Summer Solstice Sunburst Triple J - Summer Build Off 2024

[Barticus]

Summer Solstice Sunburst Triple J

Scratch build
So anybody that knows me, knows I am completely anti old-school traditional sunburst. Purple or blue burst? Sure! so here’s my take on what a sunburst should really look like…

3D model rendering

Here’s a quick rundown on the specs:

• Headless with “Barticus Bunny Ears” so it can hang in a regular guitar stand
  
• Swamp ash body with figured, maple top, and other woods mixed in for color (red heart + yellow heart) red veneer layer
• Chakte Kok finger board / EVO Gold frets
• Riviera tuners
• EMG Js
• EMG BQC preamp
  
• Multi-lam neck (Wenge, Paduak or Spectraply) with 2-way Hotrod and carbon rods and Bruce-bar threaded brass inserts for neck bolts

Required “pile-o-parts”

But you say, where is the Sunburst in this? That will emerge in the coming weeks as progress is shown, stay tuned you’ve never seen a sun “burst” like this one yet.

 

[ctmullins]

Came for the bunny ears, stayed for the Riviera hardware.

 

[Barticus]

Came for the bunny ears, stayed for the Rivera hardware.

 

[MovinTarget]

I'm curious about the tuners as well considering the squarish routes on the body!

 

[Barticus]

And so it begins… I had time to glue up the book-matched top for this one tonight.

I’ll run through the drum sander tomorrow and begin the “sun” burst process

 

[Barticus]

Sanded down to an appropriate thickness now.

 

[Nightsprinter]

"anti old-school traditional sunburst"

my man

 

[scuzzy]

in before burst.

 

[ardgedee]

I'm curious about the tuners as well considering the squarish routes on the body!

Riviera tuners? Instead of a straight pull they pull downwards into the body.
RBBS - Headless bass bridge - RIVIERA
They have interesting string locks for the headpiece too, where the string clamp has a thumbwheel rather than a bare screw head. Product page only has 3D renderings rather than photos so I don't know if it's in production yet.

 

[MovinTarget]

Riviera tuners? Instead of a straight pull they pull downwards into the body.
RBBS - Headless bass bridge - RIVIERA
They have interesting string locks for the headpiece too, where the string clamp has a thumbwheel rather than a bare screw head. Product page only has 3D renderings rather than photos so I don't know if it's in production yet.

Well, perhaps @Barticus got in on the maiden production run!

 

[Barticus]

The ones you’re referring to are the headstock string lockers, which are pretty big and would be used on a false head stock. I’m using the petite version which requires a route through the headpiece and the clamping screw is accessible from behind. In my designs, I always opt for lightweight vs big and bulky where possible.

 

[Barticus]

I'm curious about the tuners as well considering the squarish routes on the body!

The reason I’m using these tuners, for this particular build is really focused on keeping more of the surface of the ornate top visible.

These tuners take up the least amount of space in comparison to Hipshot, Nova, etc.. I have all of these tuners in my workshop and I’ve positioned each of them on multiple bodies and I think the Riviera is will be the most elegant for the build. I’m doing here.

This will all make more sense when I start posting photos of the sun burst that I’m working on

 

[ardgedee]

The ones you’re referring to are the headstock string lockers, which are pretty big and would be used on a false head stock. I’m using the petite version which requires a route through the headpiece and the clamping screw is accessible from behind. In my designs, I always opt for lightweight vs big and bulky where possible.
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I assumed you were using the smaller ones because of the spacing. Got distracted by the bigger ones because they hadn't been on Riviera's site last time I looked. I do like the idea of allowing for string changes without tools or specialty strings, IMO that's probably one of the biggest problems with headless basses.

 

[Barticus]

I assumed you were using the smaller ones because of the spacing. Got distracted by the bigger ones because they hadn't been on Riviera's site last time I looked. I do like the idea of allowing for string changes without tools or specialty strings, IMO that's probably one of the biggest problems with headless basses.

Yeah, agree. Maybe I can replace the Allen screws that are accessible from the backside with some small thumb screws. That’s a great idea!

 

[ctmullins]

Yeah, agree. Maybe I can replace the Allen screws that are accessible from the backside with some small thumb screws. That’s a great idea!

That is a great idea! But I think you would need to space the locations out more, to allow room for chubby fingers and thumbs to operate the thumbscrews...

 

[andruca]

Curious as to how you're wiring those 3 J pickups. Versatility vs. humcancelling debate in my head is what keeps me from trying 3 pickup configurations in my cheap parts builds (i.e. I'd love to put together a Jino Jazz inspired "rat rod" creature).

 

[Barticus]

That is a great idea! But I think you would need to space the locations out more, to allow room for chubby fingers and thumbs to operate the thumbscrews...

I could possibly offset 2 of them (E & D) a bit forward to accommodate, but then I think of the practicality of the small head on a small screw (2.5-3mm) and think it's not that valuable, for a string change I'd rather have the torque of the allen key.

 

[Barticus]

Curious as to how you're wiring those 3 J pickups. Versatility vs. humcancelling debate in my head is what keeps me from trying 3 pickup configurations in my cheap parts builds (i.e. I'd love to put together a Jino Jazz inspired "rat rod" creature).

Pretty simple actually, these are EMGs so no single coil hum involved and I'll only have a single switch for back pickup selection.

• Blend control pans from neck to bridge position
• Toggle switch controls only the back 2 pickups
  • up - front pickup
  • middle - both pickups
  • down - back pickup

 

[logdrum]

Awesome - I love this design

I feel like a poser assembling bass from parts even though I have learned how to reshape a neck.

I have to always tell myself, I assembled, I assembled.

 

[Fender_Bender]

I think the carbon rods will be overkill.