4 String F Style Mandobass
Claro Walnut Top with F Holes
Black Walnut Chambered Body
Padauk Set-Neck with Black Walnut Stringers
Ebony Fretboard
Nordstrand Pickups with Wooden Covers
Passive Electronics (Volume and Blend)
Hipshot Bridge
Gotoh Tuners
All Gold Hardware
September 27, 2008
I made the template of MDF for the body, neck and headstock.
October 4, 2008
I still haven’t officially started this one, but I did roughly cut out the template. I’ll start work on the bass next time.
October 11, 2008
I cut out the ebony fretboard and the fret slots.
I cut out the neck laminates and glued them together.
I bookmatched the claro walnut top and roughly cut out the body shape.
Shot of the roughly cut backside of the neck.
Another front shot with the F holes cut out and the truss rod cover made.
The body top with a “finish” on it.
October 18, 2008
It looks like I am only getting to work on this bass late Friday nights and Saturdays. I glued the fretboard on:
I glued the body together and roughly routed out the chambered area. It will be a little larger area before I glue the top on.
Just to see what it looks like with the top on:
Now that the fretboard and truss rod are in, I rough shaped the neck:
Somewhere in there is the black veneer being glued to the top and then later they will be glued to the body.
What the back looks like:
I came home from working on the bass to find these waiting for me, the Nordstrand DC pickups:
October 26, 2008
It’s starting to look more and more like a mandobass. I cut out the body and smoothed the edges. I started to rough cut out the scroll. The neck is having the headstock veneer glued on, so it isn’t in any of the pictures.
October 31, 2008
Happy Halloween!!
Neck pocket and pickup holes routed. Output jack drilled. String through holes drilled. Various other minor things done as well.
November 5, 2008
Just been sanding the scroll and neck by hand for the past couple days. Here is the body with a simulated finish:
November 8, 2008
I glued the neck in, hammered in the frets and roughly filed them, made the pickup covers out of Black Walnut and started sanding everything.
November 11, 2008
Not much of an update for today. Test fit of all the parts. I just need to drill a few holes and then I can start the sanding process before finish is applied.
November 22, 2008
I was able to get the volume and blend pots to fit through the f hole without any control cavity on the back. I also came up with this wiring schematic for the bass, pretty simple.
I applied one coat of oil to the bass so far…
A few more coats down and it becomes apparent that gold was the perfect hardware choice for this bass.
November 24, 2008
I test fit all the parts that I could. I still need to hook up the electronics and do a final setup. The bass actually balances fine considering the small body. (The pickup wires won’t be seen when it’s done.)
A quick body shot to hold you over until I take the waterfall/detail pictures.
November 25, 2008
Here they are…
