Hi all,
My situation and intentions -
After many years of dabbling and noodling on guitars, I recently (a year ago) committed to studying music in a more serious way. I refurbished an old German fiddle, built a solid electric violin and then learned to play them. I've made fair progress. Another look at the guitar showed that steady improvement is possible. However, something told me that I should follow my own musical nature; I have a basso cantante voice, and I've always hummed the bass-line to rock and pop tunes.
I made the conscious decision to make a bass. I briefly owned a P-bass copy a decade ago, and can't remember why I disposed of it. I approached the design with an open mind, and decided on a micro-bass (22" scale) using U-bass strings and because of my fiddling ability I chose to leave the frets off. The result is compact, portable (it fits in my day-sack, with the neck out the top), lightweight and sounds better than it should. The only thing missing is my own experience: I am pretty much a raw beginner.
I am planning the design and construction of my next bass, using lessons learned building and playing the little Beastie. It'll be a much longer scale length, and a less radical appearance then its little brother. I will use steel strings and a conventional magnetic pickup, but I'll also fit a piezoelectric bridge (they're fun to make and I like the sound).
I note that this is not a teaching forum and until I've attained some level of aptitude on the bass I will largely keep out of conversations here and just lurk while I learn.
Best wishes to all,
Peter
My situation and intentions -
After many years of dabbling and noodling on guitars, I recently (a year ago) committed to studying music in a more serious way. I refurbished an old German fiddle, built a solid electric violin and then learned to play them. I've made fair progress. Another look at the guitar showed that steady improvement is possible. However, something told me that I should follow my own musical nature; I have a basso cantante voice, and I've always hummed the bass-line to rock and pop tunes.
I made the conscious decision to make a bass. I briefly owned a P-bass copy a decade ago, and can't remember why I disposed of it. I approached the design with an open mind, and decided on a micro-bass (22" scale) using U-bass strings and because of my fiddling ability I chose to leave the frets off. The result is compact, portable (it fits in my day-sack, with the neck out the top), lightweight and sounds better than it should. The only thing missing is my own experience: I am pretty much a raw beginner.
I am planning the design and construction of my next bass, using lessons learned building and playing the little Beastie. It'll be a much longer scale length, and a less radical appearance then its little brother. I will use steel strings and a conventional magnetic pickup, but I'll also fit a piezoelectric bridge (they're fun to make and I like the sound).
I note that this is not a teaching forum and until I've attained some level of aptitude on the bass I will largely keep out of conversations here and just lurk while I learn.
Best wishes to all,
Peter
