Slotted Headstocks?

[ole Jason]

Just finished my first bass.
35" fretless 5, slotted headstock.
Schaller BM-Lite tuners.
Piezo bridge pickups with custom preamp and Roland GK out.
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Love the beveling at the end of the fingerboard, nice touch!

 

[Bruce Johnson]

Just finished my first bass.
35" fretless 5, slotted headstock.
Schaller BM-Lite tuners.
Piezo bridge pickups with custom preamp and Roland GK out.

View attachment 4975163
View attachment 4975164
View attachment 4975162

Nice work! If that's the first instrument you've built, then you are off to a good start. Very nice craftsmanship. The lines are straight and smooth, and carefully detailed. It looks very good up close. And the design is good too. Not crazy, but a few interesting details.

 

[ztan]

Nice work! If that's the first instrument you've built, then you are off to a good start. Very nice craftsmanship. The lines are straight and smooth, and carefully detailed. It looks very good up close. And the design is good too. Not crazy, but a few interesting details.

Thanks. First instrument. Midlife crisis/pandemic coping response. Early in the pandemic, I decided to go fretless, then <electric> upright, then make a bass. I've visited a few double bass luthiers over the last couple of years and have used some of their ideas rolled in. Design cues from Ibanez and PRS as per the photo, F-hole shape inspired by d'Aquisto; have also been impressed with the work by the Polish luthier Stradi. Hide glue construction and tung oil finish so it will weather nicely and when I'm long gone, can be repaired easy. I'm actually very happy with my piezo preamp and homemade pickups - took a few ideas from instrumentation and ECG amplifier circuits and this thing has a super low noise floor.

I'm also chuffed that this is one instrument to pass on to the next generation - my 13 year old violinist who has turned his nose up at the bass before has taken over my instrument and my study over the last week so he can learn bass.

 

[TrustRod]

I've made a few and will probably use it again as I like the look, especially against the Jaguar shaped bodies. These are both 5 string piccolos strung BEADG, the red one is 22" scale, the blue is 26.5". Both are fully hollow with removable backs and have enough acoustic volume to be played without an amp for noodling.