New Lonnybass: "LonnybasSinglecut"

Lonnybass · #1 01-03-2010, 04:17 PM

Gentlemen-

The Vikings/Giants game was more boring than expected and so I have put the finishing touches on the design for the next bass in the pipeline, my first singlecut.

Here is the topwood (burled myrtle):

With body design:

And here's a mockup with a completed neck (for another bass now under construction):

voodoo92 · #2 01-03-2010, 04:54 PM

this is gonna look sweeettt. man you certainly do some good work

Lonnybass · #3 01-03-2010, 04:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by voodoo92

this is gonna look sweeettt. man you certainly do some good work

Thank you for the compliment my friend. Considering the esteemed company I am amongst here in the luthier's forum, I truly appreciate it!

Lonnybass

NKBassman · #4 01-03-2010, 05:04 PM

What is that white blob on the upper "horn"?

Lonnybass · #5 01-03-2010, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by NKBassman

What is that white blob on the upper "horn"?

The white shape on the upper horn shows area that is going to be carved out to help address the inherent added weight of a single cut, and add some additional design aesthetic. With the contrasting wood laminations I typically use, this should look pretty sharp. (hopefully...fingers are crossed!)

Lonnybass

T2W · #6 01-03-2010, 06:57 PM

That is a sweet looking top Lon ! don't be surprised when you see me build with the same 'handle' on the upper horn, I was just drawing a bit today and Ive had the same idea for a while, since I saw Alien Ant Farm back in 2001 actually ! (btw, if ANYBODY has any idea what Alex Barreto plays with, please share). You sure have been spending a lot of time in your new shop it seems, keep it up, im looking forward to seeing more of this one ! Peace

Lonnybass · #7 01-03-2010, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by T2W

That is a sweet looking top Lon ! don't be surprised when you see me build with the same 'handle' on the upper horn, I was just drawing a bit today and Ive had the same idea for a while, since I saw Alien Ant Farm back in 2001 actually ! (btw, if ANYBODY has any idea what Alex Barreto plays with, please share). You sure have been spending a lot of time in your new shop it seems, keep it up, im looking forward to seeing more of this one ! Peace

Yeah, the top really popped today...I tried the left and right template facings in several orientations and they looked "ok" but nothing amazing - at one point I even considered relegating the two panels to the rear lamination because for some reason they just didn't seem particularly top-worthy. But today, the orientation of the facings combined with the template layout sure seems to be a winner.

Looking forward to seeing your singlecut design - I've never done a SC before but have always dug stuff I've seen from Kevin Brubaker, Ken Lawrence, the Fodera guys and some of the other singles floating around out there. I've seen some variations on the notched horn idea - a touch of added elegance - and it seems to suit the shape nicely. Kind of an orchestral/classical quality to it, I guess.

Funny you should mention spending more time in my shop lately...with our new baby I've found precious few hours that I am actually alert enough to safely use power tools.

However, I did make the most of the time over the holiday break to apply some major "feng shui" to my shop area - with my latest build now curing out, I put a halt on making sawdust over the past week and focused on rearranging and organizing the entire workspace in the interest of making what time I do spend down there much more efficient, and safer too. My wife is so proud- no more clutter, no more hunting for tools, no more spending an hour picking up a box of screws that spilled out all over the floor from being balanced precariously on a shelf.

But before I go any further on this bass I really need to finish the table I promised I would build my wife.

NKBassman · #8 01-03-2010, 10:32 PM

I like it Lonny! Lots and lots of pictures of this one please!

pilotjones · #9 01-04-2010, 10:26 AM

Looking nice, Lonny.

Quote:

Originally Posted by T2W

I was just drawing a bit today and Ive had the same idea for a while, since I saw Alien Ant Farm back in 2001 actually ! (btw, if ANYBODY has any idea what Alex Barreto plays with, please share)

Wasn't he the guy who plays a Brase, by Kenneth Lawrence?

T2W · #10 01-04-2010, 10:32 AM

Yes !! Thanks !! I love it !

pilotjones · #11 01-04-2010, 10:54 AM

You're welcome, Mario.

Brad Johnson · #12 01-04-2010, 08:55 PM

Looking forward to this one as usual.

Headless Llama · #13 01-04-2010, 09:07 PM

I really like the handle!

Lonnybass · #14 01-05-2010, 09:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brad Johnson

Looking forward to this one as usual.

Brad (& others)-

Given your experience with singlecuts (which is way more than mine) what would you say works best in terms of the design of the upper horn...namely where the strap button attaches, and how the sweep of the curves blend to the neck? As you know from my other builds, upper horn layout has been an important part of my traditional double cutaway design as I am on the tall side and like a bass that balances well without neck dive.

I'm in process of making some final changes to the basic layout and would be curious to get your thoughts. Looking forward to your ideas - thanks fellas!

Lonnybass

Brad Johnson · #15 01-05-2010, 10:33 AM

At a minimum I'd keep it on this horizontal plane for the upper horn (basically treating it like a double cutaway). You could also go a little farther towards the nut to shorten the amount of neck you have beyond the strap end.

An unsolicited extra: I use Dunlop straplocks on most of my basses and my favorite fitment is the recessed model. Visually it's pretty much invisible from the front. I've had people ask the obvious question "What happens if you forget your strap". My answer is don't forget your strap... or in my case even if I did, I keep a spare in my amp bag. Be prepared. Ken Smith and Fodera have been doing this for years.

Let me know what you think. I really like not seeing a traditional strap button.

Brad Johnson · #16 01-05-2010, 10:41 AM

If removal of wood for weight purposes is a goal, you could also do that from the rear and leave the front solid. Kind of like the reverse of some of the Alfonso Iturra basses I've seen on theLowend.net

Could be interesting.

Lonnybass · #17 01-05-2010, 11:34 AM

These are some great suggestions Brad. I appreciate your thoughts and design markup related to the plane of the straplok. I too have used Dunlops on all my builds but have never tried the recessed approach...maybe this bass is the one.

Lonnybass

Brad Johnson · #18 01-05-2010, 07:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lonnybass

These are some great suggestions Brad. I appreciate your thoughts and design markup related to the plane of the straplok. I too have used Dunlops on all my builds but have never tried the recessed approach...maybe this bass is the one.

Lonnybass

They're very easy to install and like the rest of Dunlop's products they work great. IMO IME of course

Lonnybass · #19 01-06-2010, 08:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brad Johnson

They're very easy to install and like the rest of Dunlop's products they work great. IMO IME of course

I'll have to give it a shot. Fortunately all of my straps have the Dunlop coupling attachments on them so the chances of forgetting to bring the "right" one are minimal.

Lonnybass

bassist11 · #20 01-06-2010, 10:35 AM

I really like it, especially with that cut-out.

People tossing the word handle around makes me think of the Steve Vai JEM guitars. His literally had a grip/handle carved into the body above the pickup. Coined it the "Monkey Grip".