Acoustic Electric Bass

[mapleglo]

Worked a little more on the new shell this morning, after dealing with a "plumbing emergency". You know, I'd much rather work on household electric issues than plumbing. If you make a loose connection in your electrical box, it's not like the electricity will flow out of the box, and flood your home with electricity. Worst case scenario is you blow a fuse.

Anyway, I cut a small rim for the top to mount to, and put a layer of fiberglass on the inside to hold it in place. I used four 3/8" dowels to hold the rim in place while working on it.

I'll wait for that to cure, glass the other side, and then I can start sanding and shaping the shell. In the mean time, I ordered a Hipshot 3 string retainer for the neck from Amazon.

 

[BassHappy]

Hey Mapleglo

I am thinking this lighter body and top is the way to go - I am also really into light and balanced myself - so I completely understand your misgivings with the original design.

Wondering out loud?

If you got a really nice smooth sand on the back of the body, would some of the textured paint options be worth looking at? I seem to recall seeing bodies - maybe not the Ovation - which had kind of a textured finish, which in my estimation could be a very forgiving way to go. And I always thought it looked pretty snazzy.

Excellent work, and I am with you on this one all the way down the line!

 

[TheJoshinator]

Oooh, seconding the textured paint. That stuff can hide a multitude of sins...

Just tossing out an idea regarding the top here, having remembered something I read awhile ago. You could try a thin, braced top but with a simplified A-frame bracing instead of the traditional X/fanned bracing.

From what I understand it's substantially easier to make, provides stiffness where you need it and works best with the sound hole in the upper bout like you have it. Martin uses it for some of their guitars and basses.

 

[mapleglo]

Hey Mapleglo

I am thinking this lighter body and top is the way to go - I am also really into light and balanced myself - so I completely understand your misgivings with the original design.

Wondering out loud?

If you got a really nice smooth sand on the back of the body, would some of the textured paint options be worth looking at? I seem to recall seeing bodies - maybe not the Ovation - which had kind of a textured finish, which in my estimation could be a very forgiving way to go. And I always thought it looked pretty snazzy.

Excellent work, and I am with you on this one all the way down the line!

Oooh, seconding the textured paint. That stuff can hide a multitude of sins...

Just tossing out an idea regarding the top here, having remembered something I read awhile ago. You could try a thin, braced top but with a simplified A-frame bracing instead of the traditional X/fanned bracing.

From what I understand it's substantially easier to make, provides stiffness where you need it and works best with the sound hole in the upper bout like you have it. Martin uses it for some of their guitars and basses.

Great minds think alike. I'm definitely looking into some kind of textured paint. I didn't see much at Home Depot today except for Flekstone, which I may end up using, but I don't want it too smooth or I fear it will slip around too much.

And I'll be going with two vertical strips of maple for support under a thin, possibly routed top. Maple is on sale this month at the Woodworker's store which I plan on visiting next weekend. I still have a bit of sanding and shaping on the shell, which I'll work on tomorrow. I'll allow the resin to cure overnight. That last batch I may have mixed a bit too cool.

 

[BassHappy]

Great minds think alike. I'm definitely looking into some kind of textured paint. I didn't see much at Home Depot today except for Flekstone, which I may end up using, but I don't want it too smooth or I fear it will slip around too much.

And I'll be going with two vertical strips of maple for support under a thin, possibly routed top. Maple is on sale this month at the Woodworker's store which I plan on visiting next weekend. I still have a bit of sanding and shaping on the shell, which I'll work on tomorrow. I'll allow the resin to cure overnight. That last batch I may have mixed a bit too cool.

Hey Mapleglo

Yes, maybe there is something to that "great minds think alike thing" - thanks for the kind compliment.

I had some old metal file cabinets I was going to pitch and my sister insisted on having them - I just shook my head as I dropped them off to her on the way to the dump. The next time I went over to her house - I couldn't believe it. She had some rattle can textured paint from the Depot and OMG that textured paint made those cabinets look better than new. I couldn't believe how nice they looked! They even covered up minor scratches and dings to an amazing degree! And these cabinets were pretty unsightly. She didn't sand them or anything, just sprayed them with a couple of coats and voila! It was magical!

So i figure on something like this project with so much love and tenderness and a big dose of elbow grease - that textured paint has a real shot at pulling everything together! I wish I could tell you what she used (although that may or may not be helpful) but I honestly don't remember. If I can find out I will let you know - although it may not be a match for the material that you used on the body, not sure if it was enamel or lacquer or what???

 

[mapleglo]

I'm thinking something like this.

 

[gsnad2000]

that oughta keep your fiberglass from rusting too!

 

[Hopkins]

Just looking at that fiberglass is making me all itchy

 

[BassHappy]

I'm thinking something like this.

I spoke to my sister this morning and she confirmed that it WAS Rustoleum, so that could very well be the stuff!

 

[mapleglo]

Just looking at that fiberglass is making me all itchy

I know, right!?!?

When I work with it, I wear thick gloves, and wear a dust mask. Last week, I was certain that a fiberglass sliver lodged in my left index finger. It hurt for a day or two, when I was finally able to remove what looked like a small white splinter from it with tweezers. While I like what fiberglass can do, I really dislike working it.

 

[mapleglo]

So I started sanding today.

In this area, the top layer didn't adhere well to the lower layer. So I sanded that smooth in preparation to add a small patch.

There was also a small area on the side that did the same. So I mixed up a little more resin and went to work.

The remaining resin, I just spread over the shell to fill in some of the pits that were revealed during sanding.

 

[GMC]

To maximise the sound volume, you need the sound board to be as resonan

Ok, so I spent a little time setting it up. I have to say I'm impressed with that G&L neck. I'll have to buy one or two more. What a bargain at $35. Though in addition to the fret dressing, I might have spent some time leveling them. Oddly enough, it had a slight back bow before I mounted it. After, with the string tension, it was dead flat. I had to add a little relief to address fret buzz.

Beside the neck, I'm not impressed with the acoustic volume. I had hoped it would be louder. I'd say it's louder than a solid body, but not nearly enough to play acoustically with a couple of guitarists or a piano. I still have to wire it up to see how it sounds through the pickup.

I'm also a little disappointed with the weight.

But that said, I did this build to determine the feasibility of this kind of project. I think if I use fiberglass sheet instead of the cloth for the first body layers, that will save some weight, and increase strength. It'll have to be sanded and painted though. Additionally, the top is way too thick. I might try some kind of hardwood framework (bracing), with a very thin top wood. That would also save a ton of weight. So I may save these parts and try another at some point, using the experience from this build. I'm still undecided about putting in any major work on this, like a nitro finish on the top. I'd need to do some significant sanding first, as it's pretty rough. Remember, I used the wrong side - the good side is facing inward

To maximise sound volume, you need the sound board to be as resonant as possible. Spruce is usually the material of choice and it needs to be quite thin. Thin enough to need bracing in areas of stress. The volume starts from the resonance and the chamber / soundbox increases this and directs it.

 

[mapleglo]

Yes, I'll make the new top much thinner.

I got the Hipshot string retainer in today.

I'll screw that on tomorrow. We're getting off of work a couple hours early for the holiday. I also noticed while playing the bass today, that I have to file the nut down a little. It's a bit too high. Now I'm wishing I hadn't glued it in as I just could have filed down the bottom. I have to file each string slot now.

 

[coughingskunk]

The new shell looks great!

Probably too late now, but next time you're wrapping some of those complex curves, you can cut the fiberglass cloth/mat (mat really is the key for this though as the cloth will still tend to bunch) into smaller squares and slightly overlap them over the curves to get everything flat on the first try. You can take some tips from the sewing greats and relief cut the edges for some more curve adherence. You'd add a little bit of resin to hold the piece of mat, place the mat on the resin and then roll the resin (see below) through the piece. This (obviously) helps reduce the amount of sanding required once

Concerning the top and base layer not adhering well..

It looks like you're using paint brushes to apply the resin. I've found that using the small paint rollers, around 2 inches wide, work incredibly well for consistently spreading the resin and forcing the air bubbles out causing the best possible saturation. They just provide a better medium to apply force over a large(r) surface than paint brush bristles. They're about a buck a piece depending on where you buy em, and you just throw em out afterwards.

 

[mapleglo]

The new shell looks great!

Probably too late now, but next time you're wrapping some of those complex curves, you can cut the fiberglass cloth/mat (mat really is the key for this though as the cloth will still tend to bunch) into smaller squares and slightly overlap them over the curves to get everything flat on the first try. You can take some tips from the sewing greats and relief cut the edges for some more curve adherence. You'd add a little bit of resin to hold the piece of mat, place the mat on the resin and then roll the resin (see below) through the piece. This (obviously) helps reduce the amount of sanding required once

Concerning the top and base layer not adhering well..

It looks like you're using paint brushes to apply the resin. I've found that using the small paint rollers, around 2 inches wide, work incredibly well for consistently spreading the resin and forcing the air bubbles out causing the best possible saturation. They just provide a better medium to apply force over a large(r) surface than paint brush bristles. They're about a buck a piece depending on where you buy em, and you just throw em out afterwards.

Thanks for the tips. In the unlikely even I ever work with fiberglass again I'll definitely follow that advise. I'm not sure why I was so adamant about making the first layer in one sheet, but you're right. Smaller patches work much better for complex curves. I never tried the rollers, but it sounds like they may work better than the brushes.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

I really admire your willingness to try new techniques, messing around with fiberglass to make an acoustic would just not have occurred to me, same with the leafenbacker, you just went for it and it came out sweet. My hat is off Maple.

 

[mapleglo]

I really admire your willingness to try new techniques, messing around with fiberglass to make an acoustic would just not have occurred to me, same with the leafenbacker, you just went for it and it came out sweet. My hat is off Maple.

Thanks! I like to try new things, and I can remember way back when, I always wanted to try to make an instrument out of fiberglass.

Speaking of which, I did a little more sanding, and saw that some areas near the top, where the shell meets the wooden rim, came out much too thin, when sanded straight and smooth. I even sanded through the fiberglass in a few small areas. So I mixed up another batch, and laid a layer around the rim.

I'm really hoping this is the last layer, because I'm almost out of resin, and that was the last of the glass cloth.

 

[mapleglo]

And while I'm waiting for that layer to cure, I installed the string tree. I hope it's straight - I totally just eyeballed it.

Maybe I'll work a little on the nut.

I'll add that I really like this G&L neck. For $35.00, and a little fret work, this is a really nice neck. It's just under 1 3/4" wide at the nut - my preferred nut width, 21 frets - my preferred number of frets, and oozing with smooth maple goodness - my preferred wood type. As soon as I pay down my credit card, I'm going to order a few more of these before they're all gone. I've been thinking of a RIC/Precision hybrid/mashup. RIC or P body style, with a P pickup in the traditional position, and a RIC bridge pickup.

Well, I'm off to dig up some small round files for the nut.

 

[mapleglo]

I just spent about 2 hours sanding.

At some point, I sanded right through the gloves.

I even brought out the larger drum sander I made a while back.

In order to make the shell smooth, I'm probably looking at at least another couple of hours of sanding, and I may even need to add another layer of cloth and resin. I'm also unsure how well the textured paint will cover an uneven surface. So I need to decide if I want this to be a well finished, pro looking shell, or just another concept piece, and how much more time and money I want to put into this. I suppose I could buy a can of the textured paint and see how it comes out at this point. I can always sand it off if I'm not happy with it.

The good news it it's still pretty light - much lighter than the previous shell. I'm disappointed that the previous shell came out so heavy, because if it didn't, I'd just keep it the way it is. I like the way it feels, and it plays nice. It's loud enough that I can bring it into the bedroom and play along with my iTunes library acoustically, which was my original intent. I haven't hooked it up with the pickup yet, which I may try just out of curiosity.

I guess I'll think this over a nice Thanksgiving meal.

 

[Dadagoboi]

Bondo will do the trick. Adheres great to 'Fiberglas and sands much easier. There's also catalyzed body putty. Or just another resin coat minus the fabric will help level things out.