new Single-cut in progress

**Rodent** · #1 03-05-2006, 03:20 PM

So it looks like I'm about to take the plunge and take my first steps into opening a small bass building business. I've been doing repairs/mods and assembly work on the side for friends (free labor + parts at actual cost), and I'm beginning to get requests for instruments of my own design - so ...

Here's a rough out of my first production single-cut bass. There is up to 1/8" of excess material still to remove from the body edges. No neck pocket yet, but I needed to match the top figure to the internal sound chambers. This is an Alder body core with 3/8" thick figured maple BM top

My cheapie digital camera is horrible for color accuracy and focus. The bass will feature a 35" scale 5-pc maple/walnut bolt-on neck with a gorgeous Pau Ferro fretboard radiused at 12" - the color tones of the Pau Ferro are right in there with what this top really looks like.

All the best,

R

**Basschair** · #2 03-05-2006, 04:36 PM

Sweet: good luck with your endeavor...the pic looks pretty nice!

erikbojerik · #3 03-05-2006, 05:00 PM

That is one killer top.

teacherguy · #4 03-05-2006, 07:44 PM

Very nice!
Looking forward to following this one!!

Jon

Frank Martin · #5 03-06-2006, 03:56 AM

Nice top - curious to see how this will turn out.
Good luck!

Phil Mastro · #6 03-06-2006, 06:06 AM

Killer top indeed!
SC bolt-on? Where are you planning on puttin the bolts?

Rogier · #7 03-06-2006, 08:21 AM

Mmmmmmmmmm....nice!

**Rodent** · #8 03-06-2006, 08:41 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phil Mastro

Killer top indeed!
SC bolt-on? Where are you planning on puttin the bolts?

This is a prototype body utilized to validate the end to end process and form/fit of my various templates. You can see the six neck mounting holes if you look closely.

Alder body core with BM figured maple top and a P5/MM5.3 configuration - hence the extra cavity route within the MM pocket. The new construction in this thread will have a similar electronic/hardware configuration.

All the best,

R

p.s. Here's an image of the single-cut's cousin. Same wood configuration (all wood from the same trees as the single-cut), same neck woods (from same rough block laminate), and identical electronics - the only difference will be the single vs double neck joint. I plan to A/B the two to see if there is any discernable sonic differences.

Phil Mastro · #9 03-06-2006, 08:42 PM

Looking sweet! Your pickup routes look super-clean. So you'll be able to check the difference in sound for 2 practically identical SC/DC basses... cool... or maybe you're just building 2 basses.

If there is a comparison test planned, then is it just me, or do the pickup routes on the SC seem farther to the end of the body (closer to the neck)? On the DC, your p-pickup is right above your first pot, whereas on the SC is more upfront.

I have a feeling I'm over-analysing things

I need to get some sleep

**Rodent** · #10 03-06-2006, 09:53 PM

dang - I was caught!

actually what you're also seeing is the difference between a 34" and a 35" scale bass ... I had forgotten about this when I typed the original post up earlier today, as it's been a couple of months since I had these in-hand (they have been off to the finishing shop, but return here this coming Wed

) and i just received images from the paint shop this past week. I need to update my earlier post to reflect this - thanks for jogging my memory ... although I'd have caught it Wed afternoon when I unpacked the two bodies.

the original plan was to make them both identical scales ... but then this dude tossed a WAD of cash my way and <presto!> the double-cut 'some how' became a 34" scale. I was able to do this as only the outer contour had been cut at that time.

hmmm ... guess I need to make another set with both at the same scale ... so it shall be. yes, I do intend to A/B a pair of basses to hear any sonic difference between a single-cut vs double-cut.

all the best,

R

p.s. guess I need to ping Larry for a set of matching tops

**Rodent** · #11 03-09-2006, 09:45 AM

Just received the two prototype basses back from the finishing shop last night. Here's what the single-cut looks like with a homegrown neck inserted into the socket

Thankfully I have neck heel and pocket templates beiing laser cut for future work, as there is a tad bit of a correctable template (homemade) wobble in the neck/body joint. Nothing a little IGES file to a laser template cutter can't resolve for all future basses.

Now to get to work on the bass that started this thread ...

All the best,

R

**Rodent** · #12 03-09-2006, 06:51 PM

another double-cut is well under way as well ... kinda Smith-esque looks to the blank, but it'll be the same configuration as my double-cut above

walnut/maple/walnut center core sandwich, and a pair of maple/alder/maple body wings

all the best,

R

jay_t · #13 03-09-2006, 07:21 PM

Busy busy! Nice pics. I can't wait to see how your single cut comes out.

mcdade · #14 03-10-2006, 01:32 PM

Nice work Rodent,look forward to seeing the basses progress.Im going to look into having some templates laser cut myself.

poptart · #15 03-10-2006, 01:38 PM

Rodent - looks like you have a couple of awesome basses on the go there, best of luck with the business. The quality of manufacture looks good on these basses, I will be intersted to see and hear the outcome.

VaantCustom · #16 03-10-2006, 08:45 PM

Are you totally quitting the day job? I'm new over here, so I have no idea if you're 18 and at home, or 30 w/ a mortgage. Either way, I support you. Like your designs too!

**Rodent** · #17 03-10-2006, 09:24 PM

no quits on the day job anytime within the forseeable future ... just adding a second on the side as time permits. The mortgage won't allow me to go broke anytime soon.

The wife does, however, want me to find a way to do this full-time. Ain't she so cool

Thanks for the support!

All the best,

R

p.s. Just coming in from the shop where I've been working a small mod to spin the 5-string double-cut body into a 4-string model (by request) ... so far, so good on the minor tweaks. Images later when it's worked and presentable

VaantCustom · #18 03-11-2006, 07:09 AM

She is cool. My wife's jealous of my garage. She thinks I'm practicing black magic in there.

**Rodent** · #19 04-08-2006, 02:06 PM

Updates as of today:

* Single-cut: finishing a re-work of the neck and neck cavity templates. A block of maple/walnut/maple/walnut/maple for three necks is currently drying, and I'll be slicing this into blanks next week.

* Double-cut: I have a new neck in progress. After a router slip earlier this morning (and consequently scrapping a gorgeous birdseye blank

) I have epoxy curing in a blank with carbon rods

I also had time to slot the birdseye fretboard for this as well

The fretboard is from a killer chunk of birdseye I obtained late last year, and this is the first slice off of it. I found that if I carefully arranged the fretboard layout (keeping centerline orientated) I could actually get two boards from a single slice ... this is why the board appears to have such a strange shape for the blank.

time to get back to the shop ...

all the best,

R

jongor · #20 04-08-2006, 08:41 PM

Rodent, where are you getting the template made?