Short Scale Bass....

paulnb57

A bit late to the party, currently en route from Thomann is a Harley Benton PB Short Scale. £69 delivered!....

I have many plans for it and will relate them here.......

......when it arrives!.......

http://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_hbp90bk_shortscale_ebass.htm

paulnb57

At last it's arrived! Seemed to take forever to get here......unpacked and actually I'm quite impressed, bought with the intention of modding, its actually playable right out of the box...no sharp fret ends, neck relief is good, nut is well cut if a little rough, no fret buzz, fit and finish is pretty good for a Short scale P Bass that cost €79 delivered....Ok the chrome on the tuners is a bit rough, the string tree is a ghastly plastic thing, the edges of the scratchplate are a bit rough but all in all I'm quite impressed....

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii21/paulnb57/image.jpg1_zps8s0gjdcn.jpg

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii21/paulnb57/image.jpg2_zpsnax3mn62.jpg

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii21/paulnb57/image.jpg3_zpsnhcua2wu.jpg

It was bought to mod, so within 15 mins of unpacking, out came the template and scrollsaw, off came the strings and neck and the headstock became P51 ish, the original headstock didn't have quite enough wood and the tuners are slightly further apart, so it's a best under the circumstances jobby.....sanded all the finish of the neck ready for whatever I decide to do...probably a fabric veneer on the headstock with a matching home brewed micarta scratchplate, then a complete rewire with CTS pots and possibly a genuine Fender P Bass pickup and a hotrail......not decided yet!.......

Paul

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii21/paulnb57/image.jpg4_zpst3r3afsq.jpg

paulnb57

So todays experiment is to make a scratch plate from Micarta, which is layers of fabric soaked in epoxy resin then clamped to compress, while it all sets hard. Hobby knife makers often use it to make knife handles, (scales) but it is usually many more than the 6 layers of fabric I have used, its currently clamped (under several bricks) between a piece of kitchen worktop and a bit of scrap ply, that have been covered in polythene so the whole mess doesn't become one….

It may all end up in the bin!

Photos later, theres Spitfires coming!……..

Paul

paulnb57

The micarta experiment was a disaster, not enough resin, so there are air pockets, not enough clamping pressure and the resin was out of date in April......bugger....

However I have fitted a Genuine Fender P Bass pickup and changed the strings......

mart

Shame about the micarta, as that sounded interesting. What fabric were you using? I'm imagining some jooky-style paisley or something equally wild.

paulnb57

Im a bit pissed that the micarta didn't turn out too well, however its laid flat in the shed and may stiffen up and be usable, we will see tomorrow, all is not lost though as I have ordered some 3mm birch ply which I will cover with the same fabric……

It was cotton fabric same as this, the intention is to do the headstock with matching scratch plate….

http://i260.photobucket.com/albums/ii21/paulnb57/image.jpg3_zpsgtobw17f.jpg

paulnb57

Its all a fekkin disaster! What happens when you think you can use a router to cut a bridge pickup cavity, but in fact you are a retard who doesnt notice the template moving amongst all the noise and dust. Then, when the sawdust is cleared, its obvious the body is beyond messing about trying to repair, bugger is the correct word here I think. However all is not lost, payday will probably see another one ordered!