My TB-4 Bass Build

[Andyxlh]

It'd be nice to be able to build that well.. sadly I suspect my capabilities at building are on par with my playing... Atrociously abysmal and desperately in need of practice

I think I just play so badly I don’t notice the difference…

[Rabbit]

It'd be nice to be able to build that well.. sadly I suspect my capabilities at building are on par with my playing... Atrociously abysmal and desperately in need of practice

Hey, you have a book of excuses that should apply equally as well to an electric instrument as to a computer.... I believe today's excuse is "solar flares" .

[McCreed]

I found that I liked playing the guitars I put together so much I got rid of all of my other 'branded' ones, except my Jazz Special and Stingray.

Even the few "branded" guitars I still own have no branding on them anymore. They have all been modified and customised beyond recognition! I also sold all my Fenders to make way for my own builds and "custom modifieds" as I like to call them!

[Andyxlh]

Even the few "branded" guitars I still own have no branding on them anymore. They have all been modified and customised beyond recognition! I also sold all my Fenders to make way for my own builds and "custom modifieds" as I like to call them!

Sounds like a good idea to me!

[fender3x]

I found that I liked playing the guitars I put together so much I got rid of all of my other 'branded' ones, except my Jazz Special and Stingray.

This sort of snuck up on me. I found I was playing the builds more than the branded stuff. The last build was very consciously to replace my p-bass which is now 47 years old. Building one like it allowed me to retire the Fender, while also making some changes that I have wanted, but which would destroy the value of the real thing.

None of my builds are perfect, particularly in their finishes. But I have learned a ton about getting them to feel, sound and play the way I want them to. This process has made all my instruments better, whether I built them or took things I had learned here and tinkered with them.

[lunaticds]

Hey, you have a book of excuses that should apply equally as well to an electric instrument as to a computer.... I believe today's excuse is "solar flares" .

Yes, indeed I do, though solar flares are kept for the mentally challenged management class

[lunaticds]

I've started the painful job of trying to flatten over the decals. They were raised quite a bit, in no small part due to the couple of layers of polyurethane I sealed them with. They're now reasonably flat, though I've still got a ways to go to build up the layers to get them all flat. The rest of the body and neck has had a stack of coats and the last sand was wet @ 800 grit. I'm kinda keen to see if I can make them vanish under the tru-oil before I go over the whole thing with 1200 and whatever higher grits I've got before I give it a week to harden before polishing. I don't have a lot left of that bottle, so I need to start rationing a bit. It's overall pretty glossy looking.

[blinddrew]

Don't forget that with tru-oil it's common to mix in up to 50% meths for the later coats so you might be able to extend what you have left.

[Simon Barden]

*50% turps

[Simon Barden]

It just makes it go on a bit flatter, so whilst you may feel it's going further, you are still applying the same amount onto the surface. But thinning a little as you go along is a good idea, because the solvent does start evaporating once the bottle is opened, so it does get thicker (in my limited experience anyway) and a drop of turps does help get it back to the original consistency.

And for it to go properly hard, it takes about a month. I'd sand it back flat before then (as when it's fully hard it takes a lot of sanding), but waiting longer to polish will give a better shine.