These threads usually start with a neck ...  

   

  (Message edited by adriaan on January 10, 2015)

Before the neck could be started obviously some choices had to be made, like which slab of Walnut tickled my fancy. Placement of the templates before and after cutting open the slab for the bookmatch:

 

Then the bass started to take shape!

 

Cutting corners - in a good way:

This is one of the last pictures of the bass without finish. I love this shot!

That looks luscious, look forward to seeing more. Congratulations Adriaan!

Beauty in progress ! ___ Congratulations .

Love it, wow!

Neck sandwich extraordinaire!

Wonderful!

Love the neck...but really love the walnut - can't wait to see some finish on it to bring out the grain! - Congrats.

Looks very nice. Congratulations Adriaan.
 
Keith

Awesome, congrats!

Looking good!  I really like the 'eyes' on the outer edges of the body near the bridge.  
 
Neck recipe is walnut, maple, purpleheart and ebony?

Glad you all like it! I'm thrilled to bits, have been since the build took off over the past few weeks.
 
For the neck recipe, the outside pair is of course mahogany. I've been dreaming of having a custom built for years, and it was always going to be a 6-string kind of Brown Bass - but not without an ebony neck laminate.
 
When it came to deciding on the wood selections, Susan and Mica had a great many ideas and suggestions and came up with some photoshop mock-ups, and even some one-off lamination samples made in the shop. With a 6-string, you have plenty of laminates to fill in, so I was spoilt for choice. I thought the colour scheme might be jazzed up a little with purpleheart laminates and birch pinstripes framing the ebony. Then all the birch was dropped for maple, and at the very last minute the two purpleheart and one ebony flipped into one purpleheart and two ebony. The front veneer on the peghead was my idea, and the back veneer ... was a really sweet surprise when Mica showed me the picture. (I'm keeping it as a surprise for you all, nana nanana.)
 
I have pictures of the bass with the first coat of sealant, but there's all sorts of weird reflections and wet patches. Better pictures will be posted as they become available.
 
My favourite bit so far is the tip of the point! It is beyfond me how to apply tools to that big square tail, and end up with such a refined piece of sculpture. And I also love how the point at the top of the crown is just slightly rounded.