• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Building Azola electric upright basses...

speyer

speyer

Supporting Member
Oct 14, 2006
2,805
1,841
Bowen Island, CANADA/Blaine WA, USA
#1
Hello TB,

I'm posting here because I'd like to get everyones thoughts on a project of mine. About a year ago I decided I wanted to build my own electric upright bass. I have built a few electric basses over the years (and fixed dozens) and although I'm more of a qualified furniture maker than Luthier... I have learned that my passion and pateience with woodworking in general and my neurotic obsession with perfection has always yeilded great results.

Recently, I got in touch with Steve Azola through a post of his on facebook and purchased the leftover parts (fingerboards, carved tops, hardware etc), patterns, tools and equipment to build Steve Azola's famous electric upright Bug basses. Purchased directly from Steve... I now have the resources to build my own versions of the amazing bug bass models that were the epitome of his career IMO. The original Bug, Scarab, Bug II and carved top versions of the Bug II. Also, I have aquired CNSteve (template copy router) and some other items that Steve custom designed and built in order to make these amazing basses a reality. As a long time user of the bug bass myself... the next step for me is to build my first 'Azola' bass and help make Steves designs a thing of the future... not a thing of the past! I truly believe there is no better design past or present than the evolved version of the bug bass, which is why I jumped on the opportunity to continue his work in some way, shape or form.

I also recently aquired some cheap long term shop space - which is the one thing I have been waiting on before I dove head first into this project (hence this post). So, I hope to have a shop setup over the next few months... and a plan for the first build soon. I have pretty much all the tools I need with the exception of a pin router to make use of some of the templates aquired from Steve. So, if anyone has a pin router they arent using, please PM me! Preferably, I could find a benchtop shopfox, grizzly or bosch to start with... which are unfortunately out of production.

All of that said, I am exicted and honoured to have the opportunity to be able to continue on where Steve left of whith these amazing instruments! It is my hope and ambition that with time... I will one day be able to make electric upright basses of the utmost quality evolved from Steve's original designs for other upright bassists. For now... I will have to take this low and slow. At this point, I'm looking for thoughts and feedback from everyone here over the duration of my first build. My goal is to build a great bass or two for myself and then possibly take on a customer or two later on if that happens and see where things go. I do not have the time or resources to turn this into a business by any means... so the reality is that I will likely build in the proffessional hobby realm like some of the other luthiers here.

In conclusion - if you are an Azola fan or owner and like me and missed out on the limited run of amazing basses that Steve was building at the end of his carreer... I would appreciate your thoughts and feedback on all this project of mine as is evolves! With any luck, I will be cutting wood in a few months and with a year or two, be able to provide basists with instruments made from the same depth of passion and ingenuitiy as the creator himself.

Thanks in advance for interest and support... and thank you Steve Azola!

-pat bradley
 
  • Like
Reactions: kittywithabanjo, elgecko, Joshua Pickenpaugh and 10 others
#2
Hello Pat;

It's great to hear that you are planning to bring the Azola Bug Basses back to life, in limited form. If you didn't know, I build the Ampeg-derived horizontal Scroll Basses. I was good friends with Steve & Jill back in the 1990's, when we were both building the Ampeg Classic series basses for St Louis Music/Ampeg. For a long time, Steve was the only guy on the west coast who worked on the Ampeg Baby Basses, as well as his own model electric uprights. Since he got out of the business, I've taken up some of the slack, doing some repair work on Azolas here in the Los Angeles area.

Good luck to you, and I hope you can make it work!

About pin routers:
In my experience, the benchtop pin routers are pretty much worthless, unless you are making birdhouses or lettering signs. I don't recommend that you waste your money on one. I have one that I bought used from a friend about 12 years ago, and I haven't found any practical use for it so far. The problem with all of these benchtop units (that I know of) is that their frames flex too much under any moderate cutting load. On mine, I can push sideways on the router head, and cause the bit to move 1/16" off of the pin. You can't do accurate work with a machine like that.

A real pin router is a full size floor standing machine that weighs about 2000 lbs. A big sturdy frame that doesn't deflect under load. They work great. Many of them are available for dirt cheap these days, because so many wood shops are getting rid of them. I have a nice old Onsrud that needs a bit of work, but was given to me for free. There are always several of them on CraigsList in my area, going for scrap-level prices. There was a big old Onsrud for sale near me for $200 recently. But, you probably don't want a machine of that size.

You are probably better off working from his templates, making up new templates for use with hand routers. Either offset collar-style bases, or bearing bits.

I specialize in this kind of thing. Let me know if you need some help or advice.
 
  • Like
Reactions: wraub, washjayb, toddg63 and 4 others
#3
Hi Bruce, great to meet you... thank you for your warm welcome and informative post!

I kinda thought that a bench top pin router would at least get me started but perhaps you are right... might be a waste of time. Steve offered me his Onsrud machine but it just costs too much to get it to my doorstep! So it seems I'm forced to look locally if I am to go with a stationary machine. At this point... I have been looking in the Vancouver/Seattle area steadily with no luck.

To further your comments about going hand held, that is definitely an option. I can easily re-make templates for use with bushing guides or bearing bits if need be. Once I get into it... I'll know exactly what I'm up against!

Really looking forward to digging into my 15 yr old wood collection and planning a few basses. I plan to make my first one quite simple - a solid alder body maple neck Bug bass II. Subsequent instruments will be made from some amazing woods I have been hoarding for years... and I have enough of this type of thing in stock to build several instruments.

Again thanks for your support and I will most certainly call upon your expertise in my time of need!

Cheers,

-pat
 
  • Like
Reactions: reverendrally and BritFunk
#5
I had a rare Azola electric Bass, it was fabulous but did not stay with me in the long run. I have also played his EUB and they are equally as amazing, looking forward to seeing how you interpret Steve's work. Im glad someone is going to carry the torch further down the line.
 
#8
dylanjohnson said:
Did you post about this in the Azola megathread? Those folks would be excited to hear about this!
Click to expand...

No I haven't gotten that far yet! As life would have it... my shop space I was hoping to get into suddenly did not pan out AND I recently bought a house on Bowen island for our family to relocate and enjoy a change in lifestyle outside the city. That said... I am currently looking to rent/share shop space with someone on island that may already be building instruments etc. in their own shop. I have my copy router aptly named "CNSTEVE" (made by steve azola of course) and a Delta RU50 overarm pin router that I just picked up in like-new condition - both of which would make a great addition to any creative wood shop. I have everything I need to dig into this project except the time and space so... I'm being patient and waiting for things to fall into place.

REALLY looking to dig into this when the opportunity knocks.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Joshua Pickenpaugh
#9
Bruce Johnson said:
Hello Pat;

It's great to hear that you are planning to bring the Azola Bug Basses back to life, in limited form. If you didn't know, I build the Ampeg-derived horizontal Scroll Basses. I was good friends with Steve & Jill back in the 1990's, when we were both building the Ampeg Classic series basses for St Louis Music/Ampeg. For a long time, Steve was the only guy on the west coast who worked on the Ampeg Baby Basses, as well as his own model electric uprights. Since he got out of the business, I've taken up some of the slack, doing some repair work on Azolas here in the Los Angeles area.

Good luck to you, and I hope you can make it work!

About pin routers:
In my experience, the benchtop pin routers are pretty much worthless, unless you are making birdhouses or lettering signs. I don't recommend that you waste your money on one. I have one that I bought used from a friend about 12 years ago, and I haven't found any practical use for it so far. The problem with all of these benchtop units (that I know of) is that their frames flex too much under any moderate cutting load. On mine, I can push sideways on the router head, and cause the bit to move 1/16" off of the pin. You can't do accurate work with a machine like that.

A real pin router is a full size floor standing machine that weighs about 2000 lbs. A big sturdy frame that doesn't deflect under load. They work great. Many of them are available for dirt cheap these days, because so many wood shops are getting rid of them. I have a nice old Onsrud that needs a bit of work, but was given to me for free. There are always several of them on CraigsList in my area, going for scrap-level prices. There was a big old Onsrud for sale near me for $200 recently. But, you probably don't want a machine of that size.

You are probably better off working from his templates, making up new templates for use with hand routers. Either offset collar-style bases, or bearing bits.

I specialize in this kind of thing. Let me know if you need some help or advice.
Click to expand...

@Bruce Johnson

Hey Bruce, thanks for the tips. After spending over 6 months looking for a REAL pin router locally with zero success... I did some research and decided a Delta RU50 would be the perfect machine for me because its not stupid big like a lot of these production machines. Its reasonably sturdy, powerful, accurate and has an overhead cutter so I can see the cut. Well, I recently found a virtually NOS Delta RU50 for $500 in Nevada. The single owner before me is the man behind Harrah's casino's in Reno and the RU50 was part of his hobby shop that saw very little use. It cost $250 to ship up here so I'm $750 all in for this beautiful machine... which aint all that bad all things considered IMO!

Thx again for lighting that fire under my ass. :laugh:
 
  • Like
Reactions: BritFunk and RBS_Johnson
#10
you looking for something like this in 220v 1Ph?

JetOverarmPinRouter.jpg


(not my actual unit, but close enough until I can get out and take a couple real images)
 
#12
Grizzly also was selling a version of that same machine for a few years, although I think they've discontinued it now. A friend of mine had one for a while, and it was a pretty good machine. Not a monster powerhouse, but a nice mid-size pin router for instrument work. Not too big of a footprint, not too heavy. But much more rigid and useful than those benchtop toys.
 
  • Like
Reactions: speyer
#14
Bruce Johnson said:
Grizzly also was selling a version of that same machine for a few years, although I think they've discontinued it now. A friend of mine had one for a while, and it was a pretty good machine. Not a monster powerhouse, but a nice mid-size pin router for instrument work. Not too big of a footprint, not too heavy. But much more rigid and useful than those benchtop toys.
Click to expand...
The 5hp Grizzly overarm router that is currently offered looks nearly identical to the jet pictured above. I fear that machine is just a bit to big for my needs but willing to check it out. The delta RU50 is a really nice combination of size and performance when you consider the tasks at hand.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back