Double Bass I hate to ask - DIY EUB?

[bassturtle]

I hate even asking, but I've been all over the internet and the most detailed site was in german

Anyone have success making their own EUB? Have links that are detailed? All the threads I've seen on TB have been extremely vague. I've also been to Bob Gollihur's site...I guess I'm looking for a little more specific info that that.

 

[Mudfuzz]

What type of EUB [stick, baby bass, NS ect] do you want to build. There have been a lot of variations in the EUB form throughout the last 70 years, although the "stick bass" is the most used.

The thing about EUBs is you have to start with looking at DBs and work your design around that, take what you want from the DB, then start from there.

Here is two threads I did.
Aaron Noguer's fingerboard carving essay
Chainsaws, Duct tape & the Double bass

Also check out the MIMF archives; you have to join to get to them but it's free.

 

[bassturtle]

What type of EUB [stick, baby bass, NS ect] do you want to build. There have been a lot of variations in the EUB form throughout the last 70 years, although the "stick bass" is the most used.

The thing about EUBs is you have to start with looking at DBs and work your design around that, take what you want from the DB, then start from there.

Here is two threads I did.
Aaron Noguer's fingerboard carving essay
Chainsaws, Duct tape & the Double bass

Also check out the MIMF archives; you have to join to get to them but it's free.

I'm leaning towards something stick-ish...like maybe an Ergo? What I was thinking was just getting a FB from Bob's webpage and kind of going from there. My concern with doing a stick is just the lack of bridge height adjustment there is. I'm just afraid that anything with an angled neck is going to be a bit beyond my skill level. Anything other than 90 degrees scares me

 

[bassturtle]

What type of EUB [stick, baby bass, NS ect] do you want to build. There have been a lot of variations in the EUB form throughout the last 70 years, although the "stick bass" is the most used.

The thing about EUBs is you have to start with looking at DBs and work your design around that, take what you want from the DB, then start from there.

Here is two threads I did.
Aaron Noguer's fingerboard carving essay
Chainsaws, Duct tape & the Double bass

Also check out the MIMF archives; you have to join to get to them but it's free.

Aaron, I shot you a pm. Take a look at it when you get a chance!


**actually, you kind of answered that in one of the threads you posted. Nevermind

 

[Mudfuzz]

Thoughts on mutilating Contrabass necks
A. if you cut the heel down you will end up with something along the lines of a BD heel, but with more angles, the neck pocket would have to have tapered sides, not a real big deal though; all you need to do is to work out the angles that match the neck, then make a beveled foot for a router [if you make it rectangular then it will be easier to control because
it will ride better along the straight edge] and a straight edge, first rout out the middle part of your pocket without the bevel but leave about 3/8” from the sides. Make sure the bit’s [strait bit] lowest point [you are tipping the router a bit to do this] is equal to the bottom of the pocket and then line the strait edge up with the outline of the pocket side [clamp, tape or hot glue it in place] then repeat on the other side of the pocket, in less you cut the bottom of the bit the your bevel angle [shudder] you will have to finish up with a chisel, and there you have it a tapered neck pocket. note: I would go a little small on the pocket at first and fit it in by hand or do a few test runs on scrap in till I got it perfect.

B. The Engelhardt dovetailed neck [as on Bob’s site]:cut the heel so that the dovetail is the same length as the body thickness, cut dovetail in the top of the body, get a perfect fit, then glue on a nice looking 1/4” thick back to the body, then install neck.

Also, because I don’t have either of the neck types, bodies and bridges in front of me I’m not 100% on neck angles.

Stick basses
A stick bass is a long neck with a bridge at the end, just make sure there is enough body after the bridge for the string after lengths. Bridges for these things are easy to make, make a few at different heights, mod them till they are where you want them. I made a small stick bass two years ago, there is a thread in the MIMF library of archived discussions with picts and a sound clip.

Aaron n

 

[bassturtle]

Okay, so here's what I'm thinking. Stay with the stick idea, but build it a bit more like Bob Gollihur's than the Ergo. Well, actually build it almost exactly like Bob's except I was thinking about squeezing a slab of wood between the fingerboard and the neck so I could get a taller bridge in and also to increase the angle at which the strings break over the nut and bridge. That slab would only be as long as the fingerboard...well maybe extending out and inch or so from either end of the FB.

 

[Mudfuzz]

Do you mean like a fingerboard wedge [do a search on this in DB and Db setup & repair]. A picture or drawing might help me see exactly what you mean. Angling the neck pocket is no big deal, all you do is make a up a routing template that has a taper to it [or has wedges of the right taper under it] and then rout the neck pocket as you would for a normal BG.

Look at Azola's neck for instance.
Have you gone through EVERY EUB link on Bob's site, look at every picture you can of every EUB that even comes close to the design you want to go with, especially side views if posable.

Also if you are unsure if something will work, mock it up with cheap scrap wood.

 

[bassturtle]

First of all, you're my new personal hero. This is exactly the information I was needing!

A. if you cut the heel down you will end up with something along the lines of a BD heel, but with more angles, the neck pocket would have to have tapered sides

Are you talking about the dove-tail joint here? I'm not following.

B. The Engelhardt dovetailed neck [as on Bob’s site]:cut the heel so that the dovetail is the same length as the body thickness, cut dovetail in the top of the body, get a perfect fit, then glue on a nice looking 1/4” thick back to the body, then install neck.

PERFECT! Maybe I'll revisit this idea then. I wasn't sure if I could safely cut off that heel, if I could, that's exactly what I was thinking as far as cutting the dovetail joint in the body and then putting a back on it.

 

[bassturtle]

Do you mean like a fingerboard wedge [do a search on this in DB and Db setup & repair]. A picture or drawing might help me see exactly what you mean. Angling the neck pocket is no big deal, all you do is make a up a routing template that has a taper to it [or has wedges of the right taper under it] and then rout the neck pocket as you would for a normal BG.

I should have made myself more clear. I have two ideas that I've been tossing around.

1) Buying a prefab neck and FB from Bob and doing what we talked about in the previous post.

2) Getting just the FB from Bob and going with a stick design.


If I went with option two, it was going to have the neck and body be one piece and rely on the slope of the FB for the angle. The slab wouldn't necessarily be a wedge as just a flat...slab.

Am I making any sense at all?

 

[bassturtle]

I should clarify. I guess I'm thinking more of an NS style when I say stick. My bad.


I'm sorry I'm so scatter brained. I've got a million different ideas floating around in my head right now!

 

[jamiefoxer]

Something someone posted on this thread piqued my interest...

Is there plans online to make an Ampeg Baby Bass or replica?

I have a lot of friends who are carpenters from Latin America...I wonder if one of them could do it, given the proper plans.

If anyone knows where there are plans online, I'd highly appreciate it.

 

[bassturtle]

Something someone posted on this thread piqued my interest...

Is there plans online to make an Ampeg Baby Bass or replica?

I have a lot of friends who are carpenters from Latin America...I wonder if one of them could do it, given the proper plans.

If anyone knows where there are plans online, I'd highly appreciate it.

That would be neat to see!

 

[Mudfuzz]

Are you talking about the dove-tail joint here? I'm not following.

No. DB necks for the most part are tapered in two directions and fit right into the neck block, this is stronger then a dovetail. So even if you cut the heel shorter the neck still has to fin into a mortise the matches the shape of the heel end of the neck.

2) Getting just the FB from Bob and going with a stick design.


If I went with option two, it was going to have the neck and body be one piece and rely on the slope of the FB for the angle. The slab wouldn't necessarily be a wedge as just a flat...slab.

Am I making any sense at all?

Ah, yes know I see, like this?

You also could do some thing like Vektor if you wanted to go the one piece direction as well.

cool huh
Vector home

 

[bassturtle]

No. DB necks for the most part are tapered in two directions and fit right into the neck block, this is stronger then a dovetail. So even if you cut the heel shorter the neck still has to fin into a mortise the matches the shape of the heel end of the neck.

Oh okay! Gotcha.

Ah, yes know I see, like this?

Basically, yeah.

You also could do some thing like Vektor if you wanted to go the one piece direction as well.

Those are very cool.


So what would the differences be between getting a seperate angled neck, and having the neck and body be the same piece? It seems that the advantage to having the angled neck would be having more bridge options, but again, I was thinking I could over come this by elevating the FB.

Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but the prefab FB should increase in thickness from nut to the bridge in, right? Wouldn't this help in some measure with getting more space on the body to fit a full size bridge in there?

 

[Mudfuzz]

So what would the differences be between getting a seperate angled neck, and having the neck and body be the same piece? It seems that the advantage to having the angled neck would be having more bridge options, but again, I was thinking I could over come this by elevating the FB.there?

Yes but how much can you elevate the FB before you might as well just put a neck on it for playability and strength. If you are only talking about a 1/4" or so will it make that much difference in terms of bridge height anyway. The real thing to think about is, this is a electric bass, how will it be electrified? what pickup type will you use, how will it be mounted. One of the real big reasons I went with a normal DB bridge on my first EUB was I can use any bridge mounted DB pickup in existence, but, if you first decide on the way you want your pickup of choice to be mounted: on the bridge, under the bridge foot, a magnetic at the end of the FB, You can design the bridge around that. On my Wee-EUB [basically a mini headless Ergo] the bridge is about 5/8" tall and I can only just get a bass max to fit in a slot in it, but it still sounds good, way better than the contact pickup on the back idea I started with. In less you are making it hollow I don't see that have a higher brake angle would do all that much other than being able to use a more traditional DB bridge and the pickups that go along with them, even if in smaller form, which I'd say would at least 2" to 6". That is why a wedge shaped FB shim would work a "little" better; you'd be able to have it taper from nothing at the nut and get much more over stand without making it overly chucky'n'clunky to play.

Also, correct me if I'm wrong, but the prefab FB should increase in thickness from nut to the bridge in, right? Wouldn't this help in some measure with getting more space on the body to fit a full size bridge in there?

No, they are the same thickness at the centerline over all, it just a optical elusion that they look other wise.

 

[bassturtle]

Aaron, thanks again for all your help. After scratching out some ideas, I think I'm gonna go ahead and order a neck and FB from Bob. That seems like the best route for me. One of my buddies has a ******** awesome woodshop in his house. I suckered him into helping me. I'll try to take pics and keep some sort of record of it just in case it actually turns out decent

 

[Mudfuzz]

Aaron, thanks again for all your help. After scratching out some ideas, I think I'm gonna go ahead and order a neck and FB from Bob. That seems like the best route for me. One of my buddies has a ******** awesome woodshop in his house. I suckered him into helping me. I'll try to take pics and keep some sort of record of it just in case it actually turns out decent

Hey, cool, it sounds like a good way to go. Just make sure you draw up a good plan with all your measurements so you don't have to remember everything in your design and can focus on building. Also I would stay a way from bridges that look like this [Invalid or Expired Link Removed] because they can sometimes be a pain to fit wing mounted pickups to, I'd stick with a french shaped[Invalid or Expired Link Removed] bridge.

Best of luck

 

[Anonymous75966]

My concern with doing a stick is just the lack of bridge height adjustment there is. I'm just afraid that anything with an angled neck is going to be a bit beyond my skill level. Anything other than 90 degrees scares me

I don't really like the stick idea because I'd really want to have an angled neck on an EUB, then I found this neck-through design via Bob's links page:
Link Removed

So I've been working on a neck-through stick-style EUB with a neck angle that more or less resembles my double bass. I already have an old fingerboard, and of course a bass to copy from.

I've only got really basic tools and I'm not especially good at woodworking anyway (ok with concept, bad with details). So I'm setting the goal at building a functional instrument, rather than a beautiful one, for as cheap as possible. I'll follow up when the thing starts coming together.

 

[Sgtp3pp3r]

You asked if anyone had built their own EUB. I have just finished mine. I wanted something that had the look & feel of an URB, but compact & portable. This one's neck is removable for transport & storage, and plays like a true URB (at least it seems like that to me, but I'm not an experienced URB player.) I built this for myself, but it's also a prototype - I'm hoping to be able to sell these things too. This link will take you to the web page I set up to document the construction of this bass:

http://www.cyrguitars.com/ElectricUprightBassProjectPage.html

--Steve

 

[Marcus Johnson]

Nice job, Steve! You should post that over on the MIMF forum; they don't get many EUBs over there.