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body question

#6
I think some Ken Smith bassee are around 1.25" thick. You can use a side mounted barrel panel jack, which only needs a 1/2" mounting hole. The depth of the pickup route is the deciding factor for me. And if you are going bolt on, you need enough meat under the neck to be stiff. Best to do neck through if you 're making a very thin bass. Lace makes a very thin surface mount bass humbucker that could be used.
 
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#7
I have measured it yet but this is my thinnest bass! Composite Clarke Spellbinder.

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NBD rare 1980 Clarke Spellbinder...pic heavy. | TalkBass.com
 
#9
Ric basses are 1.25" thick, and the pickguard mount pots use up 1" of that depth. I suppose if you have just the thickness of a plastic control cavity cover below the pots you might get it to 1-1/8". What's driving the desire for something thinner? If you are concerned about weight, the body could be chambered. If its that light, balance will be an issue unless the top horn is pretty long.
 
#10
I'm NOT a builder. But my instincts say that the building materials are the ultimate deciding factor. By this I mean if cut thin, they are rigid enough to hold up against string tension. Carbon fiber build with a somewhat external output jack anyone?
 
#11
The thinnest body would have to be neck- through design like a Ric, so the body thickness is determined by minimum neck thickness, which is around 1" on most basses, maybe 7/8" at the thinnest. Any bolt-on would need more meat under the heel.

Edit: sorry, Hammerhead already said this, didn't read his post. What he said.....
 
#12
I've built some thin ones, but have gone back to 1.125-1.5" thickness with chambering to control weight. I agree with gilmourisgod though, I think the body for practical and aesthetic reasons needs to be at least as thick as the neck, so you're looking at probably 7/8" or in that neighbourhood. You can buy tiny pots, so that's not an issue, a barrel jack can be installed in wood that thin, so as long as you had thin enough pickups, like those lace ones mentioned above, or a piezo setup, maybe even with outboard preamp, you'd get a thin bass...
 
#13
It depends on the profile. If the body is sculpted towards the edges it would look like a flying saucer (or a closed hi hat) when sighting down the neck. The edges could be wafer thin and widen to a stout enough piece to mount the bridge and controls. A Thunderbird has narrower wings than the middle, doesn't it?
 
#16
That was a a Greg Curbow american petite, I own 2 international petite but the american flat top petite is much lighter and thiner, to balance the neck dive he installed a tone block( a brass block under the bridge, for the ones that where rockwood
 
#17
I've gone as thin as 1" but wound my own pickups for it. pickup thickness is probably the most important faactor. AUDERE controls are great for thin bodies and tight control cavitys
 

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