Winter 2017 Build Off - Padauk Single Cut

[lbridenstine]

I'm starting this thread as a commitment to do the challenge, but I won't be able to start building for a little bit. I will try to meet the deadline though.

I've been playing my first build in the new band I'm in and it's been bugging me because I know that I can make something much better now. My first build is the only fretted bass I have and I don't think I could pull off fretless in this. So... I gotta make myself a new bass!

I'm still planning, so some things might change, but this is most likely what I'll be building:

-4 string, fretted, 24 frets
-Single cut, neck thru
-Long ziricote fretboard
-Padauk top, with a layer of wenge underneath it
-Black limba body
-Wenge/maple/padauk/maple/wenge neck laminates
-Luminlay side dots
-No inlays on the face of the fretboard
-Soapbar pickups (?)
-Hipshot D style bridge and tailpiece
-Hipshot Ultralite tuners (Y shape)
-Black hardware
-Electroform headstock decal

Challenges:
-Haven't worked with padauk before and haven't figured out what finish to use to protect the color yet
-Extended length fretboard
-Will probably have to make a radiusing jig for the fretboard
-Angled neck on a neck thru
-Time and money

New to me:
-New tools
-New design
-Single cut bass
-Luminlays
-Chamferred edge on the front
-Bigger carve on the heel transition

So far I have the padauk for the top and neck and the black limba for the body. I'll update when I get started or decide to post wood shots.

 

[Beej]

This sounds excellent, can't wait to see it start...

 

[mapleglo]

I'm looking forward to see your progress. Sub'd.

 

[fjadams]

Always like watching your work.

 

[PDX Rich]

Sounds cool!

One thing I am curious about is neck break angle. On my last neck through build I left it out as I thought the heights of the fingerboard (where it joins the body wings) and the height of the bridge made the break angle unnecessary. In build examples I had seen before, folks would generally add the slight break angle if they were using a rather tall bridge such as a Tune-O-Matic style.

That being said, I'd love to know a simpler way of cutting the break in the neck blank! Seems one would need to make the whole neck blank thicker as to facilitate the body wing thickness once the angle had been cut out.

Love the material selection! I'd only worked with paduak for a kitchen backsplash/accent wall. I felt it sanded pretty well to 220 (despite all of the orange dust). I had used a hand-applied Tru Oil to finish and it came out gorgeous without the need for too many coats!

 

[charlie monroe]

I can certainly make time in my life to follow another LAB build.

I'm in.

 

[rwkeating]

Just FYI, everything I've read about padauk says that there is no finish that will stop the wood from getting darker over time. It is still a cool looking wood, but don't get your hopes up for keeping that just cut orange color If am wrong (and I'd love to be in this case,) please post a finish that will preserve the color.

 

[lbridenstine]

Thanks everyone! Update: I bought the ziricote. I should be able to get 3-5 fretboards out of it. The padauk I got for the neck should have a lot of leftovers as well.

Sounds cool!

One thing I am curious about is neck break angle. On my last neck through build I left it out as I thought the heights of the fingerboard (where it joins the body wings) and the height of the bridge made the break angle unnecessary. In build examples I had seen before, folks would generally add the slight break angle if they were using a rather tall bridge such as a Tune-O-Matic style.

That being said, I'd love to know a simpler way of cutting the break in the neck blank! Seems one would need to make the whole neck blank thicker as to facilitate the body wing thickness once the angle had been cut out.

Love the material selection! I'd only worked with paduak for a kitchen backsplash/accent wall. I felt it sanded pretty well to 220 (despite all of the orange dust). I had used a hand-applied Tru Oil to finish and it came out gorgeous without the need for too many coats!

Yeah, that's the same reason I didn't end up putting angles on the seven strings I have in progress. The bridges are low enough that it didn't seem like I could put an angle. I kind of want one on this one, so I'm actually just making the fretboard a little lower where it connects to the body so I have room for it, but it's still going to be a very small angle.

I think I probably will just have to factor in the thickness in the body section and cut the angle on it. I haven't thought of another approach yet, but maybe I'll have to do some searching.

Thanks for reminding me about orange dust. I hope the layers of wenge in between padauk and the lighter woods will keep it from staining them.

Just FYI, everything I've read about padauk says that there is no finish that will stop the wood from getting darker over time. It is still a cool looking wood, but don't get your hopes up for keeping that just cut orange color If am wrong (and I'd love to be in this case,) please post a finish that will preserve the color.

Haven't looked into it much yet, but I expect it to get darker over time. If there is something that will keep the fresh orange/red, that'd be great, if not then I'll deal. I think it has a nice enough look to it where it would still look good anyway.

Here's my top:

 

[I-Am-The-Slime]

I've heard that the browning is caused by compound that discolors over time (photosensitive? oxidation?), covering the orange, not the orange itself changing. One could supposedly get some of this compound out of the wood by soaking with solvents like acetone, leaving the orange behind to last (longer at least). I forget where I got this, so it's complete interwebs hearsay, take it with a grain of salt I never tried it on my paduak top and it is definitely getting darker/browner already (Tru-Oil).

 

[wraub]

Subbed...

 

[lbridenstine]

I've heard that the browning is caused by compound that discolors over time (photosensitive? oxidation?), covering the orange, not the orange itself changing. One could supposedly get some of this compound out of the wood by soaking with solvents like acetone, leaving the orange behind to last (longer at least). I forget where I got this, so it's complete interwebs hearsay, take it with a grain of salt I never tried it on my paduak top and it is definitely getting darker/browner already (Tru-Oil).

Hmm, I'll have to look into that.

How long ago did you finish your padauk?

For now, I'm doing my best to keep the padauk I have out of sunlight. Although, I assume when I sand it on the bass it would probably reveal the orange again anyway if it did darken?

 

[lbridenstine]

Update: Wenge is on order. In case anyone is interested, gilmerwood.com took down their order minimum thru the 31st.

 

[I-Am-The-Slime]

I could already notice a difference when I took the bridge off after a month, to add more layers to my finish. It's now been more than 9 months since the first Tru-Oil application and I'd say it's now more brown than orange... still purdy though

 

[lbridenstine]

I could already notice a difference when I took the bridge off after a month, to add more layers to my finish. It's now been more than 9 months since the first Tru-Oil application and I'd say it's now more brown than orange... still purdy though

Any before and after pictures? Also, how much did the color change from the tru-oil as you were applying the finish initially?

 

[I-Am-The-Slime]

The Tru-Oil went on in post #40 here, it was a good day
Hackjob; adding a padauk top

Here is a pic with the bridge removed 1 or 2 months post first application

(that blue tape is on there to protect the shielding-paint around the bridge ground-wire from the coming extra coats of Tru-Oil)

Here are some pix I took just now, hard to compare the color of cell-phone images, though...

The control cavity covers are still the most orange in person.

I need to update that thread...

 

[lbridenstine]

The Tru-Oil went on in post #40 here, it was a good day
Hackjob; adding a padauk top

...


The control cavity covers are still the most orange in person.

I need to update that thread...

Cool, thanks for sharing! I can definitely still see the orange in the covers and somewhat on the top too, but yeah, it's really changing color.

Right now, I'm thinking maybe I'll start out with a test on a cutoff of platina blonde shellac with water based lacquer over it and see how that looks. I might stay away from anything oil based on this project for the sake of trying to keep the color more true (not adding an ambering effect) with the initial finish since it's pretty vibrant.

 

[GMC]

I have a paduak bodied bass which I built nearly 15 years ago and the colour is just a vibrant as when I oiled it. The trick is to put it into a guitar case when it's not in use. It's the UV from sunlight that turns it brown over time. So I simply put mine away and keep it away from light exposure when it's not in use. I used Rustin's finishing oil on mine, it's got the least colour shift that I've found. If you re-sand the surface, you will bring back the colour, but it depends on how deep the oxidisation has occurred.

 

[lbridenstine]

I have a paduak bodied bass which I built nearly 15 years ago and the colour is just a vibrant as when I oiled it. The trick is to put it into a guitar case when it's not in use. It's the UV from sunlight that turns it brown over time. So I simply put mine away and keep it away from light exposure when it's not in use. I used Rustin's finishing oil on mine, it's got the least colour shift that I've found. If you re-sand the surface, you will bring back the colour, but it depends on how deep the oxidisation has occurred.

That's good to know. I'd like to not have to leave it in a case though.

 

[lbridenstine]

 

[lbridenstine]

The wenge is here. One board is going to be cut into neck stringers and the other will get sliced into the layer that goes under the padauk top, maybe one under the black limba on the back, and hopefully the headstock.

I bought a shelf for wood storage. It's looking pretty lonely right now with only the bass woods on it.

I wrapped the padauk in some of the cardboard that the shelf pieces came in to block the light for now.