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Tales from my workbench


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I've spent all of my spare time this past week working on this project. The honey-do list beckons, so I want to get this one wrapped up ASAP... so here are a few photos.

I spent a good deal of time going back over the contours and facets, refining curves, radii, etc. :D

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I like to weigh these after I'm done carving and sanding (with no hardware, obviously). This one came in at 6lb., 0.6oz, which is only a few ounces more than the previous 5 string fretless that I made. So I guess the headstock and frets could account for that. :)
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Yesterday I began work on the finish, which is Rubio Monocoat over an epoxy sealer. This is the same finish that I used on my last bass build and is a very "close to the wood finish", so wood pores are left exposed (although they are sealed). 

Here are a couple of teaser preview pics. :D

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I love the way this finish just makes the wood glow. I should have full shots in a few days. :)

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Well, I just finished this one up. Here is a summary of the details...

Specifications:
Scale: 34"
Neck-through contruction: 13 laminates in the main neck beam with dual truss rods, heel adjust
Neck material: Hard maple, padauk, black poplar 
Headstock: Claro walnut burl face with ebony accents
Fretboard: Heart and sap cocobolo
Fretboard radius: 12"
Nut: Stainless zero fret and Tusq nut
Frets: Stainless jumbo
Side position markers: Mother of pearl
Body wings: In order from top to back; Claro walnut burl, black poplar, alder core, black poplar, mahogany, katalox with matched inlaid control cover
Body thickness: 1.5"
Finish: Rubio Monocoat over epoxy seal coat
Tuners: Gotoh Resolite bass tuners, small and medium 510 series guitar tuners
Bridge and tailpiece: Sung Il
Strings: D'Addario Nickel Wound XL .018-.100 
Pickups: 2 Lace 3.5" Bass Bars
Electronics: Aguilar OBP-3 preamp, additional stereo passive output
Electronics layout: Stacked volumes, stacked bass/treble, mid with push/pull select. Coil split switch for each pickup and output jack selection switch (one output from OBP-3, one passive stereo output) 
Weight: 8lb 12oz

It turned out pretty much how I had envisioned it. Surprisingly, the weight is not bad, but of course it is a bit head heavy as all 12 strings are. It plays amazingly well with very low action. I'm still getting used to the technique required and I sometimes struggle to mute all of the strings when necessary.

I think it sounds fantastic. There are a lot of sound options with 2 output jacks. I can bypass the internal preamp and use a stereo cord to run each pickup to separate amps for a cool clean/dirty sound. I couldn't find a way to do this with active output short of installing 2 preamps... :D I'm am including a couple of sound clips. I apologize in advance for the sound quality, my digital interface starting making strange noises and I didn't want to bother with troubleshooting, but I think you'll get the idea. 

Here are some photos and sound clips.

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Of course this one has to be included with a 12 string build. :D

 

 

Edited by slingblader
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On 9/21/2022 at 3:57 PM, Dave Scepter said:

Absolutely breathtaking 😍 

 

On 9/21/2022 at 4:27 PM, G Man said:

Damn man, that is a serious work of art, and nice demos as well.  Love everything about this build, but for the fact that it isn't being shipped to me.

 

20 hours ago, cmatthes said:

That kicks a LOT of ass.

 

Thanks, guys, I appreciate it! I'm super happy with this build. It plays so much better than I had hoped for, it's pretty amazing actually. Although, this is the first 12 that I've played, so there's that... :D

 

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17 minutes ago, JGale said:

😮 what's the string pull on a twelve-string like that one?

According to the rear panel on the pack of strings... 418lbs!!!! 

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I can absolutely say that I'm glad I used 2 truss rods. They handle the tension with authority, only tightened about 3/4 of a turn past the point where they were snugged up enough not to rattle. 

South Park on Twitter: "Maybe THIS will teach you to RESPECT MY  AUTHORITAH!!! http://t.co/BdTiCYWpEm" / Twitter

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  • 3 months later...

It's been a while since I've updated this thread. Been busy with work and the holidays, but getting ready to start another project. This one is going to be a multi-scale bass. Overall, this is going to be my take on the Gibson RD body style, mashed up with the Firebird/Thunderbird. 

This is my first multi-scale instrument, so keep your expectations low. I only have a vague idea of where this is going and what I'm doing (sounds like the intro to Stonehenge by Spinal Tap) but nevertheless, I'm going to take a stab at it. 

Here are a couple pictures of some piles of wood before I start. 

Some preliminary picks for neck and top wood... also some hardware and a crapload of binding for some reason.

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Primary body wood will likely be poplar. Here's a big 'ol chonk.
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This started as a straight up RD outline (and has changed a bit since this photo). I like the new version as it reflects a lot of other instruments.
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So, here are some generalities... all of which may change. :D

  • 4 Strings
  • 36.25-34" E and G scale lengths (this is the only spec that will not change)
  • Bolt on neck (I think)
  • Overall color is white (Maybe sorta, kinda)
    • There are a lot of variables and tests that I want to do before I commit to the scheme that is in my noggin
  • Poplar body (yep, so likely a solid color over this portion)
  • Quilt maple top (maybe... it depends on said tests)
  • Maple, mahogany, bloodwood neck (likely)
  • Top bound body (thinking reverse LP Custom)
  • Bound neck and headstock (also reverse LP Custom)
  • Hardware color is black.... or gold. (I bought both, don't judge me)
  • Individual bridges (for obvious reasons)
  • 2 Lace Bass bars pickups (absolutely)
  • Audere 4 band active preamp (I think so... I bought it used and have not tested it... so it's a definite maybe)

Stay tuned, more to come. :) 

 

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Got a little time out in the garage tonight and decided to start prepping fretboard and body material. That way I can let that material set after it's cut and I can go back to working on the templates. 

Flattened one side of a piece of pale moon ebony.

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Took it to the band saw and cut it up into fretboard blanks
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Also rough cut some poplar for the body.
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More soon. :)

 

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On 1/20/2023 at 10:32 AM, Steve Haynie said:

I like the look of that light ebony.  (Thank you, Bob Taylor!)  Can you feel a difference between that and the all dark ebony?

Yeah, it's cool stuff. I haven't actually machined it down yet, it's still just in rough blanks, but a lot of guys use it. According to the Wood Database, black and white ebony is actually a different variety (or whatever you call it), but it is a true ebony from the Diospyros family.

https://www.wood-database.com/black-and-white-ebony/

 

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On 1/20/2023 at 1:19 PM, JGale said:

Jeepers. You're good with those things, those French Curves we called them? I opted for the lead filled snake, like a cheater I suppose..

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Thanks! I actually just draw and fair the lines freehand. This leaves the lines looking a little "sketchy", so I match up the French curves to the drawing so that I can put in solid lines. If you look closely, you can see that I note the curve number around the perimeter for future reference. :) I really need to buy one of those flexy drawing tools like you're talking about, that would help a lot!

The way that I go about this is that I start by drawing out a centerline and an accurate outline of the neck. I mark the nut, 12th fret, end of fretboard and the scale length. When I work on the body, I divide it into "quarters" and use a sheet of printer paper for each quarter. (aligned along the centerline, then taped at each far end) Then, I can make changes and try different ideas and just flip the pages back and forth to see how they work together. 

As an example, here is an earlier version.

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And then I changed out the treble side horn.
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And this is pretty much where I ended up, but before I solidified with the French curves. You can see some of the other outlines peeking through the paper.
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Once I was satisfied with this, I taped the pages together and traced it onto a single piece of paper, which is the picture you see above with the French curves. I then slid that new copy under the main drawing and traced it yet again which completed the overall outline of the guitar. 

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Sorry, that was probably a lot more information than you wanted. :D

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Here is a little more progress to report.

Jointed and glued up the body blank.

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Flattened it on the drum sander.
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Ready to cut out the body outline.
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Prepped material for the neck. Hard maple, mahogany and bloodwood.
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Clamping jig and glue ready to go.
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All clamped up.
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