Well... the Stew Mac Humbucker template came today. Too small, I talked on the phone with them and they assured me it would fit. I'm trying to fit a MusicMan style pickup, 2" x 4". I'll wait and see what they say.
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Well... the Stew Mac Humbucker template came today. Too small, I talked on the phone with them and they assured me it would fit. I'm trying to fit a MusicMan style pickup, 2" x 4". I'll wait and see what they say.
Probably need to trace around proposed pickup shape and free hand rout it out?Quote:
Originally Posted by OctoberBassRCA-4
Seen a guy stack blocks of wood, glued and clamped them as a template. Maybe a drill press to drill the edges and screw ears which would look cleaner? idk?
Making your own template out of MDF might be easier.
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I had to recess the bridge on my RCA4 kit due to the neck angle not being quite right. The way I did it was I drew around the bridge with a scalpel, cutting the varnish and stained finish. I then taped with masking tape exactly on this line and used a sharp chisel and mallet to cut into the timber along this line, particularly when I was going across the grain. I then used my Bunnings cheap router to cut out the centre, getting within a mm or so of the outer ends. Making the edge perfect was easy with the chisel. I can't see why this wouldn't work for the pickup also.
Attachment 29080
I received a MM Humbucker template from Guitar Parts Center, waiting on my next step. MDF board can be rather iffy. Looking for a top bearing router bit. 1/4 inch, a suggested 1/2 inch for the majority of the work, and a Forster Bit to hollow out. The bits will cost about $30.00 a piece. I've never routed before, and I want a nice route so I don't need a ring. I'd have to practice my routing, PRACTICE? Gotta guy will do it for $75.00. What to do? Meanwhile, looking at the PBG RC-4 wiring diagram, rather daunting. How much will change with the MM Humbucker? I'd like a Split coil option, but with a knob, instead of a tiny toggle. I'd have 5 knobs. Any suggestions?
There's no great drama swapping a MM into the bridge position, and a push/pull pot for the bridge volume would allow your split option. What brand is the MM pup? That will determine what you'll need to do to wire it up.
I bought a Guitar Fetish MM humbucker.
Well.. no significant progress, but then, some. Got the MusicMan route done. While waiting, borrowed the bossman's Ryobi band saw and made some templates. My idea needed a neck pickup ring to cover the neck pup route, between my plexi template along with the PBG supplied Black ring, I can express what I need to my metal fab buddy. I made my pickguard idea on a rainy Nashville weekend. I went ahead and made three sets while I had use of the band saw. What's cool with the Plexi, I can see into the control cavity to see where she lies, and what I may need to make adjustments.
Along with template making, I been playing with a piece of Ash, attempting a Seafoam Green Transparent Finish. This is too blue, too much white and too many applications, but a step to where I want to go.
Does anyone have a method of spraying a basecoat, etc., on a RCA-4 bass body? Bolt on necks can be held with a piece of wood thru the neck screws, the RCA is a set neck, how would you hang it? The neck, well, thru one of the tuners? I guess with the binding taped off, table top finishing is a good option, back, then front. Any other methods?
Is the neck glued on now? if so, then yes, hang it up via a tuner hole.
If not, you can normally fit a reasonable-sized bar clamp between the bridge and neck pickup routs. You can then hang up the body by the hole on the end of the bar clamp. Just be sure it is really well clamped though and I'd put something soft on the ground underneath, just in case!
Alternatively, some people have firmly stuck a suitably sized broom handle/round dowel in through the jack socket hole to use as a handle - though I'm not sure how they've stopped the body twisting on it, apart from it being very firmly wedged in.
Not easy to finish off if neck has been attached as it would end up being around 38" to 40" long and also weigh more than if both were done separately.
That said, hanging via one of the higher tuning peg holes is the way to go. My guess is the D string hole will be better balanced as more weight on the other side.
If you can rig up a way of rotating whilst hanging would allow you to do front, back & sides in the same session which always works best for me.
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I have not glued the neck in yet. This is why I'm asking about hanging the body for the basecoats before the final clear coats. I want to set the neck before I clear coat. So far I have not started any finishing.
It all makes sense now.
Finish off as separate pieces remembering to tape off the part of neck to be glued as that needs to remain raw for maximum adhesion.
Once glued it will be a big ungainly thing to work with.
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So I am seriously considering a Wudtone Surfer Girl finish, wanting to get somewhere with this build. Meanwhile, been smoothing the binding on the body and neck to a glass like surface. I have not glued the neck in yet. I got the neck straight, frets leveled to start crowning, but will wait on that for now.
My concerns with Wudtone, is there enough product to do both the body and the neck? Since this is Ash, can I sand to 320 grit? Going to go over the whole thing with 220 grit since handling the body and neck so much.
I would like to use the Wudtone Grain Filler, but I can't find any instructions as to when to apply it, or how.
Is it possible to alter Surfer Girl to Seafoam Green?
Lastly, just when during the finish process should the neck be glued?
I want to keep going on this build, but seem to have worry issues stopping me.
Never used Wudtone but reckon the issue to look out for is the same across all types of finish......oversanding. If it feels smooth enough with 220 or 240 that might be all you need to do, any more can end up polishing surface so fine that stain colour may not penetrate or cover as well as planned.
Ash is very open grained and a good filler can help to level things off, and if it is in a contrasting colour could also assist with grain popping.
Alternatively you could smooth off as best as you can and allow grain to do it's thing which creates a 3d type effect. Check out the red J Bass in my signature as that is how it turned out from using ebony timbermate as the filler and water based ink as the stain which shrunk back into the grain
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Best to attach neck once all base coats have been done and ready to move on to final top coats which is usually a clear of some kind.
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Thanks Waz, all good advise. I'll check out that Red Jazzer!
From memory, with Surfer Girl you should get both a green stain and a white stain that you mix to get the shade of green that you want. But be warned, the experience with green and blue stains, especially SG, was that it could be a bit patchy. You may find that some parts of the grain really take the green, but others barely take it at all. This will be accentuated on highly figured wood like ash. There was a method that worked with some of the Wudtone stains that could achieve a semi-opaque finish, bur Pitbull’s association with Wudtone finished before anyone here tried it. There was a video of the process online somewhere.
So with much deliberation and hand wringing, I decided to pull the trigger on the Wudtone Surfer Girl. I've read as much about Wudtone and it's characteristics that I can, but I want to start finishing. I'm at 240 grit on the body and neck, but the Wudtone supplier says I can 320 grit the neck. They also suggested I set the neck before finishing, because the glue that will seep out from setting the neck wont receive the color coat/basecoats and will be noticeable.
I do notice there are some glue spots where the 5 pieces of wood glued together to create the body are noticeable, more so on the under side piece, can these be wire brushed out? Or do I just live with these?
Should I 180 grit the End grain pieces as they seem much tighter in regards to grain?
You might be flying solo in relation to getting any assistance or advice using Wudtone.
Those end grain joins are common and should be ok. Still reckon 240 grit is the limit as 320 can end up acting as a polisher.
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Alright Waz, as much as I want go finer, I'll take your advise. Will I see scratch marks, or can I really smooth out enough with 240 grit? Especially on the neck. The top and back looks great held up to the light at an angle. Gonna test with a piece of Ash. Chinese Ash is different than what I find here in the US.Quote:
Originally Posted by wazkelly
Waz, you advise to go without setting the neck till clear/top coat, but what about the glue seeping issues? Thanks Man.
This is probably a good point to point out that the standard US and Australian/European sandpaper grit gradings are quite different above 220/. So the 320 that Waz is talking about is P320, which is very close to ANSI 240 grit.
A comparison chart here:
https://www.thesandpaperman.com.au/a...ion-chart.html
The grits that Wudtone talk about on their UK website will be P type grits as well.
Get the scratches out, smooth off and then go back over with the recommended grit if necessary to rough up the wood slightly. Different timbers will take up the stain differently, so some you may be able to use a finer grit on than others. As long as the surfaces are all (relatively) flat and smooth, you'll get the smoothness from the finish coats.
Simon, thanks for the sandpaper difference. At this point, 240/220 grit about the same.Quote:
Originally Posted by Simon Barden
So I am testing. One application of even amounts of the Wudtone color coats, rubbed, circular, pressed, pushed into the grain 3 sides of the test board. Stippled and finished with the grain. Looks weak.
Second test on the back of test board, Mixol Green #8, 6 drops, 10 drops of White #25, thinned with denatured alcohol so wouldn't go opaque.
I'll go thru the Wudtone process according to instructions, hoping the next applications make a difference.
Now to wait 24 or more hours.
Any thoughts on this?
I haven't used Wudtone before. I've used water and spirit based woodstains from a luthier suppliers store. I feel the spirit stains do penetrate a bit more, the spirit ones having a lower surface tension than the water ones. So spirit based stains are more likely to penetrate a more polished wood. However this does also mean that spirit based stains are more likely to penetrate the small cracks in binding, whereas I've found water based stains stay on the surface of the binding and can be scraped off, so it does pay to tape over bindings.
But certainly it can take several applications of stain to get the right colour depth.
Simon, does it look like I may end up with Treated Lumber/Timber look?
I usually sand the hell out if everything with 120 & 180 and it is surprising how smooth it can get without using 240 or higher.
That said, i still do a very, very light 240 just to catch any rough spots missed with coarser grit paper.
Those test samples would suggest you need to keep grain open as much as possible otherwise it may end up like a pastel white wash effect in your chosen stain colour.
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Waz, this test board was sanded with 240 grit. I might just sand it back with 120, then 180.Quote:
Originally Posted by wazkelly
Before I do that though, I'll apply another coat or two to see if has any effect. I hate wasting the stuff, but that's better than wasting the body and starting over on it. I guess the idea is to really bruise it up some, eh?
No need for bruising, just an even smooth all over feel should do the trick. The coarse grits leave just enough wood fibres for the stain to grab onto.
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You have some fairly figured wood, so it is highly likely that you will get a “worn green” effect where parts of the grain are quite green, and parts are still brown. Wudtone is a good product. The neck finish in particular comes up really well, but green and blue colours can be a bit hit and miss. DT is the same. It’s part of the nature of the beast. The trick with them though is you always have to do multiple colour coats, and you have to let the guitar rest between coats. The colours do tend to deepen over a week or so as they dry.
Thanks, I plan to follow through with the process on this test board, at least till I see some results I expected. I sure like their results on Swamp Ash, but maybe expecting too much. It's rather frustrating. As I do this, I feel like I'm using up product that should be used on the build. Better safe than sorry.
Any thoughts on setting the neck, and the glue seepage. Can I keep it clean if I don't set the neck till clear/top coating?
When setting the neck you can wipe off any excess seepage once clamped, therefore it should not present any glue challenges for final coats.
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After many attempts on this poor ash sample board (re-sanded many times), I got a result I like.
It looks really great despite what the picture shows, really green/blue at different angles.
My question to other finishers here, I used a mixture of Mixol #8 Green, #9 Blue and # 25 White mixed with Behlen's String Instrument Lacquer over grain fill stained, several coats of shellac and grain filler sanded to a smooth surface.
Once I committed to brushing it on, one foam brush wipe and The Angel's in Heaven went "AHHH!"
Then before it dried, I tried to correct some places, WRONG. (See lower portion of board).
So, if I brush it on with a foam brush, I believe the mixture tends to smear the Mixol in a beautiful way, but will I be able to continue without the overlap brush strokes ruining that one brushstroke beauty as the lacquer dries sooo quickly?
Would spraying it on get the same effect, I'm considering using some Reducer/retarder to slow the drying properties of the lacquer.
Any thoughts on this?
I know HOW to get the effect I want, now how to apply it correctly.
Once more, duplicate the process, try spraying, and see if I get positive results.
I can’t answer your questions, sorry, but I love the colour you’ve got there. Frankie will disagree, but that’s his loss.
Stunning colour and grain pattern
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Spraying should work a lot better than the foam brush if the mixture dries quickly. It will be very much like spraying nitro, which also dries pretty quickly. You should be able to manage long steady passes with a spray gun.
Wazkelly. Just seen your postcard photos. Gorgeous! Can people immigrate to AU?
I’d hold off on emigrating until after May. By then we might have an actual government and not a bad parody of The Muppet Show.Quote:
Originally Posted by OctoberBassRCA-4
HA! Not ready to leave The States that soon.