STDC Iceman Bass ****FINISHED PICS pg. 2****

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Body:
-Flame Maple laminate on Mahogany
-double MM pickup route
-Ivoroid top binding
-blue dye top, transparent blue back
-truss rod trench route, no neck removal for adjustments
-5 way blade switch route
-7/8" output side jack

Neck:
-Wenge/Jet Black Ebony
-no face dots, side dots only
-white corian nut
-3/8" tuner ream
-Fender right hand reverse headstock
-6130 nickel frets

Electronics:
-Carvin passive 4 conductor humbucking MM style pickups
-5 way switch
  N parallel
  N+B outer coils parallel
  N+B full humbucking
  N+B inner coils parallel (may change to bridge series humbucking)
  B parallel
-500k CTS pots
-.022 mf orange drop cap
-shielded cavities
-my own design grounding bus to eliminate soldering to backs of pots

Hardware:
-DangerousR6 neckplate
-Hipshot string thru A type bridge (Fender AM Standard retrofit)
-Hipshot 3/8" Ultralites tuning machines
-Hipshot o-ring control knobs
-Hipshot 3 string retainer
-string thru ferrules
-Electrosocket Jack
-Schaller strap locks

I know this is for finished projects, but rather than start a 3 separate threads in Just out of the Box, Work in Progress, and Finished w/pics, I'd do one.  This project won't drag.  When finished, I'll update the title with "finished w/pics."

So, this was on my front porch yesterday:

It contained this:

So far, I've installed ferrules and strap buttons and applied the first coat of shielding paint to the control cavity.  I did the soldering iron trick with the ferrules, but that would only take it so far.  I've hammered them straight in before, but the previous ones were silver whereas these were black.  Not wanting to scratch or dent the finish on the ferrules, I took a rack mount screw and used 2 plastic washers and a metal washer and tapped them in.

Cagey and I have been seeing eye to eye on a regular basis.  To bring balance back to the universe, I'm shielding this bad boy.

We all know where this came frame.

Head shots:

 

[SustainerPlayer]

Cool  :headbang1:

 

[ezas]

I like that neck plate and the color of the body. Gonna be nice looking when it's all done.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

I applied the 3rd and 4th coats of the (unnecessary) shielding paint last night and this morning to the control and pickup cavities.  I'm gonna work on the bridge grounding tonight and ground leads from the pickup cavities' shielded surfaces in the morning.  I may also do the control layout drilling and wiring tomorrow too.

 

[drewfx]

Looks sweet!  I was wondering what color you were going with.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

The pleasant surprise was how nice the trans blue on the mahogany looks.  It's so dark, it looks black under most light.  In the sunlight, the grain is visible with a very light hint of green.

 

[Corey P.]

That's looking pretty incredible - excited to see it in playable format.  :guitaristgif:

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

I got all the shielding done that I'm going to do.  I'm a little less than pleased with the final ohm value with the continuity tester.  With every coat of the shielding paint the ohm value did lower, but it is electrically continuous at every point in the cavities, so it will do what it's supposed to.  I'll install jumpers to connect the cavities.  They are isolated from each other afterall.

 

[Pelagaard]

Maybe my eyes aren't working right, I don't see where the control knobs are going... :-\

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Your eyes are working properly.  I don't even know where they're going yet.  When I ordered it, I wasn't sure how many knobs or switches were going on it.  Those are easily enough made.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

For my switching options, I'm using a Superswitch.  Only problem, the extra poles made it too wide for the 5-way route on a rear route body.  Luckily, no contacts are in the wider portion and it's cardboard.


Before and during:  using a hacksaw blade to cut off some excess for clearance.

After:

Now that it's narrow enough to sit inside the routed channel, once the cover is on, the thing is almost too tall.  "If it ain't one thing, it's your mother."

I also drilled the pot locations.

I'm a perpetual tinkerer and will probably do a rewire or pot repacement at some point, so threaded inserts made sense.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Here's a few more pics.  I've got pretty much everything done except for the switch wiring.  After that, attach the neck, string it up and drop it off for a setup.

Here is the bridge grounding method.  Copper tape and crimp on lug that's been tinned after crimping then screwed to the tape.

Here is one set of grounds.  This is another crimp on lug with 3/8" eyelet.  I strip it, crimp it, and tin it.  It will go between the pot and and body around the pot shaft.  The ground leads from the pickups will get the same method under the volume pot.  The cavity is shielded and could conduct for grounding purposes between the pots, but I have a metal strip for continuity.  Ground is ground, but logistically, I want the shielding paint to just worry about that.  I'm using more mechanical means to actually carry out the circuit grounding.

Here is the shielded pickup cavities.  Same method, and the other end of those wires are in the lug in the previous pic.

The continuity tester don't lie.

Finally, it's looking like a bass!  I do however need to find some black screws for the switch.

 

[bagman67]

Pretty effin' swanky.  That's tidy work.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Keep in mind I'm only showing the pics I want to be seen.  When it's all done, the wires will all be crammed in there with the cavity cover fighting the urge to explode.  My soldering/tinning leaves much to be desired.  I think I need a new solder tip.  The iron still gets plenty hot, but not the tip.  It's the main reason I didn't finish the switch last night.  I didn't even want to bother with four leads and all the jumpers with a luke warm tip.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

It's all finished!  Wiring is done, everything is buttoned up, and working!  Finished pics tomorrow or Friday.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Big thanks to Doug (and whoever came up with the original design I borrowed) for the neckplate, Line6man for the wiring diagram I could've paid $30 for on the interwebs, Spike at Warmoth for walking me through the original order and getting some of the custom options to go my way, Rob at Warmoth for putting up with me and my indecisions and rash decisions on the reorder, and Africa for the Jet Black Ebony.

 

[DangerousR6]

Looks good so far Gary, and you're welcome... :headbang1:

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Finished pics.  Specs on 1st post of first page.


Front.

Back.  This Wenge/Ebony neck was originally on another project.  For anyone with questions how Wenge darkens, notice the headstock compared to the rest of the neck.  This is 3 years old with lite use and not used at all for the last year.

Front again.  This one is to show (compared to the 1st pic in this post) that the flame of the bookmatched top can look more lively or dead depending on the angle and/or lighting.

The binding separating the 2 colors of blue.  The back and sides look almost black in darker lighting. 

 

[JaySwear]

Looks amazing! And strangely that headstock shape looks perfect on there

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Looks amazing! And strangely that headstock shape looks perfect on there

It's the orientation.  Strangely, when that neck was on a J-Bass, a guy asked me if that was a Firebird neck.  The color and orientation threw him I guess.