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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Mar 2014
    Location
    Loch, Gippsland, Victoria, Australia
    Posts
    14

    Default Jazz-style bass build

    This bass is made from Fiddleback Redgum and Victorian Ash, the neck is also Vic Ash and the fretboard is (Brazilian) Pao Ferro, rear rout cover plate is Wenge (spelling?). I took a lot of photos of certain stages and none of other stages due to brain fade Anyway I'll add a few of the better shots up to where I'm at today, which is getting ready to shape the unbleached bone nut (footnote: I might not get them all in tonight due to extremely slow regional ADSL... still waiting for NBN here... and it's getting late... if you saw my ugly mug you would understand I really do need my beauty sleep).

    I need to do this (the string nut) and install the tuners because the bridge will be 4 individual units, so each one will need to be placed exactly right for the string spread to line up precisely over the pickup magnets. I'll use an old set of bass strings for this part because it's my first time using the individual bridges and I'm not sure how else to do it. It will become clear (to you & me both) in future posts.

    IMAG0946.jpgIMAG0944.jpgIMAG0947.jpg

    The Redgum is very old. The bloke I bought it from said it sat as a log for at least 25 years and was then milled about 15 years ago... hang on I'll get me calculator out... it was felled more than 40 years ago. I can get more but he wants an arm and a leg for it. Anyway, as I was thicknessing it, the fissure appeared out of nowhere, but undeterred I pressed on with a plan forming in my pea brain, as you will see. You might also notice lots of little insect holes and such but to my eye it adds character and highlights the amount of time the log laid on the ground in the open.

    IMAG0948.jpg The plan was to line the fissure with gold leaf and fill it with 2-part clear epoxy IMAG0973.jpg (taken after a couple of clear coats)

    Next was routing for the rear control cavity. I drilled the four holes for the volumes and tones (2 of each, '62 style, except they [*edit: the original Fender '62 Jazz] have stacked pots) so I could see where they're at from the rear, made the Wenge cover, drew a pencil line around it, and routed the outline freehand with my Dremel and a router base attachment. It looks a bit rough but it cleaned up ok. Then attacked where the cavity would be with a forstner bit to save time on the Bosch palm router.

    IMAG0961.jpgIMAG0977.jpgIMAG0971.jpg

    I didn't take any photos of routing around the template with a spiral downcut trim bit, nor did I get any of routing the 1/2 inch round over... pickups... neck pocket... but you fellas know all that stuff anyway. There was another dodgy looking fissure on the back so I gave that the gold leaf and epoxy treatment too. IMAG0979.jpg

    Next came the neck, but it's 11 o'clock here and my back is aching... took and hour to upload 9 pics... so it's off to bed for me and I'll continue in the morning.
    Last edited by Bartone Guitars; 14th July 2014 at 12:12 AM. Reason: Explain that original Fenders had the stacked pots

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