The Scroll Shop (Ed of H's Shop Thread)

[edwardofhuncote]

Am I seeing an effect of the light, or does the board have an asymmetrical radius?  If so, is the common practice on doghouses?

Peter

Yes, it's called a Romberg bevel. Common on cellos (celli?) and upright basses. It's used less on modern instruments. I prefer having one to not. It's more for bowing technique but it also allows for a more forceful pull on that big string.

*scroll down to the last item here- https://gollihurmusic.com/fingerboards-for-upright-bass-whats-to-know/

[edwardofhuncote]

More dropfilling on my banjo project... watching paint dry. Y'all didn't really needta' see that, right? 🙄 It's going pretty good, just slooooow.

I had to make a new nut for this bass. The old one was way too short. I could have shimmed it and reshaped. I had a big enough chunk of rosewood in the scrap box so I cut a new one out from scratch.





I glued it in place and dabbed another drop or two of lacquer on the banjo. Quit to go for a walk on an Indian Summer afternoon.

(there was actually more to it than that; this pegbox has been broken off and grafted back on leaving a little shelf. I had to make some little shims for each ear so it would sit flush and flat... just so you know, I had to work for it)




This old bass is a survivor.

[garyhead]

The photos are all question marks. 

[adriaan]

The photos are all question marks. 

Sometimes the photos take some time to load properly, even for the member who did the upload. They show for me now.

[peoplechipper]

I want to state again how thankful I am for this thread; I'm trained and self-taught in metals but have dabbled in wood for years, and been doing guitar repairs for some time, so it's great to see your solutions and see how others may do it, it actually helps me feel more qualified; when you're self-taught, sometimes you figure that it went okay but then find out that's the best way to do it...anyway, thanks again for this thread and if you ever need a goldsmith for something, maybe I can help...Tony.

[edwardofhuncote]

I want to state again how thankful I am for this thread; I'm trained and self-taught in metals but have dabbled in wood for years, and been doing guitar repairs for some time, so it's great to see your solutions and see how others may do it, it actually helps me feel more qualified; when you're self-taught, sometimes you figure that it went okay but then find out that's the best way to do it...anyway, thanks again for this thread and if you ever need a goldsmith for something, maybe I can help...Tony.

I've had a bunch of really good teachers Tony... starting when I was maybe 12 or 13 years old... a mandolin maker was helping my Dad learn to build his own banjos. A kindly man named Jewel Thompson. I still have one of his engraved mandolin tailpieces in a drawer. It's been there for almost 40 years. Most of the larger tools in my shop today came from his. These days most of my coaching comes from a very trained luthier. (legitimately went to violinmaker's school in the Pacific Northwest) We catch up every week, and I try to visit his shop at least a couple times a month with some project in-hand. Next up, I have a Gibson mandolin with a failed neck joint. I got no business working on anything like that myself but I feel a little more confident if Ward is calling the plays. He already has two apprentices now that are with him a couple days a week, both very capable. I think either one of the girls could take this up as a career. They're also full-time musicians. But it's just a part-time retirement gig for me, and that's all it'll be. One I can enjoy.

I'm about to head up there and get to work. I used to take weekends off, but at some point I realized all 7 days are the same now... I can take off whenever I feel like it.

Today is tune-up day on this old bass. It's getting played next Saturday night.

[David Houck]

... at some point I realized all 7 days are the same now ...

Yes.

[garyhead]

I call it 6 Saturdays and a Sunday! 

Wow....this thread has almost 123,000 views!

[cozmik_cowboy]

We have no trouble telling when it's Saturday or Sunday; those days we don't have any medical appointments.......

Peter

[edwardofhuncote]

It's a done deal... final setup complete.


I'm a little particular about how strings get wound on basses, more so on these old-school hat-pegs, and even more when they are gut strings. This set of wires set my client back almost $400. You don't take any chances on them binding or raveling.


I like to stand back and look when they're all done... I'll clean up the bench tomorrow and bring in the next patient.


The El-Kabong project is progressing. After drop-fill and leveling was done with some 800-grit wet-sanding, I shot a couple hide coats of 50/50 tinted lacquer. It's very thin, and I spray it very light letting it build. I'll shoot some clear over it tomorrow. The ultra-dry weather is cooperating lately.



*it just run through my head... El-Kabong wudda' got more mileage if heeda' used a banjo instead of geetars... 🤣

[cozmik_cowboy]

*it just run through my head... El-Kabong wudda' got more mileage if heeda' used a banjo instead of geetars... 🤣

Or different geetars; decades ago I read an interview with Johnny Winter where he allowed as how the playability & tone weren't the only reasons he played Firebirds.  He said they were sturdy enough you could use them as weapons when things in the honky-tonks got rough.....

Peter

[David Houck]

That headstock repair is looking nice!

[edwardofhuncote]

That headstock repair is looking nice!

It's all done, and going back today. This week's been a flurry of work and errands, but I snapped a couple progress pics.

With a lacquer touch-up and overspray, the time-consuming part is in between coats. The lacquer shrinks quite drastically. I skipped through all the build up parts of a week here, let the last top coat cure for several days then wet-sanded the headstock faces.




Once they looked pretty good, I rubbed them out with some Meguiars, and then buffed out further. All by hand here, no buffing wheel. Occasionally I'll use the one in Ward's shop. This is more like a shoeshine operation. A torn-up tshirt is the ticket.




I went over the whole neck with this process,  glossing it all up so the headstock wouldn't stick out like a kid with a new haircut. Then when I was satisfied with the overall final look of the repair, it was time to mount the hardware back on and reassemble...

[edwardofhuncote]

After assembly and setup... ready to go.





*sorry about the fingerprints on the truss-rod cover. It was the last thing to go on. I'll wipe those off.

Looking back at square one: 


This one's going back to the front. 

[cozmik_cowboy]

Hey, Greg, I have an instrument that needs a full set-up.....

Peter