6-string fretless single-cut

[Rodent]

I'm starting a new project that will be the first 6-string adapted from my single-cut design. Here's an image of progress as of this morning:

(Left side moving clockwise)

* 2-piece Poplar body core blank
* neck profile routing template - still needs to have the headstock curves cut and the radii added to the heel corners
* paper tracing template
* neck pocket template (still need to be trimmed from larger sheet)
* neck blank with trussrod and dual graphite stiffening bars installed
* top billet - will bookmatch this later this weekend
* acrylicized figured Maple fingerboard blank from Larry at GH

and a little detail of the fingerboard wetted with naphtha

This will be a 33" scale fretless, loaded with a pair of Nordstrand Fat Stacks (each with a coil tap), Hipshot Type A 18mm bridge, Ultralights with a de-tuner on the B-string, and either an OBP-1 or Audere pre-amp. This will have a gloss black finish for the back and sides, and the black will burst onto the top which will be finished in a semi-transparent black to allow the top figuring to show thru. Chrome hardware will complete the package.

More on this as it progresses

all the best,

R

 

[Yvarg]

Out of curiosity, how much harder is it to make a six string, than a five string bass?

 

[Rodent]

Out of curiosity, how much harder is it to make a six string, than a five string bass?

The physical work is basically the same, as a 6-string is only about .75" wider than a 5-string. It all comes down to intergity of the design, proper choice and usage of materials, precision in the execution, and attention to details.

What took the most time on this project was to redesign a 5-string 35" scale design into a 6-string 33" scale design and keep the visual flow and physical balance. An example would be that my original design was a 35" scale 22-fret neck that morphed into a 33" scale "24-fret" neck. Significantly different neck pocket for the body, which required a redesign of the overall contours for the half of the body towards the neck. Since this also was widened into a 6-string, it required a re-flowing of the butt contour. Not much in the overall perimeter curve remained untouched, and yet it looks like it the same body curve until you lay one on top of the other.

A similar statement can be made about morphing the 5-string headstock into a 6-string headstock ... but here you can really see a significant amount of changes take place to accommodate the extra width for the added tuner

all the best,

R

 

[Tryxx]

I'm definitely going to keep an eye on this one. Looks like you'll be answering my request pretty soon. (Singlecuts and Bolt ons.) That'll end up beinga beautiful instrument.

 

[christobass 416]

:O Gorgeous fingerboard!

 

[bassksun]

Subsrcibed...

Just beautiful. I really like your work.

 

[Rodent]

I'm definitely going to keep an eye on this one. Looks like you'll be answering my request pretty soon. (Singlecuts and Bolt ons.) That'll end up beinga beautiful instrument.

I do the neck/body contour similar to how I do the neck/headstock rear contour. Here's an image of the curve line freshly routed utilizing a routing template I use to define both the curve and the depth of the cut with a bull nose bit

If you take this concept to the other end of the neck, I then utilize the body edge contour to route the initial cut and set the depth at the top of the neck. From there, it's all hand tools (files, scrapers, etc ...) to bring that contour down around the edge of the neck towards the fingerboard/fretboard. Endi result is this, but at the other end

I'll provide an image of the later in the project.

all the best,

R

 

[Rodent]

and now a freshly bookmatched top, cut from the board in the earlier image

I may flip this around the other way, but this is good enough to capture the figuring in this piece ... nothing outstanding, but just right for a semi-transparent top

all the best,

R

 

[smakbass]

Looking good, that fretboard is gorgeous...cant wait to see the final result.

 

[smperry]

Looks great!

Marshall

 

[Rodent]

a couple new progress images from this morning's work

I cut out the body on the bandsaw, drilled control holes from the topside into the body core, used a 7/8" Forstner bit to remove the bulk of the control cavity material, drum sanded the oouter contour to clean-up the bandsaw work, hand sanded the outer contour with a cork sanding block to smooth out any little ripples I could feel but not see, routed the control cavity with a template and pattern bit to clean it up, and rounded over the top and back edges.

not too bad for a couple hour's work

next step is to route the neck pocket, carve the front arm contour, rear tummy contour, and the rear contour behind the neck. once this is completed I'll add the jack tunnel from the side into the control cavity and route the pickup cavities (I would have done these earlier, but the pickup selection just finalized by the client earlier this afternoon)

all the best,

R

 

[needmoney]

Nice clean work. Looking good man.

 

[bassksun]

Cool. The interesting parts are coming next.