Double Bass Making C extension out of old furniture?

[bassmart08]

This guy I met on a gig told me that his luthier buddy made an extension for him for cheap out of the leg of an antique chair (supposedly for $100 and a case of beer). I have some old chairs and an old violin or two lying around and I want an extension!! Could I make one perhaps?? Has anyone heard of DIY extension? I know some shops charge a lot for making and installing these. I desire those low notes and I know it will increase the value of my instrument. But is it worth it?

 

[T-Bird]

Hi.



I'd ask a mod to move this onto the "dark side", You've made a whole lot of slab makers scratching their heads in disbelief.

I have no use for one, so I haven't even looked what's involved in making C-extensions, but if You're a competent DIYer with at least some tools, sure you can make one. The easiest way, as always, is to copy an existing design, and perhaps "improve" it if you're able to do that.

Good luck.

Regards
Sam

 

[keiranohara]

The cost of materials is only a small part of the overall cost of an extension. If you are having one made by a professional, you are mostly paying for his or her time and expertise. It tends to be a rather finicky job (exponentially so if as you add more latches). Your first one will also take a lot more time then the second, third, etc. It really comes down to how much is your time worth to you.

 

[robobass]

Never a good idea to use old wood for a musical instrument project. You should play it safe and always use the freshest wood you can find.

 

[Simandl Fan]

I paid a lot of money for mine, and it was worth every nickel. You get what you pay for.

 

[iiipopes]

I thought about that also, wanting especially low Eb and D. It's not just the carving of a block. Think about it, especially if the low E of your bass is set up well, and the risk of fouling that up: redoing the nut, carving the block to fit exactly parallel with your fingerboard, for some, drilling or modifying the scroll for secure placement, redoing the stringing, doing the exponential math to figure out from the instrument's exact scale length for placement of stops, working with ebony for the fingerboard part of the extension, which is very hard, can blunt ordinary woodworking tools, and the cost of a E/C extension string, and the time, time, time it takes to do it, with the bass being down for a significant period of this time in order to do the fine fitting.

Guys - have I forgotten anything?

Anyway, I decided I didn't need an extension that badly, because a good one would be at a cost approaching what I already have in my cheap CCB. It would be more cost effective to purchase another bass with an extension fit at time of purchase.

 

[bassics1975]

There are cheaper pupose-built options available that would be a safer bet than cutting up the Chippendale. As mentioned above, you are paying for the time of a professional to create and accurately fit the extension to the instrument. If you don't get the geometry correct, you could be in for quite a headache. KC Strings sells a universal model that is quite easily installed. There are gated and simple non-gated options as well.

 

[1st Bass]

Never a good idea to use old wood for a musical instrument project. You should play it safe and always use the freshest wood you can find.

Funny...I have never heard an actual maker say that before. They always say the opposite. Use old, stable, well-seasoned wood.

 

[robobass]

Funny...I have never heard an actual maker say that before. They always say the opposite. Use old, stable, well-seasoned wood.

I was trying to be funny

There is nothing wrong with using some old furniture for parts if it's the right wood, but as others have said, the cost of materials is almost insignificant compared to the labor.

 

[salbassrock]

sooo if one was flirting with the idea of making their own extension, what would be the steps to make it in? specifically the first thing to do would be to cut the nut right?

 

[SAlcott]

sooo if one was flirting with the idea of making their own extension, what would be the steps to make it in? specifically the first thing to do would be to cut the nut right?

Actually, the first thing to do would be to start a savings account to pay for all the damage caused by taking on way too big a job for a DIYer.

 

[uprightben]

The first step would be removing the nut. You can make the thing and make sure everything works and fits, then cut the nut. That way if something goes wrong you can just put the nut back on, no harm no foul.

 

[chicagodoubler]

Use a trusted luthier. Otherwise, you're playing with fire. There are many, many, many things that can go wrong, leaving you with an incredibly expensive repair...

 

[timobee4]

But is it worth it?

No! IMO

 

[robobass]

I dunno. I think that if you have the liberty to have the bass down for a few weeks so that you have time to think about every next step, then there's no reason not to try. The first thing is of course to remove the nut, and start shaping a piece of wood for the extension body. If you get to the point that you are confident that the extension is going to work, then -and only then - do you drill any holes for mounting screws. You may also opt for a screwless, holeless, design, but that's really advanced work. For traditional (Hole-thru-scroll) extensions, I think drilling that hole is probably the scariest part, but up until you do it, you haven't done anything significant or permanent to the bass. Of course you should not cut up your original nut. Maybe making a new 3/4 nut should be the first project. If you can't lick that, then that's a good time to abandon the idea!