Paulownia Precision

[Simon Barden]

So just glue a thin skin of plywood on the front and rear of the body and you’ll be good to go.

[fender3x]

You may be right, and it looks like I'll get that opportunity. I just botched putting the string-through holes in.




With the other bad parts of the finish, it has enough other blemishes, that I think I may just finish with a solid color anyway. Too bad. Paulownia has a beautiful grain that is quite stunning in places. There's a spot on the back of the upper horn that I have been thinking of as the "Eye of Sauron"



If it has to get covered with veneer or plywood, it might as well get paint to. Probably well to reflect on the fact that Sauron was the villain...

I have run out of my top coat, and am thinking of switching to this stuff:

https://thecrystalacstore.com/produc...trument-finish

[dozymuppet]

Yep, the grain is quite pretty, indeed.

Bummer about the issues you're running into. I have at least two solid body paulownia projects I'm planning at the moment (including the St Vincent) which I'd like to see play out. But I've also got a few plans on the go that have a heavy top, e.g. marri or ash, with a paulownia bottom.

[fender3x]

Will be watching your projects with interest. Going to have to decide on a color... Will take a bit to think about what to do next. A cap, or at least a veneer, would be good for the top and bottom, but wouldnt help the sides. I do want the contouring of the precision body.

[fender3x]

I have at least two solid body paulownia projects I'm planning at the moment (including the St Vincent) which I'd like to see play out. But I've also got a few plans on the go that have a heavy top, e.g. marri or ash, with a paulownia bottom.

So that my example may continue to serve as a warning to others, I am pushing on. I used the technique in this video to do drill the holes for the ferrules:



It worked like a charm, although it does not hide my accident. Even before that I had some other spots that were not doing well. Mostly this is because I tried to repair little dents and scratches, not realizing how deeply I'd have to sand to deal with them, and how resitant they'd be to fixing...so I was half way to thinking the finish was just not going to work.

Still, I am half way through final assembly. The bridge is on, the neck is finished and the tuners are installed. Add the pickguard, pickup and simple p-bass wiring and it will be ready to tryout. So why the heck not?

If there is a ton of neck-dive because the body is too light, or if it doesn't seem stable, I can declare the experiment a failure and try to find another body. If it seems stable and does not have excessive neck dive, I can try to find a harder finish, or the plywood approach that Simon recommended. Either way, might as well give it a whirl.

[Simon Barden]

You can always hang a suitable weight off the rear strap button to stop neck dive.

[fender3x]

Well, I live in Florida so it shouldn't be too hard to find some fishing weights or truck nuts ;-)

[fender3x]

Waiting for some finishing supplies to take another crack at the finish on the body. Hoping that I can get it a bit harder, though dents are probably inevitable. Meanwhile, I decided to wire it up. I have always meticulously drawn out my wiring diagram and used colored wires to help keep me from getting confused about what goes where. I have also always used cannibalized wire from obsolescent electronic stuff around the house.

The only guitar wires I have ever bought were some black and white push-back cloth insulation wires that I got in the mid-1980's. I never used them because it seemed too easy for my dyslexic brain to get confused with just black and white.

These wires seemed perfect for this project though. Not much has simpler wiring than a standard P-bass...and now I understand why so many people here like this kind of wiring. It is so much easier to produce a nice, tidy wiring harness with this stuff. I may have to see if I can get it in more colors...

[Simon Barden]

Normally also available in a yellow, but that’s all I’ve seen.

[Simon Barden]

Don’t forget the bridge ground wire.