Mark Stanley Bass Guitar finished, with a rough setup

[johnnparchem]

Thanks Kevin,

I am going to fill the slots with black fiber strips. The stuff I have fits in really nice. I will also bind the fretboard with ebony bindings. I think it will look good. Having the the black fret lines will allow me to be close when I am trying to play fretless.

I got the bridge as part of the kit from Waldron. The bridge has a couple of holes in the back that will allow me to run some dowels through the bridge plate hopefulling helping to hold the bridge on.

[johnnparchem]

I am making a bit more progress on the Bass. I have the end wedge in and have put a veneer on the back of the headstock.

The end wedge went easy as I have made a few of them. I used a bit of scrap koa, Laid out the wedge from a centerline. I then cut it close on a bandsaw and use a block plane to get right on my layout line.

I clamp the wedge on the rim where I want it and use an exacto knife scribe two lines. I then clamp a block right on the outside of the scribed line and use it as a guide to cut the shape of the wedge into the rim. I hand chisel out the waste. The wedge is tight enough when pushed in not to use clamps while gluing, but I still used a couple of clamps just to make sure it was down.













This is the first time I have added a veneer to the back of the headstock. The neck that I got in the kit has a curved up ridge in the back requiring me to bend the veneer. Also I had a nice booked matched bit of koa from a previous guitar that I decided to use to match my end wedge and the heel cap. The pictures I am showing makes the process look easy, but I do not show the book match veneer seperating from the heat, planing and sanding the glue edge of the veneers to get a good joint and aligning the curved pieces to glue them back together. Next time I think I will use a nice one piece veneer to do this.

[johnnparchem]

I went ahead and profiled the headstock. It was a scary enough operation that I think I will stop today.

[Darryl Young]

Looks great John! I want to see this one come together.......and would sure like to hear it when you're done.

[BEJ]

Maybe I should volunteer to go look and listen to it, it can't be too far from where I live. Looks like it will be a nice one, a nice big one!

Bruce,

[Kevin Sjostrand]

Wow John, that Koa looks awesome with the back and side wood....what a combination. I've done one backstrap veneer, but that was to make up for getting the headstock too thin. This one will look really nice.

Kevin

[johnnparchem]

Maybe I should volunteer to go look and listen to it, it can't be too far from where I live. Looks like it will be a nice one, a nice big one!

Bruce,

I am just north of 85th NW st near 24th ave NW.

[BEJ]

Nice area, could take the bass down to Golden Gardens and blow a few minds.

I live above Rainer Beach toward Skyway area, will have to try to get together sometime to check out your shop and stuff, looks like your doing some great work.

Bruce,

[johnnparchem]

I have the bass guitar closed up and bound. I used black fiber bindings, with a bwb purfling plus a diagonal check black and white purfling on the top. I was just going to go with binding and bwb purfling, 3mm, on the top but I had some funkiness on the bottom of the top so I added the marquetry.

I also profiled the fretboard and filled the fret slots with black fiber. I will bind the fret board with ebony binding and wb purfling.

The guitar is huge but it feels somewhat playable, at least for me. I am nearly 6'4".

[Kevin Sjostrand]

That is one big guitar for one big man. I like it!!!

Kevin