Electric Bass Guitar Build

[Julie Moriarty]

I polished the fretboard to 12000 with Micro Mesh. I used standard sandpaper to 220 grit then switched to 320 & 400 Granat and then went through the MM grits.


This is the violin bridge thing I was talking about. I think I need a bow.

[John Coloccia]

That does seem rather tall. Are Ric nut slots a lot deeper than yours? I usually get the top of the nut pretty close to where I need it before I even start making slots. It looks like I'd sand right through the pre-made slots just to get down to the right height!

[Julie Moriarty]

I'm going to take it off the bottom of the nut. It's almost 1/4" higher than where I want to start. I don't know how deep Ric goes on their bass guitars but looking at it, I'd think cutting a slot that deep would weaken the neck.

[george wilson]

Not sure if you know this Julie. The strings are supposed to lay in the nut grooves only to 1/2 their diameter.

[Julie Moriarty]

Not sure if you know this Julie. The strings are supposed to lay in the nut grooves only to 1/2 their diameter.

Yes, I realize that George, but thanks for keeping me on the ball. I don't have any files for bass strings so I'm thinking taking material off the bottom would keep the filing down to a manageable level. But these house showings are really tying my hands. We had to leave for a 2PM showing but they didn't show until almost 3 and we had to drive around until they left, just a few minutes ago. We have two more this evening but both are second timers so maybe we can get this house selling thing done and get back to our lives.

[Julie Moriarty]

I must be a masochist because I agreed to do inlay on the headstock. My SO decided on the "OM" sign but rather than tackling cutting that out of abalone, we bought it with the fret inlays. Today we had no showings on the house (phew!) and I needed to feel worth something more than a cleaning lady, so I retired to the shop...


I think I could become the national salesperson for the Micro Fence plunge base. This makes inlay so easy! I might actually like it someday. Most of the routing was done freehand with a Dremel on the MF base. Give me 20-year old eyes and I could have nailed it perfect.


Dry fit on the inlay. The big piece broke into four pieces when I was trying to extricate it from the cardboard it was glued to but I managed to keep it all together with some clear packing tape.

I just glued it in and it's under clamp pressure right now. I'll post pics later. Right now I have to spruce up the house because the dog and pony realtor show starts up again tomorrow at 9AM.

[Julie Moriarty]

The CA dried pretty fast. I sanded from 80 to 220 then applied Tru Oil.



I'm thinking of sealing the Tru Oil with shellac and finishing the bass with lacquer. It just seems like the right thing to do.

[Julie Moriarty]

Even though my enthusiasm is back again, progress is slow. We were supposed to have a showing today but they rescheduled for tomorrow. So I took that as a chance to get this project done.

I forgot the logical order of things, rust has set in, so I went to installing the frets. I almost screwed up! I was about to hammer in the outer ends of the fretwire when a light bulb went on in my head asking, "Are the fret slots deep enough?"

Since I hand cut all the slots and then went back and sanded down for the inlays, things have changed. After I checked, I found I had to cut the slots a bit deeper. I marked the fret saw for a little over the tang depth and reset the slot depth. When they were all pressed in, the tangs were just a whisper above the bottom of the slot.



So this is where I am. I sanded everything and laid a coat of super blonde shellac down to seal in the oils.


Tomorrow when we have to abandon the house for another potential buyer, we plan to shop for some strings.

[John Coloccia]

Good catch, Julie. I once asked William Cumpiano, "Do you still make big mistakes? How do you deal with them?" He said, "I still make mistakes, but I after a while you see the big ones coming."

[Julie Moriarty]

John, I almost missed it. In fact I had just hammered in the first couple of frets, but did so lightly. I think the voice in my head was screaming at me but I was partially deaf. It's like when you are about to go on vacation and you think you didn't pack something. And when you get there you know what it was. Thankfully, I was able to remove the frets without damaging the fretboard.

I'm getting the bug again, John. Now I actually want to take on another inlay project. But I'm going to have to find a way to finance my addiction.

[John Coloccia]

I'm getting the bug again, John. Now I actually want to take on another inlay project. But I'm going to have to find a way to finance my addiction.

Just think of all that money you'll save by not buying that boat. Or did you buy it? I forget. If you bought the boat, I suggest selling the boat. Perhaps just give it away.

[Julie Moriarty]

Just think of all that money you'll save by not buying that boat. Or did you buy it? I forget. If you bought the boat, I suggest selling the boat. Perhaps just give it away.

Let me guess... You have a good donor in mind.

No, no boat yet. That's my SO's responsibility. But that won't happen until we're situated in the new digs.

[Julie Moriarty]

Dry run # 4,642,897...



I'm still unsure how I'm going to finish the pickup areas. I had a piece of Gabon ebony that I shaped from lines on the headstock but the black wood didn't look right. I don't want a pickguard to hide the wood but I may do the pickguard thing but with clear material. I'm just not sure how high the neck pickup will need to be. I do know some RIC bass owners have filed down the screw heads, the ones mount the ring to the pickup, so they can get the right height.


The bridge pickup will definitely be higher so I'll have to build something up. That's where I was experimenting with the ebony. I'll need some strings before I can really know.

[Julie Moriarty]

Yesterday we got an offer on the house and we accepted. If everything goes through without a hitch, we have to be out of here in a month. Vegas has put the odds of me finishing the bass before we move very low. And I was just bitten by the bug again.

[Mike Sherman]

You should try to at least get the finish applied before the move so it cures during the moving process.