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5 string Ricken-Musicman Bass.

#181
We've been pretty slow at work recently which means that I have taken the opportunity to work on my drafting skills. (play in Autocad) I've spent a bit of time getting the details worked out on the SCP (Single Cut P-bass) and I am really quite pleased with the final plans.
upload_2022-9-9_21-24-49.png

upload_2022-9-9_21-15-52.png


Generally speaking, the plan is for an arch-top fiddle shape, with a raised bead around the outside edge on the front. The back will be shaped and belly cut similar to my Spector. This will also be my first bolt on. I plan to use Bruce Bars for the neck attachment (1/4" brass/steel ?) dual action truss rod, Seymour Duncan Quarter Pound 5 string pickup. Passive controls will be inset on the top edge between the "horns" of the fiddle side. (that block juuuust fits) However, this means that the bass at the edge will need to be at least 1.25" thick, and will probably start out at least 1.5-1.75" to do the carving and shaping that I want to do.

upload_2022-9-9_21-36-30.png


I'm re-using the bridge I originally bought for the Rick-man. Debating what to do for the fingerboard, but I was on woodcraft's website, and they have some rosewood at a not egregious price that I might get.

I'm not planning any bindings (but I might do the fingerboard, just cause...) and will probably just do simple dots for inlays. (we'll see how the Rick-man goes, and how I feel about inlays after that exercise!)
 
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#183
That looks very cool.

Videojunkie said:
...with a raised bead around the outside edge on the front.
Click to expand...
If it were me I'd check the ergonomics of that raised bead by maybe sticking something to the face of another bass and play testing it. Instruments with sharp corners already make my hand go numb; a raised bead on the front would concentrate the pressure on the wrist even more. YMMV depending on your arm and how you hold your instrument.
 
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#184
Max Bogosity said:
That looks very cool.


If it were me I'd check the ergonomics of that raised bead by maybe sticking something to the face of another bass and play testing it. Instruments with sharp corners already make my hand go numb; a raised bead on the front would concentrate the pressure on the wrist even more. YMMV depending on your arm and how you hold your instrument.
Click to expand...

Definitely something I want to keep in mind! I haven't done any profile sketches yet, but I'm thinking that my wrist would hit the curved face before hitting the bead, plus the bead will be pretty small (~1/8" tall x ~3/16" wide).

Honestly, I am more concerned about the ergonomics of the side 'horns'...

Thanks for the encouragement and critique on the design. Next up, all the templates!
 
#185
@Max Bogosity, here is what I was thinking for body profile. It does mean turning a lot of wood into sawdust though!

Not 100% sure about the scale, but it should
Convey the idea.. and I realized that I drew parts of it wrong, because all of the edges will be at the same height (except the inside of the curve)

20220910_205301.jpg
 
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#186
Gilmourisgod said:
Absolutely, you can test stuff out, print it, and know its accurate. I am lucky to have use of the office printer and scanner, both of which will do up to 36" wide paper rolls, and essentially unlimited length, but any bass will fit on 48" length. I have years of experience on 2d stuff, but Im the office Dinosaur with 3d.
Click to expand...
Our plotter will do up to 44" rolls, but we never buy anything bigger than 36".
And don't worry, I have yet to try drawing a guitar in Revit. Some things are just easier to do in 2D.
 
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#188
NKBassman said:
When you're drawing these body shapes in CAD, what function or method are you using to get your curves nice and smooth?
I'm an engineer by trade, but we have draft persons for doing the real CAD stuff, so my drafting skills have not progressed much beyond simple line drawings.
Click to expand...

Most of those are joined arcs. (Draw a series of arcs, and then join them). You can then manipulate the whole sequence as a single curve. I find it most aesthetically pleasing when the curves join at matching or complementary angles.

Most of it is fiddling with a line, sitting back and eyeballing it for a bit, and then fiddling with it some more...

The spirals are not particularly easy...
 
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#189
I've been using the "spline" command, but it's tempermental. It basically smooths out a curve between a series of selected points, but it's not a perfect technique. I've "traced" a lot of bass designs using Spline, it's actually rare to find a bass body that consists entirely of simple arcs or circles, most are some kind of ellipse pattern. Curious to hear how everybody else does this.
 
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#199
Alrighty. Hammock stand that I promised my daughter is complete. I can now work on a bass!

20220927_111349.jpg


Took an obligatory parts picture before the sawdust flies. Pictured next to my Spector for scale.

20220927_093824.jpg


This is going to be a pretty big bass! I'll need to make sure that I don't make it too heavy!.

Off to make templates. I think I need the following templates:
Body
Neck
Fingerboard (neck minus binding)
Headstock
Headstock overlay
 
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