Building the uber-J. Part Twelve.

Metal fatigue.



Since my last update I have fixed a few details I wasn't too happy with or I felt deserved improvement. Namely, covers, screws, brass parts and cavities.
The plate in the picture is now polished to a shine. Following leads and hunches I finally found someone who would engrave a line on it - not that easy due to the plate size. Kinda hard to photograph the entire line and keep it readable with reflections and all..... The complete line reads:

Uber-Jay n.1 Maurizio Caduto (my name) 2010. I like the ol' Auntie typeface

Next up - small screws. I was frankly unhappy with what I had. They were too big and didn't look sexy. IMHO there is almost nothing in the Screws Universe that looks better than a Allen. So......

These are 2mm diameter stainless steel Allen with nut. I also have a 4mm alternative. As an alternative I also bought a brass nut. I'll decide when I see how either look on the finished wood.

The first set of neck screws turned out too long and I needed a replacement. Again, I decided to investigate the Allen alternative.

All my Wal mount Allen screws at the neck - it's very cool! What I didn't know until recently is that the screw actually works together with a reverse thread nut that is inserted into the neck. Oh boy! I can own a Wal forever and I still discover something new.

So Allen it is. I'll have the screws gold plated to match the ferrules. BTW a review and pictures of my Mk1 fretless are available here.

And since I was on a spree, I decided to have the string anchors made in brass as a possibly better alternative to aluminum - both aesthetically and functionally. What the heck!

I have made a new truss-rod cover as the first carving wasn't tight enough. I want the cover to snap into position. So I did it again slightly bigger and while at that I found a piece that matches the HS grain almost perfectly.

The brass plate in the picture is the cavity cover's back, which I kept to a brushed finish.


















Spray and sand, you slave!

This is truly a chore and it has to be repeated enough times to either loose your mental sanity or get fully intoxicated - whichever comes first.

I don't own the equipment to spray so I used that of the workshop where I go when the machine required is too big or expensive, or when I need counsel - that is, every other day.

First round of spraying and sanding, 400 sand paper. Then spray again and leave it to dry overnight. I kinda like it. The color of the wood is coming out incredibly rich.

Second sanding round. 400 sand paper. Then spray again and leave it to dry overnight. I had to work a little harder on a few spots, where droplets had solidified - cheeky little bastards.

Third round of sanding. 400 sand paper. Then spray again and leave it to dry overnight. I should hate it by now. Instead, I'm really digging it. It's so rewarding seeing the final look slowly surfacing.

It is far less rewarding having to fight all those droplets again. But at the least after the first session of sanding I'm not hitting the wood anymore. Learning with practice. Hell of a thing.
























And this is where I am at the moment. I can't wait to finish this. At the same time I am enjoying the whole process. Particularly, the fact that I am wrong more often than not about timing. Most sections are taking longer than anticipated.

I have now learned that it is due to a number of factors.

1. This is a prototype and as much as I know where I'm heading to, I'm leaving the door open to some degree of improvisation.

2. I am a bloody perfectionist and it takes me time to get what I want, the way i want it.

3. Trial and error is time consuming. 4. Next time I'll have every single item ready BEFORE start the build - down to the smallest screw.



The thing is, if I were very good I could only predict so much of what's gonna happen in a prototyping scenario. I ain't that good - yet. Go figure!

But I'm having the ride of my life and I am already savoring the moment the Uber-J II will hit the workbench.

I am going to take my sweet revenge on all those little mistakes and oddities that punctuated this first attempt.

I am gonna enjoy that. Slowly, just the way i like it ;) Until then

Thanks for reading

O(=<

Building the uber-J. Part Two.

Making the body.

Traditionally a Fender Jazz comes with a Swamp Ash or Alder body. My personal taste leans towards the sound of woods like Mahogany. Now, I live in South East Asia and for this bass I wanted to use Asian timber.

Woods around here a different from those in North and South America though. A little research was necessary to find a balance between the Mahogany sound and the traditional J sound in an Asian package.

There is a wood here referred to as Asian Mahogany. This wood sounds quite close to Brazilian Mahogany, the main difference being his sounding less dark than Mahogany.
Which could make it a good choice. Among other things this wood is often used to build average to good quality guitars. However a A grade piece of this wood sports quite remarkable sonic qualities and its very beautiful to look at.















In this picture you can see two beautiful Flamed boards book-matched and cut in J shape. The Flames are very pronounced even at a raw stage. I am leaving a little more wood allowance where at the heal as I am planning to shape it for a heal-less effect.















The picture above shows the body after being reduced in thickness. You can see the arched top and bottom profile. The arch is more pronounced at the lower half the body, less so at the wings to avoid cracks in the top facing.





























This is what it looks like after sending it both sides. Now it feels very smooth, like velvet. Or is it me hallucinating after sanding for longer than I like to remember?

As you can see it's an arch top, as opposed to the flat J body. Usually the area of a flat body that goes under the right arm is scooped out to make it more comfortable to hold. It's a good solution and aesthetically pleasing with a contrasting top and a veneer.
But I want to address the comfort issue with the arch top instead. This way the top will remain intact and the shape of the J will be preserved.



















Now I'm ready to glue the top. I struggled quite a bit to choose the wood. I am going to build another bass after this and I wanted the color code of the two basses to be very different. I almost got myself a beautiful Zericote, but someone else was faster.

I always liked Macassar Ebony. It's a great looking wood and it makes fantastic fingerboards. But for a body top I felt the stripes were too straight and regular for my liking. Until I saw this one. I just loved it :)















So there you go. Can you see the body under all those clamps? ;))

Thanks for reading.

>=)O