Build alpha: Rob Allen inspired

Hello ladies and gents,

I've been lurking around here for a while, as I'm sure a lot of people do when getting ready to build their first bass. I wanted to make something that has all the elements of my favorite basses, but really goes with where my playing and musical tastes are these days. So here goes: 4 string fretless, 32" scale, chambered body, fishman under-the-saddle pickup. Mahogany body, spruce top, ziricote/cocobolo neck, lignum vitae fingerboard/bridge. No controls on bass. Elements of Fender J and Ricky 4001 (favorite basses I've ever owned) and what rob allen's doing (never played one, but LOVE the sound.)

I decided to post this now, because I'm starting to get the point where I could use some advice. So to to spin you up on where I am, I'll start at the beginning.

First, designed what I wanted on the computer: This is where a vast majority of my effort has gone.




Next I bought some wood. Lignum vitae, maple veneer, ziricote, cocobolo, and a big slab of mahogany.


Next I made a neck billet: Ziricote outer wings, maple racing stripes, cocobolo center.




After that I roughed out a fingerboard out of lignum vitae.








Next I drove up to Dad's house (a.k.a. Woodworker Paradise) to rough out the body:


And this week I built the bridge:




Wifey modeling for me:


And here's the body with the neck billet:






So now I'm getting to the hard parts. I want to do the neck next, and have it finished before I do anything to the body. I have a question for you guys; in what order do you shape your neck? I'm thinking:

-Rout for truss rod (using stew-mac hot rod.)
-cut out side profile.
-cut out top profile.
-contour neck back and volute.
-radius fingerboard.
-insert truss rod.
-glue on fingerboard, then trim.
-final sanding.

Any advice?

 

Thanks Rodent--that's a nice looking neck!

How much movement do you encounter when you carve out the back? Should I expect a lot with cocobolo/ziricote versus maple?

 

Here's the neck templates. I didn't loft it 3-d in Rhino, in this final form with volute.

I can adjust the neck length a tiny bit without affecting the scale, by moving the bridge. As far as the truss rod goes--should the end be all the way under the nut, or can it stop somewhere just short?

 

My takes on Lignum, since I started working with it (this is the first time)

-Beautiful, super-tight grain.
-Buttery-slick feel when polished, needs no finish.
-Actually not that difficult to work with power tools, just have to go slow.
-smells nice.
-Has the 'tap tone' of a piece of plastic, i.e. no ring. (my neck billet rings like a bell in it's final glued-up form though.)

I think it isn't used very much now, because it just got put on the CITES 1 list (pretty sure that means no one can cut them down and sell them anymore.) I'm being careful not to waste any of this stuff.

I also know lignum from a maritime standpoint--it's great stuff on block and tackle aboard old sailboats.

 

DL- thanks for the encouragement! I'll definitely post the progress. I,m making another trip up north this weekend to rout the truss rod channel and bandsaw the neck profiles, it should be smooth sailing from there.

For the electronics, i'm using a Fishman Matrix natural II, that's it. Maybe a volume knob. I want to avoid the necessity of a separate electronics cavity (and subsequent shielding)...the point being to keep the chambers big, and let the spruce top resonate as much as possible. Hoping this will add tiny bit of natural reverb and a more woody, upright-ey sound.

As for finish on the body, I haven't decided. I think it would look good under an oil finish, kind like a violin. Under gloss, I think it would look a lot like the old gibson SST guitars...can I say giutar on here? Is that like swearing?

 

Never heard of that, but looks like a good product! I was just checking out the L R Baggs, too. I already bought a Matrix II, so I'm going with that...but I was thinking about a tiny mic inside the chambers, to blend with the piezo. I'm inclined to keep this one simple, though.

 

Jazz--thanks for the info. What can you put over shellac?

What about french polish? Has anyone here ever done that? Is it really that fragile? This bass most likely won't be played anywhere but in my living room.

My Schaller BML extra light tuners just arrived...starting the neck this weekend!

 

wil- I thought about that. I'm banking on the short scale length and horn placement to keep it from feeling neck-divey, and the chambered mahogany body to keep the overall weight down. What was the drawback of being overly stiff- was the truss rod ineffective at straightening it out?

trav- thanks! I spent about a month designing the body. This is version 17...seriously. And now I have to change the headstock a little because the tuners won't fit. Glad I hadn't started cutting yet. I'll post some screen shots of early iterations later.

 

Thanks for the advice so far, folks. I'll definitely have more questions soon.

Here's my schaller tuners-


I got a new router (Bosch 1617EVSPK, got a deal with an edge guide) and cut my truss rod slot. I cut the headstock face w/ an 80 tooth blade in my 10" contractor saw, came out nice! Headed up to Dad's to bandsaw the profile this weekend.

 

Progress on the neck this weekend!

Drove up to Dad's, played with the bandsaw.


After some belt sanding, laid it up on the counter...starting to look like a bass!


Back home Saturday evening, began rough shaping with the spokeshaves. Tell you what, those curls of ziricote feel like steel wool. Tuff stuff.


This morning, some further shaping with the palm sander.










And a little while ago, gluing on the fingerboard w/ west system T-88.


More fine shaping, drilling for tuning machines, and oiling this week!