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SBO 23 - The Long Black
- Thread starter Alex Xander
- Start date
I've been following Curtinsmith Guitars (www.curtinsmithguitars.com) who builds some really cool short scale basses with a lot of Aussie woods, and hairy oak is one of the coolest I've seen. Is it dense and heavy like "normal" oak?
Yeah, that chunk of wood is cool.
Probably denser and heavier. It's also extremely hard.
Very cool piece! I'm quite jealous of some of the interesting woods you can get down under.
Now I just have to go through the wood pile and see if I have enough to do a full cap on this bass and another long enough for a fingerboard.
It would be a shame not to use the ebony I have coming, but I was really impressed when I opened up this first piece after resawing it.
Why not use the ebony? Cap the body with the hairy stuff? Personally, I like contrast between body and fingerboard.
Being that I'm using macassar ebony, I'm not sure it would be a pleasing contrast. Jet black ebony would be a different story, though.
I split this piece of beefwood open just now. I have enough for a top, a back and a fingerboard. Too many choices!
I don’t know how many basses I’ve seen with one consistent wood.
If it really looked glaring I suppose you could stain part of it.
If it really looked glaring I suppose you could stain part of it.
Well a day into the build off, the black part of my long black theme is out the window, but hey, the theme is anarchy, right?
Here's this morning's shenanigans.
The fingerboard is long enough to go full length if I want, but I will wait until the wings are together (still going with a spruce core) and the neck is done so I can see how the beefwood contrasts with the ebony. If I can find a long piece of black ebony, that may be the best way to go.
Like @Why Nautilus‽ I am not 100% sure on a bass with only one wood over the whole top, however there is some nice figure in this stuff, and the contrast of the sapwood is nice.
Here's this morning's shenanigans.
The fingerboard is long enough to go full length if I want, but I will wait until the wings are together (still going with a spruce core) and the neck is done so I can see how the beefwood contrasts with the ebony. If I can find a long piece of black ebony, that may be the best way to go.
Like @Why Nautilus‽ I am not 100% sure on a bass with only one wood over the whole top, however there is some nice figure in this stuff, and the contrast of the sapwood is nice.
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I love ebony. One of my basses has an ebony finger board and the tone could melt butter.
I decided to keep plan A alive with plan B and cut out some spruce wings. At least I thought they were spruce (the blank I had was painted).
After routing the bass side wing, it split into two pieces in my hand under the force of removing masking tape! It was quickly glued together and had since survived a drop test from 2 metres to a wooden floor.
I have no idea whether they are salvageable or not, but every hairline crack is now full of super thin CA glue. Some advice from those in the know about whether to cut my losses or not would be most welcome.
Whether spruce or not, I think this is some pretty nice wood.
On with plan B, I cut some beech and ironbark into thin layers (I’m loving having a good bandsaw), and some Jarrah ( another Australian native) for the back.
Here’s the layers ready for glue
From the top down it’s beefwood, pine veneer, 3mm ironbark, 2mm beech and 24mm jarrah.
I’ll use epoxy for the glue up. I want to expose at least two of the underlying layers when I carve the body. I’m going to do each wing in one go, but it might take a couple so I don’t end up with alignment issues.
After routing the bass side wing, it split into two pieces in my hand under the force of removing masking tape! It was quickly glued together and had since survived a drop test from 2 metres to a wooden floor.
I have no idea whether they are salvageable or not, but every hairline crack is now full of super thin CA glue. Some advice from those in the know about whether to cut my losses or not would be most welcome.
Whether spruce or not, I think this is some pretty nice wood.
On with plan B, I cut some beech and ironbark into thin layers (I’m loving having a good bandsaw), and some Jarrah ( another Australian native) for the back.
Here’s the layers ready for glue
From the top down it’s beefwood, pine veneer, 3mm ironbark, 2mm beech and 24mm jarrah.
I’ll use epoxy for the glue up. I want to expose at least two of the underlying layers when I carve the body. I’m going to do each wing in one go, but it might take a couple so I don’t end up with alignment issues.
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My sister went and collected the ebony I mentioned in my first post. It was 7 hours away from me, but 5 minutes from her.
The seller threw in a piece of New Guinea ebony. When he mentioned it to me, I was thinking it might be one blank size.
I was wrong.
This puppy is 3m (10 feet) long and 5”x2”.
I’m not sure at this stage of it will feature in the Long Black build, but it will be hard not to use it.
The seller threw in a piece of New Guinea ebony. When he mentioned it to me, I was thinking it might be one blank size.
I was wrong.
This puppy is 3m (10 feet) long and 5”x2”.
I’m not sure at this stage of it will feature in the Long Black build, but it will be hard not to use it.
Any cracks in a neck blank are fatal, but there isnt a whole lot of stress imposed on the body wings, particularly on a neck through. I would think you can get away with cracks if you really fill them with CA. That ebony board is amazing.
Yeah, if it's glued down to other material underneath it should be totally fine, look at the crazy burls people use with holes and cracks. If it's the whole body I'd be worried about the horns where they cut across the grain.Agreed - I'd imagine it will all be reinforced and supported by the other layers.
Agreed - I'd imagine it will all be reinforced and supported by the other layers.
I probably should have been clearer. The wood that split (the stuff that is possibly spruce) was intended to be used as one piece wings. The multi layer laminate is plan B after I got carried away with my new bandsaw.
What are your thoughts on the split pine/spruce/mystery wood without putting a cap on it?
I'd be worried the horns would wanna snap off, the bass-string side especially.
I was thinking about creating some kind of jig and seeing if the upper horn will hold my weight. I figure 110kg should be a good enough torture test?
What about adding a stregthener? Drill a hole from the strap button location and epoxy in a steel rod?
