-b9cc59b31129_zpswilgntds.jpg.html)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/drbassman/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/0dfca1af-74a2-44e5-832f-5c7d6a9a81c2_zpsg25zqc1b.jpg) (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/drbassman/media/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/0dfca1af-74a2-44e5-832f-5c7d6a9a81c2_zpsg25zqc1b.jpg.html)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/drbassman/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/743322a2-cf47-4772-a289-795374c70181_zpsozpxqktx.jpg) (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/drbassman/media/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/743322a2-cf47-4772-a289-795374c70181_zpsozpxqktx.jpg.html)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/drbassman/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/6f4f2b32-c493-4ca9-b388-488e466085ba_zpsgvdya69s.jpg) (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/drbassman/media/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/6f4f2b32-c493-4ca9-b388-488e466085ba_zpsgvdya69s.jpg.html)
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That shore is purdy!
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The bass came out great. Is the color in the middle and bottom photos accurate?
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The bass came out great. Is the color in the middle and bottom photos accurate?
Thanks guys. I'm very happy with it. Theres a slight hum in the electronics, gotta work in that. It's always hard to stuff electronics into a HB without twisting things around. Yes, those two are most accurate. Need some practice using the color adjustment feature.
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Damn, you gud! Nice stuff Doc.
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Lurv that reddish hollowbody Doc! What's the wood (or did I miss that somewhere)?
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Damn, you gud! Nice stuff Doc.
Thanks Shadow, nice to hear from you!
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Lurv that reddish hollowbody Doc! What's the wood (or did I miss that somewhere)?
Thanks granny. It's cherry top and back with mahogany sides.
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The bass did great at practice tonight. The semi-hollow body sounded so full and warm without being muddy or mushy. Again, I am so impressed with the single TV Jones pup. It just sounds so rich and balanced. Nice output across all four strings. The bass wasn't boomy either like some HB basses. It's a keeper, although I should probably sell it, I won't for now.
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Better watch out, Bill, they'll all be nice and you don't want to be tempted to keep 'em all.
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Better watch out, Bill, they'll all be nice and you don't want to be tempted to keep 'em all.
Well, I'm trying not to be that way! With this one, it was a real labor of love and I spent a lot of extra time designing and putting it together. And it's looks and sounds great too! You might remember, this is the one I used the bendable wood for the sides. It worked well but it's costly and labor intensive to work with. Don't think I'll do another unless I see a market for high end HB basses using my design. I'd have to sell them for $2000 to make it worth my while. Not ready to go there just yet.
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Thanks guys. I'm very happy with it. Theres a slight hum in the electronics, gotta work in that. It's always hard to stuff electronics into a HB without twisting things around. Yes, those two are most accurate. Need some practice using the color adjustment feature.
I realized I had one of the ground wires on the wrong jack hub. Switched it and all's well. Duh. :P
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Better watch out, Bill, they'll all be nice and you don't want to be tempted to keep 'em all.
Yeah, be careful or we'll see you on American Pickers in a few years, walled in by your own basses....
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Yeah, be careful or we'll see you on American Pickers in a few years, walled in by your own basses....
Ha, good one Al. More like "Hoarders!"
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Yeah, be careful or we'll see you on American Pickers in a few years, walled in by your own basses....
I'm still waiting to see a show like "American Pickers" stumble across a find that could resemble the stash that many of us are sitting on. They get pretty pumped when they run into any old guitar.
Maybe I could sell Chumlee my extremely rare Korean Epiphone LP-100.............
Beautiful basses doc!!
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Awesome work.
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Finally put a couple of the basses up on eBay. I'm still developing the Reverb site, so that will have to come later. Onward and upward!
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Maybe I could sell Chumlee my extremely rare Korean Epiphone LP-100.............
I've noticed that every time Chum is in a position to make a buying decision, he gets a lot smarter very quickly. He seems to know his biz, even if he acts dumber than a post for the rest of the show.
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Finally put a couple of the basses up on eBay. I'm still developing the Reverb site, so that will have to come later. Onward and upward!
Good luck. Remember, you can also post a link to your eBay listings down in the For Sale subforum.
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Thanks Dave, didn't think of that!
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Finally, I've had some time to get into the shop and finish something! This is #3 (1 and 2) will be next up on the bench. I am so happy with how this turned out. The fit and finish are really good and the sound is well beyond my expectations. The TV Jones pup is big and ballsy, it really does make me think of a p bass. I was worried about the single pup option, but the sound is so full and rich, I'm thrilled with the outcome. All I have left to do is install the strap buttons and control plate.
I'm working on pricing and how I'm going to sell it. Either eBay or at the House of Guitars. They want me to try and sell them at the HOG, but I know they can take a beating with people playing and messing with them. So, I'm not so sure about that option. Might try one just to see what happens. I'm working on a way to capture some audio of the bass. We'll see how that goes!
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/drbassman/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/DSCN1180_zpsomhbkyhh.jpg) (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/drbassman/media/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/DSCN1180_zpsomhbkyhh.jpg.html)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/drbassman/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/DSCN1182_zpssfershce.jpg) (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/drbassman/media/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/DSCN1182_zpssfershce.jpg.html)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/drbassman/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/DSCN1181_zpsdeqn1rza.jpg) (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/drbassman/media/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/DSCN1181_zpsdeqn1rza.jpg.html)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/drbassman/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/DSCN1176_zpsetcpbz8o.jpg) (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/drbassman/media/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/DSCN1176_zpsetcpbz8o.jpg.html)
Yesterday I had the pleasure of meeting up with Bill at his home/shop and getting to play his basses. I was very very impressed with the bass pictured above along with all his other creations. For the moment I am going to keep my comments focused on the bass above. The pictures don't do it justice in person it is stunning! I have always been a sucker for natural basses showing wood grain (must be the woodworker in me). This bass has a beautiful figured maple top and nicely grained maple back. The body is thin I don't remember the exact dimension but think Rickenbacker, even at that the bass being all maple weighs 10 lbs. I don't find that unacceptable as the bass balances very nicely. In the future this model will be 7% smaller and depending on wood selection that will help with the weight. I love the body shape defiantly an original shaped by the classics of the past. The neck is Mighty Mite maple and rosewood, beautifully finished, nice and straight with just a hint of relief. The action was low by most players standards, for me I'd bring it down a bit and there was plenty of adjustment left at the bridge for that. Ok so how's it sound? Bill has been singing the praises of the TV Jones pickups and I have to agree it is a great sounding unit, articulate without being sterile, nice fundamental low end and some zing. I got to play the bass through Bill's vintage B15N and wow just wow. With a pick or fingers I just love the tone of this bass, it sustains for days. Even with the one pickup you can get the entire spectrum from this bass, Motown thump to Geddy Lee snap. It just dawned on me that this bass has the best aspects of a Precision and a Rickenbacker sort of morphed into it's own personality. The simple one pickup layout and bridge of the P bass with the thin body maple construction of a Ric. Bill tells me the newer 7% smaller basses will have greater upper register access and sport his own head 2+2 stock design that will really tie this design together imho. Bill has come up with beautifully crafted unique design that covers a lot of sonic territory and does it with style, elegant simplicity and play-ability. I wouldn't hesitate to but one of Bill's creations, in fact I have put my order in.
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I'm moving things along. I have two semis on the bench and two more with all of the wood collected for gluing. This will be the next one, curly cedar top and splated cherry back. I used the cherry as I only had one piece of it laying around and I don't care for the look that much, but it makes a nice back with the right stain. This one gets one of the Gibson TB Plus pups I had in the parts drawer.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/drbassman/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/DSCN1296_zpsdrvkfmw8.jpg) (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/drbassman/media/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/DSCN1296_zpsdrvkfmw8.jpg.html)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/drbassman/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/DSCN1301_zpsdgrckez7.jpg) (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/drbassman/media/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/DSCN1301_zpsdgrckez7.jpg.html)
My new standard headstock design with ebony veneer. This will be stock for all future builds. The ebony touch is only an additional $6 or so and the look is really cool. Very easy to do.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/drbassman/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/DSCN1297_zpsk9pyasmx.jpg) (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/drbassman/media/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/DSCN1297_zpsk9pyasmx.jpg.html)
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I'm moving things along. I have two semis on the bench and two more with all of the wood collected for gluing. This will be the next one, curly cedar top and splated cherry back. I used the cherry as I only had one piece of it laying around and I don't care for the look that much, but it makes a nice back with the right stain. This one gets one of the Gibson TB Plus pups I had in the parts drawer.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/drbassman/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/DSCN1296_zpsdrvkfmw8.jpg) (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/drbassman/media/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/DSCN1296_zpsdrvkfmw8.jpg.html)
Wow, that grain was hypnotizing, nice!
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8)
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Pretty cool, huh! Just going to do an amber tint on this one. Should make the grain pop just right.
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Mmmmmmmmmm! :mrgreen:
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Got the neck glued onto the curly cedar bass and it's ready for finishing. I learned through trial and error that pre-taping the edges before gluing in a neck saves post-gluing sanding and fussing. I also wipe down the entire area around the neck/body joint with a wet rag to remove excess glue. I found that removing set glue after the fact was a major pain, waste of time and often meant losing some of the wood material under it as well. Now when I remove the clamps and tape, I virtually have no sanding or scraping to contend with. ;D
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/drbassman/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/DSCN1308_zps1xsszan2.jpg) (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/drbassman/media/DOC%20BASS%20Pics/DSCN1308_zps1xsszan2.jpg.html)
The next one is a sitka spruce top and back that will be a natural/amber tint finish.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/drbassman/DSCN1312_zpsslfcqosr.jpg) (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/drbassman/media/DSCN1312_zpsslfcqosr.jpg.html)
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/drbassman/DSCN1313_zps1iclttz7.jpg) (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/drbassman/media/DSCN1313_zps1iclttz7.jpg.html)
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Looks great! Love that Cedar top!
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Thanks Scott. I'm getting all of my processes down and figured out so I can consistently turn out the same bass according to my specs every time.
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Lookin' good. I've hardly done any woodworking in the past few years but I tape to prevent squeezeout from sticking on any glue joint that will be seen.
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I don't tape but I do use a wet rag to clean up squeeze out before it dries. Also a chisel as a 'scraper' to clean up right angle joints like a neck to body. I don't remove any wood with the chisel.
Basses are looking great, Doc!
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Yeah, the tape is probably overkill, but it helps in the tight spaces under clamps.
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Definitely some good preventive maintenance there with the tape.
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An ounce of prevention...............
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Nice work!
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Thanks Brad! I'll be testing it out in the next week or so.
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My next bass on tap, a 2" fat basswood body with a fancy mahog top. More on that as it progresses.
(http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y16/drbassman/PIN%20ROUTER/DSCN1321_zpsc23bcbkb.jpg) (http://s2.photobucket.com/user/drbassman/media/PIN%20ROUTER/DSCN1321_zpsc23bcbkb.jpg.html)
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Looking forward to it!
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Looking forward to it!
It will be my first one where I rout out the chambers rather than cut them on my band saw. Should be interesting.