My Krappy Bass custom build

[mellowgerman]

oooo pretty
sound clips?

 

[TimothyGroovy]

Really tempting.. seems like that's a interesting toy to play around at home... I may order one....

 

[Ripper]

i have to ask since you said you have both... how does the sound compare to the wish... i can see that the finish is much better.

and how do you have it tuned? i have a 3 string upright myself and i cant figure out how to tune it still

 

[FL Knifemaker]

Nicely done!!

 

[PeteH]

This is cool and now I'm Kontemplating getting one. Why did you go with just three strings and not four?

I was pretty much going for what Kevin had already built, having seen the earlier Twiggy on his website. Mine turned out a little bit different - it has 2 little body wings (to accomodate the humbucker) rather than a neck-only, which I think came out pretty cool. I could have gone for a 4-string, I suppose, but I have other basses 4 and up, and this gives me an excuse to work on my upper-register playing accuracy.

And hey, if you're going for 'different', might as well go for 'really different'.

 

[PeteH]

i have to ask since you said you have both... how does the sound compare to the wish... i can see that the finish is much better.

and how do you have it tuned? i have a 3 string upright myself and i cant figure out how to tune it still

The sound is in the same ballpark as the Wish - Wish 603 is a 4-string fretless with a single Kent Armstrong humbucker. The Wish's action is set ultra-low, so it mwaaahs like a dyslexic cat. The Twiggy is set a little higher, and I might think about adjusting it when I put some flats on it. Also, not yet having played it through 'serious' amplification, I can't draw really fine distinctions

I asked for it to be set up for E-A-D. Switching to A-D-G or something inbetween might involve a truss rod adjustment, so I'm not there yet.

I'll lash together some cables/adapters/whatever within the next day or 2 and attempt to record a little of it.

 

[PeteH]

An update - I was having some problems with 'twisting' - this neck-only bass tends to want to spin on its axis when transiting from the low strings to high, or vice versa. The fancy Yamahas and other high-end EUBs have fakey side bouts to lean against your body.

I started out making a detachable side post that would mount to the back plate, extending back 6-8" or so at 45 degrees back from the front plane of the bass, which I figured would give me a good angle. I went so far as to drill to install a threaded insert, but then decided it might look and feel too weird. Filled in the hole.

I ended up with a simple solution - I picked up an end pin rest that the cello players (and rock drummers) use. This one is a Rockstop brand, but Glaesel makes 'em, too. Available at fiddle shops or online at Musicians' Friend. The bottom doesn't skid, and the little metal cup on top is a good fit for the rubber tip at the end of my end pin. The model for cello fits perfectly - the cup on the bass model is too big and wouldn't work. No more twisty!

Edit: Oh, and the fingerboard is "Tigerwood" - muiracatiara. Kevin says "not the golfer".

 

[JoePasko]

I am having a 2 string fretless krappy being made for me right now. Can't wait !!!!! I have attached the 2 most recent progress pix.

 

[JoePasko]

Here is from one day before

 

[PeteH]

That's some cool-lookin' grain on the fingerboard, there, Joe. I can't tell from the pics whether it might be more of the Tigerwood I got on mine, but if it is, you'll be happy with it - it's a nice hard wood and the black grain looks pretty wild.

 

[JoePasko]

Wow... it's finished already. He says he'll be shipping it to me soon! Don't know what the fingerboard is, but you are right - it sure is pretty. Maybe I'll wind up using the various bends & turns in the grain as visual reference points, in lieu of frets. I am a big fan of minimalism & simplicity. 2 strings, no frets, one pickup, one knob: a simple bass for a simple guy!

Plus, y'know, with so many bassists who now gotta have 5 or 6 string axes... well if you knew me, you'd understand that downgrading to 2 is the ideal "joe" thing to do : )

 

[Spinal Tapper]

When the Economic Stimulus payment hit my bank account, I decided I'd spend a little and see what Kevin Siebold of Krappy Guitars, Hackettstown, NJ could do.

Disclaimer - I play bass recreationally, and don't have a ton of money invested in this hobby. My other basses include a short-scale SX Jazz, a Brice fretless-6, and a Wishbass. I am NOT a Gear Snob, and my GAS is usually pretty mild.

For those who haven't seen them yet, Kevin's "Punkbass" line is designed to give you something to play for a low price. His prices start at $85 for a single-string bass, or $100 for two strings. Although he builds high-quality touchstyle instruments in the $700+ range, the Punkrods and Punkbasses are about having fun on the cheap.

Having browsed through the Punkbasses, I decided I wanted a 3-string EUB known as the "Twiggy" model. This looked about right to me. Not too crazy a design, and 3 strings rather than 2, which would be plenty usable for me.

Note - the complete set of photos can be found in the following Flickr set: Invalid Link Removed

I contacted Kevin by email, telling him I wanted a Twiggy with 3 strings, fretless, and 34" scale. The rest was up to him. He replied with a price of $200 plus shipping. Upon receipt of my PayPal payment, the work began in mid-May.

Kevin chose Santos Mahogany for the outer 2 stringers, then Maple, with a Brazilian Cherry center stripe:

Note how the maple stringers taper from one end to the other.

Later in May, I got a photo taken after the neck had been glued-up and the truss rod had been installed:

In mid-June, I got this shot of the basic neck shaping. It was starting to look like a bass:

Things went pretty quietly for a few more weeks - Kevin had some car trouble to repair and I didn't hear too much, but I finally got an email with a UPS tracking number. Two months to the day after the original order, the finished bass showed up:

Also included was an extendable post which probably started life in the Paint department at the hardware store. That's OK - it has a nice rubber foot on the end, and extends and collapses very easily with a twist.

I don't know what the fingerboard is made of, but it's smoothly sanded and isn't humpy.

The bridge appears to be made from aluminum stock, with a single rod as the actual string support. The rod appears to e free-floating, but I haven't un-strung it yet to be sure. There are height adjustment screws on either end:

The end post clamps into a simple wood block:

The tuners are VERY compact. They remind me of the little guys on my Martin Backpacker guitar, but they're holding tune nicely. As you can see, there's a nice 'hump' behind the nut which makes a nice thumb reference:

The electronics are basic - a single passive humbucking-style pickup, one volume control with a nice knurled knob, and an output jack:

The action is nice and low, and it's pretty fun to play. I'm not used to an upright with only a 34" scale, but I'm getting there. She wants to 'twist' a little as there's nothing to stop it from rotating on the pin, other than my hands. I'm thinking about how to craft a 'foot' to go on the bottom of the pin to hold her steady. It sounds fine through a little practice amp, and I need to try it out through something bigger, but so far, so good!

So finally, here's a wide guy playing a skinny bass:

To sum up:

- Build time: 2 months
- Cost: $200 plus UPS Ground shipping
- Playable out of the box
- No splinters!

A good value, in my book.

Um, how do you play that thing???

 

[JazzyJames]

That looks so sweet. Looks like a challenge.

 

[BlackLake]

Sound clips....pleeeeease?

 

[PeteH]

Um, how do you play that thing???

With lusty exuberance, gusto, and reckless abandon. What's your next question?

 

[PeteH]

Maybe I'll wind up using the various bends & turns in the grain as visual reference points, in lieu of frets.

Congrats! Maybe your grain marks will line up with the proper notes - you _could_ get lucky! Mine... not so much.

I ended up cutting some little dots out of some sticker material, using a digital tuner to locate the 'right' spots for III, V, VII, IX, and XII, and stuck the dots on the side edge of the fingerboard. A dab of clear nail polish holds 'em in place. I can get rid of them once I'm 100% well-intonated.

A dot of Liquid Paper does just as well, but I think my last bottle went with my last typewriter. Nice and non-permanent.

 

[Buskman]

Um, how do you play that thing???

Show 'em, Pete...

Go, Pete, go!!!

BTW - +1 on the soundclips, pretty please...

 

[Spinal Tapper]

Show 'em, Pete...



Go, Pete, go!!!

BTW - +1 on the soundclips, pretty please...

LOL
So you just stand there and hold it like a bong?

 

[PeteH]

Ah. No, I'm not practicing for marching band! And as pointed out by somebody, I don't look too exuberant in that pic. Bygones.

It's not uber-obvious in the picture, but the bass is standing on its adjustable blue and white post. Like I said above, the post connects into the walnut (?) block on the back of the instrument and secures with the little wingnut. The post is actually an extendable paint-roller pole with the threaded bit at the top removed. The post length can be adjusted to get the right height.

An earlier version on Kevin's website (the original Twiggy) appears to have a fixed-length chrome post.

 

[knumbskull]

LOL
So you just stand there and hold it like a bong?

i love the internet.


to the OP - excellent bass! have you considered fitting a stabiliser bar to steady it?