"Shorty" - 30" 5 String

Right, time to get this one "documented".

Until now I've been totally behind the idea that a low B requires a slightly longer scale length to be usable (we can of course argue about what that actually means but for me it means similar - if not identical - tonal quality to the other strings, clarity, definition and clear pitch distinction between semi notes). And so far all my 5-string builds have been 35" (achieving - from my point of view - my objectives).
At the same time I'm always interested in making playing as easy as possible (most people who pick up my 35" basses think they're 34) and eventually had to end up looking at shorter scales. I personally am way too used to having a low B available that it always had to be a 5-string.

So the idea was to take one of my recent designs (which I call "Sirius") and adapt it from 35" to 30".
Here's the 35" Sirius "Mango" (mango top on walnut body):


And here's the final draft of the squashed body shape:


I didn't want to spend a lot of money on this prototype either. I ended up buying a Hipshot A style bridge and a Glockenklang 2-band but everything else was from a "spare parts" bin, including the timber.

Top is a piece of spalted maple I had planned to use for a previous build but had given up on:


Nice to look at, a pain to work with (I know, I know - it can be stabilised etc.).

Body is offcuts of accoya from a little building project I have going around the house:


Accoya is standard plantation growth pine (Pinus radiata) treated with concentrated acetic acid which supposedly increases mechanical stability by a factor of 5. These 4 pieces had been sitting outside in 40 degree heat, heavy rain, unprotected, and I just used them as they were. Sneaky preview: they haven't moved a bit. Since it is pine it is still a very soft wood so that needs to be taken into account. And yes, it smells like vinegar when you're working with it.

Neck is made from offcuts of wenge and maple I had:


Here's the 4-piece body glued up and marked off:


Top glued on and neck blank glued up as well:

I'm using West System epoxy - it just works soooo well.

Rough body shape and neck blank with routing centre lines for truss rod and 4 carbon rods (I use 2 starting near the nut and approximately following the edges of the neck, and two shorter ones starting about halfway down the neck parallel to the truss rod):


This is the routed neck blank:


Final body shape:


And plenty of spots like this:


And of course the 3 mm divider between the pickup routs just crumbled away:


So I just took it out completely - prototype, not too worried about this.

Good opportunity to try something I always wanted to have a go at: epoxy with glow powder to fill all those holes and cracks, and to help (a little) with stabilising the spalted maple:


A lot of sanding later (and of course fretboard glued on as well) it looked a little like this:


You can just see the subtle blue glow. I'd say it's a nice little side effect aside from actually having helped with stabilising the spalted maple (probably not anywhere near as well as superglue but that's beside the point here).

Went for a different control cavity rout - there is very little room. I re-purposed the Delano Xtender template:


In this case I applied superglue to the spalted maple (in fact, I do this with all control routs to make sure I have maximum stability).

Like I said, reasonably cheap build so instead of using Luminlay dots I just filled the holes with wenge sanding dust and superglue - works just fine:


See Part 2 for final pics and conclusions.

Regards,
Michael

 

Here's Part 2.

Since it is a prototype I also took the opportunity to play around with dyes and finishes. The back looked very ordinary with just the pine but once I applied some Feast and Watson dye (Brown Japan) it came to life quite nicely (please disregard my rather poor final sanding efforts that are so very obvious once the timber is dyed - kinda gives it a bit of a distressed look):


You'll also notice that I strategically removed additional material in the control cavity. The original rout left about 10 mm worth of spalted maple, and of course none of the pots would work like that. By removing only what needs to be removed I also increase the mechanical strength.

For the finish I used wipe-on poly for the first time (local product called Cabothane) and have to say I am very happy with it. I normally use Osmo (and did for the neck for this project) but couldn't use it for the body here since there was so much epoxy (Osmo only works on timber).

So here's the (almost) finished bass. I still need to do the frets and of course the truss rod cover but couldn't help myself stringing up and see/hear what it sounds like:



Comparison with the big cousin:


And to give an absolute scale here's Shorty next to my Warwick Thumb:


Weight is a reasonably comfortable 3.2 kgs (it's a brass bridge and reasonably heavy EMG Hz pickups).

I currently have a "custom-tapered" old set of Dingwall stainless steel strings on the bass which means it's a .127 B string (I'm expecting proper short scale sets any day now). Considering I haven't adjusted the neck or dressed the frets it's almost perfectly playable.
The big question is of course the B. With the above strings there's absolutely no floppiness, and considering that B strings are the ones that go dead first I am absolutely astounded by the clarity and definition in the low register. Not quite as clear as a 35" B but to my ears it's close and definitely more than just usable. Once frets are done and proper strings are on it'll be tested in a band environment which is where it really counts but I have a feeling that it'll work better than just fine.

Overall quite happy with how this one turned out. I really like the body shape, more organic (i.e. less stretched) than the Sirius, and the proportions work for me. As an avid 35" user I might have opened a secret little door for myself since it's just so easy to play. Time will tell.

Things I'd do differently for commission builds (if there will be any):
"proper" body timber (I'm thinking walnut, I really like walnut);
probably a Delano Xtender pickup somewhere between the MM and G&L bridge position;
no spalted maple top.

Thanks for reading, and happy to answer any questions.

Regards,
Michael

 

Interesting double-negative .

Well, you pick up (pun intended) more "clarity and definition" closer to the bridge. Since it's an active pre I can always dial in a little more bass but find it sounds pretty balanced flat. And "because I can".

Regards,
Michael

 

Very glad I didn't offend your sense of aesthetics too much . And I agree that the stretched version now looks a little "off" and may be subjected to some re-design - it's super-comfy but does look a little weird compared to Shorty.

WRT the knobs: like I said, spare parts bin. They don't even match (1 dome, 2 flat). Future builds (should there be any interest) will have more appropriate hardware (and definitely not chrome!0.

Regards,
Michael

 

Well, you never know if you don't try. I really had nothing to loose here, and the fall-back option always was to go E-C. I am very happy with the result so far but, as mentioned above, the real test will come when there's an actual band.

Regards,
Michael

 

Thanks, everyone,

Appreciate your comments.

The design just flowed on from earlier attempts, and other "models" I have, and as mentioned I am really happy with how it turned out. Not too modern, not too "classic" (could have used a less politically correct word here ), and most importantly very comfortable and ergonomic.

WRT "acceptance": that just means not challenging the status quo, and that also means making no, or very little, progress/potential improvements. If there is an envelope take it as an invitation to push it.

Regards,
Michael