That's so frikkin cool.
Is that an original headstock shape?
I like it.
Is that an original headstock shape?
I like it.
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That pickup cover is a great add. The bass has a lot of totally unique cool factor.
Thanks
Yes, probably the 90th iteration 
This one is actually the one I use for guitars, but since it fits a 4 string bass nicely, I used it here. 
I've got a pic library with 200+ pics of headstocks, a few pics of the same thing (ie several fender designs, etc) but generally they're all unique. My design is not exactly like anything else but close to a couple. I won't say which to add to the... mystique... 
This evening I rough carved the neck. I used the tools here, the metal buffing wheel on the grinder to take the main meat off, the aggressive round file for smoothing the facets and the half round file for cleaning up. I also use the 60 grit flat block and a 12" straightedge to ensure things remain straight and true.
After this point, I will go over it with 150 and up to 320, then steam it and raise the grain a couple of times before epoxy grain fill.
This evening, I had the creepy feeling I was being watched. I think the eye in the very centre of this pic might have been watching me. It might be the mothman. I might need new meds.
Augh! I can't get this out of my head! I thought about it incessantly and searched for the template I made last night (didn't find it), and I found a nice piece of body matching driftwood that would work well. Even worse. I think I'm going to have to make a pickup cover with the inlay on it to compare to this one. I was thinking last night that if I soaked the underside of the top in CA, it might be strong enough to work. I was also thinking that if I used a roasted walnut piece, inlaid the driftwood and then glued it up in a sandwich with a piece of maple, it would really reference the neck in the pickup cover. It might be over the top, but I think I may need to see just how much.And since giving unsolicited advice is my superpower, when I saw the picture I also wondered what it would look like to continue the inlay theme onto the pickup cover, like the "window" in a gold foil pickup? Feel free to ignore or mock as appropriate
View attachment 4212776
Why are my obsessions so compelling and why am I so compulsive with my obsessions? I feel like I'm so close to something I'm not quite putting my finger on...
I would proudly call myself a pickup nerd and would also concur 100% with your comments. The wood cover makes zero difference, unless it's so thick that you can't get the guts of the pickup close enough to the strings, or you do something like line it with conductive shielding (which would be redundant in this case since the EMGs are already shielded).
I'm glad to have it right for once.
What would theoretically happen if I lined it with conductive shielding? I had a passing thought to spray in the inside of the cover with shielding paint, but have not done so previously. 
"It depends." If the shielding is magnetic (i.e. steel) then you'd have a pretty big influence on the tone and output. If it's not steel, but just conductive, it can still cause an impact, but for the most part it probably won't be noticable. When the strings vibrate and disturb the magnetic field, those disturbances will cause a current in any nearby conductive material (like shielding) even if the material isn't magnetic. Those currents will in turn influence the magnetic field and the signal. I've seen some specific findings from people on pickup making forums with test equipment that basically show most typical shielding would not cause a difference, but using a lot of a material, and/or a material with poor characteristics, definitely makes a difference.
Case in point: Seth Lover used solid nickel for the base plates and covers on his original pickup designs at Gibson because nickel is pretty invisible in this sense, compared to other conductive materials that could be used for shielding. He had rejected brass because of the interference it caused with the signal, and wanted to reject gold-plated covers for the same reason but apparently got out-voted by the marketing department.
EMGs tend to be really silent IME - I would probably not bother with the shielding paint unless you had a noise issue. But if you felt you had to add it, I wouldn't hesitate to do so. Just don't use a steel plate or anything like that!
Case in point: Seth Lover used solid nickel for the base plates and covers on his original pickup designs at Gibson because nickel is pretty invisible in this sense, compared to other conductive materials that could be used for shielding. He had rejected brass because of the interference it caused with the signal, and wanted to reject gold-plated covers for the same reason but apparently got out-voted by the marketing department.
EMGs tend to be really silent IME - I would probably not bother with the shielding paint unless you had a noise issue. But if you felt you had to add it, I wouldn't hesitate to do so. Just don't use a steel plate or anything like that!
You're welcome. Or I'm sorry. Or something.
My usual method for dealing with option-paralysis is to obsess for days over all possible configurations, and then choose the one my wife likes
Somehow I wasn't subscribed to this thread so am just catching up now. That is a seriously fine looking bass. Easily my favorite out of everything you have done. And all that spalt... so good.
I was fitting the neck to the body today and noticed how light but still nicely balanced it felt overall, so I weighed it with a bag holding all of the parts and pieces. I know, I know, I couldn't help myself. 6.8 lbs so I'm still happy.
I know, I know, I couldn't help myself. 6.8 lbs so I'm still happy.
When I first cut open that log, I was like Homer here:
I have two more bookmatched sets and one slipmatched. As you can see though, it's very hard to keep it looking bookmatched since it's so punky.
I finished carving and sanding the neck. I sanded to 220, then raised the grain, sanded 280, another grain raise and 320 since I'm using an epoxy sealcoat. This is system three general epoxy applied by hand with nitrile gloves, rubbing on a very thin coat. I'll sand this back and possibly do a second coat depending on the coverage.
I like that use of epoxy. Do you leave a thin coat, or sand through the coat till you hit the wood and leave it as filled pores? Or does the thinner epoxy (the last stuff I used was thicker than toothpaste) absorb into the wood somewhat, similar to oil or a thin varnish?
Usually I just sand it smooth, so in some spots, it's a coating over the wood and in other spots it's mostly just grain filler. On this instrument, I'm using a water-based finish, so I'll sand it smooth, but not expose the wood, as I'm looking for the ambering effect to help the grain look nice under finish. It has more of an effect on the cherry which has much more open grain, but it provides a smooth hard base for finish after. It's pretty viscous so it penetrates more than some epoxies.
According to my notes on penetration, it penetrates little compared to thinner liquids though, but I've noted depth of 0.2mm in maple, 0.4mm in cherry, and 0.5mm in walnut. I've got other woods in my chart, but those are primarily what I use. A few years back I did a bunch of test pieces with various sealers and finishes to see how much they penetrate and recorded the results in a little reference chart here. By comparison, tru-oil got 0.7mm deep in maple, which is pretty far considering the closed grain. It got over 1mm deep in red oak for example, which is much more open grain.
I hate to be the "sidebar' guy, but, Mothman needs souls, not just blood. Please carry on.
Ah, that could explain a lot as I sold my soul decades ago. He seems satiated with blood at the moment though, so knock on wood!
I sanded back the epoxy sealcoat on the neck today and did not break through, so the coverage is still even and now smooth. I'll start with the final finish tomorrow I think.
I also got a first (and hopefully final) coat of epoxy on the body today. Interesting how much darker the treble side piece of cherry is, even though they are ends from the same board.
There's quite a bit of this large flame figure in the cherry all over it.
Tomorrow I'll sand and inspect and if it looks good, I'll start finish as well.
I'll start with the final finish tomorrow I think. I also got a first (and hopefully final) coat of epoxy on the body today. Interesting how much darker the treble side piece of cherry is, even though they are ends from the same board.
There's quite a bit of this large flame figure in the cherry all over it.
Tomorrow I'll sand and inspect and if it looks good, I'll start finish as well.
Well, things were good with the body, so I sanded it back with 320, wiped it down with iso and applied the first coat of finish on both neck and body. No pics, because I hung them up part way through the application, and there's no angle I can take of them where you don't see what a nightmare my workshop is, so... nah. Maybe later when I can stage things a bit.
Hang up a green blanket and take pics in front of it.
Then you can dub in any background you want.
Then you can dub in any background you want.