Help me plan my first build!

[cadeallen]

Hey everybody!

I'm almost 15 years old, and I want a Winter project. I have an inexpensive Ibanez, and a 2000 MIM Fender Jazz bass that's my birthday + Christmas present. I'm very interested in building my own bass, but I have some worries and questions. Also, my Dad has a good amount of experience with woodworking, and we have all of the needed tools except special luthier ones. He'd be helping me along the way.

Here are the specs so far:
- 4 strings
- Lined fretless
- 24 fret (I really want 24 after downsizing with the jazz bass)


Body geometry: Some combination of an Ibanez BTB, Wal or Alembic (I know, this is crazy haha)

My questions:

Firstly, if I want a flat headstock, can I just use a string tree?

How is neck width determined? I'm assuming that it's dependant on the bridges' spacing and user preferences...

Can I route out a cavity in the back and drill holes through to mount the pots?

Many thanks!

 

[bassestkkm]

Firstly, if I want a flat headstock, can I just use a string tree?

How is neck width determined? I'm assuming that it's dependant on the bridges' spacing and user preferences...

Can I route out a cavity in the back and drill holes through to mount the pots?

Firstly,
Welcome to the corner where builders do what they love!
I built my first instrument recently and worked with someone who didn't know a thing about guitars but was a good woodworker. So it's possible.

Stewmac.com is a good resource for special tools when the time comes. eBay will also get you there if you wanna try to get good deals. The folks here are always willing to point you in the right direction.

Second, I would suggest you look at different models you like. You've got a general idea, but there are people who have altered them greatly.

So to answer your questions,
1. yes your headstock can be flat. Use your jazz bass as a template here. You don't want it to be flat with the fretboard. That would cause major problems and probably be hard to play if you factor in neck depth. 1 inch should be the thickest your neck is. And the headstock should be about 0.65 inches. A string tree would be great, again look at your jazz for reference.

2. The neck width is determined by 1 what size nut you want and 2 by your bridge string spacing. You don't want more thin than your strings right? Haha Measure your Ibanez and jazz. The jazz is 1.5 off the top of my head and that is probably what you want. From there you should have a taper that gradually becomes 1.5 inches wide and slightly more if you want a 24 fret neck. If your ibanez is 24 fret I would see how wide it is at the nut and again at the last fret as a good guide.

3. Yes, this is called rear routing and is a pretty cool thing if you understand it. Look up the les Paul as an example, there are many many basses as well where this is an option.

Warmoth.com is the website for a company called warmoth haha
They make custom bass bodies based on commonly available designs and a few of their own creations. Try to build your own bass body there and choose rear routing as an option and you'll get an idea for what to do or how it's done. Best of luck!
Kish

 

[Rôckhewer]

Hi there cadeallen, I think it's pretty cool that you are motivated to build your own bass at your age!
A lot of kids these days don't even know how to read a tape measure.
How much research have you done? Personally, I "studied " for about 8 months before I really felt I was ready to build a bass, and I'm a woodworker. There are a few fairly decent tutorials on YouTube for "how to build a bass guitar" and there are also some that arent so good.
Also there are quite alot of build threads here on luthiers corner that go into alot of detail and will help you understand the process.
Good luck!
Have fun!
Work safe!

 

[Gilmourisgod]

Having grown up in the Internet Age, you have an entire world of resources at your fingertips that geezers like me never had, never dreamed of having. In my day there were only a handful of hard to find books devoted to making electric guitars. One of the best is still available, by Melvyn Hiscock (yes that's really his name), but everything in that book is also scattered among the literally thousands of tutorials on YouTube addressing every phase of instrument building. Not to discourage you, but I'd suggest building a parts bass first, or better yet, a kit bass which allows you to alter some elements like headstock shape and put your own stamp on it. There are a number of good kits on eBay, Pitbull Guitars of Australia also makes good kits. A full neck build is pretty daunting, I'd suggest buying a pre-fab "paddle headstock" neck and making the body yourself. Good luck, and welcome to TB. If you post photos of your work, you'll get a ton of free advice from professional luthiers and other amateur hacks (me) here on TB.
http://www.amazon.com/Make-Your-Own-Electric-Guitar/dp/0953104907?SubscriptionId=AKIAJJY2YKHHLJKYIBNA&tag=slk03b1-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&creativeASIN=0953104907

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Bass Unfinished Paddle Headstock Neck

At the risk of sounding like an old fart, I have to tell this story, inconceivable to people your age:

In college, early 80's. I want to build a bass reflex cabinet for a 15 speaker I have. The only resource at my college, UMASS Amherst, is the old periodicals archive. After hours of research pouring through typed index cards in the Card Catalog (do these even still exist?), I find references to a bass reflex cabinet design in a "Hi-Fi" magazine article from 1965. It's located in the old periodicals files in the basement of the library. I have to get permission to even access them, as they are locked up. More hours of searching, as the things are mis-filed, boxes falling apart, etc. I finally locate the right box, find the right issue, look up the article in the index, thumb through the pages...... to find that some bass-playing bastard has neatly sliced out the article with a razor, #@$$$%&*!!

Fast forward to 2015:
I type "bass reflex cabinet design" into Google. Hundreds of designs instantly appear. The Internet is Your Friend.

 

[bassestkkm]

Yeah the guys above are right. Before jumping in head first do your homework. Make the templates and find which one you really want. If you're gonna design your own from scratch then look at shapes and really really study what it is that you want. You can make something really cool your first time, you'll just have to be careful.

I only say this because I jumped in head first and did everything by guessing. I made a guitar so that if I messed up I wouldn't feel bad about ruining a bass. Now I have a good guitar to play haha
But if I was to try to repeat what I did I would have no idea. Or would have to start all over to get what I had done.

But yes, figure out what you really want. Look up those companies and check out what they made and what you like about them. The Internet has hundreds and thousands of places with information.

And we here are always willing to help

 

[ctmullins]

Great story, @Gilmourisgod !! I can relate. It's funny to consider that Thiele-Small parameters didn't even exist back in 1965!

@cadeallen , to build upon what others have already said, I strongly recommend you spend at least a month poring through this forum, reading as many build threads as you can, many of which are (as mentioned) very detailed. I essentially learned everything I needed to know by doing just that. This forum is literally a goldmine of information.

Are you decent at geometry? Part of building a custom instrument involves calculating angles and lengths, mostly to understand the physical relationship amongst the strings, fretboard, bridge, and pickups. Draw things out using whatever method you're comfortable with - for us old-timers, it's pencil and paper; for you it might be Rhino or Hippo or Fargo or something.....

For your first build, stay modest. Choose inexpensive woods and an uncomplicated design. You will make a few mistakes. Don't let that discourage you; most of us learn best by analyzing our own mistakes.

Be persistent and focused. Building an instrument takes a long time, probably longer than you might estimate at first. Break it down into a series of manageable steps, and don't try to do too many of those steps in one session. Slow and steady wins the race!

Pay attention to power tool safety. I'm sure your Dad will teach you about this, so listen up. It's difficult to play bass when you're missing fingers!

Finally, there is nothing quite like plugging in and playing an instrument that you created with your own hands!

 

[cadeallen]

Thank you guys so much! All of this information is great.

yes your headstock can be flat. Use your jazz bass as a template here.

Got it. I'm considering copying my jazz bass and doing any little mods that I want.

I strongly recommend you spend at least a month poring through this forum

In fact, that's what I've been doing! I'll keep going through the build threads and tutorials!

it's pretty cool that you are motivated to build your own bass at your age!

Thank you!

for us old-timers, it's pencil and paper; for you it might be Rhino or Hippo or Fargo or something.....

I like pencil and paper, because it's easy. Not just for you 'old timers' haha! Anyways, I'm currently learning the basics of Autodesk Inventor, so I could try that and print some templates on our schools' large format printer.

It's difficult to play bass when you're missing fingers!

For sure! Safety is very important!


Also, what do you guys think of the Omega bridge? Or should I just go for a stock Fender one? I can't afford a Hipshot at the moment.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

The Omega is a direct copy of the old Badass bridge, which was one of the first high-mass fully adjustable aftermarket bridges available in the 70's. I have a Badass II on my fretless jazz parts bass, and it's an excellent bridge. The new Omega parts are interchangeable with older Badass bridges, so they must have bought the molds and tooling.

 

[cadeallen]

Hey guys!

I'm starting to do some rough drawings of how I want the body to look. I'll hopefully be able to get some blueprint paper, so that I can trace my jazz bass body in full scale and modify it to my liking. Please ignore the roughness and the 'neck' haha! I added some notes, because I'm trying to make the horns more curvy, etc.

 

[PDX Rich]

A good start! A nice stepping stone between freehand and CAD is Inkscape, which is free. It is not CAD, but it is a nice vector graphics application.

And don't worry about large-format printing. You can just print it out across 8.5 X 11 and cut/tape it together for templates.

Take your time and enjoy the process!

And welcome to the mix!

 

[joseplluissans]

Try looking for plans in the internet, print them out and draw on them. That way you can see the real size of a tried and tested body and make modifications to your own liking. Also works in CAD programs as there are lots of plans available.

 

[Rôckhewer]

cadeallen,
So, At 15.... (and forgive me if I'm wrong, it's been a while )... are you a freshman in high school??
Another question.... Does your school have a wood shop? And/or, any type of industrial arts such as drafting etc....?
Point being, someone like yourself who is even thinking about building something as complex as a bass guitar, would really benefit from some shop classes.
I knew from a young age that I really wanted to build stuff! I took all the shop classes I could fit into my schedule....wood, welding, metals/foundry, plastics lab, drafting, and art classes like drawing etc... And today, I still use things I learned way back then!
During my senior year, I built a working bass at school from cast acrylic ...it was see-thru! and super cool. I used a pre made neck, because necks are the hardest part of building a bass...and they have to be just right, or the bass will play like poo
I know your dad is going to help, and teach you too, but education and experience are key to being a good craftsman....you just can't get enough!
I would recommend doing like Gil' said above, and buy a neck already made, with a square headstock you can shape yourself....and concentrate on building a cool body to bolt it to. There are a lot of people who go that route, no shame in doing it that way.
But if you're determined to bite the whole enchilada?....hey, more power to ya little bro!
Also... as long as you don't build a "neck-through" bass, and if the neck you make doesn't work so well, ....you can always replace it! And you will have learned a lot in the process!

 

[Rôckhewer]

for you it might be Rhino or Hippo or Fargo or something

um.....Huh?...wha' the, hoozit?

 

[Jon Clegg]

cadeallen,
So, At 15.... (and forgive me if I'm wrong, it's been a while )... are you are a freshman in high school??
Another question.... Does your school have a wood shop? And/or, any type of industrial arts such as drafting etc....?
Point being, someone like yourself who is even thinking about building something as complex as a bass guitar, would really benefit from some shop classes.
I knew from a young age that I really wanted to build stuff! I took all the shop classes I could fit into my schedule....wood, welding, metals/foundry, plastics lab, drafting, and art classes like drawing etc... And today, I still use things I learned way back then!
During my senior year, I built a working bass at school from cast acrylic ...it was see-thru! and super cool. I used a pre made neck, because necks are the hardest part of building a bass...and they have to be just right, or the bass will play like poo
I know your dad is going to help, and teach you too, but education and experience are key to being a good craftsman....you just can't get enough!
I would recommend doing like Gil' said above, and buy a neck already made, with a square headstock you can shape yourself....and concentrate on building a cool body to bolt it to. There are a lot of people who go that route, no shame in doing it that way.
But if you're determined to bite the whole enchilada?....hey, more power to ya little bro!
Also... as long as you don't build a "neck-through" bass, and if the neck you make doesn't work so well, ....you can always replace it! And you will have learned a lot in the process!

I'll echo all of this. My first build, I built the body and bought a neck from Carvin. Learned plenty in just building the body. Current build I'm going for building the neck as well. However, you could just jump right in as well; there are far more resources (info) available to the beginning luthier now then when I started.

 

[PDX Rich]

I took a local community college-sponsored course last spring and I'm 42! Never too late, or in your case, too early to learn from pros!

If your school doesn't have a wood shop, look at your local colleges. Often they will accept younger students for non-credit classes like woodworking.

 

[Scoops]

There is some stuff here too

Tutorial Videos

 

[cadeallen]

So, At 15.... (and forgive me if I'm wrong, it's been a while )... are you a freshman in high school??
Another question.... Does your school have a wood shop? And/or, any type of industrial arts such as drafting etc....?

Yup, Introduction to Engineering Design. I'm taking it currently, and the wood shop is right next door.

During my senior year, I built a working bass at school from cast acrylic ...it was see-thru! and super cool.

That's awesome! Do you still have it?

You can just print it out across 8.5 X 11 and cut/tape it together for templates.

Try looking for plans in the internet, print them out and draw on them

Well, I did it! I spoke with my Dad, and we'll try it with MDF or something so I can try cutting and routing.

 

[eightyearsapril]

Ooh, that's a really pretty purple on your Jazz.

 

[cadeallen]

Ooh, that's a really pretty purple on your Jazz.

Thank you very much! I didn't like it at first, as I thought it was going to be more blue, but it grew on me!

I refined my own design, then printed it at different scales on multiple pages until it came out at a good size. I'm probably going to experiment with making neck pockets using MDF, but I may just do it neck-through. I really like the idea of being able to swap necks if needed though.

What do you think about the design?

Anyways, time to sleep. It's 12:45 !

 

[Rôckhewer]

That's awesome! Do you still have it?

I wish! I loved that bass....
...It had a very bright, yet growly & punchy tone.
But that was about 30 years ago!... (wow, It doesn't seem like that long.....
Anyway, the acrylic resin I used & poured into a mold to make the body, was fairly brittle after it cured.

The singer of the band I was in after high school liked to run around alot. This was before wireless microphones were easy to come by.... (see where this is going?)....
Yep, the mic cord he was dragging behind him wrapped around my bass which was leaning against the drum riser (I was playing my p-bass at the time)..... there was a sickening sound as that bass died on the concrete floor. The strings vibrated for a split second, then went slack as the body shattered!