Non-neckdivey but original shape?

[MaskedJackal]

So I've ordered all my parts for my custom fretless 4, and I've bought my wood- I await a Carvin NT4 neckthru neck, an EMG MMTW pickup, Sperzel locking tuners, and a Kahler bridge.

But in the meantime, I can't for the life of me think of a semi-original (at the least) but non-neckdiving shape. Can anyone help me out with suggestions and ideas for inspiration? The only parameters are these:

-An upperhorn is absolutely required for proper suspension (that's why Leo put on the P in the first place, right? )

-The neck only has 12 inches of additional wood for the middle of the body...and after measuring I've found the P-Bass shape, for instance, is 14 inches

Thanks in advance!

[teej]

I was just about to say that for my very first design, I traced my P-bass and modified it until it was entirely unrecognizable, but still had the same dimensions of the P-bass. I'll sketch some quick ideas, since I'm bored, and post them as soon as I can.

[MaskedJackal]

Much thanks!

[mahrous]

my first design was inspired by Spector basses, Gibson double cut LPs and my own imagination.

dont expect anything amazing from the first trial. you need like 5 trials to come up with some ... HOT! its all fun though. dont give up

[Frank Martin]

My design was based upon my Corvette, but after I received the neck and saw how heavy it was, I further modified it for a longer upper horn.
There are some pics in my sig

[teej]

It's not a question of where he grips it - it's a matter of weight ratios.

I think weight distribution is the name of the game.

[MaskedJackal]

Originally Posted by teej

It's not a question of where he grips it - it's a matter of weight ratios.

I think weight distribution is the name of the game.

It is indeed gentlemen.

That said, the wood for the body is maple center with alder wings, and my impression is that these woods are pretty light, yes?

I just don't want to make any wild shape, but I want it to be interesting at the same time.

[MaskedJackal]

Originally Posted by mahrous

dont expect anything amazing from the first trial. you need like 5 trials to come up with some ... HOT! its all fun though. dont give up

Awww, I won't give up, but....c'mon, keep the faith! It's a simple beast, it is....I'm also working with a local woodsmith/luthier guy who built his first electric guitar on his own- completely by hand- and came out with something great. This isn't going to be an Alembic, but I'm hoping that it'll growl nice, feel great, and balance properly at the damn least

[teej]

What if you glued a piece of maple to the end? I sketched something, but with only 12" to work with, the body would only be about 12" wide and 17" long.

[PilbaraBass]

Originally Posted by Hambone

Greg Curbow would put a 2 lb block of brass in the tails (under the bridge) of his Petit body basses to balance the Rockwood neck on the other end.

What you might do is assemble all of your components to get a weight on them. You can use 2 nursery scales to lay your neck and body across. Put one scale under the headstock and the other under the bridge. By sitting the hardware on the body to weigh, you can see what the balance is between the two ends. Then you can move around your weight to see where it will balance the best. This is how we would balance race cars. Get them as light as we could then add weight to them where we wanted it to meet the rules.

another alternative to 2 nursery scales would be to use a pair of fish scales and suspend the bass from a shoestring through the rear strap button, and another on the upper horn button.

you can then use gaffer's tape to fix your weight near the bridge...increase the weight until the weight on the rear button is just slightly more than the weight of the front button...since the scales will not be equal swap scales for verification...

once you've done this, you can try it on for feel...

finally, once you've determined the right weight...make a suitably weighted brass "slug" or "slugs" from a bit of solid brass rod...drill a hole (or holes) under the bridge to fit the slug(s)...fit the slug(s), pot it in (epoxy??), replace the bridge...and you're done...balanced bass...

[Scott French]

Neck heavy light-weight bass VS overly heavy balanced bass???

[PilbaraBass]

Originally Posted by Scott French

Neck heavy light-weight bass VS overly heavy balanced bass???

no...if the bass is light, it will take very little weight to balance it...and a balanced bass will naturally "feel" lighter because it is hanging straight down and not placing any torsion on the spine.

[Greg Johnsen]

http://maj.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=104834 there are some of my designs, feel free to use them if you like them.

Greg

[tjclem]

This design worked for me it balances nice and weighs under 7lb.

[PilbaraBass]

Originally Posted by tjclem

This design worked for me it balances nice and weighs under 7lb.

EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!

paint it green and call it GUMBY!


Actually, I kinda like it (in a very "weird" sort of way)

My Carvin AC-40 weighs in at 6.25 lbs...and balances quite well even though the upper horn only comes to about the 14th fret...(makes for a bit of reach to the 1st fret, however...but not bad)

[Kronos]

Originally Posted by teej

It's not a question of where he grips it - it's a matter of weight ratios.

I think weight distribution is the name of the game.

Why do basses burn?

...b....because they're....made of wood?

Good!

So, how do you tell if the bass is made of wood?

Build a bridge out of it!

Ah, but can you not also make bridges out of Brass?

Oh, yeah..

Does wood sink in water?

No...it floats! THROW IT INTO THE POND!!

...etc...

[PaleMelanesian]

Originally Posted by Scott French

Neck heavy light-weight bass VS overly heavy balanced bass???

I've got a 5lb semi-hollow that neck-dives like crazy, and a 10lb solidbody that balances. The 10lb is easier to wear and play.