SBO 2022 - A monstrous fretboard

[bas_anton]

This will be a first one for me. For every build of mine i want to try something new. I have never owned a six string bass.
Here are the planned specs:

Alder body with a redwood top.
Quarterssawn maple with ebony fretboard.

Hipshot, Gotoh and Delano are other ingredients.

35"
24 frets
19mm string spacing
Bolt on

 

[Flamingo21]

"monstrous" as in "big, black, and menacing"?

 

[Crawforde]

I'm thinking deep, wide, and scary.

 

[bas_anton]

"monstrous" as in "big, black, and menacing"?

And perhaps intimidating?

 

[Jon Clegg]

Beware of aircraft mistaking that fretboard for a landing strip.

 

[RichterScale]

I think the dark color will be slimming.

 

[Crawforde]

I'm wearing a black shirt and a black shorts today and probably don't look a pound over 200.

 

[RichterScale]

I'm wearing black socks but they don't make me look good, I make them look good.

 

[RichterScale]

This will be a first one for me. For every build of mine i want to try something new

First build, or just first 6 string build?

 

[bas_anton]

First build, or just first 6 string build?

No this is my 4th bass
My first bassbuild: Monark
Shortscale singlecut.
Maiden fretless

 

[Crawforde]

I just read through Shortscale singlecut.
It's hot and there is too much yard work to do.
Nice work!
did you ever balance out your piezos?

 

[ardgedee]

As the Gen-Z musicians gets older and start needing stringed instruments with better ergonomics, I wonder whether someday some luthier will be making 11-string short scale djent basses with fingerboards that are wider than they are long.

 

[RichterScale]

No this is my 4th bass
My first bassbuild: Monark
Shortscale singlecut.
Maiden fretless

Had you not said anything, I'd assume these were builds 20-23. Very nice.
The fretless is particularly nice. I'm a big fan of wenge and wenge necks.

 

[bas_anton]

I just read through Shortscale singlecut.
It's hot and there is too much yard work to do.
Nice work!
did you ever balance out your piezos?

I didn't. The e string was always a little bit weak.

But now I have a emg p pickup in it instead. The piezo bridge is still there but not wired

 

[bas_anton]

Had you not said anything, I'd assume these were builds 20-23. Very nice.
The fretless is particularly nice. I'm a big fan of wenge and wenge necks.

Yeah in hindsight i wish that I've built them in the opposite order. The "monark" is great but I learned so much from it. The fretless is made from the same templates as monark. But is so much more ergonomic to play on. Small details. Curvature, weight

 

[micguy]

Beware of aircraft mistaking that fretboard for a landing strip.

It's made of wood, It'll float; therefore it's an aircraft carrier.

When planes land, they try to snag the 3rd fret with their tailhooks

 

[ardgedee]

When planes land, they try to snag the 3rd fret with their tailhooks

Technically, those are stops. So yeah, it makes sense.

 

[Fender_Bender]

Redwood is fairly soft. There's been at least a couple of threads about finishes or products here about toughening up the surface you might look into.

 

[micguy]

A 6 with 19mm spacing is gonna be a real wide neck at the higher frets, and involve a lot of reach in your plucking hand if you don't float your thumb. I have ginormous hands, and I don't even like 19 mm spacing on 5's.

Have you ever tried to play a neck this wide? I think you might want to try that before you put in all the time and effort that this thing will take - if this thing isn't playable for you, it's gonna be super disappointing.

 

[bas_anton]

A 6 with 19mm spacing is gonna be a real wide neck at the higher frets, and involve a lot of reach in your plucking hand if you don't float your thumb. I have ginormous hands, and I don't even like 19 mm spacing on 5's.

Have you ever tried to play a neck this wide? I think you might want to try that before you put in all the time and effort that this thing will take - if this thing isn't playable for you, it's gonna be super disappointing.

I have never tried a 6 with 19mm but many with 17,5. They feel to cramped.
I have a really nice Maruszczyk Elwood l 5 with 18mm and that's also a bit tight.

I use many different picking techniques. Floating thump and classical guitar picking. I'm thinking more on that this will be a new challenge in left hand muting. I will resist buying a fretwrap so my technique will be better