There are other materials than acrylic that you might want to try out. Lucite, Lexan, etc etc etc. I made a bass body out of Lucite one time. Problem was it weighed about 20 lbs.
Rock on
Eric
Rock on
Eric
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Should I try to build a plastic bass?
- Thread starter SpankBass
- Start date
Well I could try fiberglass. Sure it won't be as clear as I would want it to be, but it should be much stronger. I have Kevlar!
There we go, a bullet proof bass. Great for those honky-tonk places that want you to play "Freebird" all the time.
Rock on
Eric
how about a neck thru construction. if you coiuld find a clear or translucent material strong enough, and make the neck part thin and glue acrylic wings on the body and to the neck?
wouldnt look as good though
wouldnt look as good though
You might want to look at the thread age before you post a reply to something you searched up!
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I know, zombie thread, but since there was a decent convo going i figured id post here.
So, i know people are saying it wouldnt work but has anyone here actually tried it? Only reason i ask is i HATE it when people crunch some numbers and assume it wont work based on those calculations. Im not so much interested in a pure acrylic neck since im sure some sort of stiffening material. What do you think would be the best material to reinforce and stiffen the neck and how much of that material would be needed. How would you use it in the neck? etc.
If nobody cares then i guess itll just die again but it seems like an interesting subject imo.
So, i know people are saying it wouldnt work but has anyone here actually tried it? Only reason i ask is i HATE it when people crunch some numbers and assume it wont work based on those calculations. Im not so much interested in a pure acrylic neck since im sure some sort of stiffening material. What do you think would be the best material to reinforce and stiffen the neck and how much of that material would be needed. How would you use it in the neck? etc.
If nobody cares then i guess itll just die again but it seems like an interesting subject imo.
Stiffening rods placed into the neck as per regular construction. Only way to be sure is to try it and post your results. It will be brutally heavy...
I wish the original poster had gone ahead with this project, sounds interesting. I think with 2 non-adjustable steel rods in the neck he could have made it work. maybe with a through body neck and bars going all the way through that. Rebar perhaps, lol.
After some research it appears fender has done a few acrylic basses and guitars that are usually show models or special models for particular events.
Like i said, you can run all the numbers you want but Fender has proven an all acrylic bass will work. I guess i can try it without worry now (or at least less worry).lol
Like i said, you can run all the numbers you want but Fender has proven an all acrylic bass will work. I guess i can try it without worry now (or at least less worry).lol
Hmmm. A few units for shows does not give me any confidence that they were reliable, or even playable instruments.Anomalous Bass said:
You'll be able to find info on an all-alabaster one piece bass too. A beautiful, beautiful piece of work, but of no practical utility.
Considering it was custom ordered and used by Garry Beers of INXS im inclined to believe you are mistaken. Ive actually found another individual who builds all acrylic instruments and he said it works fine. He does however use stiffening rods (glass in most cases, id imagine to keep the clear look).
While I'm no craftsman, I was pondering... I realize that the OP had originally intended the neck to be translucent, but instead of multiple stiffening rods or another material used, couldn't the application of say, an ebony fretboard stiffen the nneck and provide some extra rigidity?
wow that all transparent P bass does look cool! when I lived in Japan I saw a ton of basses and guitars with bodies made of transparent material, sometimes tinted, copies of anything you can imagine from Les Pauls to BC Rich Mockingbirds. what was the company's name, something with a G... Greco! (minutes later, thanks Google.) they made wood instruments as well, copies of everything. My brother had a Dan Armstrong 24 fret neck plexiglass body guitar which I got to play when I was a wee lad. you could slide the pick up out and pop in another one with a different tone. sadly he sold it, not that it sounded terribly good, but it was fun.
