What's on your workbench right now?

Talk about modding or building your own guitar from scratch.
Post Reply
MascisMan
PAT PEND
PAT PEND
Posts: 22
Joined: Fri Apr 15, 2022 1:13 pm

Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by MascisMan » Sun Jun 26, 2022 7:47 pm

Project Tele. Just need the pickups to arrive (Righteous Sound Weston + Galaxy HB)

Image

Image

Image

User avatar
repoman
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 385
Joined: Fri May 22, 2015 3:30 pm

Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by repoman » Tue Jun 28, 2022 12:28 pm

Awesome. 8)

User avatar
fever606
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 1146
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2010 3:03 pm
Location: district of columbia

Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by fever606 » Wed Jun 29, 2022 5:22 am

Finally finished this...

Image

Short scale Jag bass body, Squier VI neck, Wilkinson top-loader bridge, Duncan QP P-bass pickup... Tuned to B now because all I had on hand were some baritone strings, but I'll probably put La Bellas on it and go E-E soonish...

User avatar
Dr Tony Balls
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 476
Joined: Thu Mar 12, 2015 10:05 am
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Contact:

Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by Dr Tony Balls » Wed Jun 29, 2022 5:58 am

Looks nice! Be forwarned that you might run into problems with the LaBella E-E set. I tried a fixed tailpiece on my bass VI that moved the ball ends a lot closer to the bridge, but it had the negative effect of moving the thick part of the low E closer to the tuner, and I was having wrap problems. When the spacing is correct only the thinner part wraps around the tuning post and it make life much easier. You could maybe remedy this with a string-thru ferrule on your low E to pull the ball end back a bit.
Instagram: thetonyballs

User avatar
fever606
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 1146
Joined: Sun Oct 17, 2010 3:03 pm
Location: district of columbia

Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by fever606 » Thu Jun 30, 2022 1:12 am

Good catch… yeah, ferrules are always doable if I need the length, though it’s really fun as-is… :D

User avatar
repoman
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 385
Joined: Fri May 22, 2015 3:30 pm

Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by repoman » Mon Jul 04, 2022 2:41 pm

Cast a couple tremolo chassis in aluminum, first time messing around with melting metal. Came out ok, will need to figure some stuff out with how to make the aluminum flow better.

Image
Here is the first attempt, a lot of porosity and some voids, this has a brief buff.

Image

Here is the casting setup with the 2nd attempt.

Image

2nd one came out a little bit better. Will have to figure out sprue placement and figure out why it is flowing weirdly on the flat part below the raised design in the middle.

User avatar
raphaël
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 881
Joined: Sat Mar 02, 2013 8:42 am
Location: Moëlan sur Mer, France

Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by raphaël » Mon Jul 04, 2022 2:53 pm

Oh this is simply next level awesome :o :o :w00t: 8)

User avatar
DeathJag
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 2297
Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2018 11:44 am

Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by DeathJag » Mon Jul 04, 2022 5:11 pm

Thatissoawesome!!!!!!!

User avatar
antisymmetric
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 3601
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 11:32 pm
Location: New Zealand

Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by antisymmetric » Mon Jul 04, 2022 5:13 pm

repoman wrote:
Mon Jul 04, 2022 2:41 pm
Cast a couple tremolo chassis in aluminum...
That's just impressive, I hope you'll post your learning curve results. Inspiring stuff! 8)
Watching the corners turn corners

User avatar
Shadoweclipse13
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 12435
Joined: Fri Feb 07, 2014 9:22 pm
Location: Stuck in the dimension of imagination

Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by Shadoweclipse13 » Mon Jul 04, 2022 7:16 pm

repoman wrote:
Mon Jul 04, 2022 2:41 pm
Will have to figure out sprue placement and figure out why it is flowing weirdly on the flat part below the raised design in the middle.
Firstly, this IS SO SO cool!! As for the weird flowing, I'm no metallurgist, but what aluminum are you using? I'm wondering if there's an impurity issue possibly...
Pickup Switching Mad Scientist
http://www.offsetguitars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=104282&p=1438384#p1438384

User avatar
UC3
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 149
Joined: Sun Jun 21, 2009 7:18 am
Location: SoCal

Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by UC3 » Mon Jul 04, 2022 7:35 pm

Repo,

Supercool! Wish I could help you out with some personal experience, but have never cast aluminum.

I can appreciate the effort though.

I did cast some small ingots of bell bronze from 80% Cu + 20% Sn. Remember adding some Phosphorus powder to help it flow to reduce presence of gases during pour.

Had the notion to machine the ingots into saddles or other bridge parts, but never got 'round-to-it... :fp:

Lot of DIY'ers out there casting aluminum, I'm sure you'll find a solution to help dial-in the process.

Good luck!

Regards,

Plate 'O Shrimp

User avatar
Lieutenant030
PAT PEND
PAT PEND
Posts: 37
Joined: Fri Mar 25, 2022 9:30 pm

Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by Lieutenant030 » Tue Jul 05, 2022 3:54 am

I remember having one of those small Workshop Skills series of books on Aluminium casting, though never actually got round to it. I do remember it stating that cheap alloy wheels are a perfect source of material though.

User avatar
bodhi
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 453
Joined: Mon May 20, 2019 12:47 pm

Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by bodhi » Tue Jul 05, 2022 7:07 am

Oh damn, now I want one :fp: ;D

Looks really really cool, hope the issues will work themselves out!
Jazzmaster project (got a body, placeholder neck, some pickups and ideas)
Tokai Telecaster Thinline with Creamery Pickups Filtertron and Tapped Tele
Blake Mills-inspired Strat project w/ Gold Foil and slide pickup

User avatar
Shadoweclipse13
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 12435
Joined: Fri Feb 07, 2014 9:22 pm
Location: Stuck in the dimension of imagination

Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by Shadoweclipse13 » Tue Jul 05, 2022 12:37 pm

After months of time being at a premium, and having little motivation to do anything, I finally did 2 little adjustments to 2 different bodies. I reglued something that I fucked up on the Jaguar Bass (under the pickguard, but still bothering me). On the POST/Offset Tele that Deed_Poll also made me, I had to enlarge the humbucker routs (apparently the mounting tabs on the Bare Knuckle humbuckers I've got are just a little bigger).

So, finally, after sitting on both for a few years, the end is in sight! The Jaguar Bass has been together and playable (though I want to change some of the electronics, and needed to shield it all anywho), but the POST has been apart in pieces since I got it! They are now both on their way to Copacetic for paint/clearcoat and headstock decals to be put on. The Jaguar bass is getting ONLY a clearcoat since I fell in love with the grain, and just want to protect it.
Pickup Switching Mad Scientist
http://www.offsetguitars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=104282&p=1438384#p1438384

User avatar
repoman
PAT. # 2.972.923
PAT. # 2.972.923
Posts: 385
Joined: Fri May 22, 2015 3:30 pm

Re: What's on your workbench right now?

Post by repoman » Wed Jul 06, 2022 5:42 pm

Image

Got the arm and the little end thingy done. The link will be tricky to cast as it will require a 2 part mold. Then Ill need to drill the holes for the bearings which might be tricky too.

Post Reply