New Xylem Build: 36" Scale Four-String Fretted

[XylemBassGuitar]

I'm almost finished with this bass, so I thought I'd start posting pictures of the early construction.

The body of the bass is made of black walnut and mahogany.

The core of the neck is quartersawn rock maple with mahogany sides, a cocobolo fretboard and cocobolo binding. It will have a single EMG-DC pickup.

Let me know what you think!

More pics to come next week!

 

[Lo end PUNCH]

I love your designs, very exotic and you're only about 60 miles from me.

 

[Taylor Livingston]

Very cool stuff, Xylem. This'll be a fun one to watch.

 

[XylemBassGuitar]

Here is the bass after cutting out the body shape and some early carving...

The bass should be one piece by next week. I'll post some more pictures then...

 

[XylemBassGuitar]

Here is the latest work, the bass is one piece now.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

[Mikey R]

Wow, can we get a closeup shot of the back of that scarf joint?

 

[XylemBassGuitar]

Sure thing Mikey...I'll post a closeup of the scarf next week with the new pictures.

 

[cjbhunter]

i was debating weather or not i liked the headstock but then when you put it on the body it worked for me. so far good lookin' bass.

 

[Lokire]

Looks killer! Love the colors in that Black Walnut

 

[XylemBassGuitar]

The bass is almost finished. Here is what it looks like after the first coat of oil.

The next round of pictures will be of the finished product.

 

[Greezyfingerz]

That's one pretty bass. I particularly love the grain on the fingerboard.

 

[Sterling_Bass]

You have some great designs. I just finished a semester of Biology, so I have to ask, did you name your company after the water transport system in plants? I got a nerdy kick out of it. Keep up the great work!

 

[TrevorOfDoom]

please sir... a pic of the bottom side of the bass. i'm curious. does the mahogany core widen from back to front? or is it two pieces?

 

[bronzehydra]

I really like the shape, but the only thing that I dont really like how far the upper horn sticks out. Other than that, it looks great to me

 

[CanadaMan]

You have some great designs. I just finished a semester of Biology, so I have to ask, did you name your company after the water transport system in plants? I got a nerdy kick out of it. Keep up the great work!

http://www.xylembassguitar.com/about.html

"What is Xylem?

Xylem is a kind of transport tissue found in vascular plants, such as hardwood trees. The main function of xylem is the transport of water and soluble mineral nutrients from the roots to the rest of the plant. Basically, xylem is like a part of the circulatory system of plants and trees."

I'd say yes.

 

[Sterling_Bass]

I should have known to look on his site. Regardless, that's a clever company name.

 

[XylemBassGuitar]

please sir... a pic of the bottom side of the bass. i'm curious. does the mahogany core widen from back to front? or is it two pieces?

The mahogany core is actually two pieces; straight on the front and tapered on the back.

I should be able to post pictures of the finished bass this week. I'll include some of the requests too (i.e. the bottom side of the bass and a closeup of the scarf joint).

Then I'll work on posting some sound clips too.

Sterling_Bass, where are you taking biology? I've actually got a bachelor's degree in zoology from Colorado State.

 

[jordan_frerichs]

i was also interested in the center section. what are you finishing this with again? whaat is the binding on the fingerboard, and how wide is it?

 

[XylemBassGuitar]

The bass is finished with Danish oil. The binding is cocobolo and is about 1/16" wide. The other stripes you see down the neck are strips of mahogany that are about 3/16" wide.

 

[XylemBassGuitar]

With the exception of the router (for the cavities/pockets), hand drill and dremel tool (for the inlay) I built this bass from start to finish with nothing but unpowered hand tools.

All in all, it came out well. Really low action with no buzz anywhere. Great feel and ease of playability (even despite the 36" scale...I'm used to playing a 32").

The bass sustains for a long time too, probably owing to the steep break angles at the headstock and bridge and the stiff neck.

The tone on this thing is awesome, it is an absolute pleasure to play. I'll try and get some sound clips up soon. The 36" scale combined with the EMG-DC really sounds sweet. I can almost produce the brown noise with this baby...I guess I'll have to make a 38" scale with more pickups and two 9 volts next time...

I think I was most amazed at how light the bass came out. I don't have a scale, but it feels like it comes in under 9 pounds, maybe even a little less.

Let me know what'cha think fellas...