Beginning to collect woods for a custom 30" short-scale build.

[Guiseppe]

Hello everyone, I'm not a luthier, just a player collecting information how best to gather what I need for a Portland, OR luthier to build a short scale bass for me. Initial plans are a ebony fingerboard of some sort, so my first piece I'm looking for will be a killer piece of pale moon ebony.

For you pros: How big a piece of raw stock should I buy? Is pale moon ebony any more difficult to work with than (?)

This neck will be similar to a late 60's Tele bass. I'm still debating if the neck itself will be wenge or roasted maple. (I imagine if I found a piece of killer 5A birdseye that might be on the list, too.)

Thanks for your opinions and knowledge!

 

[Beej]

For a 4 string, 30" scale fretboard, you'll need it about 24" long, 3/8" thick (1/4" if it's S4S) and 2.75" wide. Pale Moon is nice to work, but hard of course.

 

[SomewhatHarmles]

Hey Guiseppe,

Are you in Portland, OR? Can you just go to the lumberyard with the luthier? Many times, Luthiers have their own stash, way of storing wood, way of air drying, etc.

As for fretboard, I'd recommend just looking at a stock bass fretboard blank size.
Beej is spot on.

Where are you sourcing your wood? If you don't have a good local guy, you may want to talk to Bell hardwoods. I haven't worked with them, but heard good stuff about them.

 

[Guiseppe]

Hey Guiseppe,

Are you in Portland, OR? Can you just go to the lumberyard with the luthier? Many times, Luthiers have their own stash, way of storing wood, way of air drying, etc.

As for fretboard, I'd recommend just looking at a stock bass fretboard blank size.
Beej is spot on.

Where are you sourcing your wood? If you don't have a good local guy, you may want to talk to Bell hardwoods. I haven't worked with them, but heard good stuff about them.

Great questions! I have bought wood from Tonewood Experts (Tigard, OR) where I can go into the warehouse and pick through wood with the warehouseman. I will probably have to do a little searching to get the grade of ebony for my fingerboard I'm looking for! I appreciate the tip about Bell Hardwoods, I'll check them out.

 

[Guiseppe]

For a 4 string, 30" scale fretboard, you'll need it about 24" long, 3/8" thick (1/4" if it's S4S) and 2.75" wide. Pale Moon is nice to work, but hard of course.

Thanks, Beej. Much obliged.

 

[Bruce Johnson]

I strongly recommend that you buy your ebony fingerboard from a supplier who specifically sells ebony fingerboard blanks for musical instruments. Ebony is difficult to get dried out, thoroughly and evenly. Suppliers who sell fingerboard blanks have worked out the process, sawing and milling the boards down to close to the final thickness, while drying it slowly. This is really important.

If you buy a larger, thicker ebony board from someone, and then ask your Luthier to saw it and plane it into a fingerboard blank, there is a high chance that the ebony will crack or split. Sometimes months after the bass is finished. I know this from painful personal experience.

This isn't a big problem with other fingerboard woods, just ebony.

 

[Passinwind]

Great questions! I have bought wood from Tonewood Experts (Tigard, OR) where I can go into the warehouse and pick through wood with the warehouseman. I will probably have to do a little searching to get the grade of ebony for my fingerboard I'm looking for! I appreciate the tip about Bell Hardwoods, I'll check them out.

You might want to check out Gilmer Wood in NW Portland too.

 

[Beej]

Hey Guiseppe,

Are you in Portland, OR? Can you just go to the lumberyard with the luthier? Many times, Luthiers have their own stash, way of storing wood, way of air drying, etc.

As for fretboard, I'd recommend just looking at a stock bass fretboard blank size.
Beej is spot on.

Where are you sourcing your wood? If you don't have a good local guy, you may want to talk to Bell hardwoods. I haven't worked with them, but heard good stuff about them.

Just emphasizing this I will try to make anything work, but I have a recipe for what I want to see in the wood for a particular part. @Guiseppe you may already have this well in hand, but just a note to check in with your luthier around their requirements.

For example, I said a fingerboard for that size instrument would need to be 2.75" wide - that's because the fingerboard on a 4 stringer with 19mm spacing will be around 2.5" at the end of the board, but maybe he uses a fretboard jig that requires his fretboards to be 3" wide or something.

If you're already on this page with your luthier, disregard!

 

[dlmarquez]

Might want to check that whatever piece of Ebony or other selected fingerboard wood is CITES compliant, or else you may run into difficulties if you ever try to cross an international border.
Your luthier wouldn't by chance be David King?

 

[SomewhatHarmles]

Man, I love David King. If it's him, wish him well for me.

I used to see him on MIMF back in the day.

 

[Guiseppe]

I strongly recommend that you buy your ebony fingerboard from a supplier who specifically sells ebony fingerboard blanks for musical instruments. Ebony is difficult to get dried out, thoroughly and evenly. Suppliers who sell fingerboard blanks have worked out the process, sawing and milling the boards down to close to the final thickness, while drying it slowly. This is really important.

If you buy a larger, thicker ebony board from someone, and then ask your Luthier to saw it and plane it into a fingerboard blank, there is a high chance that the ebony will crack or split. Sometimes months after the bass is finished. I know this from painful personal experience.

This isn't a big problem with other fingerboard woods, just ebony.

Appreciate the tip!