How should i start building an upright?

Well, to start, you are gonna need some nice big pieces of wood...

I'm impressed that you would even consider taking on such a project. Doing so requires considerable skills and tools. Are you planning on carving the pieces, shaping ply, or buying a kit?

 

There are tonewood suppliers who can sell you a set of all the wood necessary, but that's not a kit - just raw wood waiting for some expertise.

To the OP, if you don't have it already, Peter Chandler's book is a good thumbnail description: Double Bass Making Book (Building, Construction, Upright, Acoustic) Plus, he drafted a whole bunch of plans that you can buy (so you can copy a classic design)!

You can also download this, by Hargrave and Zaal: https://www.roger-hargrave.de/PDF/Bass/Bass_Making_Part_12_72.pdf

I'm about 60% through my first bass build. I won't win any awards for speed, but am having a good time doing it! Here's the body:

 

Yeah - and I've seen carved fronts and backs for sale, as well as necks. And I've seen (and lifted) uncharted blanks. Very heavy - and expensive! The idea of removing that much wood impressed me as a daunting task!

What was your approach?

For hobbyists who have built their own, I'd be interested in your opinions as to time and $ spent, and how the finished product compares to various levels of basses you could purchase.

 

Buy the wood, remove enough wood until a bass appears. There is a lot of waste.

The first bass, in my experience, will take a heck of a lot of time to make.
I’m not doing it to compete with anyone, just to satisfy myself. If I make 2, 3, or 4 of them that could change.

 

Looking good so far. You have a ton of block sculpting to do before you join the top. You may've shoulda sculpted the back braces a bit more before joining it to the garland, but it's still doable. Have you started carving the top yet?

 

Usually, I have to make 10 or more of some kind of item before I get the hang of it.

If you got the time and tools and do the research.........go for it!

 

Yeah, that pretty much sums up my questions. The time and tools (and materials) are pretty significant - and far exceed my capacity. But I could imagine the results could be quite rewarding.

My wife makes fiddles. I recall her cussing over the challenges of making a cello while in school. And on the occasions she has visited bass makers, she comments on how BIG all the tools and pieces are. But, I guess you can eat an elephant one bite at a time...

 

Hey Stefani,

Thanks for the encouragement. I'm not sure why you suggest a 'ton of block sculpting' though. Having done top-off repairs on many dozens of basses, there's nothing overly heavy about either my blocks or bracing. Some makers do use much less wood, but only some.

I have carved the outside of the top. I "simply" need to flip it over and carve the inside next. The neck is also roughed out. I wondered about finishing it this year, but there's no huge deadline...

 

I too have seen a few insides, many overly chunky for no good reason.
Do you follow Matthew Tucker? Check out these pictures.
https://www.facebook.com/160891127669898/posts/1261065410985792/

 

Dezi: Where are you located?

Probably the best advice I could offer on your first bass build is to find another bass builder that you can visit and use as a mentor during the process; a select few offer private instruction and lesson on building. The worst would be to take advice from random wankers on the internet!

If I told you it would take 400+ hours to build your first bass, many would run screaming. Those same people would loose their $#!t if I told them they could only waste 400+ hours per year on talkbass or facebook.....

 

For comparison, when my wife was in fiddle-making school, IIRC their "final" required that they build a fiddle (their 6th) in 6 weeks. So I suspect the estimate of 400 hrs (10x40 hr work weeks) for the 1st bass may be well on the low side.

 

Google books: Violins and Other Stringed Instruments

 

I built my first bass using Peter Chandler's book, with Chuck Traeger's book to fill in the gaps and TalkBass to answer specific questions. I called Peter Chandler a couple of times as well: he was very helpful. (RIP Mr. Chandler!)

 

I’m not a luthier, nor am I a woodworker, but I have seen The Red Violin. I believe the final step is to mix one cup of a loved one’s Blood with shellac, and apply evenly to the body. The bass’s body — not yours.

 

That's ambitious project but I applaud you.