Tuesday, March 24, 2009

Bass update #8

Bass Update #8

New tuners came in the mail today (pictured above in fuzzy cellphone photo). I was 99.9% sure they would fit the old tuner holes in the headstock... but I was wrong. I should have measured the diameter beforehand. eh. I'll have to widen the tuning peg holes by 1/8-1/16th an inch. No big deal, but it just goes to show how every step of the process can present unforeseen challenges. Sweet black tuners though. They match the ones on my 5 string bass, and they turn nice and slow... which is way better than the older tuners.

I wet sanded and shaped the epoxy on the neck which had cured. I probably could have left it as is, but I saw a few uneven spots around fret 18 or 19 along the edges. So I gave it a third and final thin coat... I'm wondering how thick this is getting. I'm going to have to shim the nut for sure.... and wait another 3 days for the epoxy to cure. Looks great though, clear as glass and the fretboard itself looks awesome underneath. I complained about the fretline color, but after applying the epoxy the color seems to match the maple just fine. 

I haven't done anything to the body yet. It's just sitting there. I'm going to sand it down or strip off the terrible stain. This thing could be playable by next week! 

Final Checklist:

  1. Refinish the body
  2. Reattach the neck
  3. Install the bridge and remaining hardware
  4. Rewire the electronics
  5. Install strings

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