first build coming up...

[hachikid]

so, my bass is roughly 800 miles away from me right now. I will have to do a little work to the body, and also do some drilling for screws and such. I need to drill holes for two mini toggle switches, a hole for a second jack (goes on a plate like a Rickenbacker), drill holes for the bridge, tuners, string guide and straplocks, and also install the string ferrules on the back of the bass. also, do I have to drill holes for the pickups?

anyway, since this is my first time doing this, are there general tips I should know? and what is the correct way to approach all the drilling.

like, I've heard to use soap on the screws, but not much after that. can you guys chime in here? I'm trying to get some research done and a plan in place before the bass shows up so I can get it all assembled as quickly as I can to send it off to the luthier to have it setup and the frets redressed/leveled before I move to Birmingham in two weeks. also, a WIP thread will definitely be in order. ^_^

 

[hachikid]

It's now 400 miles away! Should be here tomorrow!! Wahoo! Can anybody share their wisdom?

 

[AprioriMark]

Is your body finished?  If it is, make sure that you're drilling through a guide block for those switch/hardware holes, otherwise you run a greater risk of chipping paint.  If you don't want to go that far, and even if you are, make sure to press a decent indent in the finish before drilling.  If you can afford it and intend to build more instruments, buy Forstner bits in the sizes you'll need.

Honestly, man, just take your time, mock things up as often as you feel you need to, and be ready for *something* to go wonky.

-Mark

 

[Malta]

I use a small manual hand operated drill to drill pilot holes for screws in the body/neck. Oh and I use a piece of masking tape on the drill bit to use as a depth guide.

 

[hachikid]

It is Warmoth finished. And a guide block? Do I have to make or buy those?

 

[hachikid]

ok, it's gonna be here tomorrow...I can't freakin sleep!  :icon_biggrin:

I'm also gonna be getting parts. as far as strings, it has a string through body BAIII on it and a P-Bass style headstock on it. should I get long scale? or will regular scale strings work? and Forstner bits, check. anyone know what size bit I should use for drilling for a mini toggle switch, and screws for the tuners/string tree? also, do I have to drill screw holes for the bridge? I actually sent in my BAIII along with the pickups so they'd be able to make sure they route correct for the specific part, too.