where do you get your bass tonewoods?

Cody Sisk · #1 12-07-2009, 11:45 AM

I've begun shopping for the wood to build my bass. Where do you get your tonewoods? I'm looking for some well-flamed maple (matching back and neck for the right price) and some wide-grained spruce. I also believe it's hard to find quality ebony fingerboards these days. Any suggestions on where I should look?

1st Bass · #2 12-07-2009, 02:00 PM

The rest of us would probably like to know, too...unless it's a secret. (?)

I have only made one bass so far, and have wood for two more, but sources are hard to come by.

I got my wood from Tepper Tonewood, in Shady Cove, Oregon, but the last I heard he was out of maple for basses, and not likely to have more anytime soon.

I have been told that the Woodwell is a good source, but have never bought there, yet.

Bruce Harvey, of Orcas Island, is a good source, in general, but does not have bass sets...see a pattern here?

International Violin Company says they have bass sets, but I have never seen them, so I have no idea what you get for your money. I have dealt with them extensively in other arenas, and they have always treated me well.

There are at least two good sources and one bad one in Canada, whose names I either don't recall, (in the two cases), or choose not to, (in the one).

Grab what you can get, and plunge in...it is stressful, frustrating, and very rewarding. In short, "the water's fine!"

Chet Bishop

wayne holmes · #3 12-07-2009, 08:14 PM

okay- send me an email wholmesbassviol@yahoo.com- I have the info in my email stuff-they both need some explanation. I have used one of them and the other, I can pass on to you the info. So, if you are serious-email me. No secret- just need to explain what they have- don't want to waste your time with just a phone number or address.- Call me if you want 731-742-4107-it would be easier and faster- I spend too much time already on TB -it's almost as bad as my pinball machine addiction.

james condino · #4 12-07-2009, 09:06 PM

I picked up my spruce from Bruce Harvey and the maple back and side set from John Tepper, both listed above. Both are fantastic folks to work with- Bruce in particular is one of the nicest fellows in the industry and a great musician who also builds instruments. For a first build, I've gotta say I was pretty glad I chose western bigleaf maple from Oregon. It carves beautiful by hand; I can't imagine ever trying that with some of the eastern hard maples that I build a banjo killing bluegrass mandolin out of.

In general, I probably shop for high grade tonewoods 2-3 days a week for various instruments, but only about once every 18 months do I find a double bass set that matches what I am looking for in type of materials, quality, age since it has been cut and price....I'm pretty gunshy about buying anything from overseas right now given the number of threads and reports of questionable transactions I've been hearing about from central Europe....

Here is a question for Chris and the other mods: bass tonewoods are always very difficult to procure. In the past I've been known to buy WAYYY more than I'll need (like a giant pallet of bass tops!) to have the option of selecting my favorite set out and to get a nice price per set. If one of us here had a a few dozen sets of nice grade, well seasoned sitka tops (actually giant bookmatched billets) that they were willing to sell to other builders (in the positive spirit of everything bass dorkiness that we all represent here), is there a way that they could offer them up for sale here to other builders / potential builders that would not violate any of the long list of standard commercial user policies that applies if you, hypothetically, have a commercial user connection with your posts here????? My guess is that they would be able to sell them for MUCH less than the typical retail sources and they would also have the ability to help you out by offering them up already joined and glued up with hide glue if needed. That hypothetical person might also have a number of master grade 25 year old red spruce cello sets in excess too....

I know someone who fits that bill VERY well, has a lot of bass tops available, but who has been hesitant to make them available to the rest of the family here for fear of retribution by the numerous thought police that constantly get all worked up around here while they sit at their cubicle at work and dream about carving on a nice piece of spruce. Some days when we honestly sit back and look at the cache of nice timbers in our possessions, I've gotta ask myself," Am I really gonna live long enough to build 35 more basses????" Given that the first one took almost 3 years, I don't think I'll be around and functioning for 105 more...

j.
www.condino.com

uprightben · #5 12-08-2009, 05:51 AM

The guy I'm apprenticing under is german and he actually knows a tonewood distributor who sells to a lot of reputable US dealers, so he buys all his maple when he goes home for a visit and gets some insanely nice stuff for stupid cheap. Not very usefull info, but I thought it might interest people here. I need a new fingerboard for my bass and have decided to get an ebony blank (I'm getting a blank for the experience of makin a fingerboard from scratch) from exoticwoods.com, thier prices are good and my teacher has had good experiences with them in the past.

arnoldschnitzer · #6 12-08-2009, 06:50 AM

Old World Tonewoods in West Virginia has a nice bunch of European bass wood, purchased before the Euro kicked the dollar's butt. His pieces are a bit tight for my 7/8 model, though.
www.oldworldtonewood.com

ArenW · #7 12-08-2009, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by james condino

If one of us here had a a few dozen sets of nice grade, well seasoned sitka tops (actually giant bookmatched billets) that they were willing to sell to other builders (in the positive spirit of everything bass dorkiness that we all represent here), is there a way that they could offer them up for sale here to other builders / potential builders that would not violate any of the long list of standard commercial user policies that applies if you, hypothetically, have a commercial user connection with your posts here????? My guess is that they would be able to sell them for MUCH less than the typical retail sources and they would also have the ability to help you out by offering them up already joined and glued up with hide glue if needed.

Hmmm, sounds interesting. I wonder if someone that fits that description would be interested in getting in touch with me about how much 2 or 3 pre-joined tops would cost, as all I've got is hand tools and have to make special trips and pay to use machinery and bigass planes in order to get my tops joined???

Ken McKay · #8 12-08-2009, 10:41 AM

I wonder if that hypothetical person could also email me.

Heifetzbass · #9 12-09-2009, 05:01 AM

Interesting... that hypothetical person didn't sell me a top the last time I was in their hypothetical shop...

Maybe the next time they come to visit their hypothetical in-laws they can bring me a top all joined and stuff.

I haven't gotten around to ordering one from Bruce. Been too busy...

BG

Cody Sisk · #10 12-09-2009, 09:27 AM

Wow, big thanks to all of you! I now have about a dozen sources to shop. I might also have to plan some serious road trips up north sometime in the future. It seems that I'm not going to spend as much on the wood as I thought! My first place to look was through a catalog for a large unnamed luthier supply company here in the states. Looking at those prices almost killed my motivation..

james condino · #11 12-09-2009, 09:36 AM

Brian:

I remember the visit, and I remember several other folks being in the shop at one time, but I don't ever remember you asking, "Hey- would you take $xxx in clean crisp $100 bills for that top set?"

The again, some days I have a hard time remembering my name or what I did yesterday....

The next time you visit, you'll likely see a lot more spruce and a bunch more beautifully restored vintage machinery.

j.

bejoyous · #12 12-09-2009, 09:52 AM

Peter Chandler, the luthier who built my bass, died a couple of years ago and his garage is just full of tonewood. There is even a precut top just sitting there.....aging and not going anywhere.

forester · #13 12-09-2009, 04:18 PM

if i knew..30 yrs ago what i know now...i wouldn't be fiddling with fiddles,i'd be selling you guys tonewood.

rats...

james condino · #14 12-09-2009, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by forester

if i knew..30 yrs ago what i know now...

j.

LouisF · #15 12-09-2009, 07:45 PM

Just a quick note -

there's another thread somewhere from my friend Adrian Giormenti in Buenos Aires (and followed up by Gary Upton) warning about a particularly shady Romanian dealer of tonewoods - one to avoid;

Louis

wayne holmes · #16 12-10-2009, 02:03 AM

James- I use to have trouble remembering names until I took the Phil Carnegie course about 10 years ago. I remember it was about 10 years ago because the other day when I changed out my sound post- I thought -you know-I took that Bill Carnegie course about the time I was changing out my sound post about 10 years ago.

Do you know where I might get some tonewood?

just some TBBS

Heifetzbass · #17 12-10-2009, 06:35 AM

James,

All in good fun...

I did ask about a top, but you said you didn't have any you could part with at the time. I guess you could have been between orders or something.

Anyways, let me know when you have something in that you are willing to part with and I will show you those bills.

If you are headed down here at all for the holidays give me a shout and we can chat.

BG

360guy · #18 12-11-2009, 10:45 AM

I'm just starting out and doing repairs and restorations but I put the word out to friends who have significant acreage that if they are cutting down any large trees I'd like the chance to save some large enough pieces for future tonewood ( 15+ years from now.)

Any suggestions as far as taking it from the 46" log to usable bookmatched pieces? Should I let the log sit as is for awhile and then try to do some radial cuts or cut the radials as soon as possible?

My guess is I won't be building a bass for awhile anyway so I might as well start the process now. Maybe my children will be the ones using this someday.

forester · #19 12-11-2009, 04:42 PM

a) identify the species
b) cut in the winter when the sap is down.
c) allow sufficent overlength.
d) go both ways..logs and cutstock, with the logs,wax the ends and store off the ground,try to keep from debarking them untill several seasons later. cutstock can be sawn to your needs and stored on sticks and kept in a dry shelter.
e) good for you.

Kev2007 · #20 12-12-2009, 02:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bejoyous

Peter Chandler, the luthier who built my bass, died a couple of years ago and his garage is just full of tonewood. There is even a precut top just sitting there.....aging and not going anywhere.

Careful there - the tonewood, such as it is, is sitting under a shelter beside the garage, exposed to the elements. I wonder what shape it is in.