yb-4 Midnight

[Tim]

This will be my second build, but my first PBG build.
Will now be playing in a more familiar territory with only 1 neck and 4 strings.
The kit is fantastic , all the parts are there the body and neck look great and everything fits well.
Did a basic mock up with the parts I will be keeping .
Will be replacing some of the hardware with after market parts, which shall be posted as the build moves along.
Will start with sanding, sanding and sanding, and start defretting the neck.
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/07/b14ew-20130728_105753.jpg
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[Gavin1393]

You have been hanging around DB too long! :)

[Tim]

LOL yes Gavin, but it is a positive influence and Fretless basses are so damn sexy.
Things are progressing a good afternoon of sanding,sanding, sanding, then some more sanding just for good measure.
The body is coming up a treat. Just got to wait for the mail man now for my goodies. Then I can drill some holes, then wudtone. During this waiting time I can start on the next and its defretting and reMOPing.. Fun times

[Tim]

:D neck was defoliated today with the plastic nut , frets and fret markers removed.Behold tbe fretless beauty
Neck was then sanded and leveled.
New Mop inlays are now been placed and organized for gluing
Now waiting for more goodies
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[Brendan]

Beautiful work Tim... Where'd you get the MOP inlays for the frets?

[Gavin1393]

Www.mopsupplies.com would be my guess......

[Bass Guy]

Love it!!

[Tim]

Yep mop supplies would be a good guess

[rhay]

Nice start, very neat idea.

[dingobass]

The most fun job I had so far this week.... removing speed humps off a Bass neck :)

[Gavin1393]

/<\\/p>[]<\\/p>/Quote from dingobass on July 31, 2013, 18:53
The most fun job I had so far this week.... removing speed humps off a Bass neck :)


Try not to have too much fun this week, my Hofner likes its frets!

Looking like a great project in the making here!

[Tim]

is that your Psychedelic fretless Hofner in the DB man cave Gav.. Very nice

[Gavin1393]

If you are refering to the concho pink/ amaranthine!/ azure lagoon burst with a fretless neck then yes, that could be mine.....

[dingobass]

And lets not forget the pwetty pink Abalone dots and Rainbow headstock inlay.

[Gavin1393]

/<\\/p>[]<\\/p>/Quote from dingobass on July 31, 2013, 23:33
And lets not forget the pwetty pink Abalone dots and Rainbow headstock inlay.

Ah!! Pink firewood! My favourite.

[Tim]

:D happy times the mail man arrived today with most of my new hardware.
Black Gotoh machine heads
Black Gotoh neck plate
Black Gotoh jack plate
Black control knobs
And my favourite the black Babicz full contact bridge
Now it can start going together.
First locate the neck and bridge set those in place..
Drill holes for all hardware

http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/ap25a-20130805_173010.jpg
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[pablopepper]

That's some nice hardware right there. Good choice.

[dingobass]

Noice, very noice.

[gavinturner]

Black hardware looks awesome Tim. Which Wudtone finsh are you going with?

Cheers,
Gavin.

[Tim]

Black magic woman ... Gavin
Bit of a theme going on

[gavinturner]

That's bloody cool. Can't wait to see it. :)

[Brendan]

Tim - looking hot - can't wait to see the outcome...

[Fretworn]

So black body, black hardware. I'll assuming you'll use those black coated strings as well? Will the neck be black too?

[Tim]

/<\\/p>[]<\\/p>/Quote from Fretworn on August 6, 2013, 11:18
So black body, black hardware. I'll assuming you'll use those black coated strings as well? Will the neck be black too?


If they made flat wound bass strings in black probably would.
Neck will be stained darker ,will see how dark at the time.

[Bass Guy]

If they made flat wound bass strings in black probably would.
Neck will be stained darker ,will see how dark at the time.

La Bella Tape wounds. Deep Talkin' set, they will set you right. Pricey, though...

[dingobass]

Or you can try D'Addario XL Nylon tapewound.

[Tim]

I shall look Into both sets ..cheers

[Tim]

:) Ok update time
First got my new nut files today ... very nice.

Put on the first coat of BLACK MAGIC WOMEN, rubbed in a nice thick layer to start with,
very happy with the first coat.
Now will leave till next week before tackling second coat.
Waiting on more goodies for the fretboard, so will start filing the nut into shape to keep the build moving forward.


http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/7z71m-1375968169624.jpg
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[dingobass]

Grasshopper, it is good to see you have embraced the teaching :)
Looks freaking AMAZING!

[Brendan]

Looking great Tim...

[Tim]

I have learnt oh wise DB

[Tim]

ok well after doing the first coat of black magic women last night and waiting for goodies to do the fretboard.
I have nothing else to do other than shape the nut.
So doing a template from the original plastic nut I have started the slow task of filing/shaping the new bone nut.
I will rough in the top and sides, leaving the bottom to give me room to adjust down once neck and body are back together and strings are floating across the rosewood.
The string notch's have been started but they will also be adjust at the last step..

[Tim]

Update time
Finally got a second coat on the body.
Wasnt happy with the first coat so virtualy sanded it back then started again.
Second first coat alot better :D so second coat just been done and its looking good
Got some goodies today so started gluing in the black pearl inlays in the old fret grooves.
On a happy note there was no fingers glued to anything in this process
Now to wait for some more goodies to complete the neck
And for the people who may ask I have included a piccy of the glue used
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/92887-20130814_210920.jpg
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/e3qgf-1376486536391.jpg

[Tim]

This time it should work
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/s8ic0-20130814_212615.jpg

[dingobass]

Nice one Mr Tim.... but for some reason the pic of the glub wont display :)

[dingobass]

Dammit, wasnt quick enough!

[Tim]

Update time..
MOre goodies rocked up this week so into the neck.
Filed all my MOP fret inlays level , still to be leveled with fretboard.
Cut out new pearl inlays to replace dots.
Marked them out then into the board then got stuck in with the dremel.
What fun that was.
Happy to say no mishaps :D
All glubbed in with the black super glub
Now will leave to dry and will start leveling on the weekend
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/ecxor-20130821_165729.jpg
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/hgz5c-20130821_182007.jpg

[dingobass]

Sensational work, Mr Tim!

[Bass Guy]

Wow! I love it!!

[Bass Guy]

Wow! I love it!! Gimme gimme...

[Brendan]

Nice job - love the phases of the moon motif... Goes great with Midnight...

[Gavin1393]

Really nice work on the fretboard!

[gavinturner]

Great work Tim - the fretboard theme is inspired!

[Scott J.]

Love the moon-phase markers, Tim ... tres cool!

How do you plan to treat the two empty sockets at 12th fret? ... I ask because I have bit of a hole (naturally occurring in the grain) on my fretboard and I'm still undecided as to how to tackle it

Scott J.

[stan]

wow Tim, that neck is coming up a treat, love it

[Tim]

/<\\/p>[]<\\/p>/Quote from Scott J. on August 22, 2013, 16:23
Love the moon-phase markers, Tim ... tres cool!

How do you plan to treat the two empty sockets at 12th fret? ... I ask because I have bit of a hole (naturally occurring in the grain) on my fretboard and I'm still undecided as to how to tackle it

Scott J.
Hi Scott
With the empty sockets I made up a mix of superglub and filings/sawdust from the fret board.
As I am staining the board black I used my black superglub
But the same process should work your clear glub.
Hope this helps

[robin]

Wow Tim, how did I miss this one. That is looking great.

I love how some of you guys are starting to do more than just kit assembly. By adding personal touches to your builds you are taking them out of the ordinary. Can't wait to see the progress on this build.

rob

[Tim]

Update time...
Neck has been sanded down and cleaned up .
A few minor little spots to fill .
Then some more sanding then staining.
Thats the good news.
Went to give the body a light steel wool
And start the first base coat.
Disaster
Find 2 gouges down each side of body :(
Not huge but enough to be noticeable and for me to sand back the body and start again...
Tear in the eye. But if its to be done right its got to be done.
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/uxn8j-20130824_152624.jpg

[dingobass]

O Poo.... How did that happen Mr Tim?

[Tim]

not sure.. maybe I was being punished for leaving Midnight outside last night... Bad parent

[Tim]

Ok well after finding some deep gouges down both sides of midnight. She has been stripped back to nothing :(
Not really sure what or how it happened, but it did so i have to deal with it and I think sanding back to the naked timber was the best option.
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/b46qr-20130825_102724.jpg
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[Scott J.]

That's a serious bummer, Tim :( ... sincere condolences to you

[iNSANE]

That sucks, that that you had to start again, Tim. Your build was coming along really well. I dig the black on black.

[Brendan]

Been there, done that so know the feeling... That said - it's going to look amazing...

[pablopepper]

Bummer, sucks to see hard work down the drain. Those inlays are amazing, Tim! This is going to be a great build.

[stan]

What a setback Tim, but I'm sure you'll make it come up well again

[gavinturner]

hey Tim,
sorry for your setback. Much better to take a day or two now though than to always regret not fixing it. Been there on every one of my projects so far - one of these days I'll have a project with no do-overs. Anyway, it's only *time* after all (and a bit of Wudtone). This is going to be one killer bass, and in the end you arent gonna want anything less than perfection!

cheers,
Gavin.

[Tim]

Well after the restrip of the body, thank you for all the kind comments.
I focused on the neck (or called waiting for new batch of BMW)
Sanded the neck and fretboard
Taped up the neck , really well (dont want any accidents)
And rubbed in a good layer of Fiebergs oil dye black into the fret board.
Will let that sit for awhile then will give it the final sandings and see what happens.
Did notice that the MOP fret inlays are brighter from the 7th fret towards the head stock. Strange but not a issue.


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[Tim]

For the people that wish to know what the dye is here is a pic
I will also be using this to stain the nut black

http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/v119a-1377574051962.jpg

[Brendan]

Tim - what about buffalo horn for the nut? How will staining the bone impact the integrity of the nut?

[gavinturner]

fretboard looks great Tim. I'm assuming you will need a finish over the dye?

cheers,
Gavin.

[Tim]

To be honest Brendan I am really not sure what going to happen to the nut. I have dyed a sample piece of which I was happy with.
Worse case I will make a new nut( and to be honest the quality of the player it wont be a big factor)
No Gavin no finish over the dye.
I sanded down to 240 rubbed the dye in ,left for an hour
gave a wipe over to remove any left overs (which were minimal)
then I will start sanding from 320 to 800 grit.
I am guessing that as I sand more of the grain will pop, which will be very cool

[WeirdBits]

That neck is looking great, can't wait to see it finished. Where did you source the Fiebing's?

[Tim]

Scott the Fiebings came from www.tandyleatherfactory.com.au
This is the same product that STEW MAC sell as ebonizer for fret boards.
A little bit goes a long way.
Thay also sell a wide range of colours so I can see these being used on the maple boards for something different.

[WeirdBits]

Yeah, I thought that's where you would have got it. Thanks.

[stan]

nice work on the neck

[dingobass]

The neck is coming up a treat Mr Tim.

[Tim]

Yer really happy how the neck is turning out

[Tim]

Yay I am back been awhile since I have been on here . So to recap third time the charm with the BMW onto base coat layer 3 so all is good :)
Will do another base coat then start with the top coats :D
Neck is coming along a treat
Fretboard has been sanded down to 800 grit
Neck has had colourless coats applied
Head has had its face BMWed
Now awaiting one water slide decal logo
Then onto the top coats

Then all the bits can come together

Then MIDNIGHT can get her voice installed

Then..........

http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/twow9-1379249969322.jpg
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[Brendan]

Looking awesome Tim. Great work. How far down the heel of the neck have you gone? Just remembered finding a little bit of unstained maple the first time I was going to put it together. Unfortunately it was on the bit of the heel that you see when you are looking down at your guitar when you're playing. Easily fixed, but a bit of a pain at the time.

[Tim]

Brendan , yes well covered on that count.
Learnt from that mistake on my twin neck (double the missed neck stain)

[Brendan]

Yeah - ouch!

[Tim]

:D Midnights logo has gone on ,
Now for some clear coats.
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/de20f-1379508372849.jpg

[dingobass]

Timmay! Looking fan-bloody-tastic!

[Brendan]

Tim - Fantastic work! Looking awesome!!

[Tim]

Shielding time...
Long road to this point but the end is nigh :)
Will start wiring up tonite.
Also have tagged the neck socket with the bass name and my guitar company 8-)
GOBLIN MOON GUITARS

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[gavinturner]

Looking great Tim. With your control cavity shielding, do you overlap the foil along the edge so that it contacts the shielding on the inside of the cavity cover (to create a complete faraday cage)..?

cheers,
Gavin.

[Tim]

no not as yet haven't done in the past
Is this something you have done Gavin

[gavinturner]

Yes I normally have some kind of electrical connection between all the shielded surfaces and then one of them connected to ground. I don't know if it is strictly necessary to connect them all up because I haven't done it any other way But I have *read* that the best shielding surrounds the hot signal wires on all sides (creating the mentioned faraday cage). It makes sense that these should be grounded to so that EM noise is whisked away..

[Tim]

Yer all shielded and grounded now.
Always pick something up with each build
Cheers for the Gavin

[Tim]

:D MIDNIGHT is together just need to string her up and finalize the nut..
One very happy camper
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/n3u4x-20131002_192920.jpg

[Tim]

Some more piccys of MIDNIGHT goodness
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/0e371-1380714006869.jpg
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[dingobass]

You can drop her off to me in the morning, Mr Tim :)

[Tim]

Um maybe no. :)
And a view from the backside
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/n3ia8-1380716467477.jpg
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/1c0r4-1380716488894.jpg

[Brendan]

Tim - oozing goodness! I'm guessing you've got a truss rod cover for it - to go on after the nut - Gav found out the hard way... Otherwise get ready for a visit from the BASS (Bass Acquisition and Salvage Squad) who should be around any minute now!

[gavinturner]

Awesome job Tim. She looks amazing. Will look even better strung-up!
Congrats!

cheers,
Gavin.

[Scott J.]

Tres magnifique, Mr Tim! ... a lovely piece of craftsmanship. Very impressed with the way the BMW colour has finished up and I'm still loving the job you did on that fretboard!. I hope we can look forward to seeing Midnight in GOTM soon - she'll certainly be giving everyone else a run for their money!

[Fretworn]

Beautiful. Good job. Now string her up and record her, so we can hear how she sounds.

[robin]

Wow Tim, she looks beautiful.

Love the fretboard inlays, the tasteful headstock treatment, and that BMW Wudtone body is so....well..... black. Definitely a GOTM contender in my books.

rob

[AJ]

simply stunning... also impressed big time with the fret dots..

[stan]

wow Tim, this is quality all the way - very nice job, so much great craftsmanship here

[Tim]

Wow thank you to everyone for the kind words. It has been a fun build and its nice to receive support encouragement from like minded people. One of the great joys of being part of the PBG clan

[Tim]

:D MIDNIGHT is ALIVE
Nut was stained and glubbed into place.
Strung up and makes noise in all the right places..
Happy days
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/x9qb6-IMG_0941.JPG

[Tim]

another shot
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/t277e-IMG_0899.JPG

[wokkaboy]

well done Tim that bass looks amazing, hope it plays as well as it looks. Nice upgrades and you nailed the black magic woman. You may need a padlock to stop DB 'aquiring' it !!

[stan]

awesome work Tim, it belongs in the beautiful guitars thread 8-)

[adam]

Hey Tim, that's really something special you've produced there. Any more photos of the completed beast?

[Tim]

:D will only let me do 1 at a time
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/jl0z8-IMG_0924.JPG

[Tim]

:D

[Tim]

8-)

[Tim]

now its just not putting them up swear swear swear

[Tim]

:( not sure whats going on pictures are not coming up

[adam]

How are you putting the pictures up Tim? Are you using the Picture icon in the Reply function, or are you linking to hosted pics?

[adam]

Tim, I think you pics are way too big, that's why they're not posting. Send them to me an I will put them up. adam@pitbullguitars.com

[Tim]

:D
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[Tim]

8-)
http://pitbullguitars.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/7wezd-IMG_0924-427x640-2.jpg
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[Brendan]

Tim - how'd the MOP inlays for the frets go? Can I ask what width you used (1.1mm, 1.3mm?) Are you happy with the outcome and was it a complete PITA to do? How about playability - has it had any impact (aside from being fretless)?
Just thinking about it for an IB-5 and worked out there's something like 70 odd inches of frets and I don't want to order that much gear and find myself .2 of a mm out :).

[lawry]

Ooooh. That is so cool Timbo. Black and fretless. Who could ask for more (except for an extra string, maybe ;-) ) Gorgeous.

[Tim]

Brendan the MOP inlays for fret markers work well. I think my biggest issues was that I had 2 different batches of strips, hence some are more visible than others. I used 2mm strips which seem to work out.
Glub wise I used stewmacs 20 black medium .
Playability its fine for me (still got my L plates on) but I cant see any problem with some decent playing

[lawry]

Just had another look at the beast. Still droolin'.

[Brendan]

Thanks heaps for that Tim. I may have to look into it really seriously... Never gone fretless before and I've heard once you do, there's no turning back...

[lawry]

It's true Brendan. Got a fretted in the cupboard that hasn't seen the light of day for many years.