So after over 30 CBG's I have decided to try building my own bass, to use as a backup to my early 1980's Fender P when playing out. And for the fun of it, of course.
Early on I dedided the body would be a thunderbird, but with a Fender neck because they are widely available in the aftermarket and I am already comfortable with my p-bass. Ended up missing the last neck that CBGitty had by a matter of hours, so I went to eBay and bought a Jazz neck with rosewood fretboard instead. It should be here in a couple of weeks.
So then I got started on the body. I decided to laminate a variety of woods that were gifted to me by friends and family, laid up in individual strips of Ash, Cherry, Birds-Eye Maple, and Oak.
So far I am really stoked with this project. Next week I hope to find someone with a 14" planer to level out the front and back surfaces, then have to wait for the neck to arrive before I can do the routing on it for the electronics and neck pocket.
Doing research on the project I discovered that John Entwhistle of The Who created a few "FenderBird" basses back in the early 70's... That instantly told me I was headed in the right direction.
The first pic is the prototyping work I did on my computer to get an idea of how it would look, the second pic is the laminated block for the body. So far, so good!!
I think this will look great when your done. Can't wait to see the finished product. What overall weight are you shooting for? I built a JBass awhile back and was surprised at how heavy the neck was. Luckily the smaller body I used didn't cause neck dive.
When I wrote this, not all of the content had loaded and I didn't see that you had finished it. Look's great, enjoy.
Thanks for the interesting discussion. I built my first CBG a year ago and am just finishing number 17 this week. I am going to try a bass next. I think I'm probably the one to get the last neck from CBGitty. The longest cigar box I've found that looks good is 13" and it came today. So... I'll soon know if I can work something out with that box or if I'll have to get a way more ugly box that's narrower and 16" long. I'll post pictures when I get it done.
Greg Potts > Scott McGilliardFebruary 20, 2015 at 8:40am
OK, after about 5 weeks of being way too busy with work related travel and other interferences, I am finally back in the game with the Fenderbird build.
I went back to the drawing board, invested in a new 13" DELTA finishing planer and then glued up a new blank for the body. This one includes some bamboo plywood that a friend had left over from a countertop he installed. So now I am up to 6 different woods in the body, including ash, cherry, bamboo, maple, oak and walnut.
I also did some research on routing the pocket for the neck and pickups, and used the artwork I created in Adobe Illustrator to create a routing template. So now I have my evening's work all cut out for me, so to speak.
My first time using a hand held router. It was a little nerve-wracking, but the results were worth it. I used a rounding bit on the perimeter, then a straight cut bit to carve out the neck pocket.
There is still LOTS to be done, but at this point in the build I was able to plug in and test drive it, which felt REALLY good. The neck needs a string tree on the D and G strings, my daughter is working on headstock art, the frets need a bit more dressing and then it gets lacquered. I've also got to finish up the cover for the electronics pocket and figure out where the strap nuts should go.
Replies
I think this will look great when your done. Can't wait to see the finished product. What overall weight are you shooting for? I built a JBass awhile back and was surprised at how heavy the neck was. Luckily the smaller body I used didn't cause neck dive.
When I wrote this, not all of the content had loaded and I didn't see that you had finished it. Look's great, enjoy.
Totally cool. Nice job fixing the neck pocket. Looking forward to hearing this build when it's done.
Thanks for the interesting discussion. I built my first CBG a year ago and am just finishing number 17 this week. I am going to try a bass next. I think I'm probably the one to get the last neck from CBGitty. The longest cigar box I've found that looks good is 13" and it came today. So... I'll soon know if I can work something out with that box or if I'll have to get a way more ugly box that's narrower and 16" long. I'll post pictures when I get it done.
OK, after about 5 weeks of being way too busy with work related travel and other interferences, I am finally back in the game with the Fenderbird build.
I went back to the drawing board, invested in a new 13" DELTA finishing planer and then glued up a new blank for the body. This one includes some bamboo plywood that a friend had left over from a countertop he installed. So now I am up to 6 different woods in the body, including ash, cherry, bamboo, maple, oak and walnut.
I also did some research on routing the pocket for the neck and pickups, and used the artwork I created in Adobe Illustrator to create a routing template. So now I have my evening's work all cut out for me, so to speak.
IMG_2189.JPG
IMG_2261.JPG
Hey, this thing looks a bit like a guitar...
I initially thought the end grain on the bamboo plywood would bother me, but it turns out I don't mind it in the least.
My first time using a hand held router. It was a little nerve-wracking, but the results were worth it. I used a rounding bit on the perimeter, then a straight cut bit to carve out the neck pocket.
Test fitting the pieces. Very excited at this point.
Minwax natural stain, then about 8 coats of varathane.
There is still LOTS to be done, but at this point in the build I was able to plug in and test drive it, which felt REALLY good. The neck needs a string tree on the D and G strings, my daughter is working on headstock art, the frets need a bit more dressing and then it gets lacquered. I've also got to finish up the cover for the electronics pocket and figure out where the strap nuts should go.
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