Please excuse my excitement for Bapu

 
Wow Michael, that looks awesome
 
 
You'll have to send him an instruction manual though - chiefly explaining how to tune all five strings to Am
 
 
 

 Yea what Janet said, you're a real artist in more ways than one Michael, those are some sexy curves.

Everyday it gets prettier and prettier.

@Straummy. I thought those holes were fer me ciggys? You mean I gotta play this thing too?

Everyday it gets prettier and prettier.

for some reason - when you say that .... I .....(shakes head) .....just never mind 




forget about it 




 

Awesome Michael.  So how do you shape the neck?  I mean what shape do you begin with, and how do you get to this shape?

.

Jon I thought the Alembic was for Am so I added
the 5th so he could get a handle on Bm.
Left moob? Oh no...I thought he played right handed.....
well he'll be alright if they're both the same size.

Thanks for the kudos guys.

Wow, Mike, that is absolutely gorgeous.  Yeah, I can see the bookmatching.  At first, I was wondering why you would use files instead of say a belt sander, but after reading your text, I think I know: better control, and less chance of a slip.

I'm curious about your gluing/clamping procedures if you ever feel like sharing those.
 
That is incredible work you're doing.  You should be very proud.

Sanding break. Not really my favorite part of the build.

Thanks Phil!
I don't know about pride Phil but I sure feel lucky. After what I've been through I think
the key to building is being able to get ones butt out of a crack.
Since I'm just going for it, it's easy to find myself trying to get out of a problem I created lol.

What I glue;
The laminate block for the neck.
The fretboard to neck.
The body laminates.
The body wings to neck-thru.
Laminate to head (maybe).

Glue- Elmer's wood (yellow)
           Titebond III

The neck;
One block I build big enough to split and yield two necks.
Each has to be at least 1 7/8" thick. (which is really the width of the boards so I size them to 4")
Number of laminates is based on design.
I try not to waste wood but I sure want enough to work with.

I plane each board and then rough sand with 80 grit. Using 80 grit gives the wood fibers that
interlock with the other board and make for nice joints and a strong bond to each other.
Spread a nice even thin coat of glue on both boards.
DON'T use to much. This needs to be an even thin coat on each board. The wood glue works very good
and will be stronger than the wood.
If you apply to much glue clamping won't get it all out. This will really mess it up and there will
be a layer of glue in-between the pieces...and that's very ugly.
The neck block can be re-sized easy enough if off a little...try to  keep one
side even. If block pieces are off on each side that can be a lot removed trying to resize. Most bodies
are around 1 3/4 so the block can be be resized to 3 3/4"...that doesn't leave much extra wood.

The fretboard;
This one is critical. Two reasons, the first being the center-line and second being  where the
scale starts. ( where the nut is placed).
The common method I think is for pins to be placed to keep the board in place when clamping.
You do not want this board to move out of place.
There are numerous methods to "pinning".
Another issue is that one doesn't want glue to get on the truss-rod.
I use tape to cover the rod and trim it just to cover the rod.
I use a 12" radiused block that cover most of the fretboard to clamp with. That applies even
pressure across width and length of fretboard.

The Body Wings;
Again, the wings want to slide when pressure is applied.
Wings maynot be the exact same size (thickness) of neck-thru so this may change
how one clamps.
Another issue is the shape of the wings(body) as they are not straight edges.
The easiest way to clamp is when the body is cut out, save the pieces from the block.
I use the top and bottom pieces and that gives me straight edges and makes clamping
much easier.
Aligning the wings to neck -thru can have many factors so it's clamp lightly, check, and repeat.
Best keep an eye on it and double check. Once the glue sets, that's it. You may never get it apart....nicely.

I use as many clamps as I can get on the pieces. I tighten them as if I were torqueing a head....I mean
get the clamps in place snug, check the work, and then try to tighten them evenly. Don't just tighten like
one in the middle real tight. The woods going to move unless it's pinned. Go slow and even.

The Body:
I currently glue the woods together before cutting out body shape.
Same procedure's mentioned above.

Prep, glue application, and clamping technique with the right glue.

Phil I hope I did good and it makes some sense.
I think this was easier than the manual Steve suggested...lol. not sure
if either is worth reading time.

Mike- Thanks so much.  That was a great description. 

Man, that'll be a fine bass when it's finished. Actually, it looks great already! No need to do more to it or you'll just ruin that excellent first impression!

If I could make instruments like that I'd quit my day job!

Jonbouy

bapu

Jonbouy


Did you know Bapu has an Alembic?

Restored.

Using the past participle 'had' here is correct parlance, it infers that one had previously gathered or heard that Bapu owned an Alembic. 

It does not presume that he still has one (an Alembic) nor does it exclude the possibility that Bapu continues to have it (the Alembic) in his possession.

However, it is good that Bapu just confirmed that he still has the Alembic I thought he had to complement this fantastic guitar Michael is building that Bapu is also due to have.

LSHHCOMN

Nice

LSHHCOMN

??

Something from Grzylyrg?

Yes,

In this case Has, Had or Have.