I think he meant to say, "carved" (as opposed to bent). That one is controversial...there has been a lot of experimentation with bent wood, showing that it has less damping, greater "Q", whatever that really is...maybe the jury is still out on that.
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Double Bass Luthiers: How thick is a back/top blank?
- Thread starter Chasarms
- Start date
Yes. It is controversial. It depends on what you believe.
I believe that wood is easier to split between the grain, and the sound travels along the grain is easier than accross the grain. I do not say quartersawn wood sounds better than slabcut wood. I do believe that quartersawn wood make string instruments with better sound than slabcut wood. How a piece of wood sounds depends on how we make it sound. I do not think about which wood sounds better. I only think about which wood makes violin with better sound.
When a face or a back is caved from a wedge, the center is not in the same grain with the edge. So, it vibrates freely from the edge.
If the above hypothsis is true, the wedge can be obtained by cutting the log accross its length (accross the grain) rather than splitting the log along the grain. When the face or the back is caved from this kind of wedge, the center of the face or the back can vibrate more freely from the edge.
I believe that wood is easier to split between the grain, and the sound travels along the grain is easier than accross the grain. I do not say quartersawn wood sounds better than slabcut wood. I do believe that quartersawn wood make string instruments with better sound than slabcut wood. How a piece of wood sounds depends on how we make it sound. I do not think about which wood sounds better. I only think about which wood makes violin with better sound.
When a face or a back is caved from a wedge, the center is not in the same grain with the edge. So, it vibrates freely from the edge.
If the above hypothsis is true, the wedge can be obtained by cutting the log accross its length (accross the grain) rather than splitting the log along the grain. When the face or the back is caved from this kind of wedge, the center of the face or the back can vibrate more freely from the edge.
Almost all, if not all of the old Italian basses I've seen have been made with slab cut wood, and many of them with what appears to be a combination of pieces, some slab, some quarter.
I'm currently working on a French bass c. 1780 with 8 pieces in the top. Two are clearly slab and the rest are 1/4 cut, none of them match and they have a lovely resinous oder.
I'm currently working on a French bass c. 1780 with 8 pieces in the top. Two are clearly slab and the rest are 1/4 cut, none of them match and they have a lovely resinous oder.
anhmytran said:
I'm all for open dialogue, but this is too extreme to be relevant. There are many great basses with slab tops, backs, and ribs. It's not based on "what you believe", more on having heard old English, French, German, Italian, and American basses that rattle the windows and produce a gorgeous tone that can be heard at the back of a concert hall. Eight piece tops, three piece tops, one-piece tops, some with knots, slab, quarter-slab, and quartered.
anhmytran- do you build basses or just hypothosize about them?
I am learning theories on String Instrument Making.
I am very happy to see that a top or a back can be made of as many pieces as 8. I may build one with 8 pieces from local wood for the face or the back, for I believe in the quartersawn wood. News from VN sent to me that the wood I know in VN cannot be brought through Vietnamese border. I am thinking of effect the hide glue on the tonal quality of the instrument.
I am very happy to see that a top or a back can be made of as many pieces as 8. I may build one with 8 pieces from local wood for the face or the back, for I believe in the quartersawn wood. News from VN sent to me that the wood I know in VN cannot be brought through Vietnamese border. I am thinking of effect the hide glue on the tonal quality of the instrument.
KSB - Ken Smith said:
I don't think it has much to do with "schools". I think they just used the wood they could get and that they and their client could afford. So you see mostly slab tops and plain wood on the back and sides for the 17th and 18th century Italian basses. Anytime I see an old bass purported to be Italian and it has great wood in it, I question the authenticity of it being Italian. Not that it couldn't be.
Which reminds me to start a thread on bass identification and authenticity.
