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First bass build!

S

Sirppi

Jan 2, 2012
30
0
#1
Greetings from Finland! I've decided to build a bass :)

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Neck-through, 35" scale, EMG 40DC... Haven't yet decided on headstock/inlay designs.

A couple of questions:
  • The line next to the neck is the lenght of the truss rod (600mm). I'd like to have the adjustment on the body side, but is the length of the rod enough?
  • I ordered this bridge(Gotoh 205B-5), do I need neck angle or bridge recess?
    GEB-205CS.jpg
 
#3
Omnipharious said:
Pretty nice lookin'. I think a headstock shape like this would lend itself well to the body design: http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c8/Eric618/headstock.jpg

But I think it needs another pickup, because I don't know about your playing style, but a single pickup that near to the bridge wouldn't have much bass, but maybe you don't mind that.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the quick reply, I'll probably go with that headstock design. :) I'm mainly a guitarist, so I don't know too much about basses. :help: I'll forget about that logo plate and throw in another pup. (The tuning is going to be F A# D# G# C#, does that matter?)
 
#5
The design on the guitar (other than the scale) shouldn't matter when it comes to the tuning, unless you're doing something crazy like 2 steps down or something. The pickup placement looks fine, but the best way to find the best sound is to have the pickups with you, and place them up to the strings, and see how they sound exactly where they are planned to be. Honestly though, the pickups being humbucking, if it doesn't sound amazing exactly where you place either pickup, you have many different wiring options to find one you like.

I do like the inlay you had planned for there. Depending on how well you can cut inlays and all that, you should try and get in on the 12th fret, either horizontally- parallel with the frets- or vertical, overlapping the the 11th, and 13th frets, like this but with your cool design, instead of a crazy wizard face:
ww1.jpg


And I like the idea of tilting them. It looks cool, but I don't really know how it sounds, so you'd have to wait for someone more experienced in many basses to tell you how tilted pickups might sound different from straight ones.
 
#6
Omnipharious said:
The design on the guitar (other than the scale) shouldn't matter when it comes to the tuning, unless you're doing something crazy like 2 steps down or something. The pickup placement looks fine, but the best way to find the best sound is to have the pickups with you, and place them up to the strings, and see how they sound exactly where they are planned to be. Honestly though, the pickups being humbucking, if it doesn't sound amazing exactly where you place either pickup, you have many different wiring options to find one you like.

I do like the inlay you had planned for there. Depending on how well you can cut inlays and all that, you should try and get in on the 12th fret, either horizontally- parallel with the frets- or vertical, overlapping the the 11th, and 13th frets, like this but with your cool design, instead of a crazy wizard face:
ww1.jpg


And I like the idea of tilting them. It looks cool, but I don't really know how it sounds, so you'd have to wait for someone more experienced in many basses to tell you how tilted pickups might sound different from straight ones.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the answer again :)

Here's a quick photoshop mockup of the ideas so far, these probably aren't the final woods:
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(Forgot the controls, oops)

The circle is just indicating the 12. fret, got to figure out something nice there :)

Most of the parts are hopefully arriving next week, and I'll ask the guy whose workshop I'm going to work in if he has any lumber to give/sell me. Otherwise I'll be on my way to a lumbershop...
 
#9
Which design? I traced the shape from some image and edited the shape a bit. The line across the neck on the 2th fret is the end of the truss rod. Is it long enough?

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#13
Sorry for the long wait :hmm: Today I got the fingerboard and 1:1 plans. Next week is vacation so I guess the woodwork starts then :)

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I'll try to make some templates out of plywood today...so more pics if I manage to get something done :D
 
#14
Okay, visited the girlfriend's stepdad's workshop and had a chat. Next tuesday we'll go to Woodim to select the woods. The center of the bass will be walnut/maple/walnut/maple/walnut, and the sides will be three-ply ?/maple/?. ? being bubinga, wenge or something else nice. :)
 

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