NEW PROJECT BILLY BO JUPITER THUNDERBIRD.

GSPBASSES

    I’ve been ask to make one of these guitars several time but said no as its a odd looking thing and I don’t like it very much. But I have made guitars in the past that I not been very keen on and now I’ve been ask to make a bass version as well as a guitar so may be its time to have a go at making one.

     First find some plans as I do not know any one who has a Jupiter Thunderbird. There a some around but they don’t look to good but I did fined  http://guitarplansunlimited.com ;   who supply templates I was a little bit apprehensive about buying templates from the US as the last time I did they were total shit and could not be used. As this was a different company and they were only $100 inc P&P I gave them a go, only took five days to get here.

      There not bad, made of 1/4” MDF but very hard more like HDF not like the soft rubbish you get from B&Q or HomeBase. The first job to copy these templates on to 12mm MDF as I’m not going to make lots of this guitar I will use the soft rubbish from B&Q. I drew round the templates on to the 12mm MDF then cut them out on the bandsaw. Next I put the the templates on to the 12mm MDF with double sided tape then routed round them on the pin router see photos.

http://i1018.photobucket.com/albums/af305/grahamepollard/Mobile Uploads/IMG_8947.jpg

http://i1018.photobucket.com/albums/af305/grahamepollard/Mobile Uploads/IMG_8948.jpg

http://i1018.photobucket.com/albums/af305/grahamepollard/Mobile Uploads/IMG_8952.jpg

http://i1018.photobucket.com/albums/af305/grahamepollard/Mobile Uploads/IMG_8958.jpg

http://i1018.photobucket.com/albums/af305/grahamepollard/Mobile Uploads/IMG_8960.jpg

This is the first of the new 12mm jigs, I've made the neck pocket a little longer and made the end round as the bass might be a set neck build.

Thats all I’ve done up to now more soon but not to soon as this is not a rush job.

Jalapeno

Ossum !
B-)

EricTheWeary

I like a Billy Bo. Well, to look at anyway.

ThePrettyDamned

Wow, that's cool.

jd0272

I think they're lush. Sorry..

EdGrip

FANTASTIC!!!
That settles my ongoing "what shape to make my bass" quandry!
You're right Grahame - it's basically an ugly guitar on its own. And yet, as soon as you hang one on a human being, for some reason it sort of works. (I think so, anyway, so there!)

EdGrip

That little kink above the rear strap pin is a totally hard angle: 

Makes it a pain to use a router to cut out the shape at that point. Could just use a really small radius bit there instead? (thinking out loud, not at all trying to teach my gran to suck eggs!)

DrBob

jd0272;291778" said:

I think they're lush. Sorry..

As do I man...

GSPBASSES

     I've now started to make the first body, I've been ask to make a body to take a P-Bass neck.

http://i1018.photobucket.com/albums/af305/grahamepollard/Mobile Uploads/IMG_9109.jpg

More on this build soon. 

N B I’m not going stamp my feet and throw my toys out the pram or make all kind of threats to members  just because some forum members called this guitar lush.  

     Although are you calling the guitar Lush in thats its luxurious or its a alcoholic ? ( Look it up in The Concise Oxford Dictionary )

DrBob

Grahame, 'Lush' is very definitely a positive descriptive term in this instance ! My sister lives in Betws in Wales, near @Jetfire as it happens, she says it all the time ! ;-)

Jetfire

Speaking of which @DrBob, we're moving to Betws in the next few weeks!

DrBob

Oh really ! Where? My sister lives on Colonel Rd, out of the big Tesco's straight over the first roundabout, right at the next one and then up the hill

Jetfire

We are moving not far from the park, so up the hill and first left, we are on the side street on the right up there..  

DrBob

Stinks of a meet next time I'm visiting !

Actually I'm moving next week too, bit further mind. London/Surrey borders to the Southside of Glasgow...

GuitarMonkey

"lush" = luscious 

thermionic

ThePrettyDamned

@gspbasses that looks awesome.

GSPBASSES

I've come to a full stop on this as the P-Bass neck I've been ask to fit this body is left handed, I've read though all the E-Mail's about this build and know were does it say if it's a right or left handed bass so I'll now wait till I'm told what to do.

GSPBASSES

O K now I know it's right handed so tomorrow back to work on it.

EdGrip

Heh, yeah, it didn't even occur to me to mention it - after all, *I* know I'm right handed...

GSPBASSES

I’ve now routed the neck pocket to suit the P-Bass neck thats going to be used.

This shows the lay out of the pickups with neck in place.

The next job was to rout all round the body for the banding. the banding for the bass is white / black / white / black.