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PostPosted: Mon Nov 30, 2015 3:17 pm 
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Walnut
Walnut

Joined: Fri Nov 20, 2015 5:49 am
Posts: 14
First name: Steve
Last Name: Jarman
City: Erith
State: Kent
Zip/Postal Code: DA8 3NA
Country: United Kingdom
Focus: Build
Status: Semi-pro
Hi All..

As I've probably said elsewhere, the last instruments I built were around 15+ years ago, a selection of basses, telecasters etc, so I'm no newbie.

Then, there really was no internet and therefore very little in the way of forums and professionals on tap!

Here goes - Jazz bass neck, Flamed Maple, ebony fretted board, nothing fancy.

What's the best order?

    Get neck blank & mark it all out
    rout for truss rod channel
    Cut head to shape, and cut neck to width +0.5mm
    Cut fret slots in fingerboard
    Cut fingerboard to shape + 0.5mm for final shaping
    Glue fingerboard on
    Radius the fingerboard
    Put frets in
    Shape neck using all sorts of tools...

Comments? Was I on the right lines?


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PostPosted: Mon Nov 30, 2015 7:43 pm 
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Brazilian Rosewood
Brazilian Rosewood

Joined: Thu Nov 04, 2010 1:46 pm
Posts: 2124
First name: Freeman
Last Name: Keller
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
This is my order of construction - others may do it differently. I typically do a stacked heel and angled headstock with a scarf joint. It is very important to do all operations that require square flat sides first using band or table saws. I usually work with a 3 by 7/8 mahogany blank 34 or so long.

True up sides
Cut scarf headstock joint and glue up
Cut blocks for heel and glue up
Rout truss rod channel. Rout clearance at end of channel for adjuster.
Make all the cuts for the heel that require flat square surfaces. That includes the tenon for whatever kind of joint I'm going to do
Rough cut the back of the neck to its thickness (neck will be on its side in the band saw)
Rough cut the sides of the neck from nut to heel (neck will be on the fretboard face in band saw) - neck is slightly wide at this time
Cut or rout the headstock shape
Rough shape back of neck and heel using spoke shaves, chisels, planes and other impliments of distruction
Shape, radius, slot fretboard (I do separate boards). Bind board if necessary. Install markers (note, board is final width at this point)
Fret board (I fret the board before its glued on, pressing them in). Others obviously do it later.
Install truss rod in neck, glue on fretboard.
Bring the sides of the neck to the fretboard
Final shape the neck
Add side markers
Set the neck angle
Glue on head plate, heel plate, install inlay. Drill tuner holes.

Most of the steps are shown starting a page 2 of this Les Paul style build thread.

http://www.harmonycentral.com/forum/for ... dded/page2

page 3 has some pictures of shaping the neck. page 4 has the fretting.

Good luck with your build. If you don't have it I highly recommend Melvyn Hiscock's book Make Your Own Electric Guitar He does build a thru neck bass as one of the projects


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PostPosted: Tue Dec 01, 2015 10:43 am 
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Cocobolo
Cocobolo

Joined: Fri Jul 01, 2011 9:17 am
Posts: 381
First name: Michael
State: AR
Country: USA
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
Stevo wrote:
Hi All..

As I've probably said elsewhere, the last instruments I built were around 15+ years ago, a selection of basses, telecasters etc, so I'm no newbie.

Then, there really was no internet and therefore very little in the way of forums and professionals on tap!

Here goes - Jazz bass neck, Flamed Maple, ebony fretted board, nothing fancy.

What's the best order?

    Get neck blank & mark it all out
    rout for truss rod channel
    Cut head to shape, and cut neck to width +0.5mm
    Cut fret slots in fingerboard
    Cut fingerboard to shape + 0.5mm for final shaping
    Glue fingerboard on
    Radius the fingerboard
    Put frets in
    Shape neck using all sorts of tools...

Comments? Was I on the right lines?


I think yes you were on the right lines. With a Fender style I like to drill the tuner holes before I slice the head to thickness. Nice clean holes that way.
I also like to shape the end of the fretboard to head before I start sanding radius.
After I radius I have to cut the slots again...I like the fret slots to be as close as I can get them (so very little if any filler is used) so my initial cut is never deep enough.

Your list modified as I would make it.

    Get neck blank & mark it all out ( one side of blank very straight and that's the side used to measure for center-line/ truss-rod location and cut to length)
    rout for truss rod channel
    Cut head and neck to shape
    Drill tuner holes
    Cut fret slots
    Install fret markers.
    Glue fingerboard on and do the final router sizing to neck.
    Slice the head to thickness and sand the transition (on Fender style)
    Radius the fingerboard and rework the fret slots to desired depth.
    Glue and press the frets in.
    Sand/bevel fret ends.
    Install side dots.
    Shape neck using all sorts of tools...


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