Here's the bass today, just letting the final coat of finish cure before the rubout:  

 

 

Drooool....
 
OK,  now I'm REALLY excited!
 
Mica, Susan & co.,  have I told you lately how mich I love you guys???
 
 
Also, since it's awaiting rubout, can I correctly assume that the backplates are done?  Did we go with binding on just the center or on all 3?
Thanks,
Charles

Darn, I still gotta check on those backplates for you.   We got the hardware back from the plater today, but we had to reject the tailpiece, as it was scratched:

 

  The scratch appears to be only in the protective coating, so the plater thinks they can turn this around within just a few days.   I don't think it will impact the delivery date since there's a short wait before the electronics calibration will be performed anyway as we were discussing yesterday.

In the end, we opted for no binding:

 
The area of concern was one of the corners on the central battery plate (lower left in this picture). Having a harsh line surrounding it, and any of the other plates would look more distracting that the small wiggle in the cut.

that is such a pretty back.
 
 but what is binding? a construction method for the backplate,that appears to form a line around the perimeter of the backplates (for design also)? too reinforce them?
 
(Message edited by jags on March 03, 2007)

i understand how guitars,like gibsons have the body binding. its usually the white plastic around the outside of the les pauls. isnt it?

Cool, thanks Mica.  I agree, that was a good choice.  Is that the rubbed out finish? It looks absolutely amazing!  
 
Jags, check out Fitting Tribute and Autum's Delight in the custom Archive for examples of backplate binding.

That's the rubbed out finish, Charles - like a mirror.  
 
We use wood binding around continuous wood backplates when the fit isn't as good as we'd like or if the customer prefers the look. The first 10 or so continuous wood backplates were done with binding. Bob just kept getting better and better until it was rarely needed for a nice look.

Great googooly goo Chuck! Can't wait to see this in person. Get Down man!!!!

Bizarro-Dragonfly!
 

 
 
 
Kind of looks like lightning in night clouds to me.

It's all stuffed with the electtronics, and ready for the final calibration:

Too cool for words.
 
Hang in there Charles =)

Incredibly awesome looking... and it has a particularily interesting look... contemporary/modern Alembic... yet the old style pickup selector placement gives it a certain Je ne c'est quois.
 
Really, really, cool!

Thanks, Toby!
 
Mark, that's pretty astute of you to pick up on the selector switch location thing.  One of the motivating themes behind this bass is contradiction, since the dragonfly itself is such a dichotomous creature. It is delicate, graceful, and beautiful, but it is the most fearsome and powerful of insect predators.  Also, it is an incredibly ancient species, but only lives a few months once it starts flying.  I wanted this bass to be sort of low-contrast and unassuming (well, for a Series II, anyway) from the front, but eyeball-poppin' from the back.  I think the elves definitely succeded in making that happen! And as you pointed out, it's got a modern/retro thing happening, too.  The selector, of course, and also the low-contrast vermillion laminate with no pinstripe, which reminds me of the older 3-layer sandwiches.  
 
P.S.
The bridge sure looks bizarre all un-intonated like that...took me a minute to figure out what was wrong with it...
 
P.P.S.
 
Mica, is that a stereo/mono switch below the 1/4 jack?

I love the black hardware.  Obviously and inspired creation!