So I went wood shipping to find something fairly specific. I’'be always like the look of a Walnut back with a Flame Maple tone block (a la Fodera) so I wanted to get some wood together to try my hand at this combination some day.
Finding the Flame Maple locally was easier than I though. Only one place near me carries it, and I was able to find a reasonably good piece for what I wanted to do without too much trouble.
I had a look around the same store for some nice dark Walnut, but didn'’t see anything that was wide enough, clear enough, thick enough and short enough. I only needed about 3 feet so I didn'’t really want anything much longer than that.
So, then I headed out to my other local wood store. They had a decent selection, but it took a while to pick through everything to find something suitable. In the end I had to buy more than I needed (just over 5 feet).
So, here is what I’'llbe using for a future neck through build using a Walnut back and Flame Maple tone block. I think it will do just fine ...
So, now what do I do with the remaining Walnut that I didn’t really want in the first place? I mean, look at it. Who in their right mind would want to do something with the cut off?
Front
Back
Wetted with mineral spirits
Yeah, it’'s pretty ain’t it? It was a good find considering I got the whole board for $40. The scribbles are me trying to figure out what I could do with it.
At just over 1.5 inches thick and 6-1/8 inches wide, it’s just a little too narrow for my Single Cut body design. I thought about using it as a back with a tone block down the middle, but thought that it was just too pretty to not have it book matched and displayed front and center. So after much deliberating the path forward was clear. It's time for a new body design!
Here is what I came up with. It’s based off of a specific picture of a Fodera Emperor II. The pic was taken at an angle and makes the body look much shorter than it really is. The bass in question is also a 6-string (i.e. has a wide neck in relation to the body) which combine with the squatness of the body is a look that I’'ve always liked.
Here’'s my take on it. I think it looks pretty similar, but mine is much smaller than the original. At only 11-3/4 inches wide I shouldn’'t have any problems fitting the walnut tops to this shape. Oh yeah, the off cut is big enough for 2 thick tops!
And compared to my first SC5 design
I have a pile of work to do before I can even start thinking about these builds, but it’s fun to imagine what the finished basses will look like! I may even sneak in some time getting them ready from time to time ...
Has anyone else found a piece of wood that helped inspired a new design? You know, you find a great piece of wood that’'s just too narrow or too short for what you want, but you find a way to make it work?
