Nostrildamus strikes again ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by robin
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Nostrildamus strikes again ;)Quote:
Originally Posted by robin
We use CA glue at work to develop latent fingerprints. Heat up a few drops in a sealed cabinet, and the fumes adhere to the oils and moisture left by someone's hand.Quote:
Originally Posted by dingobass
I have seen a doco on that, Swanny.
Bloody amazing how forensics works :)
You should see the indanedione-zinc solution in action!
Shows up fingerprints on paper, but you need to excite the chemical with a blue light, looking through orange lenses in a darkened room... real CSI type stuff.
You had me at excite the chemical with a blue light..... :p
People with chemicals often get excited when they see blue lights
Hopefully you work out a solution for the high gloss finish! The neck is looking marvellous!
Thanks Shazz.
I finished applying the naughty oil to the body and the neck on Saturday, so I'll leave it for a few days to let it cure a bit and then start cutting it back and try and get a gloss happening.
Now that the neck has been finished I can also try and get a glass-like finish to the findgerboard.
I left he body and neck natural as I thought that it would contrast nicely with the Rosewood fingerboard and the black scratch plate, but I am a bit disappointed as even for basswood it is a bit plain, but I'm not so concerned with the looks.
I haven't even finished this one and I am starting to assemble parts for my next build. Has anybody found a cure for GAS yet??
cheers
rob
Can't wait to see the finish! I'm sure when it's all complete it will all tie in really nicely :)Quote:
Originally Posted by robin
Thanks Shazz, I don't think she will be one of my prettier ones, but hey, they are all special. And she will be my first fretless, so really looking forward to making a proper goose of myself.
I know my eyes will be drawn to the fret less more then anything elseQuote:
Originally Posted by robin
No pleasant ones. Anyway, all of your guitars are a tribute so why would you want to stop. And some of your builds you have given away or built for others.Quote:
Originally Posted by robin
@Shazza
Yep, I think being fretless will be the main feature of this bass.
@Fretty
Thanks Scott, appreciate the support, already researching for my next build.
good to see you back on the forum Westie07 - haha I had to look up this thread to remember your nick name.
I've been using some high grade epoxy resin on my bar top Westie, it's pretty amazing stuff !
Hahaha, g'day Warren. I was really hoping you couldn't find that thread ;)
Yeah actually I found that using epoxy resin was quite easy. Maybe that's because I poured it on, not sure if its as easy if you are applying with a brush.
I have got the fingerboard looking like glass. Not too sure how long it will stay like that, but it should at least look good for the photo shoot. lol.
rob
good stuff Westie, how did the epoxy sand, what grades did you start and finish on ?
Hey Warren, sanding epoxy is such a pain, but it's worth it as the results can be stunning.
I started on 80 and used every grade I had up to 2000, but I think that 80 was a bit too course. If i do it again I will probably start at 120. But I needed to sand a lot off to get the radius right. I presume yours is flat so you should only need to start at much higher numbers. But I'm no expert so I have no idea where you should start. Obviously the higher you start the less you have to do to get the gloss finish.
Wet sand with water and a drop or two of washing up liquid. Don't press too hard as the paper will gum up really quickly. You'll probably have to clean the paper after a minute or so anyway. Try and do long gentle strokes.
After I got to 2000 the surface was still slightly matte. You will then need to go to a cutting compound. Something from an auto shop should do. Being a cheapskate and a rebel I just used whatever I have in the house , and that happened to be Brasso. I then used some Scratch X 2.0, but to be honest I didn't see any improvement over the Brasso.
Here's how the fingerboard turned out.
Pic #1 - after 2000 grit, Brasso and Scratch X 2.0
Pic #2 - after initial radius shaping with 80 grit
Wow Robin that looks awesome. How does it go with the movement of fingers along it?
That's some pretty finger board work Robin, that high gloss result must be immensely satisfying.Quote:
Originally Posted by robin
So smooth, so glossy.
@vh2580
Thanks Tony, it can get a little grabby, but unlike my guitar style (which is try and choke the thing to death) I have a very light touch on the bass so hopefully it won't be a prob.
@Frankie
Thanks mate. It took waaaay more hours than I care to admit, but to get the result I was after it was definitely worth the effort.
@Pabs
Thanks Craig.
Into the home stretch now.
Finished coating and polishing the neck and body. All that’s left to do now is the shielding, wiring, assembly and the final setup. I will probably have to shape another nut as I didn’t do such a good job on this one. But as fretless is all new to me I thought I would wait till she was strung up to make the final decision.
The fingerboard turned out better than I had a right to hope for, but to be honest the body is not my best ever. Having spent over 90 hours so far on her I am struggling to maintain my enthusiasm. Maybe it’s because I have already started researching and assembling parts for my next project.
Hopefully, she will sound OK and play OK. I’ll let you know sometime next week. If all goes well all I will have to do then is learn how to play a fretless.
Cheers guys.
Photo #1 – After 21 coats of poo oil.
Photo #2 – After cutting back with Brasso (poo oil’s shiny brother)
Photo #3 – Yep, the fingerboard is definitely the hero with this build. ;)
build looks stunning as usual Westie07 !! Thanks for the tips on sanding the resin. I will probably start much higher grades as its flat.
Look forward to seeing the bass assembled and making noise. You will love the sound and the feel of the fretless and DB may even forgive you for 21 coats of naughty oil with no speed bumps !
No probs Warren. If you've already got a fairly smooth flat finish all you're really doing is trying to get it polished. Start with the highest grit possible. Better than starting too low and having to remove the scratches.
At present #13 is all standard hardware. If she shows promise I'll update the pup, pots and cap. I must admit to looking forward to finally playing her.
I dont know if DB will forgive the poo oil, but surely no frets warrants some leniency lol.
Really nice mate, a credit to you.
This is awesome stuff. Incredible
Sent from my GT-I9506 using Tapatalk
Robin - it's looking pretty spectacular so far... Great job!
Looks brilliant Rob, that fingerboard is very special indeed
Very nice Robin..
I am almost ready to forgive you for using poo oil :p
@Tony, Andrew, Brendan and Dave
Thanks guys, much appreciated as always.
@DB
Thanks Phil, the test will be how the epoxy stands up to regular wear and tear.
Yeah, will be interested to see how the poxy staands up.
With flatties it should be ok.
The gloss all over is fantastic! But you're right, the frettless neck is the steal of the show!Quote:
Originally Posted by robin
@DB
Hoping you're right Phil. Time will tell.
@Shazza
Thanks mate, but iPhone cameras can sometimes be very flattering. ;)
Hey Westie07 you won't find out till you have played the bass for a few hours. Definitely put flatwounds on. If you aren't an aggressive player I think the epoxy should hold up
Yeah Woks, I will be playing bass at church in a few weeks time, so I will need to get up to speed before then. Luckily the bass is the most forgiving of instruments, but I still expect everybody to be out of tune when I start.
I have already bought some D'Addario chrome flats, trying to give the epoxy the best chance.
Cheers mate
Nice choice of strings Robin, the Daddies will sound nice and crisp for quite a long time.
The great thing about Fretless is you can get so much more feeling into the sound, it wont matter if you are slightly off note as you can just slide into it and give it a vibrato sound.
Warning, you may get addicted to sliding into every note :p
My mate a bass player says, "fretless it like wearing no undies, total freedom"
I never thought going commando was going to help my guitar playing though :D
Looking great Robin and keen to hear how the hybrid finished fret board goes after a few sessions of playing.
Hope the strings don't 'flatten' that super rich lustre on the FB after a bit of playing given all the love and work you have put into it.
@DB
Yeah Phil, been playing bass like forever and started using D's many years ago. Best sounding and longest lasting, win, win. And now use them exclusively for guitar as well. Can't see me changing anytime soon.
Looking forward to sliding up to those notes.
@Tony
Don't know about the "no undies" part but I am looking forward to the freedom of fretless.
@Wazza
Thanks mate. I am hoping that the flats might go a bit easier on the epoxy. If they do mark the finish its OK as long as its just cosmetic. If they damage it enough to interfere with the playing then that will be a deal breaker. I'll probably only be playing her about once a month so hopefully should last me for a while.
Finally Finished.
Although I am not 100% happy with her (never am) at least I now have a fretless bass.
In line with my full disclosure policy, although the fingerboard looks OK, after only 4 or 5 hours of playing it is showing minor scuff marks. The main problem is that I am not yet used to using horizontal vibrato and I am still in the habit of string bending vibrato. My guess would be that as I can easily buff them out they are only cosmetic, but because of the high gloss finish ANY mark will show when caught in the right light. This is not a problem for me as appearance is not that important so when the scuff marks get bad enough I will rub down the FB with 2000 grit and give it a matte/satin finish which should hide these minor marks.
Would I do the epoxy thing again? Most definitely! Just next time I will leave it as a matte finish. In my opinion there is no way that an untreated Rosewood FB would stand up as well as epoxy. At least she looks OK for the photo shoot. ;)
I just did a few minor mods to this one. Took the headstock from 4 in-line to 3x1, epoxy fretless fingerboard (obviously), string through body ferrules, a bone nut and some fairly serious modifications to the body cuts. All other hardware, i.e. bridge, pup and electrics are all kit standard. The only thing added was the non-standard 4th machine head.
As my bass amp is on full-time loan to my church I have not been able to hear her in full song. At home I usually practice my guitar through an fx pedal and earphones and through these cans the bass is distorting quite nicely, so I guess that I am getting a good strong signal. So I am looking forward to trying her out in the near future. I will decide then whether to upgrade any parts.
It has, at times, been a frustrating journey but immensely rewarding. Whenever we try new things we run the risk of failure, but that is how we learn new skills. Bring on the next project.
Cheers guys and gal and thanks for all the encouragement.
rob (Westie07 to Warren) :p
Piccies: