Finished Pics - 5 String Single Cut Shortscale Bass

Andyjr1515

I'm just finishing off another bass build before moving onto the 'granddaddy project' of the ebony-topped Trini Lopez-ish build that should be starting in earnest shortly.

I'll do just a summary build log over the next few posts on the bass.  It is a 5-string single cut 30" scale and is based on the prospective owner's doodle from a number of years ago which he crystallised into an outline drawing last year.  This is what he sent me:


Within the spec - which included fitting a single SimS Superquad 5 pickup (it was Superquads in my recent headless build) - was "it must fit in a Hiscox Electric Guitar Hardcase"

For an offset bass - especially a single-cut - to fit into a guitar case was going to be 'tight'.  So the very first thing I bought was the case!

paulnb57

Excellent! Another build!

Andyjr1515

We're not going super-light for this one, but aiming for around 7.5lbs.  I thought I'd add to the challenge and add a bit of oak into it.

It's going through-neck (maple/walnut/purpleheart 7-piece neck), a walnut top, oak back wings and then a decently thick purpleheart demarcation between the two:


I am using my fairly odd way of doing the through-neck with the stepped blank:


I'm going for full access up to 24 frets:


And my cack-handed way of fitting the top:

earwighoney

I was just thinking it'd been a while since one of your last builds (I really liked the Korina acoustic) so it's good to see another project in the works!

Andyjr1515

With the oak wings glued to the neck blank and the purpleheart layer added, it was then the internal chambering and cable run stuff before I glued the top on. 

I'm trying something new on this one - a grain matched control cover.  So I hogged out the chamber from the top:


...and then routed to around 4mm short of breaking through the back.  Next - on the other side, I used the same template to draw the chamber and got out my Dremel with its precision router base and a 1mm bit and cut out the grain-matched hatch:


 

Finally, cut the other chambers (making a note of where they were and how deep), including weight relief, cable runs and a slot for the battery : 


And then the top could be glued on    :

Andyjr1515

Ebony fretboard was radiused using the G&W router rig and a fifteen minute sanding with a radius block to get rid of the router bit lines.  Good job it was only a 5-string...the jig was only JUST wide enough:


Then slotted the board with the G&W mitre block:


A couple of swifts at the 12th:


And once those were sanded down, fretted with stainless steel wire:


And always time for a gratuitous mockup:

Georg_Figel

this looks very promising

won't it cause issues having the frets installed so early?

Andyjr1515

Georg_Figel said:

this looks very promising

won't it cause issues having the frets installed so early?

I've tried all the 'conventional' ways but, for through necks, I personally find this the most successful method of getting well seated frets with well lined-up fret ends.  Especially on this one where I have added another uncoventional approach to add the binding.  I'll post a couple of photos when I boot up the PC.

In my longer threads I usually add the advice that "I'm happy to show you what I do, but please never assume this is the way it should be done!"

Andyjr1515

Ref the fretting - I've done this a few times, especially when adding binding.  Again, this is just showing what I do and not how it should be done  

I double-side tape the board to my fret-slotting template to keep it flat.

I leave the fretends overhanging just over a mm.  It's easy to line up the fret ends exactly and accurately simply by running the whole line of them edge-on along a levelling sanding beam.

I then fully finish the protruding fret ends:


Next, I get some ebony edge binding with a w/b edge detail and skim it until the whole length fits exactly under the fret-ends.  I find the easiest way to do this accurately is to fix my block plane in the vice and run the binding along it:


The binding is just proud of the fret ends meaning that there shouldn't be any possibility of sharp fret end 'creep' over time, which there often is on an un-bound board.  Eventually that edge will be rounded.  This photo illustrates what I mean:


And that's it.  When the board is eventually fitted to the neck, I have demarcation lines for free without having to fiddle about with multiple full lengths of veneer (which is actually quite difficult to get completely flat and straight - and the slightest wavy edge or teeniest squeeze-out gap sticks out like a sore thumb):

Andyjr1515

And so back the build summary.

Next job was to start the carve and get some more weight out.  The owner wanted the edge to be defined by the purpleheart layer rather than carving through for the 'sucked lozenge' look.

First I cut the chamber for the Superquad and then the element I wanted to add was a little bit of surface sculpturing to soften the slightly marmite look of the single-cut bass top horn and to emphasise the offset:


This is it dampened to see the final colour the timber will turn and to see whether or not the carve works :


On the back, once the neck profile was roughed out, the name of the game is providing full access to the 24 frets - even the bottom B and with as little impeding of the fretting thumb as possible as the neck meets the body:



Starting to look like a bass...

Andyjr1515

Headstock-wise, it's relatively short for a 5 string bass - but it has to be to fit into the guitar case (see first post)   

I popped a couple of swifts onto the headstock plate made from bookmatched offcuts of the walnut top:



And, of course time for another mockup.  The tuners are angled to fit in the tight space but I think I've managed straight string runs all the same:


Then a bit more shaping at the back, adding some comfort curves while taking a bit more weight out:


A couple of knobs made from some of the same timbers:




And then - bringing this pretty much up to date - the slow steady progress towards a thin-gloss tru-oil finish:

PhilKing

I am constantly in awe of your work Andy.  This looks stunning (even though I'm not usually a fan of short scale basses).  How do you think the low B will sound.  All my 5 strings have a 35" scale to help the B out.

Andyjr1515

PhilKing said:

I am constantly in awe of your work Andy.  This looks stunning (even though I'm not usually a fan of short scale basses).  How do you think the low B will sound.  All my 5 strings have a 35" scale to help the B out.

Thanks

It should be fine.  You have to pick the right strings but I've worked on two or three and they've all been fine.  There's a guy on one of the other forums who makes them with even shorter scales.

Andyjr1515

A bit more progress on this and another new thing I've tried.

Here's how the finish is coming along:



I'm now on the final knockings of the build itself - one being the hatch.

For this I have tried something I've not seen before done this way below, but was worth a go - a grain-matched cover.  If I had the equipment (like a proper full-size band saw and a proper big space to put one in!) there are easier ways of doing it but this was my DIY way.

Before I glued the back wing, I forstnered and then routed out the chamber from the top (to be glued) face to within 3mm of breaking through:


Then, with a Dremel and precision base, from the other side, marked out and then used a 1mm router bit to cut out the final 3mm plate:


So I now had a grain-matched cover with a slightly larger gap than normal and no rebate:


So next was a rebate that I cut from some left-over walnut offcuts from the top:


So how was I going to get the gap a little more like it was meant to be there...

How about the purfling I use to tart up acoustic rosettes?

I used the pva iron-on trick to allow me to force the purfling into the rebate and get a decent gap-free adhesion:


Then finally a bit of a tidy up and an all-important fingernail slot (this will be held with magnets) and it's done:


...and only took about the same time as carving the whole body and neck

normula1

Super attention to detail Andy. I love your out if the box thinking.

Andyjr1515

normula1 said:

Super attention to detail Andy. I love your out if the box thinking.

Thanks.  Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't

Andyjr1515

And all done.  It's worked out about 1/4lb heavier than target (finished at 7 3/4lbs) but, with the strap button well in the goldilocks zone, it balances well and feels light.

Here are some finished pics:







The SimS Superquad gives three options, a 4-coil humbucker; 2-coil 'J' and 2 offset coil 'P'.

Thanks for looking

paulnb57

Fabulous Andy!

normula1

Wonderful as usual Andy.

Andyjr1515

Thanks, folks

I passed it over to Matt yesterday.  Happily, he is thrilled with it

Next build proper won't start for a week or so but it's going to be a 6-string electric for a change.  It's a complicated one and might well take up the rest of the year

Jalapeno

Crikey, that's the biz !