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prototyping new singlecut design

Tell me - do you...

  • Like it... :)

    Votes: 73 59.3%

  • Love it! :hyper:

    Votes: 21 17.1%

  • Hate it! :rollno:

    Votes: 18 14.6%

  • Need one! :bassist:

    Votes: 11 8.9%
  • Total voters
    123
#41
SDB Guitars said:
And another "top view"...

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Anyone else have thoughts on this? Do's and don't's? Suggestions? Likes? Dislikes?

Please vote! I wanna know! ;)
Click to expand...

Its a beautiful bass and I love the design. If I were designing it though, I would add a little more to the lower horn somehow as I think it looks like an afterthought or extra limb that didnt get cut from the tree or something.

I also think that the lower part of the bottom of the body and the upper horn are to wide. "Width" being if you laid it on the ground and stood behind the bridge, looking up at the headstock. Bring those in a little bit and I think it would be perfect. The upper horn might go to far down the neck, but you already addressed that issue.

I love the thumb rest idea, and the F hole. The wood choice couldnt be better either - it looks beautiful!
 
#42
coolrunner989 said:
Its a beautiful bass and I love the design. If I were designing it though, I would add a little more to the lower horn somehow as I think it looks like an afterthought or extra limb that didnt get cut from the tree or something.
Click to expand...

I've always subscribed to the "small lower horn" idea... that's just what I like. But, I understand that it's not for everybody, and that kind of input is exactly why I made this thread to begin with! Thanks :)

coolrunner989 said:
I also think that the lower part of the bottom of the body and the upper horn are to wide. "Width" being if you laid it on the ground and stood behind the bridge, looking up at the headstock. Bring those in a little bit and I think it would be perfect. The upper horn might go to far down the neck, but you already addressed that issue.
Click to expand...

I think that what you are perceiving as "width" actually translates to "waist may be too narrow"... the body is significantly narrower than, say, a Fender bass... it's just under 12.5" at the widest point, whereas Fender Jazz basses run around 13" or so. it could also be the angle of the picture.

This prototype body has pretty much exactly the same dimensions/proportions as the basses pictured below, just connected the "upper horn" to the neck and filled in, and reversed the curve on the lower horn:

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coolrunner989 said:
I love the thumb rest idea, and the F hole. The wood choice couldnt be better either - it looks beautiful!
Click to expand...

Thanks, again! I'm pretty darned happy with the wood selection. I'm kinda "bloodwood-happy" right now, as I got a good buy on some, and I just love the way it looks, works, feels, and even smells. I got some well quartered stuff for neck laminations, and flatsawn stuff for body laminations. I think it sets off pretty much any lighter wood so nicely...
 
#44
That's bloodwood, the same as the fingerboard and the neck laminations. It's an intermediate lamination, if you will, between the top and the primary body wood... I really live that stuff, and I guess I'd better, as I have a *ton* of it hanging around. :D

The top was said to be "mubanga" or some such... Larry Davis couldn't positively identify it from the picture, but I believe he said that sometimes "mubanga" is a trade name for afrormosia... so, I googled mubanga, and came up with "PERICOPSIS ANGOLENSIS (AFRORMOSIA)"... so I'm guessing that the top wood is a spalted version of that.

The main body is Spanish cedar (cedrela - an evergreen which is somehow in the mahogany family, which originates in Central and South America), and although it's very soft (marks easily with your fingernail), I just love working with it, the smell is great, it works easily, doesn't have nasty splinters, and it weighs almost nothing at all. :)
 
#45
How did I miss this thread until 3 pages in?!?!?

I really like every aspect of it....except that I would have moved the upper "horn" a wee bit closer to the body. To me, there's just something awkward about an upper bout that is just as wide (from the centerline) as a lower bout, though having it be an actual horn like your wenge 4-banger does give the illusion that it IS narrower. But you don't have that optical thing going on a singlecut.
 
#46
erikbojerik said:
How did I miss this thread until 3 pages in?!?!?
Click to expand...

Um... it fell several pages down because I didn't update it in over a month. lol

erikbojerik said:
I really like every aspect of it....except that I would have moved the upper "horn" a wee bit closer to the body. To me, there's just something awkward about an upper bout that is just as wide (from the centerline) as a lower bout, though having it be an actual horn like your wenge 4-banger does give the illusion that it IS narrower. But you don't have that optical thing going on a singlecut.
Click to expand...

First off, thanks for the compliment for (pretty much) liking it all (exceptions noted). I was just tired of making the one model all the time, and wanted to try something different, but didn't want the apple to fall *too* far from the tree, as it were. I wanted it to be recognizable as being related. I'm not entirely sure I was successful, but at least I'll have a nifty little short-scale (32") for myself, and someday, maybe I'll sell it to finance another prototype. :)

In actuality, it *is* slightly narrower than the lower bout, but maybe not enough. Additionally, moving the "horn" down closer to the butt (shortening the body) and thickening up the waist would probably go a long way toward resolving these issues. It is, of course, too late to do it to *this* one, but then, since I'll likely be the only one to play this one, it's okay. :bassist:
 
#49
Wow... haven't gotten around to *this* one in a while... too many irons in the fire?

String this one up last night (MMmmmm DR Hi-Beams...), and gave it a good going-through. Sounds great, other than a ground loop I can't seem to locate. I star grounded it and everything. HMMMmm.

Anyhoo, on to the delicious goodness... I still want your guys thoughts and opinions on the shape, now that you can see it all.

Here's a "full frontal" shot (lousy camera, I know, and bad lighting, to boot, but I'm on my way to work...). The bridge needs to be thinned just a hair, as the action is a touch high. Intonates well, though. The nut is just there to keep the strings in line, they're basically sitting on the trailing edge of the fingerboard, for consistancy of sound.

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And here's a close-up shot of the body. The controls are stacked vol/passive tone, stacked bass/trable, and 4-way rotary switch for either pickup or both together in either series or parallel. The knobs are from Roger at THG Knobs. The pickups are Nordstrand NJ4SV's (LOVE those pickups...).

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So, yeah. Just have some minor touch-up sanding, the final coats of oil and wax, and the cover plate closure (I'm thinking neo magnets).

When it's all said and done, I'll post some sound clips so you can hear what it sounds like...
 
#50
I like the clef holes, I had a similar idea but using only one for a semi hollow. The upper bout is a bit large for my taste but it goes with your scroll horn shaped body very well. Looks very nice Shawn!
 
#51
Hi - saw this poll sitting there, and read all the way through it. I have to say that I would have rather voted something like "Don't care for the category, but your execution is very nice", or something similar.

To me, singlecut basses just look lopsided. I mean, the original Les Paul guitar is a classic, but with the added length that a bass requires, things just start to look too stretched out to me. For something that length, doublecuts look more symmetrical, and therefore aesthetically pleasing. TO ME.

That said, I think your particular design could benefit from taking a bit of the bulk out of the upper "horn" - I think others have said as much. But I still don't see the need for filling the void of the upper cutaway. And I'm very much a "form follows function" kind of person, so I do appreciate your slim headstock, and the curve of the lower horn is perfect for facilitating playing while seated.

As far as your workmanship, oh man - nice job! I'm a schmutz who just recently learned how to spell "router", so I certainly envy your skill set and congratulate you on the execution of your design. What's your bridge made of, by the way?
 
#52
SDB Guitars said:
Still no word form the people who voted that they "Hate it"... come on, guys! What don't you like about it? ;)
Click to expand...

I dislike it. I agree with everything said above post^

It comes off ungainly looking with the horn almost as big as the body and going so far up the neck.

It just looks very wrong to my eyes, almost (gulp) Wishbass- like.
 
#56
If I had to vote on the build itself, I love it.
Nice work/details and material choices!
BUT--
I agree with some others about the body shape.
-Upper section too big
-waist too small

I whipped up a quick photo-doodle to illustrate how I imagine the bass (with people's suggestions applied).

SDB-1.jpg
 
#57
Agree with much of what has already been said. I prefer the 'shape 2' above.

I like the bass clef 'f' holes (maybe that should be clefholes - can I put a TM on that?), but having just one bigger and bolder one might look less fussy

The holes for the through body stringing look a bit out of line with the body curve and not spaced quite right either - especially the e string which looks as is it could pull the bridge sideways (it probably wont, but it looks as if it could).

Don't want to be overly critical though - This is my favourite TB forum and I'm in awe of what you guys do
 
#58
Thanks, all, for the input. This was a prototype, and it's purpose was exactly this - to see what will work, and what won't. You guys are all awesome, especially those who came out and said they didn't care for the design, for one reason or another. It's constructive criticism, and I don't disparage it one bit.

For those who are curious, here's my second prototype of this style compared to the original... the waist is about 1/2" thicker on the left side (the bass side? ;)), the upper bout is about 1/2" shorter and 3/4" narrower, and it joins the neck differently.

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