Members Bowen Posted December 26, 2011 Members Share Posted December 26, 2011 ]It's been a long long while since I posted here. I was about to start to build a jazz bass neck for myself and figured "what the hell, I'll share" Unless no one cares, then I'll just quietly go away. History: It had been a while since i used a power tool in anger, I wanted a jazz bass, so over a month or so of evenings I knocked up a fretless. Specs: Mahogany body Q/S maple neck, with purpleheart fingerboard Barts and Duncan active EQ Nasty bridge, will be replaced. Not really warming up to the fretless, and having a week off work I figure it's time to replace the neck. Digging through my scrap wood bin I came up with a hunk O maple (flatsawn) that is about right. Brown toy truck dropped off a slotted cocobolo fingerboard. Close enough. Let's start. Here is the existing bass now: (clicky the attachment, getting used to the new forum software) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bowen Posted December 26, 2011 Author Members Share Posted December 26, 2011 Stripped the neck, then measured it. A regulation Fender bass has a heel that is 2.5", mine is 2.521". I'll need to verify the old template that I used. I don't want a loose neck pocket. That's worse than loose socks. Did a couple of reference drawings in cad. I skipped that once and ended up with the truss rod too deep, carved right into it. Off to the shop to make some dust. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bowen Posted December 27, 2011 Author Members Share Posted December 27, 2011 Back from the shop, twas quite cold. Anyhow, I dug out a maple neck blank I had prepared a while ago. Drew some centerlines, verified thickness. Observe: Dusted off the template, it is just a hair oversize. (.02). That will leave a little room for error. Set up the router for the truss rod channel. I use a single acting truss rod, I think that they have much more controllable influence on the neck than a double acting rod. If the neck is built well you'll never have to correct for forward bow anyhow. I route a straight channel, will use some arc-ed filler strips later. Truss rod channel routed to 0.4 " deep. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bowen Posted December 27, 2011 Author Members Share Posted December 27, 2011 Bandsawed the neck stock to rough shape, leaving a bit of wood outside the line Looks related, bout the same size. Off to the spindle sander. If you don't have one of these, get one. Even if you don't do woodworking. You can file your nails with it or something. The headstock is cleaned up, I'll clean up the sides of the neck using the tablesaw after the fingerboard is on. The maple that I'm using is a bit whiter than average for eastern rock maple. It sanded and routed very easily, too easily really. I cut a 1x1x12 of this wood and compared to some known good strong eastern maple. With one end in the vise and a 10lb weight on the other, they deflected about the same. I'll take a chance and use it. To see what this will look like I french polished the back of the headstock. Not to a final finish mind you. Not too pretty, but it will do. There is very light birdseye but you have to look pretty close. Whatever. Done for today, tomorrow I'll make and install the truss rod and glue on the fingerboard. 3 hours work so far, I'm keeping track for giggles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Perfessor Posted December 27, 2011 Members Share Posted December 27, 2011 I for one want to see how you finish it. I was wondering how to do a neck! I figured a body would be the easiest part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rowka Posted December 27, 2011 Members Share Posted December 27, 2011 Great thread. Eagerly awaiting updates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AlvarHanso Posted December 27, 2011 Members Share Posted December 27, 2011 Very cool thread. I don't anticipate ever doing this myself, but who knows, it may just inspire me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bowen Posted December 27, 2011 Author Members Share Posted December 27, 2011 Started with the truss rod today. I used a piece of hardware store .25" rod to make it. The rod is formed by drawing it through mandrels which makes it pretty hard. I start by annealing the metal. Heat one end til it is red, let it cool. This almost always works unless you happen to get air hardening drill rod, then you are screwed. I heat it again then bend the rod by sticking it into a hole in the vise, then bending. I bent the L a bit log, then ground it down to what you see here. (it's a bit short now, more on that later) Now to set up the anchor. I drilled a .25" hole .4" deep under the nut location then connected it to the truss rod channel. This is where I ran in to my problem. With the L on the truss rod too short there would be very little engagement to the socket hole that I drilled. Because the bottom of the truss rod does not touch the bottom of the slot I glued in a bit of shaped ebony binding strip, then reshaped the truss rod end. It is not elegant but it should work just fine. (with the slightly over 1/4" Q/S cocobolo fingerboard and a fattish neck profile I'll probably not need much tension on the truss rod) Finding the length for the other end of the truss rod Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bowen Posted December 27, 2011 Author Members Share Posted December 27, 2011 I'm remembering why I stopped coming to HC in the first place. "Connecting to Harmony Central" x long time. Now that I know what length the truss rod should be, I need to cut it and reduce the diameter so I can thread it to 10-32. Off to the lathe. Done, then threaded. Annealed. It will look like this only different. Now to drill the holes. Find the height (1/2 the diameter of the largest hole plus a hair) then drill a small pilot hole through to the truss rod slot. This is important, as this hole needs a shoulder. So, pilot hole, then larger hole, then smaller hole. Thusly: Drop in truss rod, make arced filler strip. I used the cad drawing for the dimensions. In case you are wondering, I potted the truss rod anchor end in CA glue and hosed it down with accelerator just to make sure it does not wiggle about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bowen Posted December 27, 2011 Author Members Share Posted December 27, 2011 (not pictured) Glue in filler strip with CA, let it cure up. Planed the protruding strip flush with the fingerboard with a block plane. Refer to the volume of Lutherie, book of Stanley, verse 1.3 "Woe unto he who is without a block plane, he shall be stoned. Treasure thine block plane for it treasures you. Sharpen thy block plane until it makes the hairs come from the face. Use thine block plane like you would use your wife, or your neighbors wife" Sand the fingerboard mating surface true. I use a strip of abrasive paper on the table saw top. True story. Now here is another screw up I managed. When I ordered the fingerboard from LMI, I neglected to ask them to leave some wood behind the nut. No problem, I'll add some to the neck. Because the nut will hide the glue line, only the difference in the grain will give it away. Time to glue the fingerboard. Steps: 1: true up the fingerboard glue surface 2: wash the fingerboard glue surface with lacquer thinner. cocobolo is waxy/ oily stuff and you probably want the glue to stick to it. 3: using a couple of drops of CA, glue some balsa strips to the fingerboard above the edge of the neck. (or use radius-ed cauls) This will ensure that the fingerboard will not cup when being glued. 4: clean glue joints, apply glue, clamp, wipe hands on pants. Use lots of stuff to spread the pressure of the clamps. Make sure that there is glue squeeze out everywhere. I'll let the glue dry and continue tomorrow. Fretting, and getting the headstock pretty much done is next. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Perfessor Posted December 28, 2011 Members Share Posted December 28, 2011 How long did this whole process take? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bowen Posted December 28, 2011 Author Members Share Posted December 28, 2011 Yesterday's work was about 4 hours. Minor setback today. I was going back and forth on whether to peel the fingerboard and redo the truss rod anchor, as it was bugging me. As a test I tightened the hell out of the truss rod to see if it would fail. It did not and it was very effective, but the fingerboard started peeling at the 1st fret. !! I gave the fingerboard a pull and it just came right off. As you can see from the pic there is no glue on the fingerboard, it is all on the neck. I guess that the lacquer thinner wash was not quite enough to make the cocobolo stick. I'll start over, I still don't like the the truss rod anchor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members fretless Posted December 28, 2011 Members Share Posted December 28, 2011 Very impressive ! I don't think I've every seen anyone make their own truss rod before . Very cool ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Perfessor Posted December 28, 2011 Members Share Posted December 28, 2011 I bet a different glue would work! Be a shame to waste all the work you've already put in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Perfessor Posted December 30, 2011 Members Share Posted December 30, 2011 Just looked that up. Loctite or some type of Gorilla glues will work, but water based glues don't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Rowka Posted January 7, 2012 Members Share Posted January 7, 2012 Eagerly awaiting the next update. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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