My RCA-4 Build :-)

[Gary B]

Hello everyone.
Starting this thread to document the build of my 'Ric' bass. I intend to do a good job of it so expect progress to be slow.
I have built a Tele from a kit before which went through a few manifestations before ending up like this:-

If I remember right the Tele came with everything pre-drilled originally so I expect the bass will be more of a challenge with having to locate the neck and bridge.
I think I am going to build it as it comes apart from the cheapy ebay bridge I have bought which I think looks better than the one supplied.
Obligatory test fit pic :-

One thing is for sure - it will be stereo so first question is has anyone else on here done that? I am chewing over whether to do it with a second jack socket or a single stereo one with a switch for mono / stereo as this guy has done https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QnwT7Pjwv3Y
see around 10 minutes in to the vid.
Electrics is my least favoured subject in guitar building / modifying so any advise or suggestions gratefully received :-)
Other than that, I cant decide what to do for finish yet. IMHO Fireglo is [I]the[I] classic Ric finish but I don't particularly like it and don't fancy my chances of doing a decent DIY job of it.
I want to bring out the grain so, probably going for Wudtone of some description but still no idea what!

To finish for now just want to say how impressed I am with the quality of the kit - the routing of the body and cut outs is super sharp and what an amazing job has been done on the builds on here. The bar is set very high.

Let the adventure begin :-)

Gary

[Fretworn]

Welcome Gary. the electronics is my least favourite part of a build as well. Wudtone is a great product to start your guitar finishing journey with. Easy to use and great results. Some of the colours (Black Magic Woman, and the greens and blues) can give a less consistent finish. Browns, reds and yellows seem to be the best choice if you have any uncertainty. When using Wudtone you need to make sure that you deal with any glue spots first as these won't stain.

[WeirdBits]

Welcome Gary. I think there have been a few people on here who have contemplated doing a stereo RC, but I can't recall anyone actually doing it (could be wrong).

First thing you need to decide is if you want twin jacks or just one, as that will determine how your mono/stereo is controlled (via a switched stereo jack or just a mini toggle switch). You will also need a Switchcraft style 3-way toggle switch as the pickup selector as you can separate its outputs/poles for the stereo, rather than the combined output of the stock switch. That way you have your volume/tone for each pickup, then the pickup selector, then the mono/stereo split as required.

Once you work out exactly what you want we can help you work out how to do it.

[Gary B]

Thanks for the tips regarding Wudtone Fretworn.

Scott, thank you for your comments.
Having looked at the location for the jack socket relative to the control cavity I think that to use two sockets they would ideally need to be positioned either side of the existing. Could be done by filling the existing hole with a piece of dowel and then drilling two new ones but this would be stretching my woodworking skills a bit too far.
So decision made to stick with single jack and have a stereo / mono switch.
This means I need to acquire a few bits - stereo jack socket, Switchcraft style toggle switch (thanks for that info Scott) and a mini toggle for the stereo / mono switch.

[JohnH]

Nice kit Gary, hope you enjoy the build!

[Andy40]

I second that JohnH, nice kit Gary.

[Gary B]

Quick question - I have had the neck clamped in place to make a start on locating the bridge.
I know some people had problems with the end of the heel being out of square and needing some remedial work.
I have this problem but only to the tune of around 1mm resulting in a small tapered gap like this:-

Apologies, really bad phone pic.
Anyway, is this worth worrying about or will the gap just fill with glue when I come to fit the neck properly.

Another question while I'm here - I have seen differing opinions on how best to set the saddles when locating the bridge, either in the middle of their adjustment or towards the end. What is the latest thinking on that?

Thanks in advance for any comments
Gary

[Andy40]

Hi Gary,

First, I'd like to say that I have not done a RC build. so my comments are quite general.

The square of the heel does not need to butt up against the pup rout. That being said I would probably shim it with pieces of veneer because I am OCD like that.

I also don't think that how square it is to the pup rout is a good indication of whether the neck is in line. I would first make sure that the positioning of the neck does not impede the neck pup surround and that pickguard. then get the bridge placement right in accordance with the scale length. maybe sit it there with some double sided tape

I would then use two pieces of string (or fishing line) in the high and low string saddles to run from the bridge, through the nut and to the machine heads. then use that method to align the neck and the bridge so it is square and the the high and low strings run equally down the neck.

Theres a good photo of this method on Marcel's black SG.

Thats one way of doing it, happy to stand corrected on a better method.

[Gary B]

Thank you Andy.
I did test fit the neck pup and pickguard. As it happens the neck can only move a few mm backwards and forwards as I think the heel and socket are slightly tapered. It is a very nice fit. The pup has plenty of room to adjust to suit wherever the neck ends up.
Having offered everything up again it looks like the neck is best moved further from the body as the pickguard then follows the body shape better and looking at photos of other builds the frets meet the body at the right spot.
Having done that I then did what you suggested and lined the bridge up using some cotton thread.
Everything seems to line up sweetly :-



So I have marked out positions for the bridge and pickguard screws.
I am going to leave it there for now then go back and test fit everything again before getting the drill out.
Measure twice, cut once!! :-)

Now off to do some research into levelling and dressing the frets as I want to do that before starting sanding.

I must make an effort to take some better photos from now on!

[Gary B]

Further progress has ben made.
I set everything up again to re-check positions and have now drilled fixing holes for the bridge and pickguard.

Not something I have attempted before but encouraged by the advise on here I have levelled and dressed the frets.
I managed this with stuff I had lying around - a piece of aluminium angle that I had previously cut into two flat strips (for a long forgotten project of some sort). One strip was perfect length for the fret board so I used an angle grinder to cut slots for the frets and it made a perfect straight edge.
The neck had a convex curve amounting to about 3mm over its length which I thought was a lot but took only a minor tweak of the truss rod to get it straight.
I had a long spirit level that I was able to use with some emery cloth stuck to it to check the frets for level.
They were pretty good but a couple were low which meant the majority needed a little height taken off. Even so only took 10-15 mins to do this.
Then used a triangular file which I also had already to re-crown the frets. This was a bit tedious but even so only took an hour or so.
I then went through a few grades of emery down to 1200 before using wire wool then metal polish.
A very satisfying job and I am pleased with the result.
Don't have any pics as I masked the fingerboard straight away to protect it when I start sanding.

A couple of bits have arrived - Switchraft toggle (cost nearly 10% of the price of the guitar :-)) and stereo jack so am giving some thought to how they will be made to work.

Next up is the sanding :-)