I have lusted over a streamline 5 forever. Im very interested in this!
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Carbon fiber fretless four-stringer
- Thread starter MPU
- Start date
While waiting for the top to cure I sanded the edges of the back to size and started making the center beam. I made 2,5mm thick carbon fiber sheet which I use for the beam sides, truss rod channel and neck beam top under the fretboard. I’m filleting the pieces on the body with thickened epoxy and laminating them on both sides. More tomorrow. Tomorrow is our Independence day and I’m going to celebrate it with some shop time.
That is quite enough out of you. We do not speak that way here in Luthier’s corner. If you don’t have anything of value to contribute, then don’t comment at all.
Passinwind
I know nothing.
- Dec 3, 2003
- 23,058
- 45,955
- Disclosures
- Designer/Toaster Tech @ Passinwind Electronics
I get all of that, but it does not preclude the irony I noticed.
Since you like headed basses, maybe your screen name should be Headed Horse? Just saying... it would be more internally consistent.
That's coming along very nicely! Looking forward to seeing the halves joined. 
I ordered a custom (medium-scale) Streamline a couple of years back and loved how it sounded. Unfortunately it had a fatal truss rod error of some kind and after I sent it back to England it was described as unfixable, so I got a full refund, but no Status bass (they closed down not long after). I'd really like a 30 inch scale streamline-style fretted 4-string with narrow nut and narrow string spacing - just don't know if I could ever find the time / space to hand-make one like you are doing!
I ordered a custom (medium-scale) Streamline a couple of years back and loved how it sounded. Unfortunately it had a fatal truss rod error of some kind and after I sent it back to England it was described as unfixable, so I got a full refund, but no Status bass (they closed down not long after). I'd really like a 30 inch scale streamline-style fretted 4-string with narrow nut and narrow string spacing - just don't know if I could ever find the time / space to hand-make one like you are doing!
Well, that's super cool. What's the pickup arrangement going to be? Is that something you mold right into the front?
I use foam inside neck beam to make the neck a kind of a sandwich structure. At the moment I'm thinking about single quad coil Delano Xtender as pickup.
Center beam sides filleted. After a few hours the fillets are cured enough for a layer of 200g cloth laminate.
Center beam sides laminated with two 200g carbon cloth strips per each side. There’s peel ply on top of the strips and it will be removed after the epoxy has cured. Fillets spread the load to about 15mm width. I also cut pieces for the truss rod channel sides and neck beam top.
Neck beam will be pretty stiff. No need for any additional braces. Rigid foam inside the beam makes it even stiffer. I’m making the truss rod channel so that I can pull the truss rod out if it’s not needed.
You need a lot more force than strings provide to push anything thru 3mm of carbon fiber. Top and back are 3mm thick.Looks great
A question, if I may: did you put any furhter reinforcing strips below the 2mm 'vertical' braces, or do you think the shell alon will be strong enough to not have issues from 'point loading' from the relatively narrow 'braces'?
Peel ply off. Next I’m making the truss rod channel. That will make the neck a lot stiffer.
Indeed. Compare to a double bass where the feet of the bridge rest on the top. That has more force applied to a smaller area on a weaker material.
