Staring a DB Project

[rgarcia26]

In advance I have to thank you all for all the help that I’ve being getting from this Forum… I’m in the process of planning my first acoustic build, with limited resources and experience (Sound like a great combination Hum?), and ¾ DB, carved top and back, may be a hybrid… here is my initial development plan:

1-Buy a good book “So ... You Want To Build a Double Bass by Peter Chandle”

2-Get a workshop on making an acoustic guitar, lets say I do live in Atlanta Ga, don’t want to spend a fortune “Woodcraft” have a $600 workshop for that.

3-Get an DB beyond repair, I figured is somebody have a shop they may have a DB that is in un-reparable and get it for a good price (ANY ONE OUT THERE???)

4. USE SPRUCE for the top and MAPLE for the back

5. I have no clue just yet

So what do you think about my super plan?

[powerbass]

Making a new bass from scratch requires a lot of tools, time, money, work space and skills. It is a big initial investment. I purchased a very beat ply bass and fixed it up. There is a lot of luthier learning to be had by doing this. In fact I would like to replace the neck and carve a solid top for it - still easier and cheaper than building a new one. Learning to fix, repair, restore a bass is a great way to begin and it doesn't require the huge leap of cash and faith building a new one does.

[rgarcia26]

Originally Posted by powerbass

Making a new bass from scratch requires a lot of tools, time, money, work space and skills. It is a big initial investment. I purchased a very beat ply bass and fixed it up. There is a lot of luthier learning to be had by doing this. In fact I would like to replace the neck and carve a solid top for it - still easier and cheaper than building a new one. Learning to fix, repair, restore a bass is a great way to begin and it doesn't require the huge leap of cash and faith building a new one does.

Totally agree with you, I dont thing is a good idea to build one without having a least one beat up one, but i cant one a good DB and still have the Money to build one...

[Marcus Johnson]

Originally Posted by rgarcia26

2-Get a workshop on making an acoustic guitar, lets say I do live in Atlanta Ga, don’t want to spend a fortune “Woodcraft” have a $600 workshop for that.

It would make more sense to make a violin or two. The skill sets used in making a violin... arching the plates, carving the scroll, varnishing, etc.... are much more applicable to double bass construction than are those used in guitar luthiery.

[rgarcia26]

Originally Posted by Marcus Johnson

It would make more sense to make a violin or two. The skill sets used in making a violin... arching the plates, carving the scroll, varnishing, etc.... are much more applicable to double bass construction than are those used in guitar luthiery.

True!