I had a lot of fun building my bass, and for the price and my time it was a success.
I dont think just explaining step by step how I built mine is the best idea, because even though the EUB (Idea) is older than the bass guitar it still is an experimental instrument, and there are too many variations on the theme for one person to say this is the way.
This bass was the 10th electric instrument I have built, I have also built five bass guitars, two guitars, one baritone guitar and a lapsteel. I have a degree in marine carpentry [wooden boat building] so the actual building and woodworking wasn't that much of a challenge compared to getting the design right.
If you are undaunted and still want to give it a try Id recommend getting some woodworking training and/or experience [if you dont already] and some books on solid body guitar building as well as violin and bass violin building. Ill be happy to answer specific questions if I can. Also the best place to start looking for info is of cource Bob Gollihurs Double Bass Links Page [ALL HAIL Bob Gollihur], its all on his site, you just have to find it.
I could have gone the easy way and just bought a DB neck and cut down the heel, got a pre-carved FB and tailpiece, and attached them to a hardwood 2x6; but what is the fun in that. I like what I built and I am planning to improve the design as well as the existing bass.
The look and the type of EUB [solid body full size double bass] that I made is based on two basses: David Gages stick bass and one of the first A-Basses Solid Body Upright. One of the ideas behind the design came from one of the luthiers at Hammond Ashley Violins when he was explaining to me how much of a difference changes to the bass bridge can affect the sound of a DB, and that put the idea of basing the design around a traditional upright bass bridge, to transfer the sound to the pickup.
I had no interest in making a cheap imitation of a double bass, I already own a nice cheap double bass. The sound I was after and actually did [shrugs] achieve was a cross between a double bass, a P-bass and an Ampeg baby bass.
Except the tuners, bridge blank, neck plate and strings, I fabricated every part of my EUB.
The bass has a 43 1/8 scale, the top of the solid padauk body is carved so the bridge fits the same way as it would on a double bass; the neck is laminated out of three pieces of Padauk, the Finger board is maple with a 67 mm radius, the tailpiece is rosewood, the endpin is made out of an old cymbal stand and a small pulley wheel, and the tuner plates are koa.
Body: $65.00
Neck: $15.00
Fingerboard: $38.00
Bridge: $15.00
Tuners: $36.27 + $9.10 = $45.37
Other hardware: $10.00
total: $188.37
The pickup [which I already had] is a barcus berry. I figured that if I could make the bass sound good through one of the most economical double bass pickups, then it was the bass and NOT the pickup making the sound.
There are a few things that didnt go as well as I would have liked, considering that this is the first EUB that I have built. Here is a list of my grips.
#1 I made the neck a little too thin for a five string, so arco is a challenge; I am at a crossroads right now - what is the best fix for this. My options are: tighten the fingerboard radius, make a new wider FB that over hangs the neck [I am planning to make a new FB any way], or convert it to a four string tuned BEAD [Im leaning towards this right now].
#2 the tailpiece needs to have a tighter radius to match the FB better.
#3 the neck pocket needs to change - right now I am trying to come up with an easily removable system. Also on the next one the head stock will be bigger.
#4 The bass is heavy, not unmanageable but the next one will be lighter.
Tools used:
Power: bandsaw, router, drill press, hand drill and a jigsaw.
Hand: chisels of various sizes, spokeshave, blockplane, cut-down blockplane, jack plane, bull nose-plane, scrapers, files & rasps and a screwdriver.
Cheers; Aaron N
How many sleepless nights do you have?
