Recent content by Michaelga

I picked up a swamp ash Precision bass body in satin black along with a tele bass neck made from roasted maple with turquoise dot inlays. I need some more pieces to finish the build. I have a Nordstrandt pickup, but it's for a 5-string bass. Do you think it will still work? I'm also trying to...

$250 for satin black painted swamp ash P-bass body? Sold! Now I’ll sell my other unfinished body. GAS strikes again!

I thought roasted necks were supposed to be more stable! I just bought one for a P-bass build. Michael

Sigh! GAS strikes again! I just couldn't resist getting a Tele bass neck for the P-bass body I bought a year ago during another special ($100 3-piece ash). How many guitar/bass builds does it take before I'm diagnosed with some psychological ailment! Michael

My hands aren't as big as yours, but they are big my experience has been with bass guitars. I was really struggling with standard width so I got a superwide Strat neck in the standard thin profile. It is definitely more comfortable! Michael

I wonder if these differences would be more noticeable on bass guitars because of the significantly greater mass of the strings and increased tension in relation to the rest of the wood.

Definitely string buzz. Adjusting the truss rod and/or raising the bridge should fix it.

There's a youtube video of a guy finishing a guitar in UV-cured polyester. Chris Monk of Highline Guitars. It's very interesting! I tried it myself, but made a mess of it. I had zero experience in finishing and should have used an easier method. The vapors are horrible! You definitely need good...

There's also catalyzed (2k) polyurethane that cures in a similar timeframe as the polyester. I'm not certain what the benefits of one is over the other in terms of a finish. Michael

You can get a small bottle of Tru oil for around $5. Just use pieces of an old t-shirt and apply at least 5 coats, let it dry and you're done. Michael

Thank you all!

The low cost of a precision bass body made from 3 pieces of swamp ash lured me into making a purchase. Now that I have it, I'm wondering if the number of pieces going into the construction makes any difference. I've seen one-piece bodies and laminates made from possibly 10, 20, or more pieces...

There are also 2K finishes (2 component) thermoset polymers (can you tell I work with plastics?) that will cure to the point where they should be inert and compatible with any other finish. Epoxy primer and polyester and polyurethane topcoats are all examples of this. Tough finishes, but you...

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