building myself a double bass?

[mav]

a local luthier is offering a course for building a double bass/cello/violin etc, in his workshop i supply all materials.
building my own DB interests me greatly.
but i havent read much about this sort of thing on TB.
ive had little experience working with wood too.
has anyone out there built there own DB and ended up with a quality instrument???

[anonymous0726]

Probably not on their first attempt. If it was that easy then they'd have a machine that could build great basses consistently.

Sounds like your a good candidate for the 'underbelly' of the Dark Side. I wish you well.

[McBass]

I'm a little more optimistic about the sound of a first bass. Many of the famous 300 year old Italian basses were made quickly with poor materials by the standards of today's makers. Some of them have 8 or more piece tops. With all the different shapes and styles of double basses, it seems to be a pretty forgiving form from a maker's standpoint. At least in the dimensions. I think if you take your time and try to learn as much as possible about making a bass before you start, you've got a good chance of making a playable instrument.

[John Sprague]

Mav, I would encourage you to go for it! Just the acquired knowledge would be worth the trip. There are many basses out there that were built on the fly or by the under-qualified, and have no business sounding as good as they do.

[Marcus Johnson]

How about building a violin or two first? You'll be dealing with the same woods, carving tops and backs, varnishing, carving a scroll, and lots of other operations that will arise in DB construction. All with tonewoods that cost a fraction of what the bass woods will cost you.

Go check out the Musical Instrument Maker's Forum. There is a ton of useful info over there.

[Bob Branstetter]

Originally Posted by Marcus Johnson

How about building a violin or two first? You'll be dealing with the same woods, carving tops and backs, varnishing, carving a scroll, and lots of other operations that will arise in DB construction. All with tonewoods that cost a fraction of what the bass woods will cost you.

An excellent suggestion!