Cowbell Bass Guitar (4/8)
Dec 28, 2018
Wired up the electronics module. This part is pretty neat. A piece of dry-erase scrap holds the controls, output jack, battery box, and active circuitry, all in a single assembly. The volume knob is furthest, with a push/pull switch for passive/dead battery mode. Next to that is a standard tone control that works in active or passive modes. Finally, there is an active bass booster, leftover from a Squier-bodied project from several years ago. The tape-wrapped component is one of my homemade impedance buffers. For testing, I have temporarily soldered in a button piezo, and everything works, which is always a plus. The battery box is actually glued in for reinforcement, and the output jack is offset to fit my headphone amp. All of this is from the parts/junk box.
It's a tight fit in the end of the body. I also had to leave room for mounting bosses at the ends and in the center. I really couldn't fit anything else in here. The knobs are fully enclosed, even the pull switch. Not too many designs lend themselves to this sort of installation. In fact, I think this is the only one. This will get a strap button at either end, so it will stand on its own.
The two salvage Rics came out better than expected, so I ordered some good strings for both of them, and a high-mass bridge for the big one. That is just an easy way to bolt on some extra weight at the tail end, I have no belief that it affects the tone, sustain, or anything. I also got a special set of strings for this build.
Finally, I cut down the thickness the same way as before. The router pulled a small chip out of the maple. Maple is always a problem with a router, try to avoid it. I was rounding over the end of the fretboard, so I just rounded it more. I like the look. I left this headstock a little thick. The pine is so light, I have to keep telling myself it is stronger and harder than poplar, and poplar will do.
It is now shrunk down to about guitar-size, which I like. Also, I got rid of the glued-on piece at the top. Little orphans like that never look good. I can't make out the lower glue line. Frets and side markers next.
