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Davemonkey's Very First

D

davemonkey

Mar 28, 2010
38
1
50
Houston, TX
#1
I've played bass for 22 years, on and off (mostly off since having kids). I downgraded several years ago to the bare essentials (traded in my Peavey TL-5 for the cheapest bass I could find that still had some tone to it).

I've always wanted to build a bass, but have absolutely NO experience as a luthier, and almost no experience with wood. My most impressive project was building a step-ladder for my children's bunk-bed...by hand...no power tools.

Anyway, I work outdoors alot and came across a large Eastern Red Cedar one day that had fallen. I was able to get a contractor to cut me some GREAT pieces and decided I would use some of it to build my very first bass.

The wood is largely free (except the neck) so this will be a great learning experience.

It'll be a thru-neck construction of maple/mahogany, macassar ebony fret-board, and cedar side-body.

Pics to follow once I figure out the picture-posting stuff.

-Dave
 
#2
Cool- I have some walnut that I harvested from a tree we had cut down. Haven't used it yet, but I think it will be cool seeing a piece go from tree to finished piece.
3778293305_b26986d255.jpg

NOT a great picture- it's actually very colorful. I plan on trying to get some bookmatched tops out of it.
 
#5
Bassteban,

that walnut is GORGEOUS!!!!!

By the way, I did some cutting yesterday to get the sides to a point where they can be rough cut. I only have a skill saw, so that's about as far as I can go. I have a buddy with access to a band saw, so I should have sides cut out in a few weeks.
 
#11
davemonkey said:
The wood for the bass is dried, the rest of it is still "green" (all the un-cut logs).

Even so, do you think there would be problems if the sides were not dried? All the support weight will be in the neck wood.

-Dave
Click to expand...

Define "dried" please. And yes, it will cause issues. It will predictably warp in a particular direction depending on what part of the log it is sawn from if not dried properly (6-8% moisture content), not to mention shrinking causing all sorts of fitment issues, and likely delaminating from other woods it may be laminated with, or the neck itself).
 
#12
Interesting. Okay, the neck is kiln dried to 6%, but I live in SouthEast Texas, so surely it has re-absorbed some moisture by now.
The cedar is air dried (and this may be the kicker). The tree it came from lay dead for a year and a half. When I got it cut a couple months ago, I stacked it with a couple other peices in my garage and blew a heater over them for a week. I stopped after the weight stopped changing. I have no idea what the moisture content is.

My understanding is that even when wood is kiln dried, it will rehydrate to match the humidity around it. Is that bad thinking?

And do I need to look into sourcing out a kiln somewhere local? The neck was dried and put together in Oregon, so I won't be using that one. ;)
 
#13
davemonkey said:
Interesting. Okay, the neck is kiln dried to 6%, but I live in SouthEast Texas, so surely it has re-absorbed some moisture by now.
The cedar is air dried (and this may be the kicker). The tree it came from lay dead for a year and a half. When I got it cut a couple months ago, I stacked it with a couple other peices in my garage and blew a heater over them for a week. I stopped after the weight stopped changing. I have no idea what the moisture content is.

My understanding is that even when wood is kiln dried, it will rehydrate to match the humidity around it. Is that bad thinking?

And do I need to look into sourcing out a kiln somewhere local? The neck was dried and put together in Oregon, so I won't be using that one. ;)
Click to expand...

No that's not bad thinking, that is right on the money....thus why it is dried to 6-8% content so it will stay dimensionally stable in most home interior environments. I have charts, can look up the region if you'd like....but 6-8% is common for interior conditions in this region seasonally. In the summer it gets a bit higher, but not by a lot. The southern states are slightly higher if I recall. It can only get so high...it varies by species, but if I recall red oak is about 40% at fiber saturation point meaning - it cannot gain any more moisture at that point. Most species are lower than that. Laying dead in the forest exposed to the elements likely kept it close to that. Don't confuse relative humidity in the air with moisture content, while they are directly related to one another the numbers are different. PS, if you haven't already brought your logs you're using into the home (not garage), do so as soon as you can. And yes....I would recommend finding someone with a decent pin meter to check the moisture content before going too far. They can let you know if further drying would be needed.
 
#15
Tim, you probably just saved me from having a nightmare of a first-ever-build!

Can you imagine the agony of getting it all put together, taking pictures, touting the wonderful wonders of a job well done, listening to the notes sing off the fret-board...then SNAAAAPPPP!!! :crying:

So, is there a place on this forum where I can make a request like that (looking for a luthier or anyone with a kiln or pin meter? I wonder if I can trade some of that cedar for 'favors'... )

Thanks, by the way!

-Dave
 
#16
I finally put a pencil to the wood and I am pleased so far. As this is a first, I'm using my current bass as a template, making just a few modifications here and there to suit it more towards me (like the headstock, neck width and thickness, and body shape...I like it a little "fatter" ).

The neck will be 7/8" thick at the body and 5/8" at the nut, just a little thicker than my p-style knock-off. The width will be a little wider as well, 1.75" at the nut. (Thanks to Mikeyswood for the advice. )

IMG_3769.jpg

IMG_3771.jpg


I won't be cutting anything just yet...still figuring on the best sequence of events before I commit to anything.

I opted to go with a volute on the neck.
IMG_3768.jpg


Fingerboard has been marked in case I decide to cut this first and use it to guide my neck cuts. It will be fretless.
IMG_3767.jpg

IMG_3766.jpg


-Dave
 
#20
Eastern red cedar is a beautiful wood that I have built several kitchens and made up tons of custom tongue and groove. A few heads up first. Make sure before you glue any two surfaces together, you treat them first or the glue might not penetrate, I use acetone. Red cedar is full of knots, so inspect your wood first. The last thing, don't fall in love with the pretty red color, as soon as you finish it the color wil change immediately to a much darker, richer hue; still very beautiful.
 

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