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SMB-35 Simpson Scroll Bass project

Blind Dog

Blind Dog

Jun 19, 2010
123
13
Gilbert AZ
#1
I started a build thread on another forum but it was suggested that it might be better here on TB.

I have had this idea for 6 or 8 months and the more I research it the more fascinated I have become with the Ampeg Scroll basses from 66-69. So here I go... I have never built a bass... or made a scroll or anything like this. I have built a resonator guitar and 4 Tele's. I asked about information both on TB and on TDPRI and in August a TDPRI member sent me a tracing of an Ampeg body. Well that really got me interested and I spent a lot of time researching these basses and saving pictures of details.

Then... I found an original Ampeg Body to make templates from.
IMG_20101224_153340.jpg
 
#4
I made the template on the left that has the outside dimension without the neck pocket, the 4 neck mounting holes and the F holes. The template on the right is for the neck pocket and it will have the pickup route as well but I am going to wait on that until I decide on what pickup to use. I still need to make the pickguard template. These are 1/4" MDF and I will duplicate these in 1/2" MDF and save these as masters.

IMG_20101224_174815.jpg
 
#5
The original Ampegs were called AUB and only had a "mystery pickup" under the bridge, it was a magnetic pickup with individual coils and the bridge rested on a thin piece of metal with a narrow gap between the pickup and the thin metal. The theory behind this was to approximate an upright bass sound. These were not as bright as a magnetic string pickup and in order to compete with the Fender basses in the late 60's Ampeg redesigned the bass to have a magnetic pickup and renamed it the AMB. The body that I have is an AMB. The originals were 35" scale length as another attempt to bridge the gap between upright and electric bass.

I would really like to use 5 ply b/w/b/w/b like the originals. I will call Stewmac to see if they can supply a bigger blank. I need a piece 13"x19" for this pickguard and Stewmac's blanks are 12"x18"... I can get a full sheet from WD but that would cost $100 plus shipping, but it would be enough for 4 pickguards.

Made some more progress on the templates. On the right is the template for the "pickguard".
IMG_20101226_174906.jpg


...and under the pickguard template is the one for the neck pocket.

IMG_20101226_174953.jpg
 
#6
The Urban Hand plane... getting the pieces ready to join for the body center blank.
I am going to use a bookmatched flame maple top and back. The center piece will be less than 1" thick.
Ampeg originally used a birch plywood top and back and a maple center, and later they switched to a solid body (maple or poplar) and routed out under the F holes with a ball shaped bit so they are undercut and the body appeared to be semi hollow.

IMG_20101226_161030.jpg
 
#8
I glued one of the body center blanks together.

IMG_20110111_210432.jpg


I use waxed paper underneath and on top so the glue squeeze out wouldn't stick to anything. When it has been clamped for an hour or so I will take the clamps off and clean uo the excess glue with a wet rag.

IMG_20110111_210614.jpg
 
#17
My current plan on pickups is to have a magnetic in the standard Ampeg location and also I am hoping to come up with an approximation of the mystery pickup under the bridge. I may throw together a pine body to test the bridge pickup in. If I am not able to make a mystery pickup then I will proceed with magnetic only.

As far as controls I have a couple of ideas...
1. A switch for each pickup so either one or both can be on and when they are both on they will be in series. One volume and one tone pot.
2. A blend pot in place of switches and one volume and one tone pot.

I am still deciding on whether to buy or make the bridge. If I can't find a bridge that suits me I will make one similar to the original. The Hipshot bridge with the ghost pickups is tempting but the bridge and the required preamp/eq are more than I want to spend and I would prefer to keep the pickups passive.
 

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