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bass build problem

sixstringbass

sixstringbass

Sep 5, 2004
157
0
36
Clarksville, AR
#1
I decided to put the dried walnut lumber ive had under my bed to use and would like to build a fretless 4 or 6 six string but I dont have the skill to build a good neck. is there anywhere i could buy just a neck through neck blank to start the build? I started a bass project like this a couple of years ago and the neck is what stopped me. im just needing a plain old maple neck. any ideas would be greatly appreciated. :help:
 
#4
Carvin necks come very highly rated... most everyone I've talked to who has played a Carvin is in love with their necks.

It's what... about 25% of what they charge for a bass, right? Seems more than acceptable for what is half the work of a bass... neck carving (including headstock shaping and tuner holes), truss rod installation, accurate fret slotting, position markers, fret installation and levelling/polishing.

For that, I'd charge *at least* $250... so Carvin is a great deal for the money, I'd say.
 
#7
To my knowledge, Carvin has never made a 7-string bass. It's not in their interest to branch out *too* far, as they already do a good business making what they do. They are a "custom shop", but the amount of variation they will do for you is limited.
 
#8
Yeah, they tend to stick pretty much exactly to what's available as options on the website.

I was going to use one of their necks for my first bass, but I wanted a few easy, but perhaps unusual options they didn't offer.
I wanted a slightly longer body on the neck-through, and I wanted it fretless with no side markers.

They wouldn't do the longer body.
They said I could have fretless with no lines or face dots, but I couldn't get it without side dots.

That said, the guy I talked to on the phone did seem nice to deal with, their prices seem quite reasonable (Like Shawn said, it's a big part of the job), and I've mostly heard good things about their necks.

If I was to buy a pre-built neck today, I wouldn't hesitate to give them a shot. For neck through, I actually didn't see a lot of other alternative vendors anyhow.

-Nick
 
#10
i guess ill keep on saving to buy the carvin neck, but for now i might toy around with making a neck. ive got a LOT of walnut lumber and ive got some long boards with a lot of figure that would look great as a bass neck. I built a neck a few years ago and it turned out pretty nice. i never used it but it was just for practice.
 
#11
Two other possible sources for pre-made necks are Link Removed or Soulmate.

Doeringer offers both bolt-on and neck-thru blanks in four basic stages of build - can't find the exact descriptions on their website right now, but it's everything from a basic shape cut to a fully built and finished neck.

Soulmate is very similar, and will pretty much make whatever you want, as finished (or not) as you want. They seem to have a few more interesting options than Doeringer, but they're a bit pricier too.

Regarding Carvin, I purchased one of their fretless bolt-on necks for a project, and it's a very nice neck indeed. However, their necks are one-piece maple, so if you want a laminate neck, try either of the above.
 

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