Hi Michael, you should be able to buy a 6.35mm brad point drill bit, they aren't very expensive. Most dot markers should be available in 6.0 and 6.35mm sizes
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Hi Michael, you should be able to buy a 6.35mm brad point drill bit, they aren't very expensive. Most dot markers should be available in 6.0 and 6.35mm sizes
Thanks for the tip. I think I will create a rosewood dust and epoxy paste to fill the inlay dot holes. Might do that for the fret slots, as well, but I am also considering veneers.
Does anyone know how to best put flat veneers in a radiused fret slot? Should I trim the veneers to the matching radius first?
Lawry did a nice job with veneers in his fretless IB-6S. Here's what he did and here's how he did it.
If you are going to replace your fretboard dots, particularly if you're going to use a larger size, wait until you get them before removing the old dots. That way you can be certain of thickness (important for the depth of hole) and exact diameter before you start putting holes in your fretboard.
Edit: I've seen 6mm rosewood dots available on eBay, if you can't find them anywhere else.
Thanks for the link. I remember Lawry's build, but forgot about that detail. I'll pick up a coping saw at lunchtime today.
The rosewood dots I saw on ebay look like cheap decals. I think I'll go with the rosewood sawdust/epoxy mix. Gotta test that first.
And, after defretting the fretboard yesterday, I'm starting to reconsider staining it ebony. The rosewood grain is rather appealing.
Attachment 741 Attachment 740
I'll decide after I drill out the white inlays and mix in the rosewood dust. If it doesn't blend well, then I'll probably have to sand.
I'm planning on getting rosewood veneers for the fret slots, with an accent colored (blue, possibly) veneer for the frets where the inlays were. I want it to be nice and subtle.
Today was a dreary, cold, and rainy day here, and I was stuck home being on call for work, so I did some online shopping for Zhenya. I hit four different vendors for parts and supplies:
Amazon:
- Copper shielding tape
- Multimeter
- Digital calipers
Carvin Guitars:
- String-through ferrules
- Replacement knobs, including a concentric knob
- Dunlop Straploks
Stewart-MacDonald:
- Rosewood filler color
- Epoxy
- Soldering iron kit
Luthiers Mercantile International, Inc. (LMII):
- Rosewood and Blue-stained veneers
All told, I spend just over US$200 today, after spending US$295 on the kit (and shipping) and US$320 for the pickups and bridge. Just about the only things left to purchase are the Michael Pope Flexcore pre-amp (which will cost me US$325) and flatwound strings (~US$30). If I decide to replace the tuners, that'll be another US$80. All together, this kit project (not counting things like stains, sandpaper, test woods, tools, etc.) will be costing me over US$1100. The most I've ever spent on an instrument before was US$600.
I'll be auditioning for a band next weekend and practiced for it tonight with the Ibanez bass I am nearly finished modding. I really wish I could have Zhenya built in time for the audition, but my plan is to get all of the parts in the next week or two, and then do the rosewood epoxy fills of the inlay holes (which I still need to drill out the existing white dots). The epoxy I bought is slow-curing, so I'm hoping to do it before I go on a weeklong trip for New Years and give it a full week to cure.
No real work done on the project today, but I feel like I accomplished a lot.
Sounds great Michael. Keen to see this one progress! Looks like the kit was the best value of the lot :).
The grain on the fretboard does look tasty...
An alternate to using veneer for the fretboard, while still keeping the premium look may be something like black mother of pearl - should blend into the fretboard, while still being visible close up and looking the business! Tim did a bass using abalone from memory (midnight - jb-4 from memory?) and I've since spoken with him and he was happy with the outcome. Not sure where you'd get it from in the US - maybe StewMac or LMII? There's a good place in Aus that sells them (http://orders.mopsupplies.com/), but I know you can't export abalone from the US - not sure whether you can import it...
Given how far you're going with the guitar so far it may also be worthwhile looking at upgrading the nut. The plastic ones are OK, but I think you'll get more bang for buck with a bone, tusq or brass one.
Oh and last thing - take your time - the finish, completion, etc will be so much better if you don't rush. The neck will also take a little time to settle in - 6 bass strings exert a little pressure on a guitar.... That said, if all goes well, it stands a good chance of being a go to guitar for you into the future. I've got an Ibanez bass that I haven't played in a while - I've just been playing the three PBG basses that I've build (JB-4, PB-4 and VP-4)...
I've considered both MOP and a replacement nut. With the fretboard, I want it to be as clean as possible, with only the blue veneers (which hopefully match the blue stain I'll be using on the spalt) as accents on the 3, 5, 7, 9, 12, etc. fretlines. The rosewood veneers on the other frets should hopefully be invisible.Quote:
Originally Posted by Brendan
The fretboard is my biggest stress, as it's practically the only thing I haven't tested with spare wood/parts yet.
I'm 99% certain I'll replace the nut. I'm just waiting on my calipers to accurately measure the existing one. I'll most likely buy a black Tusq nut.
Today I'll hopefully start Dremeling out the white dots on the fretboard and do the first sanding pass on the project.
Super quick and dirty Photoshop mockup of how I'm planning to do the fretboard veneers:
Attachment 772
I have been incredibly busy with work this week, and I was still on call for work, so I haven't had much time for Zhenya since last weekend. But, I did steal ten minutes on my coffee break this morning (I work from home) to de-dot the fretboard:
The white dust from the dots isn't fully cleaned out yet, but that shouldn't take too long. Then, I can start sanding and filling in the dots. I got the epoxy/rosewood dust the other day, and the rosewood/blue veneers for the fretlines will be here later today.
I did a test of CA glue on a spare fretboard and I wasn't happy with it. I'm going to get some marine epoxy this weekend. I also wasn't happy with my test of clear satin finish for the body, so Tru Oil wins that battle.