10 string bass build

[Ric5]

My other neck that is coming is 30" as is the 8 string pictured above. and I have an SG body ready to go so that could be the 10 string and the p-bass could end up being a 5.

 

[Ric5]

this bass here has 5 strings and a 38mm (1.5") nut and I love playing it.

 

[Ric5]

So I am building 3 basses right now ...

A Fenderbird, A p-bass, and an SG bass ... here are the bodies

I have a bunch of necks

 

[Ric5]

I was going to make the Fenderbird a 5 string, and I was going to make 2 10 string basses. But Now I am thinking I might make one 10 string with the SG bass and a 30" scale bass neck, and I recently remembered I want to do a 5 string version of this bass here. But without the ugly scribbles all over it.

 

[Ric5]

The 10 string will have a slim neck and someone might say that a 30" scale low B may not sound good, but all it has to do is provide the low and, the octave string will provide the rest.

I had this bass here strung BEAD and it worked great and it is 30"

 

[kumimajava]

The 10 string will have a slim neck and someone might say that a 30" scale low B may not sound good, but all it has to do is provide the low and, the octave string will provide the rest.

I had this bass here strung BEAD and it worked great and it is 30"

This is a really interesting take on the 'not well defined low-B on short-scales' issue. Thanks for sharing this insight - I learned something new this morning!

If you have any clips (of the 10-string, or the BAEAD-8), would love to hear them

 

[Ric5]

This is a really interesting take on the 'not well defined low-B on short-scales' issue. Thanks for sharing this insight - I learned something new this morning!

If you have any clips (of the 10-string, or the BAEAD-8), would love to hear them

3 clips here >>> Dean Edge Hammer 10 string bass (3dentourage.com)

 

[kumimajava]

3 clips here >>> Dean Edge Hammer 10 string bass (3dentourage.com)

Wondeful - thanks! is that a 30-inch scale one too?

 

[Ric5]

Wondeful - thanks! is that a 30-inch scale one too?

The Dean was a 34" scale

 

[TerribleTim68]

I really thought we were gonna have a joke here -

A Fenderbird, A p-bass, and an SG bass ...

...walk into a bar....

 

[Ric5]

I really thought we were gonna have a joke here -

...walk into a bar....

is this a dog sniffing joke?

 

[Ric5]

I have one of the dual saddles for the Schaller made

 

[Ric5]

So I ordered 2 30" 24 fret 5 string bass necks. One of them showed up today. So I am planning the layout of the bass.

 

[ctmullins]

Oh I see. A 30” scale 24 fret neck is long enough to completely consume the mudbucker cavity. That works! The highest frets are probably just for show, but there’s nothin wrong with that!

 

[Ric5]

Oh I see. A 30” scale 24 fret neck is long enough to completely consume the mudbucker cavity. That works! The highest frets are probably just for show, but there’s nothin wrong with that!

yes ... exactly

 

[Ric5]

I got the neck in the body. I glued a wood block in the neck pickup cavity. I will attach the neck with 6 or 8 screws. I will wire it passive volume, volume, tone 500k ohm pots.

 

[Ric5]

Here's another picture of the bass with the wood block where the neck pickup used to be

 

[Big B.]

The 10 string will have a slim neck and someone might say that a 30" scale low B may not sound good, but all it has to do is provide the low and, the octave string will provide the rest.

I had this bass here strung BEAD and it worked great and it is 30"

View attachment 4595316

I think a shorter scale length is great for a 10 string. When I built mine I went with my standard 35" scale and in retrospect I should have gone with 32". Sure the low B sounds great but the octave string makes it sound big and clean anyway. Unfortunately the D and G strings suffer from the extra tension. Even with low action it requires more effort to fret the notes than I would like and I have to use an unwound octave string on the G which sounds a bit tinny for my taste. Not only would the shorter scale make for easier playability I think the tone would improve as well.

 

[Ric5]

I think a shorter scale length is great for a 10 string. When I built mine I went with my standard 35" scale and in retrospect I should have gone with 32". Sure the low B sounds great but the octave string makes it sound big and clean anyway. Unfortunately the D and G strings suffer from the extra tension. Even with low action it requires more effort to fret the notes than I would like and I have to use an unwound octave string on the G which sounds a bit tinny for my taste. Not only would the shorter scale make for easier playability I think the tone would improve as well.

Exactly!!!

 

[Ric5]

more progress