I haven't updated in approximately forever, but I have been hard at work on this thing. Here are some progress pics in chronological order, starting with the oldest pic first...
Grain-filling:
![Image](http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y495/Brett_Zeppelin/IMG_0258_zpsd22df345.jpg)
![Image](http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y495/Brett_Zeppelin/IMG_0259_zps332c2859.jpg)
![Image](http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y495/Brett_Zeppelin/IMG_0260_zpsf00ce136.jpg)
![Image](http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y495/Brett_Zeppelin/FrontGrainFilling01_zps40f55412.jpg)
![Image](http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y495/Brett_Zeppelin/FrontGrainFilling02_zps852c221e.jpg)
![Image](http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y495/Brett_Zeppelin/FrontGrainFilling03_zpsf1682e59.jpg)
Fine-touch grain-filling:
![Image](http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y495/Brett_Zeppelin/Pitting01_zps027ca404.jpg)
![Image](http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y495/Brett_Zeppelin/PittingSolutionhopefully_zpsfa13b446.jpg)
![Image](http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y495/Brett_Zeppelin/PittingatLegContourAfter_zpsacf0d01a.jpg)
Homemade paint booth setup:
![Image](http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y495/Brett_Zeppelin/0F274DBF-1484-4B35-8E10-37EDF582AA74_zpslnx9ineo.jpg)
![Image](http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y495/Brett_Zeppelin/5A2C970C-6F33-4B7F-B0AA-1932D5E7CFB8_zpsavophs8k.jpg)
![Image](http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y495/Brett_Zeppelin/378790E4-ED05-4E32-B1F2-1ECCDD615B1F_zpszogp1w8l.jpg)
Custom pseudo-neck:
![Image](http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y495/Brett_Zeppelin/C5DA9594-5DD9-4D8D-BF3F-E18C79301403_zpsysjdxp5h.jpg)
![Image](http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y495/Brett_Zeppelin/DDC96AFE-F127-468E-A311-380C2165957C_zpsqlhbew99.jpg)
![Image](http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y495/Brett_Zeppelin/A75A9D5A-00F4-4D79-BF26-F5AA534D162B_zpsyvpjrt9e.jpg)
![Image](http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y495/Brett_Zeppelin/A32B52C2-ED9F-407C-9940-F0478450B724_zps2gg6m0xl.jpg)
![Image](http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y495/Brett_Zeppelin/97C2C0A3-E9CD-4DC6-9FCE-39E985BC52D0_zpslgfuepb0.jpg)
Homemade paint booth and pseudo-neck — ready for painting (well, further prepping anyway):
![Image](http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y495/Brett_Zeppelin/5f430346-8d4a-4e57-9564-0424bcba4858_zps0c7d64fa.jpg)
![Image](http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y495/Brett_Zeppelin/887cc8e0-ba34-4f83-99f8-7befef68c3b9_zpsbe846760.jpg)
Priming:
![Image](http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y495/Brett_Zeppelin/87775AE0-52F3-41B0-B509-350F57FCCA36_zpspqjijc5u.jpg)
![Image](http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y495/Brett_Zeppelin/88004F2D-2BBA-4853-AD37-C79D40A3C86C_zpsjxkw6uhy.jpg)
![Image](http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y495/Brett_Zeppelin/A74E0A23-86D6-486B-8A87-CD71E8F8D6D4_zps5jw5y69c.jpg)
Painting, first coat:
![Image](http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y495/Brett_Zeppelin/A8058847-8818-4667-A05A-EC2C00CA7402_zpsf5zngrsn.jpg)
![Image](http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y495/Brett_Zeppelin/0851E0F9-3C42-43BA-9DFD-40C36880F739_zpsluatqnby.jpg)
Painting, second coat:
![Image](http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y495/Brett_Zeppelin/107F67D4-8B0A-42F3-9E76-9A9F06BF49A0_zpsmlrdja36.jpg)
![Image](http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y495/Brett_Zeppelin/1BC8813B-7A2D-41BB-B6DD-21975A9834A5_zpsex3vz6f2.jpg)
Painting, third coat:
![Image](http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y495/Brett_Zeppelin/E816FEA2-9DCD-4931-A82F-8298FC870D57_zpsjmpppuly.jpg)
![Image](http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y495/Brett_Zeppelin/0286C06E-996F-4E89-BA31-D265B77552B9_zpsj02on9q5.jpg)
![Image](http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y495/Brett_Zeppelin/D0D4C31F-C127-4249-A58B-C762E3D9F374_zpsx08l04iu.jpg)
![Image](http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y495/Brett_Zeppelin/3560C456-1F91-4779-B210-2B5F2B486073_zpsagsmx32q.jpg)
Note: at about this time, I was really questioning whether I was applying the paint correctly. It turns out I was really just too far away from the surface of the body. After this point is when I really started "figuring it out" although of course I am still very much just a beginner...
Painting, fourth coat (much of the third coat removed, FYI):
![Image](http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y495/Brett_Zeppelin/P1020795_zps6c560a4d-1.jpg)
![Image](http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y495/Brett_Zeppelin/P1020796_zps2b8bdc0e-1.jpg)
![Image](http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y495/Brett_Zeppelin/P1020797_zpsdb2909a4-1.jpg)
![Image](http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y495/Brett_Zeppelin/688B9855-E038-4671-AA73-3C4A69FD61E3_zpsqlddjbok.jpg)
![Image](http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y495/Brett_Zeppelin/47E05781-B22C-48D5-9BA9-B31F5BC311F6_zpsudhk1hod.jpg)
Painting, fifth coat (much of the fourth coat removed because there was a bit of orange peel on that coat). This is where I start figuring it out even more, though. Check out all these pics because the magic really starts here:
![Image](http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y495/Brett_Zeppelin/P1020798_zpsc8793f8c.jpg)
![Image](http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y495/Brett_Zeppelin/P1020799_zpsc6bee535.jpg)
![Image](http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y495/Brett_Zeppelin/P1020800_zps97973786.jpg)
![Image](http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y495/Brett_Zeppelin/P1020801_zps805b0c07.jpg)
![Image](http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y495/Brett_Zeppelin/BCAA62AD-6675-4382-AF10-F6128750426A_zpsx9dbokb0.jpg)
![Image](http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y495/Brett_Zeppelin/07683A0C-C806-44B8-8B24-37539F6110F6_zpsfzkxlct8.jpg)
Painting, fifth coat (last night; July 23rd):
![Image](http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y495/Brett_Zeppelin/AAF327C7-8DED-45F1-8A6A-F795EC071A0C_zpsmmrprocf.jpg)
![Image](http://i1277.photobucket.com/albums/y495/Brett_Zeppelin/1C766085-F6AA-446F-8080-3D889198567B_zpsmaqylmaq.jpg)
I am moving on to clear-coating tonight, so with any luck this thing will actually be finished relatively soon. I still need to finish the neck, but it's completely primed and ready for what I'm going to do to it, which is paint the headstock and satin clear-coat the back.
I must also add that the folks at talkbass.com have been very helpful. I've heard a lot of negativity about the site, but in the Luthier's Corner everything seems pretty chill. It's just a bunch of builders (and prospective builders) sharing ideas and stuff, which is really cool.