posted 20 Jun 2011 06:35 by James Short
So, It's been a while dear readers. Apologies for neglecting to document the entire process. I have been working on a few other things and winter was coming. Now, here's a teaser.
As you can see, the bass is coming together. This is just a dry fit to see if using a, slightly modded, Hofner beetle bass bridge would work. I think it will. Basically, I just re-spaced the fretwire and sanded the bottom so it would make more contact with a flat top. I decided the Gibson-style bridge wasn't worth the effort. Also on here is a TV Jones pickup, instead of the original Kustom, and my rough pickguard.
The sexiest part, which doesn't show up in this photo, is the new ebony fretboard with paua shell (abalone) inlays and gold frets. I don't want to ruin the surprise, more non hipster photos coming.
All in all, I really enjoy playing this and will be excited to finish. Acoustically, it sounds great. |
posted 13 Jul 2010 14:59 by James Short
In this installment we'll look at removing the old rosewood fingerboard. As you can see, the wood is chipped pretty badly from removing the original frets. As with most things I found on this bass, the dimensions are non-standard (though, to be fair, what was standard in '68).
I want to be cautious here. I'm using steam to warm and penetrate; loosening the glue joint between then fingerboard and the neck. The A Minor Forest shirt has served me well and is now martyred.
After a little while (this is a slow process), I'm able to work a putty knife in the joint. I used a razor blade at first to coerce the joint enough for the putty knife to slip in... This process is repeated a couple inches at a time: fill Iron, let steam run out, try to pry until the glue doesn't want to give...
Finally! The fingerboard is removed with no damage to the neck's surface. All in all, it went faster than expected.
So, where are we now? I have the ebony board radiused (12"), slotted and rough cut to fit on the neck. I need to do some cleanup before I glue it to make it easier once it is attached. Then, I fret and inlay the side/top markers with abalone.
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posted 29 Jun 2010 06:40 by James Short
Hey gang,
Congratulations to our friends over at Giant Fire Breathing Robot who just made it to the top of the Staff Favorites in the US iTunes store.
Check out their podcast here (opens iTunes)
There are lots of rare and exclusive cuts all over the show... so listen for that, but also because it is fucking brill.
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posted 21 Jun 2010 11:04 by James Short
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updated 9 Jul 2010 11:46
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The Kustom K200D restoration has begun in earnest. I'm replacing the standard rosewood fingerboard with a new Madagascar Ebony board. The years of being able to do this are drawing to a close and I've wanted a good ebony fingerboard since my affiliation with Alembic in the mid-late 90's.
Here's what the bass looked like in the original 1968 catalogue
Here's what she looks like now
With the original bridge long gone, I've decided to replace the tailpiece/bridge with a vintage Gibson style 3 point bridge (as seen below). This is in line with combining all the elements I like about various basses. There are several who believe this bridge is flawed, and I do agree to some extent. However, it is period correct and they still use them on the Jack Casady and Allan Woody basses; which I happen to adore.
The original white pickguard has busted in to several pieces. Though, to be honest, even if it was in one piece I'd probably still be getting rid of it. My favourite of all pickguard material is tortoise shell. I have also wanted a butterscotch/Tortoiseshell bass for quite some time. Why not now? Remember the paper on the earlier photo... that was my rough template.
Pretty snazzy. So, after a little hand sawing, the rough cut looks like...
It already looks so much better. In our next installment, I'll talk about removing the old rosewood fingerboard (which is done). I may also end up discussing the installation of the ebony board, hand fretting, and inlay (which is not done) depending on when I update.
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posted 7 May 2010 12:46 by James Short
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updated 21 Jun 2010 11:25
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Hey Gang,Lutherie is a love and former profession of mine. The latest project is bringing a very beat up 1968 Kustom K200D bass back to life. It had been sitting in my closet for more than a dozen years. It was one of my first attempts at a Jaco conversion... and is mostly junk. The thing is, the body, at least, is in great shape and is VERY similar to a Rickenbacker 360 guitar body. Now, I share a special love for Rickenbacker instruments since there are several hundred out there with my name on them (a little piece of masking tape if you're looking - oh, and it won't be BassDbler).
I have one of the original two pickups, I need another or a replacement. I'll need new tuning keys. I need a new bridge (tune-o-matic-esque). The pickup is the most difficult... I may end up winding one myself (I do that too). I'm going to just get her to an acoustic state... play for a bit and see what I want to do overall. If anyone has any leads on parts, I would be most grateful (Email Me)
What will she be... Fretted? Fretless? Piccolo?
Back in the Rickenbacker days with a Lemmy bass
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