Carvin BK4A Bass Kit Project

[MarkE]

I decided to start a thread on this as the project is underway. I also wrote an article and posted it in the article section. Heres a link

http://www.thehawkstudio.com/forum/vbarticles.php?do=article&articleid=8

I will post many pictures during various stages of the project. I would appreciate comments and input along the way. This is really cool.. (like I really need another bass) :cry3:

I'm doing finishing tests now, and I expect the guitar kit in 1 or two weeks.

[SilverHamer]

I will post many pictures during various stages of the project. I would appreciate comments and input along the way. This is really cool.. (like I really need another bass) :cry3:



This is PRECISELY what this forum needs...MORE PORN!!! YEA, Baybeee! Nothing like seeing those axes laid out naked, especially for us axe-builders...and watching them getting progressively dressed-out...YEA...ooooh this is some hot stuff! I look forward to seeing your new lady naked, Mark :)

:worthlesspix:

[MarkE]

I have some polishing compound and blue tint on its way now. When I get the white buffed out I'll post a pic of it. When the Carvin arrives I'll pic that too.

Im really interested to see what the transparent blue will look like on the plywood test.

Its pretty exciting that I managed to sand out the brush marks. That opens up all kinds of possibilities. Doing it on a full sized body and neck may be another story though. I will try it. If it doesnt work out I could always sand it back out and start over.

[MarkE]

Two small bits of news...

First, I have a tracking # for the Carvin. It'll be here on Friday, a full week and a half ahead of what I was quoted. It looks like I will be spend most of the weekend sanding.
:phat:

next...I received the blue dye this morning and ran a few tests. Im really liking what Im seeing. Instead of tinting the clear i decided to water it down and stain the wood. It looks great!!!

Again, here is what Im shooting for...

http://www.thehawkstudio.com/images-articles/b4blue.jpg

The stain brought out the grain in the plywood just like it is in that photo. I will buff it down with 0000 steel wool and hit it with stain again to hopefully bring out more grain. I think its just a matter of how dark I want it. I like what Im seeing in that photo with black hardware so that is what Im shooting for. I also plan to do the neck and headstock the same color. We'll see how it goes

:party38::party38::party38::party38:

[SilverHamer]

Now THAT's what I'M talkin about! MORE PORN, YEA BAYBEE! She looks reel fine in blue with black accents, yea! :)

[MarkE]

The bass kit arrived today. I am completely happy with it. Here are some pics that will go into the running article.

http://www.thehawkstudio.com/images-articles/bk4a-kit-1000.jpg
http://www.thehawkstudio.com/images-articles/bk4a-bodyneckfront-1000.jpg
http://www.thehawkstudio.com/images-articles/bk4a-bodyneckback-1000.jpg

http://www.thehawkstudio.com/images-articles/bk4a-bodyfront-1000.jpg

http://www.thehawkstudio.com/images-articles/bk4a-bodyback-1000.jpg

Interesting grain pattern on the headstock! Perfecto!

http://www.thehawkstudio.com/images-articles/bk4a-headstockfront-1000.jpg
http://www.thehawkstudio.com/images-articles/bk4a-headstockback-1000.jpg


Here are some of the test I've done with blue stain on plywood.
This pic is stain only (from two angles
http://www.thehawkstudio.com/images-articles/bluestainonly-600.jpg



http://www.thehawkstudio.com/images-articles/bluestain1-600.jpg



These have several coats of clear. You cant see it at all in the pics but the clear coat is deep and glossy.

http://www.thehawkstudio.com/images-articles/bluestain2-600.jpg
http://www.thehawkstudio.com/images-articles/bluestain3-600.jpg


Tomorrow I start sanding!!!!!!

The kit includes everything.
Active electronics module
Battery compartment
Two humbucker pickups
5 black chrome knobs
Bridge
Machines
truss rod adjustment wrench and 2 picks
Rear cavity cover
String ferrules
Neck plate and hardware
Strap buttons and screws
and a set of Carvin strings

Not a bad deal for $439.00!!!

[SilverHamer]

Did it come with assembly instructions too? Maybe that is what I see on the far right edge of the first pic? Getting the wiring correct with the active PUPS would be my chief concern...I've never messed with those kind of PUPS before.

[MarkE]

Yep..complete wiring and finishing instructions. The wiring is a real no brainer. The active module is pre-built. Drop it into the cavity and nut the pots from above. The only soldering to the board are the 4 pup leads, battery pack and output jack. The only reason they didnt do it is that the wires need to be routed through holes.


This thing is really beautiful Larry. The pictures really dont do it any justice. It is sanded so fine that it is almost ready for stain the way it is. I'm gonna smooth it out with 600 grit anyway. Man...if you wanted to build a nice guitar kit, their Bolt 6 string (strat like) probably has the same quality and I think is cheaper. A $12 bottle of minwax tung oil is all you would need to finish it. You can wipe it on with a rag. That'll be my next kit for sure.


EDIT-I enlarged the pics to 1000 to get a better view

[MarkE]

Part 2 of article posted

http://www.thehawkstudio.com/forum/vbarticles.php?do=article&articleid=15

[MarkE]

I am completely and totally insane. Check this shit out....

I was wracking my brain trying to come up with a fixture that would hold the guitar and neck during the finishing process, and wouldnt cost me anything.

This is what I came up with. I was hit with the idea over morning coffee..

http://www.thehawkstudio.com/images-articles/therack.jpg

I modified my drum kit!!! I can rotate the guitar to any angle/direction/rotation using a drum key!


HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAAAAAAA:cu2:

[SilverHamer]

That idea is really "hard to beat" Mark! Boy, you're certainly on a "roll" there! I'm getting a "kick" out of this! I can hardly "stand" it!

Ok...that is about all of the puns I could come up with...HAHAHA. But, a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do and it looks like this is going to work out fine.

[MarkE]

Its been a rocky day in the ol' paint shop. Due to a near catastrophe I ended up switching the color to a deep purple. I had significant problems when I applied the clear coat over the blue dye. I had to either go this route or completely sand it out and start over. I'll detail it in the blog.

These pics will give a rough idea as to the final color. These were taken while it was drying. Tomorrow I'll fine sand it and hit it again. Day three will be the clear coats.

http://www.thehawkstudio.com/images-articles/bluestaindrying2front-1000.jpg

http://www.thehawkstudio.com/images-articles/bluestaindrying2back-1000.jpg

It looks a little darker in the picture than it actually is. The neck hanging in the background looks a bit lighter. Its about half way between the two.

[SilverHamer]

WHEWWWW! Your gettin' after it! Lookin' good so far though. Sorry to hear you ran into some difficulty...but I figured out that something like that is just bound to happen. Hey, it would be perfectly boring if everything fell together perfectly all the time, now wouldn't it?

[MarkE]

Nothing but problems over the past two days. The brush marks were so severe that it completely ruined the finish.

I called StewMac and had them overnight some blue pigment. I spent the morning sanding out the guitar to start over. I used the blue pigment, thinned it with alcohol and tried again. I think I got it this time.

Here is a picture that is a pretty accurate representation of the actual color. Two or three more coats to go, and if it contiinues to work out then its on to clear coats tomorrow.

Pheww..

http://www.thehawkstudio.com/images-articles/bluepigment1-1000.jpg

[SilverHamer]

It actually looks better now. Not bad, bro!

[MarkE]

I spent the entire day in the shop and I can say that I'm finally done painting this beast. I'm getting ready to post part3 of the article which describes in detail what a total clusterfuk this was. There are a few particles in the paint but I'm happy with it and it was well worth the effort.
No cow belling here...
:worthlesspix:

http://www.thehawkstudio.com/images-articles/bk4a-findone-1-1000.jpg
http://www.thehawkstudio.com/images-articles/bk4a-findone-2-1000.jpg
http://www.thehawkstudio.com/images-articles/bk4a-findone-3-1000.jpg
http://www.thehawkstudio.com/images-articles/bk4a-findone-4-1000.jpg

I decided not to rub out the finish so that means that I can assemble it in a day or two. That will, INDEED, be the easy part. Lindsay is coming this weekend (YIPPIE) so I may wait till Monday.

:hhjj: :hhjj: :hhjj: :hhjj: :hhjj: :hhjj: :hhjj: :hhjj: :hhjj:

[SilverHamer]

WOAH. That's PURDY! I really like that last pic where you can see the gloss.

[MarkE]

Okay, all finished. I've played it a bit and it seems to play smoothly. It, of course, is in dire need of a proper setup. I have it tuned to key and will let the neck settle in before the final tweakout. The electronics work perfectly is completely noise free.
I'm a happy camper.
Here is a link to part4 (final) part of the article.

http://www.thehawkstudio.com/forum/vbarticles.php?do=article&articleid=17

and a pic

http://www.thehawkstudio.com/images-articles/bk4abass1-800a.jpg

I WANNA DO ANOTHER ONE!!!

[SilverHamer]

Fun ain't it? This one turned out to look very nice...just like you planned it. That's always very gratifying. She's a beaut, Mark! Congrats!

Now...GIT YORE ASS BACK IN THE STUDIO!!! PLAYTIME IS OVER!!! :tongue2:

[MarkE]

Thanks...I wasnt exactly planning on an opaque color but Im happy with it. I think that next time I will try a wood stain and minwax rub on poly.

[MarkE]

I went through the second stage of the tweak-out today. I did the final truss rod adjustment, bridge height, intonation and pickup heights. This damn cheap bass plays like a dream. it is very quickly becoming my favorite bass in my small collection. It is a little smaller, and much lighter in weight than my walnut LB70.

Speaking of the LB70, I did the final tweaks on that also today. I have no buzzing frets on either guitar and the intonation is perfect.

I'm getting really good at doing these setups. Heck, I've done so many of them over the years and find it very enjoyable. Now...if I could only do that for a living :)