Well, then, it's the best bass for metal, innit?
In your more satanic sub genres, sure...
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In your more satanic sub genres, sure...
neat build, beej! the driftwood is really going to look cool. but a question: why wouldn't a very thin epoxy pour have filled all of the "wormy bits" nicely vs. multiple coats? asking for a friend who only speaks azerbaijani.
In short, yes.
However, having done a few of these, I like the appearance it has when it's thinner on the top vs. the bar top approach. This one will eventually be bent over a 40" radius carved into the body core, so I didn't want it too thick and stiff, and it's a pain to sand back a lot of something like Mirror Coat (which is amazing stuff). It would have been faster and easier to do it in a single pour though. 
I just spent a half hour sanding back the fifth epoxy coat on the top, and there are still a few low spots. I'll just spot fill these ones though and then sand up to 320 before calling it done and gluing it up. 
thanks for the explanation --- i'm trying to learn a bit more about the epoxy whys-and-wherefores before i mess with the stuff again. i forgot about that radius you're going to use --- makes sense to use the thinner coats for some amount of flexibility.In short, yes.
I wonder if you could have vacuum bagged it against a curved form and kill three birds with one stone...
On the one hand I think you definitely can. On the other hand it involves some extras that I haven't fully looked into using myself and am fuzzy on the details of, too, I think. And they add expenses. i.e. I think you end up needing something to form the surface of the epoxy that will show, which I think is "peel-ply" and then that has little weep holes and you have some other material that soaks up the excess epoxy that squeezes out though the weep holes, and one or both of those may be one time use things that you throw away since they end up full of cured epoxy.
But I have not done the research on that to know any better yet, I just have sort of half-osmosised half-knowledge I've half-picked up since I'm not doing that sort of thing yet.
Problem in this case is that its difficult to sand something flat when it's on a curve. I wanted to get this perfectly flat and as close to finish-ready as possible before gluing it up.
Just pull out the 40" radius block, no? or do you need to 40.25 or 40.375, or 40.5 to account for the face thickness? I'm sure your radius-block rack has all of those...
or do you need to 40.25 or 40.375, or 40.5 to account for the face thickness? I'm sure your radius-block rack has all of those...
I can't help but giggle at the visual of trying to sand the body smooth with a 40" radius block. 
Speaking of radius blocks, I have a 15" that I've never used. Since this bass is not for me, I figured a radius in the board might be preferred by some. What I don't have though, is a 15" radius routing fixture. To cut a "perfect" radius, I set up a little jig on my bandsaw. I set a piece of 3/4" MDF even with the bandsaw table. Then I make up a sacrificial piece of MDF onto which I screw down the pieces I'll be cutting. I measure 15" from the blade back onto the jig, drill a hole, and screw through it to the bottom MDF board. Then the whole upper apparatus swings around in a 15" radius circle right into the blade. I swing it through it's entire arc and it cuts a perfect 15" radius on both boards at the same time. These get screwed to my larger router sled.
Ironically, I didn't make up the fretboard yet, as I'm not done with the inlays. I also needed this jig to address another board I have ready for radiusing.
I glued up some scraps for the headstock wings though, and started work on the driftwood headstock cap. I'll be putting cherry on the back to match the body view from the rear.
Also, the driftwood top is done and ready to be glued down to the body core.
I'll probably do a few odds and sods this weekend, but I'm mostly focused on the plaid guitar build and a fretless guitar (!) randomly requested by a friend, hoping for xmas completion. I'm modifying another nearly completed guitar to create this, so it will probably be done in about 3 weeks.
What I don't have though, is a 15" radius routing fixture. To cut a "perfect" radius, I set up a little jig on my bandsaw. I set a piece of 3/4" MDF even with the bandsaw table. Then I make up a sacrificial piece of MDF onto which I screw down the pieces I'll be cutting. I measure 15" from the blade back onto the jig, drill a hole, and screw through it to the bottom MDF board. Then the whole upper apparatus swings around in a 15" radius circle right into the blade. I swing it through it's entire arc and it cuts a perfect 15" radius on both boards at the same time. These get screwed to my larger router sled.
Ironically, I didn't make up the fretboard yet, as I'm not done with the inlays. I also needed this jig to address another board I have ready for radiusing.
I glued up some scraps for the headstock wings though, and started work on the driftwood headstock cap. I'll be putting cherry on the back to match the body view from the rear.
Also, the driftwood top is done and ready to be glued down to the body core.
I'll probably do a few odds and sods this weekend, but I'm mostly focused on the plaid guitar build and a fretless guitar (!) randomly requested by a friend, hoping for xmas completion. I'm modifying another nearly completed guitar to create this, so it will probably be done in about 3 weeks.
Speaking of radius blocks, I have a 15" that I've never used. Since this bass is not for me, I figured a radius in the board might be preferred by some.
Ironically, I didn't make up the fretboard yet, as I'm not done with the inlays. I also needed this jig to address another board I have ready for radiusing.
I glued up some scraps for the headstock wings though, and started work on the driftwood headstock cap. I'll be putting cherry on the back to match the body view from the rear.
Also, the driftwood top is done and ready to be glued down to the body core.
I'll probably do a few odds and sods this weekend, but I'm mostly focused on the plaid guitar build and a fretless guitar (!) randomly requested by a friend, hoping for xmas completion. I'm modifying another nearly completed guitar to create this, so it will probably be done in about 3 weeks.
Ummmm... plaid guitar? I do hope pics are forthcoming.
Its a new original doublecut design - I'm making the template shortly so I'll post it up.That top is awesome
What is the body shape for this build? Is it a fender shaped object? One of your designs? Something else?
I've put up a few pics here and there in the What's on Your Workbench thread, but I'll share more as it gets more complete.
I cut up a piece of the driftwood top and thinned it down to 3mm. Then I glued it to a walnut veneer, then the headstock.
When it cured, I routed it flush to the neck, and part of it basically exploded. It is mostly in parts that will be cut off, but I soaked it in thin CA, and then laid on some medium viscosity and smoothed it with a scraper before activating it.
And I cut out the body template. Here it's chilling on the yoga mat.
Here, it's posing with the body for a tracing.
I also drilled a bunch of tone holes in the body for weight relief. I'm not going to make a huge cavity like usual because I want this top to have something with integrity to hold onto. The driftwood is hard on the surface, but not heavy duty by any stretch.
With the weight relieving tone holes, control cavity, light driftwood top, and 40" tone radius in the body, I better change my order from GB707s to GB350s...
When it cured, I routed it flush to the neck, and part of it basically exploded.
It is mostly in parts that will be cut off, but I soaked it in thin CA, and then laid on some medium viscosity and smoothed it with a scraper before activating it.
And I cut out the body template. Here it's chilling on the yoga mat.
Here, it's posing with the body for a tracing.
I also drilled a bunch of tone holes in the body for weight relief. I'm not going to make a huge cavity like usual because I want this top to have something with integrity to hold onto. The driftwood is hard on the surface, but not heavy duty by any stretch.
With the weight relieving tone holes, control cavity, light driftwood top, and 40" tone radius in the body, I better change my order from GB707s to GB350s...
Side note, the camera on this super cheap phone is anti-amazeballs. 
I had my large routing bed out for something else so I took 15 and put the radius on the body.
This should make it 1.5" thick in the middle and about 1.125" on the edges of the lower bouts. Or thereabouts. I dunno. I'm a therapist not a math nerd.
This should make it 1.5" thick in the middle and about 1.125" on the edges of the lower bouts. Or thereabouts. I dunno. I'm a therapist not a math nerd.
Side note: thinking of an EMG Geezer P pickup in a custom shell, and a hipshot A style bridge along with the gotoh GB707 tuners. Black hardware.
BTL
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