carbon fiber bass

[Ripper]

so... i'm just thinking now and decided to shoot this out there...


would it be possible to have a completely carbon fiber or fiberglass bass? if you were to do this, could it wind up being completely hollow? would the cf be strong enough to hold up to the tension? or would you have to make some kind of framework inside of it?

just an idea

oh... and would carbon frets hold up?

[WalWarrior]

dunno about completely CF, but check out STATUS of England and Basslabs in Germany. Nice instruments.

[millsbass5]

Originally Posted by WalWarrior

dunno about completely CF, but check out STATUS of England and Basslabs in Germany. Nice instruments.

+1^

[PBass101]

Are we talking something along the lines of the all-graphite Status Streamline or Buzzard-1?

[pilotjones]

Or along the lines of the full-hollow monocoque BassLabs?

[scottyd]

oh yeah it's possible, I saw an episode of How It's Made where they showed the process of a company making fully carbon fiber cellos, very interesting. The company is Luis and Clark. http://www.luisandclark.com/ They also make upright basses and other classical instruments.

[Nigel Rahmshard]

good carbon fiber is plenty strong. Provided the builder knows what they are doing and the lay up is done properly. An 800-900g carbon fiber road bike frame is strong enough to handle the strain of even the strongest riders in the pro peloton. When you slice one open, or even an aluminum racing frame you are looking at a cross section of basically like a soda can. So i would think a carbon fiber bass would be possible. The trial and error might be expensive. And you would really have to plan ahead for where you want all the screws to go as you would have to include a fitting that the screw goes into with the carbon fiber lay up process.

[Dirk Diggler]

Actually a foam core will work fine. I got this one here on TB an rehabbed it. I love it and it sounds great.

If you want to see the rehab pictures click on my sig.
Dirk

[guitar ed]

I am waiting on a Switch Vibrocell bass. I go pick it up tomorrow. basically, it is rigid foam. I shall see.

Tone report one of these days.

edg

[Mustafa Umut Sa]

Hello Ripper , I first build my half finished graphite bass 22 years ago when I was 16 , it stays at home somewhere and teaches me good lessons.
You will need epoxy and fiber rowing. I dont advise you to use polyester because it stinks very much.
If you want to have a epoxy bass , I advise you to draw it at a cad software and send true a rapid prototyping companies web site automatic interface and learn the production price.
Rapid prototyping companies produce epoxy , acrylic or abs parts by laser sintering , laser polymerization or producing the instrument layer by layer by melting abs.
May be they can make a modal analysis and a structural analysis to your hollow instrument for a fee also. You can want a asymetrical modal shape and lots of sound.
please read my martin schleske post.
I think in next ten years , people will buy instrument computer drawing models from internet , send to a rp company and recieve the instrument in few days.
I want to focus you to one point , rp companies instantly calculate the expense from cad file and you can find cheaper or better option.
If you want to produce plastic molds for casting acrylic , epoxy , polyester they can help you also.
If you have questions , subscribe to rapid prototyping mail list from a finnish university and if you prepare good questions with your name and address , they get you serious and help you very much.
It can be a start to a new business for you to sell well engineered , documented files for your customers.
Dont waste your self to build something which a african ivory cost native boatbuilder can build better. If list luthiers had been seen the teak furnitures and their cost at thailand , they left the business.
Use your imagination , visit antique fairs , take pics and apply to your instrument.
If you add intelligence to your instrument like e paper fingerboard ,autotype touchscreen it is better.
Dont forget , you can build very different , extremelly expensive to produce with traditional ways, shapes with rp.

Less material , less curve cost you less.
Some rp companies make production run.

Best ,

Mustafa Umut Sarac

Istanbul

[Mustafa Umut Sa]

You can get help from a sculptor or a cartoon artist or a jewel maker.
When you create your instrument from plaster of paris ,
next step is to photograph it from every angle with distortion free lens.
ı think you can build two parts , neck and body and take its pictures from every 10 degrees up down to around.
Than install a photo to 3d software , load your pictures to it and let it give you a 3d drawing and a 3 d model.

Best ,

Mustafa Umut Sarac

Istanbul

[Angus]

Originally Posted by scottyd

oh yeah it's possible, I saw an episode of How It's Made where they showed the process of a company making fully carbon fiber cellos, very interesting. The company is Luis and Clark. http://www.luisandclark.com/ They also make upright basses and other classical instruments.

Yeah, but go listen to them. Cool product, less maintenance issues, but sounds pretty awful imo. But that is less of an issue for electric bass/guitars.

Anyway, to answer the OP's questions, "yes, yes, yes, doesn't have to but it depends on how you decide to approach the build, and no."

[powerbass]

if you saw the Louis & Clark vid you can see how complicated it is to build a CF instrument. The video shows the building process after they did all months/years of R&D, prototyping etc. Building w/CF is not a one off process - you have to commit to many steps before the making of the actual instrument since you are essentially creating a casting and molding the instrument - once you have the mold and the process figured out then the making of the instruments gets easier. Epoxy & CF can be expensive, it also has health warnings such as the curing vapor and it is skin irritant. I have made many pieces of furniture using vacuum bags and epoxy. High end boat builders are using CF so if you live near a good boat shop they may help you. It is an expensive messy, toxic process. Go for it though if you feel inspired you will learn a ton

[lomo]

Basslab already does this-and it sounds and plays like a dream (check my avatar). Emerald guitars does it with acoustics, and I was so taken with my Basslab that I ordered an Emerald XB bass.

[hdfixer]

Modulus experimented with one piece graphite basses for Phil Lesh. They looked just like the Tiger shaped Irwin that Phil played during the gigs where they recorded Reckoning and Dead Set.

http://dozin.com/phil/bass/irwinmodulus.jpg

One piece except for the top plate. Used at shows on or around 10/3/87.

Here's another pic - from May of the same year:

http://www.dead.net/sites/deadbeta.r...70502_2055.jpg

[Ripper]

i forgot the basslab was doing this... but does it need a structure within it?

i was thinking of just making a model, making a fiberglass mold of it, then using that to form the bass itself.


and what do you all think about using carbon fiber for the frets? would it hold up?

[Human Bass]

Originally Posted by lomo

Basslab already does this-and it sounds and plays like a dream (check my avatar). Emerald guitars does it with acoustics, and I was so taken with my Basslab that I ordered an Emerald XB bass.

Hummm...This Emerald XB bass seems very sweet, didnt know about this brand....GAS!!!

[mikeyswood]

These guys are on it

[ehque]

Originally Posted by Ripper

and what do you all think about using carbon fiber for the frets? would it hold up?

I don't think so.

Carbon fiber is plenty stiff, but i don't think it's very scratch resistant.