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Hi there.
I just received my kit to build a fretless bass guitar. This is the first guitar I have owned, so I'm pretty excited about the build. I have done quite a bit of woodwork before and I'm an electronics tradesman, so the build doesn't seem daunting at all. I'm going to take my time and do it "properly".
See you around,
Nathan.
Welcome to the forum Nathan!
Welcome along Nathan - feel free to ask any questions! We love photos - especially us low enders (bass players)...
Hi Nathan and welcome to the forum. Hopefully everything should go nice and smoothly for you.
Welcome. It's not so much the woodworking as it is painting, staining, lacquering etc. You'll be fine I'm sure
Welcome aboard Nathan! Keen to see what you cook up.
Welcome Nathan, you are embarking on an exciting journey and lots of help/advise in this forum
Ok, quite a bit of progress now. I decided (bravely?) to try a challenging burst by hand. Red mahogany in the centre and a semi-dark black on the outside. I started by sanding for a few days. I never knew 320 and 400 grit for timber even existed before this project, although I've done mirror finish on steel by hand several times, most recently on an anvil of all things. Hey, don't get any fingerprints on my anvil! Anyways, I practiced with the stain on hardwood ply a few times before tackling the guitar. I found that with a mix of 1 part stain and 2 parts colour reducer you can actually move the location and blend of the burst with a reasonable amount of control. The mix of the black and mahogany even turned out to be a pleasant walnut brown colour. What I couldn't control at all was the parts of the timber that were too thirsty for the stain. These just stayed whatever colour you first applied. Overall, I think the final result is ok. Even if I just went with a single colour it would still look patchy because of the thirsty bits.
I'm going to leave the stain to dry for 4 or 5 days. I have gloss poly to finish the body later.
So, on to the neck. I'm planning on using Scandinavian oil on the back. It produces a fairly dry feel. Not sticky at all. What's the word on finishing the fingerboard? I'm assuming that I should leave it totally unfinished, particularly for a fretless beast. This being the first guitar of any sort I have owned I really don't know about these choices. Am I on the right track?
Hi Nathan, welcome to the forum. Have you started a build diary in that section ? Would love to see some pics of the progress. Is it a P or J bass you are building and is it 4 or 5 string ?
The fingerboard needs at least 2 coats of thin superglue applied and once dried sanded. You need to protect the fingerboard from the strings making all that contact. Also order a set of flatwound strings for it. Best of luck
Thanks wokkaboy. I've made a new thread in the build diary section.