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Unpackaged the guitar, did a quick check on parts, body seems to be ok.
There was a slight crack or it seems there is a cut in the side of the Humbucker pick up - will post a photo tomorrow.
Also, not sure where to use all of the fasteners, but it seems everything is included.
Just curious, it seems there are no fasteners to fasten the neck to the body...any idea of what I should use for this?
Thanks again...
Hi Phil, it is a glue in neck. The glue of choice is Titebond original, or some other yellow wood glue. it is suggested that you avoid PVA glue.
kit looks great Phil. As Fretty said get some titebond original glue to set the neck. Make sure you ask any questions about gluing the neck, it's the most important part of the build. Most people prefer to finish the body and neck separately then glue it. Some glue it after the staining is done and then do the final/clear coats.
Thanks for the reply.
Do you know if there are instructions on how to glue the neck to the body?
Hi Pharms, nice kit.
PBG site did have a neck gluing video once upon a time but that now seems to have disappeared??? Plenty on youtube to have a look at.
Just a heads up on a few things with this kit, most people who have tried to install a genuine Riccy bridge have found they need to dig a bit of timber out for it to sit right. Personally, if I was going to replace the stock bridge there are cheaper and easier options like a humble Fender style upgrade that would do the job.
When lining up the neck some guys have also had issues and scale length is more important than lining up a fret with the leading edge of the body. Thankfully bridge mounting holes have not been pre-drilled so that gives you plenty of scope to work with.
Suggest another mock build and push the neck all the way in and then measure 34" from inside of nut on treble side to the middle of the G string saddle as this will be about where it will end up once neck has been 'set'.
Cheers, Waz
To glue the neck on, you are going to need to buy or borrow a couple of G-clamps that are big enough to go over the body so that you can get one holding the tenon down to the body in the neck pickup cavity, and another holding the end of the fretboard down onto the body.
Obviously you don't clamp the neck and body directly, use some other thin strips of wood in between the jaws of the clamp and the guitar surfaces. For clamping the top of the neck, you really need to make up a piece of wood with notches cut out so that the wood sits on the fretboard, not pressing on the frets. If you've got a Dremmel, then you should be able to rout out some slots, if not then you could use a file with a3-4mm wide blade to create the notches. This block only needs to be about 40mm long as it's only the very end on the fretboards that's over the neck cavity.
I believe this is why the neck gluing video was removed, as it showed the neck being clamped using a flat piece of wood pressing on the frets, and not with a notched piece pressing on the fretboard.
When gluing the neck, make sure that it's not too hot or humid as in these conditions the wood swells a bit and will make the neck a tighter fit, leaving just a thin layer of glue in the gaps. When the temperature and humidity drop, the wood contracts and in some circumstances, and over time, can pull the glue line apart in places. Better to have the glue under compression if the wood swells again than under tension when it shrinks.
Thanks for this Waz...great info.
Thanks Simon
First sanding pass using 100 grit paper. Great advice on using a damp cloth to check for further glue issues.
Greetings Folks;
I promised I would post a photo of the "crack" in the Humbucker pick up. Please see attached. I don't believe this is a big deal, but any comments are appreciated.
Thanks...
This is damage to the chrome cover only. The pickup may still work fine, but there could possibly be internal damage or a short circuit caused by this. I'd contact Adam about getting this replaced just in case.Quote:
Originally Posted by pharms
Put a multimeter across it....
It looks to me that the crack/cut was made before the cover was chromed and the pickup assembled, as you can see chrome on the edges of the crack. So it's unlikely that there is any damage to the pickup. Still, it's not as it should be and you will have lost some of the shielding effect of the casing, so I'd see if Adam will replace it for you.
Today I glued the neck to the body...see attached photos. I was a bit nervous about the neck lining up properly with the body. Hope I did this right.
Thanks for the advice gents...I will follow up with Adam.
Well, it has been almost 10 months since I last posted any updates. I have been working on the bass on and off. I did complete the sanding, completed painting, and final lacquer coat. I completed final assembly this past week and I have to say, for my first build I am pleased. Some lessons learned:
1) Take more time to sand.
2) Need to expand my skills using a spray gun.
3) Need to research further the type of final coating to use.
4) Need to understand the wiring schematic better.
I just purchased the IB-5 Electric 5-String Bass Guitar Kit. Looking forward to expanding my skills on this next build.
Thanks again folks for your feedback and help. Looking forward to the next build!
Any pics of the finished build, Pharms?
The IB-5 looks like a nice kit
Yea...I am trying to upload some photos, but I am having a difficult timing getting the jpg's to upload. Stay tuned...will keep trying.
Photos from the build...
A few more photos...
Looks good. how does it play?
That's come up really nice. Glad you've learned from it and that you are putting those learnings to practice on a new kit.
Nice Job Pharms!
Thanks. The action setup went very well, no problems with the bridge or frets. Also, I used some copper tape in the main electronics area and in the cutout for the Humbucher pickup. I also grounded the copper tape to the main ground, no buzzing at all. Plays quite well. Looking forward to using it on stage in a few weeks.
Such a cool kit, well done man.
Good to hear you have already got your next kit.
Thanks Andy. It was a good exercise to see if I would stay interested in continuing to build these guitars. I believe I am officially hooked! Thank goodness for Christmas money from the in laws. Have a great New Year!
Welcome to your new addiction.