"Carved" basses

[matt macgown]

This is probably a dumb question, but it's my question:
Did any bass (etc.) maker ever actually carve the ribs, or have they always been steamed and bent?

MwMacGown

[Mudfuzz]

I hope not. To get them strong and stable enough [It'd be almost all short grain] theyed have to be very thick, which would make the bass very heavy and mess with the sound. On a smaller instrument like a guitar or ABG [I know a builder that does this] it works, but just the idea of all that tension gives me the shivers.

[Bob Branstetter]

Originally Posted by A M N

I hope not. To get them strong and stable enough [It'd be almost all short grain] theyed have to be very thick, which would make the bass very heavy and mess with the sound. On a smaller instrument like a guitar or ABG [I know a builder that does this] it works, but just the idea of all that tension gives me the shivers.

Plus the huge percentage of waste generated by carving instead of bending. You could probably resaw the wood required to carve one rib into enough thin straight rib stock (for bending) to make a dozen or more bent ribs. At the outlanding price of tone wood today, that become a very significant item.

[Mudfuzz]

Originally Posted by Bob Branstetter

At the outlanding price of tone wood today, that become a very significant item.

Please - don't remind me.