In this build step we will be drilling out the remainder of the pick guard holes and finishing the pick guard neck cutout. Below: The pick guard is laying on body, and the tools we will be using are shown, that being a centerpunch (top), a chamfer/countersink bit, and 1/16″ bit w/tape on it. There … Read more
Ordinarily we don’t start bassist of the week articles with videos, but this is an exception and you’ll understand why right now. Rohan, who is from Melbourne, Australia, has played bass at the lake: …and on the beach (several times): …and in the rainforest: …and on a wind farm: …and on the bus: So yeah, … Read more
See the business listing for this bass builder here This feature bass is a minimalist build where just one piece of wood makes up the entire body and neck. (Video is after the photos so you can hear a demo!) Builder Steve Jackson writes: I had a fascination to put knobs on the side. It … Read more
In this build step, the pick guard edge is beveled, and a few options are shown of how to go about doing this. Below: The tools needed here are a half-round file and a razor blade (optional, shown in a moment.) Below: Beginning of the filing process. Instead of placing the pick guard in a … Read more
See the business listing for this bass builder here The feature bass for this week is a simple P-Bass lefty build. Sometimes the simple stuff is what works best. The builder of this bass, Andrew Meyer, writes: This is my first attempt at building a musical instrument. I have always been interested in the electric … Read more
The last time we talked about a Russian-made Ural bass, someone was smashing it to bits, and you can see that here. This time however, someone has gone through the trouble of realigning the neck, installing new frets, installing new electronics and installing what appear to be new replacement pickups. The end result is something … Read more
This is a continuation of part 1. Below: Cutting out the pick guard with a bandsaw, purposely staying 1/16″ away from the cutting line in order to file down later since the bandsaw leaves a rough cut edge; the edge will be smoothed out in a moment. Below: Pick guard has been cut and is … Read more
The feature player for this week is Álvaro Martín Gómez Acevedo from Bucaramanga, Colombia, South America! We interviewed Álvaro and this is what he had to say. Do you prefer the Rickenbacker bass for playing fast bass lines, or is there another you like better? Not really. The main reason why I play my Ric … Read more
See the business listing for this bass builder here The feature bass this week is a 32-inch scale fretless with a nice selection of woods and gold hardware. (Note: There is a video demo below so you can hear this bass.) Builder Rob Darby writes: Twenty years back, I bought two blocks of maple and … Read more
We’re getting closer to finalizing the pick guard, and in this step we drill some holes, drill some more holes, then perform some shaping. Below: Tools used for this step. 1/8″ and 3/8″ bradpoint bits, countersinking bit, centerpunch, razor blade and a half-round file. Below: Marking the drill hole points with the centerpunch. This is … Read more
