My First Bass Build

[bass_freq]

hey, first time builder here, I'm currently in art school and decided to take advantage of the huge wood shop they have available and try to build my first bass, it dosn't look as hard as I thought it would be (though not to say it will not be alot of work) though I am quickly discovering that it isn't cheap to build your own guitar, but for the feeling of a part of your soul in the bass you play really makes me interested in building one (plus a great way to combine my love for art and love for bass into one)

heres my first body draft, I've been trying alot of different looks but none of them really looked good at all, this is the first one that makes me say, yes this is looking good. Any crits on the design will be welcome

I'm going for a neck through design, Maple neck with Mahogany body, maybe some strips of interesting wood to change it up, but this is just the base so far, also 5 string with 2 EMG active pickups and POSSIBLY EMG 3 band preamp, we'll see how my wallet is going through this build (being a student and living on my own is hard as hell on the wallet)

neck isn't proper yet, just a place holder, the body is the main focus right now.

 

[XylemBassGuitar]

Connecting the upper horn to the neck might be a little challenging for your first bass...but if you feel confident in your ability, go for it.

 

[bass_freq]

its gonna be interesting, I'll do my best, not saying this bass will turn out good in anyway But I'm hoping it will, gonna give it my all and the woodshop teacher will be helping me with any wood questions.

few questions:

how long should the Truss rod be? I see there's different sizes ranging from 18"-22",

how do I determine the necks tapper? is the nut size just personal preference? or is there a formula about it,

the book I have is pretty general in afew things

 

[Mcfunkinstein]

i got a one way adjustable t-rod(with all the other hardware while i was at it)from stewmac.com its 22-13/16'' and is perfect for my 34 inch scale

 

[bass_freq]

Rev. 2.0

tweaked the design, cause the original design felt really LONG, the new design is on the right.

whatcha think?

 

[MNbassist]

Something I always like to ask builders is if they truly understand the concept of scale length. I think the nut is a personal preference if you have big or small fingers, if you like strings closer or farther away from each other, etc.... The neck taper is determined by your nut width, scale length and your bridge stringspread and your nut stringspread. I use a formula from Martin Koch's Book

x=a+d+d+L(B-A)/S

X=width at end of fretboard
D=Distance from outer strings to fretboard edge
A=nut width
B=Bridge Stringspread
L=Length of fretboard (often the measurement of your last fret + an inch or so)
S=Scale Length

 

[bass_freq]

thanks, that helped alot!

I went to the wood store today to get a price of what to get and get a feel for the wood I'm looking at.

afew questions, Ebony is retardedly expensive, how is Indian Rosewood as a fretboard? I think I read that Rosewood can be used as a fretboard.

I'm going to try Roasted Maple for the neck as its a real nice DARK brown, and h. Mahogany for the fins, though anyone try Santos Mahogany? the wood store person said the Santos Mahogany is more dense then the regular mahogany not sure if denser is better

 

[MNbassist]

yea, rosewood is a good choice for an FB, find something that you like though...I feel that you can use any wood as an FB if you want, you just have to seal it accordingly to stand up to the beating. Denser is better if you want more of a treble-like sound. Slight differences in wood density shouldnt make a big difference.

 

[bass_freq]

thanks MNbassist, you've been a great help so far! I'm taking my time on this project, wanna do it right the first time, planning each step slowly and accurately and taking in as much info as I can, unfortunately doing it on my spare time is abit hard with school and work, but made some progress on the design and will get the woods after I figure out what lengths I need,

 

[MNbassist]

No problem, I wish you the best of luck.

 

[bass'n it]

Nice job !!......... cool design..... as long as its functional as well as good looking?..........you can't lose.Good luck with it.When its complete. send a picture OK?

 

[pilotjones]

Rev. 2.0

tweaked the design, cause the original design felt really LONG, the new design is on the right.

whatcha think?

I'm thinking that you might want to re-insert the bass side body shape (near the bridge) from the first design back into the second design, for playing comfort reasons. A mockup would help.

 

[pilotjones]

I'm going to try Roasted Maple for the neck as its a real nice DARK brown,

I've never heard of "roasted maple." It sounds nice looking. But, something to consider: when they heat bamboo laminate to get the attractive darker color, it loses some of its strength. If this were happening with this maple, it might make it less suitable for a neck, especially if you are not using CF reinforcement bars.

 

[bass_freq]

wow this got pushed way back, sorry I havn't updated, but money is a huge issue right now so building a bass isn't in my budget at this time, but I still REALLY want to go through with this, and want to do it right the first time, if only I can sell my darn second bass I don't use anymore then I could atleast order the hardware and maybe the wood

 

[bass_freq]

reBIRTH!

So I decided to use an old spector bass I couldn't sell at all, and just use the parts from that to build a 4 string fretless bass (always wanted a fretless) I used the money I saved up to buy the wood, and wouldn't you know, first cut I **** up lol.

I cut the neck piece long enough for the fret board and body part (its a neck through design) but I didn't read close enough the details on how to add the head stock, so quick question, the Scarf Joint, if I cut the angle into the current board cut, (where the end of the finger board and nut are pretty much an inch or 2 away from the end of the board), the angle will cut away a significant portion of the finger board, and from what I can tell from the instructions on TB about making a scarf joint, you will regain that surface lost from cutting the angle, but the issue I see is if I cut the Scarf joint angle first, then cut the headstock down to proper thickness, I will lose alot of recoverable surface so would it be smart to first cut the neck and the headstock piece down to the desired thickness first before cutting the angle? I cant see how this would be a problem, but just in cause I thought I would ask. If it won't work with 2 pieces of wood then I will have to go back to the wood store and by another maple board... I really don't want to cause its kind of a waste...

 

[bass_freq]

also, I just got my nut in and it seems like its a guitar nut cause apparently Stewmac doesn't sell bass nuts, if the nut is thinner then a usual bass nut will that be a problem?

 

[bass_freq]

no input?

 

[Gone]

There won't be any problems using the thinner nut imo.

 

[bass_freq]

thanks gone,

 

[Ol'Bass'ead]

I personally, like to cut my scarf joint from the thick wood, then flip it and add it to the end of the neck. That way the finger board helps to strengthen the joint (its an inch or two from the nut-toward the body) and after that cut the headstock thickness. And its only my opinion, but I think it is stronger.