Another 4003 Project Bass

henry5 · Post by **henry5** » Wed Oct 20, 2004 9:24 am

Sergio deserves an award for generosity I think; I'm sure there are a few Forumites who are deeply indebted to him, me included. BTW Sergio, finally got to use the CS at rehearsal the other day and it sounds great; big and clear. Many thanks once again.

rickcrazy · Post by **rickcrazy** » Wed Oct 20, 2004 2:00 pm

Thanks for your posts, guys.
Marty:
Yes, I'm looking for black toggle switch handles. I can't think of any further Rick parts I could use right now... Well, maybe four bridge saddles for my 77 4001. Intonation screws not required. Thanks for your offer.
Shaun:
I'm glad the pickup delivers. I sure would like to know how it compares to the reissue horseshoe pickup fitted to the CS Model.
Hm... You know, I look forward to building a horseshoe pickup for Chris Squire hisself, haha.

rickfan60 · Post by **rickfan60** » Wed Oct 20, 2004 6:30 pm

The upper segment is bound and glued. Next the binding will be scrapped down and the maple sanded smooth.

yfoiler · Post by **yfoiler** » Thu Oct 21, 2004 9:41 am

Oooh Ted,
She's really coming along beautifully!
Did the glue lines go OK? (keeping my fingers crossed)...

rickfan60 · Post by **rickfan60** » Thu Oct 21, 2004 10:13 am

They are much tighter than they were before. I probably could have gone further with them but I did not want to push it too much. There will be a small amount of filler required - mostly on the back.

cheyenne · Post by **cheyenne** » Thu Oct 21, 2004 2:16 pm

Ted, you are truly amazing. Hats off to you.

rickfan60 · Post by **rickfan60** » Thu Oct 21, 2004 2:45 pm

I am just learning really. The guys (and girls) who buid these guitars are the amazing ones.

rickfan60 · Post by **rickfan60** » Thu Oct 21, 2004 5:22 pm

Here is a shot of the body with the new binding.

rickfan60 · Post by **rickfan60** » Thu Oct 21, 2004 6:38 pm

The tip of the upper horn tore a bit when the original binding was removed. That is one of those "Oh ****!" moments and it got worse when the chip could not be separated from the binding without breaking into a million pieces. I cleaned up the tear with my small chisel and filled it with maple. There is a visible line as a result but hopefully it won't show when the bass is finished. There is a similar tear near the bottom of the upper segment. We will ask Dolan for a slightly thicker application of FG near the edges.

rickfan60 · Post by **rickfan60** » Fri Oct 22, 2004 3:16 am

I should explain that the binding had apprently been repaired in those places and it is possible that the glue used to make the repairs was too aggressive. This is just not the norm when removing binding.

yfoiler · Post by **yfoiler** » Fri Oct 22, 2004 7:38 am

Ted,
Great news! I just had a very cool conversation with Michael Dolan and he confirms that when he does the FG paint job he can come in a bit darker at the binding and fade out nicely into the maple.
Problem solved! He also says he thinks it will make the FG look "pop" even more!

We also talked about him refinishing Tommy Smothers D-41 which needs the Dolan touch badly too. He knows Tommy...small world huh?

MT

aceonbass · Post by **aceonbass** » Sat Oct 23, 2004 11:08 am

I'v a already got a local refin guy but I'm wondering what Dolan charges for a refin. Anybody here care to clue me in?

cheyenne · Post by **cheyenne** » Sat Oct 23, 2004 11:52 am

I have only heard about this Michael Dolan, but judging by his work, I'd say he's not cheap, but worth every penny.

I've got his site bookmarked.

aceonbass · Post by **aceonbass** » Sat Oct 23, 2004 12:34 pm

My guy does an excellent job for between $340.00-$390.00 but I know of some who charge way more simply because they may be restoring a "vintage" instrument. It's an art, not rocket science.

rickfan60 · Post by **rickfan60** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 4:07 pm

Here are the walnut wings before being cut out. The pencil lines are hard to see. The original wings are set just above their future replacements.