datsunfreak Posted November 26, 2020 Author Report Share Posted November 26, 2020 I have always wanted a short scale bass, so I figured why not build my own? 😄 Started with some oak and walnut scraps and made a 1.5" thick slab, then used some walnut pieces I had to make a book-matched 1/4" thick top for it... The shape is of my own design, with hints of Telecaster, Stratocaster, and Jazzmaster all mixed up to make this... I rough cut the slab to shape and decided to put it on a diet before gluing the top on... 😁 Top glued on and body edge routed... What the back looks like... Cleaned the top with alcohol to get an idea on what the finished product will look like... Decided to do an elbow carve that shows off a bit of the oak underneath... I purchased a neck for it from thefretwire.com for a Hofner-style violin bass (think early Beatles Paul McCartney). It's a 30.25" scale (most basses are 34" scale)... I wanted a bit of fretboard overlap on the body so I trimmed some off the back edge... Then made a template out of MDF for the neck pocket on the body... And got the neck pocket routed... If you are wondering why the neck pocket was left so long, it is because this neck is made to be glued on, not bolted on. So I decided to take advantage of that to try something fun... Got the neck glued on and did some more carving and sanding to blend it all together... The upper end of the neck is sooooo comfortable on this now... 😁 I am still waiting on a few key parts to arrive, so I got a little crafty with the headstock. I don't fancy the Hofner "waving flag" shape so decided to tweak it a bit... This is more of a Paul Reed Smith shape... I covered that with a piece of flamed walnut veneer and beveled the edge to make a sort of faux binding... Then I made a truss rod cover out of some scrap oak and more walnut veneer... I'm kinda stuck there until the pickup and bridge arrive. But I have a couple of other crafty ideas on deck for this too... 😁 3 Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted November 27, 2020 Report Share Posted November 27, 2020 I have a Baritone Tele that is 27" scale. It's tuned B to B. I forgot the string gauge, but it's quite heavy. With the long scale length and tuned down to B, it plays like it has .009 gauge strings. It has some serious cajones... I'll get a photo of it soon.. Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted November 27, 2020 Author Report Share Posted November 27, 2020 5 minutes ago, Duncan said: I have a Baritone Tele that is 27" scale. It's tuned B to B. I forgot the string gauge, but it's quite heavy. With the long scale length and tuned down to B, it plays like it has .009 gauge strings. It has some serious cajones... I'll get a photo of it soon Very cool! That's sort of the idea here. I'm looking at .040-.090 flatwound strings for this. With the shorter scale, it should be super easy to play, but conversely may be almost impossible to slap. At least for me. 😁 Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted December 7, 2020 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2020 (edited) I made a thing, and would appreciate any constructive feedback on it. 👍 It's my first crack at editing a video... Edited December 7, 2020 by datsunfreak 4 Quote Link to comment
Draker Posted December 7, 2020 Report Share Posted December 7, 2020 (edited) I say great job on the video and the guitar! Edited December 7, 2020 by Draker 1 Quote Link to comment
Mattndew76 Posted December 7, 2020 Report Share Posted December 7, 2020 Yeah!!! the work is good on both vid and axe. 1 Quote Link to comment
tr8er Posted December 7, 2020 Report Share Posted December 7, 2020 Killer. If you ever want some Hawaii wood sent your way let me know. I also have a wood hobby and have sources. Koa, Mango, Ohia, Milo etc. So many great woods here. We pay too much for the normal good stuff though. Oak, Cedar, Walnut... I’m making Macadamia frames right now actually. Looks a lot like silver oak. 2 Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted December 7, 2020 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2020 16 hours ago, tr8er said: Killer. If you ever want some Hawaii wood sent your way let me know. I also have a wood hobby and have sources. Koa, Mango, Ohia, Milo etc. So many great woods here. We pay too much for the normal good stuff though. Oak, Cedar, Walnut... I’m making Macadamia frames right now actually. Looks a lot like silver oak. I would love to do one from koa, ohia, or really any of those woods... 😁 Thankfully oak has been pretty cheap this year, but ash has gone crazy. I've got a few projects going with bamboo too... Quote Link to comment
]2eDeYe Posted December 7, 2020 Report Share Posted December 7, 2020 Nicely done all around. Subscribed. 🙂 1 Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted December 7, 2020 Author Report Share Posted December 7, 2020 41 minutes ago, ]2eDeYe said: Subscribed. 🙂 I saw that. 😁 Thanks! 👍 1 Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted December 15, 2020 Author Report Share Posted December 15, 2020 (edited) Make a router template so I could flush mount a standard strat jack plate... Edited December 15, 2020 by datsunfreak 1 Quote Link to comment
Lockleaf Posted December 16, 2020 Report Share Posted December 16, 2020 Have you ever looked at the guitars (and other stuff) made out of old skateboards? I think people get some cool looks from them, not sure if that's up your alley though. Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted December 16, 2020 Author Report Share Posted December 16, 2020 (edited) 19 hours ago, Lockleaf said: Have you ever looked at the guitars (and other stuff) made out of old skateboards? I think people get some cool looks from them, not sure if that's up your alley though. I have, actually. There's a cool youtube channel called Woby Design where he builds all kinds of stuff from broken skateboards. He's done a guitar, chairs, tables, and even a skateboard (much meta). I sent him an email and asked is he would make me a 1/4" panel to use as a top for a guitar and he said no. 🙁 So I just ordered some stuff from these guys to make my own. I just haven't had the time to dig into it yet. It is coming though... 👌 Edited December 16, 2020 by datsunfreak 1 Quote Link to comment
Duncan Posted December 23, 2020 Report Share Posted December 23, 2020 I liked the guitar/video/ and the playing. Very nice! 1 Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted January 12, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 12, 2021 Trying out a tung oil finish on this bass... 3 Quote Link to comment
Lockleaf Posted January 14, 2021 Report Share Posted January 14, 2021 That's a nice looking gee-tar Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted January 14, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2021 5 hours ago, Lockleaf said: That's a nice looking gee-tar Thank you. 😁 I really like how this one is turning out. Trying out some new stuff on this one, and so far it has all worked out okay. Quote Link to comment
Lockleaf Posted January 14, 2021 Report Share Posted January 14, 2021 (edited) do you build the necks or buy them? EDIT Nevermind. I experimented with paying attention to what I was reading..... Edited January 14, 2021 by Lockleaf 1 Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted January 14, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 14, 2021 3 hours ago, Lockleaf said: do you build the necks or buy them? I currently just buy, but wanting to build one soon. 👍 Problem is, up until now it's been mostly Fender style guitars. I can buy a bolt-on "Fender" neck for only a couple of bucks more than the materials alone cost, so it's just not cost effective to build your own. This build has got me interested in doing more with a glued in neck, so I am going to make a pass at building my own very soon. I built a router sled for cutting truss rod grooves, and picked up some walnut for the express purpose of building a multi-laminate neck with it. Still need to get some more tools though, specifically stuff for cutting fret grooves and cutting/installing frets. I do have the tools to level and polish them already, though. You can buy pre-slotted fretboards from a few vendors, so I may do it that way first, before trying to slot my own. 2 Quote Link to comment
Lockleaf Posted January 14, 2021 Report Share Posted January 14, 2021 I know you work in wood for these, but have you considered a hobby crossover? Guitar bodies made from patinaed car parts? 2 Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted January 15, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 15, 2021 (edited) 2 hours ago, Lockleaf said: I know you work in wood for these, but have you considered a hobby crossover? Guitar bodies made from patinaed car parts? I had not. 😁 I have however been collecting pieces of patinaed wood. I have some pieces of super old and weathered oak I am going to use to make one soon. I keep looking at stuff like this and thinking, what if... I am also keen on seeing if I could use an old weathered railroad tie, because the texture/grain on those is amazing... Edited January 15, 2021 by datsunfreak 2 Quote Link to comment
Lockleaf Posted January 15, 2021 Report Share Posted January 15, 2021 Very cool. I can see that making some amazing looking pieces. My brain instantly imagines a bunch different ways to make use of that grain structure. I imagine the first just being clear epoxy to fill the gaps. Then purple glow in the dark epoxy. Then maybe fill it will molten aluminum. Would it be possible to inlay a wide piece of that all the way up a neck, and then make a clear overlay with the frets on it? Then you could see the texture but it wouldn't interfere with playing? Anyhow, I will stop telling you how to do what you do. I'm just enjoying the craftsmanship. 1 Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted January 17, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 17, 2021 On 1/15/2021 at 3:54 PM, Lockleaf said: Very cool. I can see that making some amazing looking pieces. My brain instantly imagines a bunch different ways to make use of that grain structure. I imagine the first just being clear epoxy to fill the gaps. Then purple glow in the dark epoxy. That is the plan. Cut it down to around 1/4" thick, flood it with epoxy, then use that as a top glued to another piece of wood. I am doing that with the old crusty oak I have. Obviously sanding it smooth kills all the patina, but you don't want to touch that roughness, so a thin layer of epoxy will preserve it as is while making it smooth to the touch. On 1/15/2021 at 3:54 PM, Lockleaf said: Would it be possible to inlay a wide piece of that all the way up a neck, and then make a clear overlay with the frets on it? Then you could see the texture but it wouldn't interfere with playing? Totally. And that's a very interesting idea. 👍 On 1/15/2021 at 3:54 PM, Lockleaf said: Anyhow, I will stop telling you how to do what you do. I'm just enjoying the craftsmanship. I am open to any and all suggestions. 😁 1 Quote Link to comment
datsunfreak Posted January 24, 2021 Author Report Share Posted January 24, 2021 i had some gold hardware intended for another strat project, but I found this old rough around the edges "olympic white" strat body today and decided I needed another David Gilmour influenced strat in my life... 😁 It's an homage to this guitar, in case you're not familiar... 2 Quote Link to comment
Lockleaf Posted February 12, 2021 Report Share Posted February 12, 2021 Inspiration for next guitar 😁 https://www.guitarworld.com/news/man-builds-guitar-out-of-his-dead-uncles-skeleton-uses-it-to-play-black-metal 1 Quote Link to comment
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