SBO 2022 - Cheaper by the Dozen - 12 String Bass

[ctmullins]

I don't suppose I could encourage you to carve more of that heel away, can I?

It's not serving any purpose, and it's just going to get in the way later....

 

[TerribleTim68]

I don't suppose I could encourage you to carve more of that heel away, can I?

It's not serving any purpose, and it's just going to get in the way later....

But then he can't do "walking bass" without a heel.

 

[Gary_M]

I don't suppose I could encourage you to carve more of that heel away, can I?

It's not serving any purpose, and it's just going to get in the way later....

Yep, that heel area will get carved and blended right into the body. It's rough right now because I can't pre-carve that area of the neck before the wings are glued on, so it's just roughly carved prior to that. . Hope that makes sense.

Here's how the last one turned out:

I may extend the neck carve further up into the body itself this time, I'm not sure. But either way, the rest of the carving won't commence until the top is glued on.

 

[ctmullins]

Oh good!

 

[Gary_M]

Here's the latest progress on the 12 string bass build.

I made a template for the neck heel in preparation for gluing the top.

I transferred that to the Claro walnut top.

I cut it out at the band saw and did the final fitting with files.

Nice, snug fit. Of course I still have to cut the truss rod access door.

I laid out and cut the poplar veneer which will go under the walnut top.

I used UF glue to assemble and used tape to hold everything in position. The whole works went into the vacuum bag overnight.

Today I removed it from the bag and cleaned up the excess top overhang a little bit.

At this point, I need to finish up the headstock wing details, get the body carved and route for the electronics and bridge. It's getting to the exciting stuff now.

More soon.

 

[RichterScale]

I'm a fan of the neck-thru with a full top design.

 

[Gary_M]

I'm a fan of the neck-thru with a full top design.

Me too (obviously), but man would it be cheaper to source the fancy top woods... much narrower stock can be used... and that really appeals to the cheapskate in me.

 

[RichterScale]

Me too (obviously), but man would it be cheaper to source the fancy top woods... much narrower stock can be used... and that really appeals to the cheapskate in me.

I still don't know if the infinity board/never ending fingerboard (I don't know what's called) will be weird or if I'll get used to it. Or, if I'll like it. But that's one way to build the whole bass out of narrower stock. The board covers the neck lams on the front of the body.
But I still wanna try a full top at some point. I dig it.

 

[Gary_M]

I still don't know if the infinity board/never ending fingerboard (I don't know what's called) will be weird or if I'll get used to it. Or, if I'll like it. But that's one way to build the whole bass out of narrower stock. The board covers the neck lams on the front of the body.
But I still wanna try a full top at some point. I dig it.

Yeah, that is another great option and looks really cool. I know a lot of builders just let the neck beam show... Ken Smith et al... but for some reason, I just haven't done it. It looks perfectly fine, especially once the pickups, bridge and strings are in place.

 

[RichterScale]

Yeah, I don't mind seeing the lams on the front of body. There's just times when I like the look of a full top, but still keep the neck-thru construction.

 

[RichterScale]

I want to try all kinds of stuff.
LC creates all sorts of new itches that need scratching.
I'll have to bookmark this thread for the top install. I always forget I can do that.
Can you bookmark at a specific post, or just a whole thread?

 

[Matt Liebenau]

I want to try all kinds of stuff.
LC creates all sorts of new itches that need scratching.
I'll have to bookmark this thread for the top install. I always forget I can do that.
Can you bookmark at a specific post, or just a whole thread?

Yessir. Click where it says bookmark at the bottom of the post. You can even name the bookmark or make a note of what it’s about.

 

[RichterScale]

Fantastic.
Now I just have to remember to use it.

 

[Gary_M]

It's carving day! (probably going to be carving days, but who's counting? )

I generally start things off with a roundover all the way around the front and pack. The first step for the roundover is a fairly chunky bevel.

That gets blended to the mid-line of the body thickness. This is a good start to soften up the body profile, but this curve will get deepened later.

I have to say, that katalox is some of the hardest wood that I've ever worked with. Some of the finer rasps just skate off the edge without removing much material.

Laying out some rough lines for the rear carve.

Belly carve in progress. I need to make this waaaaaay bigger.

Here I'm de-bulking the neck/body transition. It's an awkward angle to get at with my rasps. I do have some riffler rasps that I'm going to pull out as I get closer to the final shape. If I were braver I'd break out a carving burr on the Dremel flex shaft... but that scares me, and I'm fearless... or stupid.

Sighting down from the end of the body is a quick way to see how much material needs to be sent to the floor.

This is the stage that I enjoy the most!

More soon.

 

[TFM94]

Great stuff!

It's always very rewarding to see all the laminate layers show up and form new shapes in the roundovers and carves.

 

[TerribleTim68]

It's carving day! ...
This is the stage that I enjoy the most!...

Agreed!

 

[Gary_M]

Today I completed the initial rough carve. I'll leave this for now and move on to pickup routes and other various tasks that need to be completed. After a couple of days, I'll circle back, fair the curves and start rough sanding. This is straight off the rasp work, so don't get all judgy about my scratches.

 

[BAG]

That is looking great.
Oh to have your skills, patience and tool collection.

 

[Flamingo21]

If I were braver I'd break out a carving burr on the Dremel flex shaft... but that scares me, and I'm fearless... or stupid.

This is totally relatable! Stay on the safe side.

Oh, and it's starting to look every bit as good as the first qüïmsgëfääërdën.

 

[Crawforde]

Rasp, chisel and plane work are always enjoyable for me something about the motion and the sound of a good cut, and watching the shapes emerge.
this is a beautiful build! I joined for the umlauts, but staying for the quality.