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Fretless 5 comp/showcase - the "*@#$ Cancer" Bass

#41
miziomix said:
ps: is your drawing 1:1? it should be. And it would help if the tuners were in the right proportion. Those details affect the overall look a lot. Ditto for the t-rod cover. it should be in your drawing. ;)
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Thanks, that's really useful advice. You're right, the truss rod cover will influence the look of the whole thing. Yes, it's a full scale drawing, and you're correct, the tuners are the wrong size. That is significant.

I'm off on tour for a week after next weekend, and I'm going to bring some graph paper and really work the headstock, tailpiece, truss rod cover and bridge designs.

Thanks for watching,

Kev
 
#42
A bit more done...

Ribs are bent, almost all the linings bent and glued on. Next time I'll just buy some kerfed linings :hmm::

ribslining.jpg


Back is glued up, rough shaped and rough contoured:

backcountouring.jpg


It's hard to see the arching in these photos...

back.jpg


Next step is to graduate (hollow out) the back plate, and start working on the top plate. When my truss rod, etc. arrives I can begin working on the neck.

Thanks for watching,

Kev
 
#47
Subscribed!

You did not mention what kind of cancer. My daughter was diagnosed with non-Hodgekins Lymphoma in March of 2009, and after chemo she has been cancer free. The only thing worse than being diagnosed with cancer yourself if having your child be diagnosed. 2009 was a rough year, but things are much better now.

Your construction is very much like what I want to build next. I want to do a slightly more traditional body shape with very similar construction as you are using with bent cherry sides, carved cherry back, and a quartersawn Norway spruce top. I consider you one of my mentors at this point.

- Paul
 
#48
pbagley said:
Subscribed!

You did not mention what kind of cancer. My daughter was diagnosed with non-Hodgekins Lymphoma in March of 2009, and after chemo she has been cancer free. The only thing worse than being diagnosed with cancer yourself if having your child be diagnosed. 2009 was a rough year, but things are much better now.

Your construction is very much like what I want to build next. I want to do a slightly more traditional body shape with very similar construction as you are using with bent cherry sides, carved cherry back, and a quartersawn Norway spruce top. I consider you one of my mentors at this point.

- Paul
Click to expand...

Yikes! A Mentor!?!? Seriously, this is my first build and I'm making it up as I go along. The being said, I've 'built' the thing many times in my head, so I can pretty much predict how it's going to turn out, if my skills can keep up with my brain... :eyebrow: I'l answer what questions you may have, though.

I don't want to dwell on the 'illness' part of the build - this is therapeutic for me, after all. To loosely paraphrase Lance Armstrong - "It's not about the bass". It's about the journey, one that I pray none of you ever has to make. To answer your question, I have colon cancer, which has spread to the lymph nodes. I've had zero symptoms of the disease, it was a fluke that they found it at all. It's a toughy to kick, as I understand it, but we're throwing everything we've got at it and remain optimistic. We have to.

Thanks for watching, more build updates in the next day or so. ;) And now, back to your regularly scheduled sawdust and wood scraps...:D

Peace,

Kev
 
#51
I more or less finished the back arching and graduating today. The lowly cabinet scraper is the most under-rated tool in the shop, I reckon. I love them.

Here's a better picture of the back graduation and arching.The 'scoop' is about 3/8" deep at the centre. Thickness graduated from about 2.5mm at the edges to about 4mm at the centre. No reason for any of that other than it 'felt' right.

graduation.jpg


arching.jpg


I don't have anything approaching the stunning wood of the other comp builds, but I'm really digging this crazy cherry grain on the back (wetted down)

crazybackgrain.jpg


backonbench.jpg


More excitment tomorrow, no doubt!

Thanks for watching,

Kev
 
#53
Well, I couldn't think of any reason why I shouldn't, so I glued the ribs onto the back today.

glueingtheback.jpg


I'm gone tomorrow for a week of gigs in Thunder Bay, Ontario and then Pittsburgh, PA, back on the 25th, so no more bass building until then. :hmm: I'll be lurking on TB while on the road, though - I'm really loving the other showcase builds!

Peace,

Kev
 
#55
Kev2007 said:
I more or less finished the back arching and graduating today. The lowly cabinet scraper is the most under-rated tool in the shop, I reckon. I love them.
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I can't agree with you enough. Apart from my router bits, which have their own toothbrush, they are the most loved-on and used tool I own.

I like your thickness caliper and clamps, too. Do you build violins or something? They seem like pretty specialized tools.

Fantastic build so far, BTW. I like the look of that wetted cherry. This bass is gonna be a stunner. :bassist::D
 
#56
barnaclebeau said:
I like your thickness caliper and clamps, too. Do you build violins or something? They seem like pretty specialized tools.
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Thanks for the nice comments. We'll see where this goes.

The clamps were given to me by the widow of Peter Chandler, a double bass maker in the area. I knew Peter and spent many an hour bothering him about double bass construction. He was very accomodating and kind to me. The thickness caliper I call "Homer" - born mainly of me being too cheap to spend the $250 on a commercial one. That cost me $18 (for the dial caliper) and a few hours happily puzzling over how to make my own. I also made my own thickness sander for the same Scottish reasons. :smug: I don't make violins, but I'm part way through a mini (travel) double bass project, another experimental build. That one's on hold while I putter around with this build.

Thanks for watching,

Kev
 
#57
Now that explains it. I knew there had to be some kind of background with orchestral strings. So far this is my favorite build in the competition. Simple in form and construction but well thought out and executed. I have considered a bass built on formed ribs but hadnt thought to use corner block construction. Now that I see yours it seems like the only sensible way. Keep it coming my friend because I intend to "borrow" a few of your ideas. :D

And +47.3 for cabinet scrapers. Coming up in commercial/residential woodwork I have great skill with power tools of all shapes and sizes but my hand tool and tool sharpening skills are mediocre at best. :hmm: That being said I use cabinet scrapers for everything from rough shaping to flattening imperfections in a clear coat.
 
#58
Okay, I'm back - for now. Got back from Pittsburgh on Monday, off again to Calgary tomorrow for another show. More on that later in this post.

It was nice to get back at this build after 8 days. After some fussing about, the ribs and back are coming along. Still lots to go on that. I'm thinking it looks a little, well, boring with the cherry ribs against the cherry back. If I had the tools and talent I'd take a crack at binding the edges with jatoba. As it is, I can't figure out how to do that because of the contouring:

backonribs.jpg


I got up the courage to do the scarf joint, too. This is the only part of this build that really worried me, and it actually went really well.

scarf1.jpg


scarf2.jpg


By the way, whoever posted the technique of using toothpicks to hold the joint steady for glueing - thank you! It made it easy:

scarfgluedup.jpg


All my hardware, etc. has now arrived, so I can continue with the neck and the body now. I have to 'dress up' the back and cut the access cover on the back, and get the truss rod and CF rods into the neck.

So, I'm off to Calgary to play a show with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and Rik Emmett (formerly of Triumph) on Friday night. Rik's doing his 'Guitar Heroes' show there: 8pm at the Jack Singer Concert Hall (EPCOR Centre). I mention this because I get a pair of comps and I'd be happy to pass them along to the first Tb-er who pmails me. It's a really good show - rock + orchestra! I think the show's almost sold out.

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Back Saturday and looking forward to moving ahead with this build.

Thanks for watching,

Kev
 

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