Cambering advice

[kiwi60]

I've got a Lakland Joe Osborne Skyline 5 string (now called the 55-60) which is a great bass as far as tone and playabilty goes, but there is a problem that has surfaced - after about an hours playing my back is getting a bit sore due to the weight in the ash body.

I don't have the option of sitting in the gigs that I play so I was thinking that it may be possible to chamber the bass under the pickguard.
I had a look on the Warmoth site and they show their cambered basses with slots running from neck to bridge, which I think will be feasible.

I tried Warmoth for a replacement chambered body, but they don't do one for this Lakland bass as it has a 35" scale.

Has anyone done this, what are the pit falls, and can anyone give me some pointers?

I have a good friend (the drummer in my band) who is a master antique furniture restorer who would be happy to handle the routing but needs some direction first.

[Beej]

I have not done that exact mod to that exact bass, but I've done similar retrofits and have certainly routed into a finished body. Your friend should know the associated techniques. I prefer to carefully score the edges of the area to be routed to reduce the possibility of chipping the finish, and I always make a solid template for the shape I'm routing and rout to that. Potential pitfalls would be scratching the body in the process, permanently altering the balance of the bass, not removing enough weight to make a difference, and cutting the resale value in half.

In my own unsolicited view, the ideal way to do this is to make a chambered body from scratch. A more complicated alternative would be to plane down the back of the body by 1/4", rout out chambers into the body from the back, glue down a 1/4" cap over the back, and refinish. I think the simplest process is probably a scratch build, but it varies by builder and experience...

[miziomix]

Originally Posted by Beej

...In my own unsolicited view, the ideal way to do this is to make a chambered body from scratch...

This.

[miziomix]

I thought I should elaborate.

IMO, Beej's advise is good for more than one reason. It preserves the original body as is, so you can change your mind if you don't like the chambered body. And you won't lose resale value. Also, you can fine tune the weight of a body you are building. Especially if you run into neck dive, which might happen with a lighter body.

mmm... maybe Beej is even more right when he suggests a scratch build

[kiwi60]

Well, I seem to have solved the weight issue with the Lakland - I sold it today and have already sent an email to Lighwave Basses for a price and delivery on a new VL 5 Fretted.

My fretless VL5 is so light that this is a really good option, especiallialy as I'm love with everything about their basses.
Transparent Black finish over AAA Flame Maple this time