A second lightweight bass

Andyjr1515

I won't go into too much build detail as the basic construction is identical to this recent build  http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/135979/finished-pics-swift-lite-4-string-34-bass#latest

but, following from the 'No Treble' e-zine award of their 'Bass of the Week', I've had a number of enquiries about building something similar including this one that has come to fruition.


It's for a guy in Hawaii, same construction but with a slightly different shape of the horns and it will be PJ pickup configuration rather than the Jazz arrangement of the original build.


Pretty much same materials, albeit I have been careful to ensure that this sits in all aspects well clear of CITES regulations.


So a quick update of the progress to date:


This is the revised shape of the body



Laminated a through maple / walnut neck and incorporated the 1 degree neck angle in the slot the top will fit into




Used the jig I made last time to be able to use the G&W blocks template





Then cut and fitted some non CITES listed ebony



Then cut the swamp ash back wings.  These, once they have been glued and routed, will form the platform for the top to sit on.


Like this...


...and that's pretty much where I've got to so far

impmann

Nice!

BigMonka

Good stuff again Andy. I’m glad that your builds are getting the recognition they deserve, and a commission from the opposite side of the world certainly fits that bill!

Andyjr1515

impmann said:

Nice!

Thanks!

BigMonka said:

Good stuff again Andy. I’m glad that your builds are getting the recognition they deserve, and a commission from the opposite side of the world certainly fits that bill!

Thanks too!   It's certainly a first   And, if I muck it up, quite possibly a last

Andyjr1515

Added the demarcation veneer to the through-neck sides:


Then on with the two rear wings - level with the top of the neck to form a flat platform incorporating the neck angle:


Once the lightening chambers and cable runs have been routed out, the top will be glued on, with its upper surface flush with the top of the neck:


The demarcation veneer, although very thin (standard 0.6mm) is nevertheless enough to add a little polish to the joint:



The same veneer has been put on the back of the top as the demarcation between that and the ash rear wings.


Why bother bookmatching the veneer when no one will ever see it?  

"Standards, my boy.  Standards!"    

Andyjr1515

The last couple of months have been a bit crazy.  Sudden plunge into the chaotic world of grandparenting, some mild but temporarily debilitating health distractions (maybe linked? )


And @TTony 's recent post on his made me I've realise I never finished this thread - or of a couple of other smaller projects I've done at the same time.

Rather than go through the full tortuous detailed thread - to be honest it's pretty much the same as the previous lightweight bass - I'll go straight to the finished shots:



 



The good news - apart from successfully passing the 'even if there's no CITES listed timber in there, you still have to prove that there isn't!' hurdles - is that it did get to Hawaii in one piece and James LOVES it.  It's 6.7lbs and sounds great with his favoured super-thick strings and his supplied Aero pickups.  Huge bass sounds.  Foundation shaking!


The bad news is there was one 'except'.  What I try to do is replicate a player's favourite neck shape.  I get them to take profile templates, etc.  And the shape is exactly like his favourite USA Lakland.  Except...in the stop-start chaos of difficult births, etc..,
I got the thickness COMPLETELY wrong.  And I didn't spot it!!!!


I'm talking 3-4mm wrong!


I will know in 3-4 days whether it's been fully resolved - I think it has been.  I'll post an update when I know for certain

TTony

Andyjr1515 said:

I will know in 3-4 days whether it's been fully resolved - I think it has been.

Finger extensions?

Andyjr1515

TTony said:

Andyjr1515 said:

I will know in 3-4 days whether it's been fully resolved - I think it has been.

Finger extensions?

Blast!  Why didn't I think of that...

Probably would have been cheaper!

JezWynd

Beautiful, you are an artist.

Andyjr1515

JezWynd said:

Beautiful, you are an artist.

And you are a gentleman  

Thanks