SDB Guitars
Commercial User
I've used brass rod before, and also aluminum rod. I like 3/32" or 1/8", it really stands out, and you can polish it up to a high luster...
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Highschool woodshop build
- Thread starter ppk
- Start date
Yea that sounds good i think thats what im gonna settle for, i love the look of brass, i changed out the tacky screws on the front pick guard with brass ones and it looks 5 times better.
My bass is currently going to lansing MI to enter in to the state competition for MITES (Michigan Industrial & Technology Education Society). its for the whole state of michigan and ive heard that i may have a chance at a 2,500 dollar scholarship. I hope some of the judges are bass players. i will find out the results of the competition on friday.
Meanwhile i need to decide on a permanent finish, right now i have a quick linseed oil finish but thats only cause it was quick and painless. when i get it back i want ether a tung oil finish or a danish oil finish what do you guys think?
Thanks, Paul
Meanwhile i need to decide on a permanent finish, right now i have a quick linseed oil finish but thats only cause it was quick and painless. when i get it back i want ether a tung oil finish or a danish oil finish what do you guys think?
Thanks, Paul
SDB Guitars
Commercial User
I'd recommend either Waterlox or Tru-Oil, if you want a wipe-on oil finish. The Tru-Oil is a polymerized linseed oil varnish, and will amber the wood, so if you like that, go for it. If not, the Waterlox shouldn't amber it like that, and will be a harder finish, to boot. Waterlox is more expensive, though...
Here's a neck with a Tru-Oil finish:
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Here's a neck with a Tru-Oil finish:
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yea i forgot about tru oil i was going to use it on one of my basses, the luthier guy reccomended it at woodcraft but i got discouraged by the number of coats he said i would need. But i think im gonna go with it this time cause i dont think tung oil would look very good on black walnut.
thanks for the input
Heyy everyone sorry, i havent been able to get on here in a while. i won first in states for my catagory wich was sculpture and carving but i still couldhave dont better and won the division prize but thats for next year (i already am planning my next build i will post a thread sometime soon) i only had one guitar that was competition but he wasnt in my catagory. it was a beautiful acoustic but im almost positive it was from a kit. now as for the bass i got new pickups they are 5 string emg selects and they have the blade style poles so they are more than wide enough. also i bought a bottle of tru oil yestersay and i have been doing some more sanding and finish work on it, im planning to get the first coat on by tomarro.
thanks, Paul
thanks, Paul
MY GOD I JUST HAD AN ORGASM. dude. usually i don't like the single cut, heavy metal styles, but that and the other one, could be some of the best looking basses i have ever seen. could you put up some sound samples. i thought 36" would be insane, but 38". wow. so what year of highschool would you be going into when summer is over. i will be a sophmore. i am pretty syked that i still have three years to make basses. i really gotta start getting more custum with my shapes and styles. so were the 2 shown your first 2?
SDB Guitars
Commercial User
Every time I see that bass I smile, it's just so awesome looking and unique. 
Also, the standard 3/4 double bass scale length is 41.5, but you have to take into account the extra ~5" of string from the bridge to the where the strings connect to the tail piece. Personally, I wouldn't use 3/4 strings for this, especially because they're flats and probably would break or unwind when cut so short and bent around the tuning post. Perhaps look for 1/2 or 1/4 size strings (they won't be cheap though 
).
Also, the standard 3/4 double bass scale length is 41.5, but you have to take into account the extra ~5" of string from the bridge to the where the strings connect to the tail piece. Personally, I wouldn't use 3/4 strings for this, especially because they're flats and probably would break or unwind when cut so short and bent around the tuning post. Perhaps look for 1/2 or 1/4 size strings (they won't be cheap though ).Shoot an email to DR, GHS, D'addario et al. and ask if they have anything that would work. I imagine someone should be able to do a custom wind. FWIW, I used GHS extra-long flats on my wishbass as they were the only thing I could find that wouldn't have silk crossing over the nut onto the fingerboard, that said, I think they'd be a few inches short for your bass. Which is freaking cool, btw.
SDB Guitars
Commercial User
You could always contact Carl Thompson... I understand most of his recent basses are ~38" scale... I think he sells his own strings.
Every time I see that bass I smile, it's just so awesome looking and unique.
it shouldnt' be impossible to deal with the unwinding issue, but what I'd be more worried about is whether they're wound close enough to the ball. I don't know anything about upright strings, but I even had that problem using dingwalll strings on my 37->33 5 string. They work, but barely.
I had no luck with DR, Elixir, or D'addario when I was looking for coated strings to work with my 37" B. The response I got from DR when asking about custom sets is that they could do a custom set, but only of strings that they make. They wouldn't do one with an extra couple inches of wrap on it. I've heard the hi-beams fit fairly long, but it was something like 37.5" they estimated IIRC. D'addario I think only went up to 36".
I don't remember the exact details though, so YMMV. Let us know what you end up using.
Something like this is probably your best bet.
SDB Guitars
Commercial User
The Dingwall strings are taper wound. They are *supposed* to taper off toward the ball, and have the narrower part on the saddle. Makes them play like lighter strings, apparently.
The DR strings are made to fit 37.5" scale. I have a set of DR strings going on a 37" - 34" fanned fret bass, and they fit just fine (just *barely*, but they do fit). Granted, my saddle is only about 1.125" from the string retainer, max.
Hey thanks to everyone! well i am i sophmore going to be a junior so i will be able to crank out at least 2 more basses if not 3. i want to make a EUB over the summer and i wont reveal my plans for next year yet cause im still designing it but one of the talkbass guys inspired it but its definately going to be another unusual. this one was my first bass. i have modded basses before and worked on them but never built one before this. i actually owe it to mr wishbass yes wishbass. i bought a bass from him about a year ago and i purchased it unfinished in the rough so i had to do lots of work on it shaping finishing fabricatinf a thumbrest pup cover and bridge, ect so thats how i started i can post some pictures if you want. arent you building a bass i think i saw a thread of yours on here.
and as for strings i have found some ets up on ebay fur 20 dollars for a upright http://cgi.ebay.com/Upright-Bass-do...ryZ16222QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
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wow!
great job man! totally impressed!
ok ok ok....so when do we expect some clips???? get those strings on there man!!!! cmon no slackin!
good work dude!
great job man! totally impressed!
ok ok ok....so when do we expect some clips???? get those strings on there man!!!! cmon no slackin!
good work dude!
Yeah, the edge of the thick portion is right on my saddles, which was a bit of a pain in the ass, intonation wise. There's one string (E i think) where the correct amount of compensation lines up exactly with the edge.
Not a big deal. They work fine and sound great, but it took a little more screwing around to set it up. I had to set the string height twice, because I didn't know if I'd end up on the thin or thick portion of the string.
Also I couldn't decide whether or not I should file out the B string saddle to size, since some taper wounds are likely to fit nicely as is, but this one's just barely sitting on the thickest portion, so it's probably a bit pinchy as things are right now.
I think it's the hi-beams specifically which fit extra long scale. The extra life ones I have aren't even close.
I was actually hoping for coated strings, but couldn't find any to fit.
I'll probably give the hi-beams a shot next time around. I'm not big on changing strings though, so maybe they'll have extra long scale coated ones by the time I need them.
-Nick
