SBO 2022 - Cheaper by the Dozen - 12 String Bass

[Gary_M]

I cut the main headstock veneer tonight and wetted it with a little naphtha. Just had to post a picture of it.

 

[TerribleTim68]

That's amazing!

 

[AK4570]

Stunning!

 

[ctmullins]

swoon

 

[NKBassman]

Tommy likey. Tommy want wingy.

 

[BAG]

And here it is next the the one used on the 5 string. Obviously the 12er headstock is yuuuge, but I feel like it is in keeping with the aesthetic.

Thoughts?

I may have missed it previously but is there any reason you appear to be going with three different sizes of machine heads? I would have thought that with the octave strings having all the smaller style that you could save some room and shorten the headstock a bit.

I cut the main headstock veneer tonight and wetted it with a little naphtha. Just had to post a picture of it.

Looks like you're committed to it!

I will say that it does look very nice.

 

[Gary_M]

I may have missed it previously but is there any reason you appear to be going with three different sizes of machine heads? I would have thought that with the octave strings having all the smaller style that you could save some room and shorten the headstock a bit.



Looks like you're committed to it!

I will say that it does look very nice.

Hey, thanks for commenting and the input. I guess I didn't really go into detail about my choice in tuners. I went with full sized machines on the fundamental strings because while using guitar size tuners on bass strings could technically work, it just wouldn't be right in my opinion. I don't think the leverage would be there for ease of tuning. I also chose the Gotoh Reso-Lite tuners for weight savings.

I decided to go with 2 sizes of guitar tuners for the octave strings to make it easier to differentiate when tuning. It seems to me that having two different sized buttons right next to each other will make things a little easier in the respect. It may bother some people, but I think that the staggered sizes looks pretty neat.

As for overall length, I probably could have crammed things together a little more and saved some space. But you have to remember that you must allow for string diameter when laying out the tuner placement and string paths. There comes a point where you just can't go any closer. There are literally production model 12 string basses from major companies where some strings hit the adjacent tuning post... that seems inexcusable to me.

One of the goals with my design was to keep string paths fairly straight, and I feel like I've done fairly well. I don't think it's possible to do completely straight pulls on a 12 without using a classical style slotted headstock. While that would be cool, that's not something I wanted to tackle on my first attempt.

At any rate, a 12 string headstock is going to be big, there's just no way around it. But compared to others, this one is shorter and slimmer than many. One thing that I should also mention is that the overall length will be about 1/2" shorter than the overall length that is apparent in the template photo. I ended up reducing the space between the nut and the first set of tuners. This will increase the string angle coming off the nut a bit, but cut down on the overall length.

 

[Gary_M]

I didn't get much accomplished today that "shows" on the bass. But, here's what I was up to.

I got the headstock face cleaned up after gluing the wings. I planed it back to right around where the nut will be placed. After the veneers have been glued, they will get flushed down to the fretboard plane and the nut will sit on top of the veneer.

Next I glued up some black poplar and walnut veneer that I had prepped earlier.

The entire neck went into the bag to clamp the headstock veneers.

While operating the leg vise on my bench today, I noticed that it was squeaking and not operating as smoothly as it should. So, I spent a little time cleaning and lubricating the acme screw. Works like a champ again.

 

[RichterScale]

I decided to go with 2 sizes of guitar tuners for the octave strings to make it easier to differentiate when tuning

When I saw the pic, that's exactly what I thought and it instantly made sense to me.
Which means we think alike.
Which means,....you might want to get tested and diagnosed.

 

[BAG]

Hey, thanks for commenting and the input. I guess I didn't really go into detail about my choice in tuners. I went with full sized machines on the fundamental strings because while using guitar size tuners on bass strings could technically work, it just wouldn't be right in my opinion. I don't think the leverage would be there for ease of tuning. I also chose the Gotoh Reso-Lite tuners for weight savings.

I decided to go with 2 sizes of guitar tuners for the octave strings to make it easier to differentiate when tuning. It seems to me that having two different sized buttons right next to each other will make things a little easier in the respect. It may bother some people, but I think that the staggered sizes looks pretty neat.

As for overall length, I probably could have crammed things together a little more and saved some space. But you have to remember that you must allow for string diameter when laying out the tuner placement and string paths. There comes a point where you just can't go any closer. There are literally production model 12 string basses from major companies where some strings hit the adjacent tuning post... that seems inexcusable to me.

One of the goals with my design was to keep string paths fairly straight, and I feel like I've done fairly well. I don't think it's possible to do completely straight pulls on a 12 without using a classical style slotted headstock. While that would be cool, that's not something I wanted to tackle on my first attempt.

At any rate, a 12 string headstock is going to be big, there's just no way around it. But compared to others, this one is shorter and slimmer than many. One thing that I should also mention is that the overall length will be about 1/2" shorter than the overall length that is apparent in the template photo. I ended up reducing the space between the nut and the first set of tuners. This will increase the string angle coming off the nut a bit, but cut down on the overall length.

Thanks for such a detailed reply. I really enjoy hearing about the thought process that went into the design.
Don't take my comments the wrong way, it was just an observation from someone who's never had to balance the design decisions of anything like that. And I really do like the headstock shape.

 

[Gary_M]

When I saw the pic, that's exactly what I thought and it instantly made sense to me.
Which means we think alike.
Which means,....you might want to get tested and diagnosed.

 

[Gary_M]

Thanks for such a detailed reply. I really enjoy hearing about the thought process that went into the design.
Don't take my comments the wrong way, it was just an observation from someone who's never had to balance the design decisions of anything like that. And I really do like the headstock shape.

No problem, it was a great question and I didn't take any offense at all. I really had intended to explain those choices earlier in the thread, but it had slipped my mind.

 

[Flamingo21]

I really had intended to explain those choices earlier in the thread, but it had slipped my mind.

Thanks for asking, @BAG !

 

[NKBassman]

I decided to go with 2 sizes of guitar tuners for the octave strings to make it easier to differentiate when tuning. It seems to me that having two different sized buttons right next to each other will make things a little easier in the respect. It may bother some people, but I think that the staggered sizes looks pretty neat.

That’s some great forethought. Tuning this beast will be stressful enough.

 

[Gary_M]

That’s some great forethought. Tuning this beast will be stressful enough.

I agree. I just hope it doesn't fold in half.

 

[GMC]

I agree. I just hope it doesn't fold in half.

Cutting the nut might prove to be an "interesting" activity!

 

[Gary_M]

Cutting the nut might prove to be an "interesting" activity!

Indeed it will. Oddly though, I'm looking forward to the challenge. This will be my first time using a zero fret, so that should theoretically make the fabrication of the nut a bit simpler. I have plenty of bone nut blanks, so if and when I mess it up, I'll try again.

 

[Beej]

Cutting the nut might prove to be an "interesting" activity!

You and I spell "painful" quite differently.

 

[Jeff Siddall]

Go on vacation for a few weeks and come back to a half finished 12 string bass!

Crazy nice work and beautiful woods as I have come to expect from your builds. This is looking great!

Now I have much want for a 12 string but still so little time

 

[Gary_M]

Haven't updated this in a while, but I've gotten a few things done. After the headstock overlay had dried for a couple of days, I thinned down the headstock at the band saw.

I trimmed the headstock very closely to the template, then routed it with a pattern bit.

After the routing operation, I cleaned up the inside corners with chisels and files. The wood block on the back of the headstock was to hold everything square while cutting at the band saw and drilling the pilot holes for the tuners.

I finalized the position for the fretboard, then trimmed up the "ledge" with chisels.

I cut recesses for truss rod adjustments and drilled through holes into the end heel end of the neck.

I made a new control cavity template with only 1 battery compartment and also deleted a couple of extraneous screw locations. I routed the control cavity using a 1/2" bit, then chased it with a 1/4" bit to get into the corners.

I laid out the access cover on the rear plate, then cut it out on the scroll saw.

More soon.