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Double Bass Tell Me Why I'm an Idiot - Building EUB

ii7-V7

ii7-V7

Aug 4, 2002
748
257
Baltimore, MD
thedukeandduchesspodcast.com
#1
I've always wanted an EUB. But, I've also always wanted to build an EUB. I don't know why it took me so long to think of this but...

...is there any reason why I can't just buy a premade neck and fingerboard and use that as the basis of my own build? That's the most difficult part. After putting that together I'm halfway there. I'm not super skilled at wood working, but I feel pretty confident that I could make a basic EUB body, and come up with a bridge.

Tell me why I'm wrong before I go drop $300 on parts that I can't use...
 
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#3
Note: I'm not a luthier. But I have opinions. :D

If you can afford to put the time and money into this project, why not?

That said, if all you do is take a neck, bolt it to a 2x4 and stick some cheap pickups on it, it will end up sounding like a bad fretless.

To get it sounding even remotely decent, you'll likely need piezo pickups. To make it usable with a bow, the neck and fingerboard have to be in an arc, and wider than a typical bass neck.

You also have to decide if it will be long and have some sort of foot, or if it will mount on a stand.

In other words, this project isn't as simple as just slapping a few pieces of wood together. If it was, there would be a lot more cheap EUBs out there.
 
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#4
"Why I'm an Idiot" - there.

BTW I don't think thats a bad idea. If possible, get a EUB neck with adjustable relief. Dressing DB neck is considered luthiers black art and is hard to get right. Maybe start with damaged EUB, like Stagg and rebuild body.
 
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#6
Good to hear someone is game for this. I did it a few years back and while I will probably never recover the $ spent on her it has provided immeasurable pleasure and satisfaction.
To answer your question I think it depends on your character. If you are handy with tools, love solving practical challenges (trust me there will be LOTS) and have the time, go for it. My project is kinda never ending because I am still finding things to improve - currently adding magnetic pickups for more versatility in her sound.
Look forward to progress reports :cool:
 
#8
To be clear I was talking about a fingerboard like this:
upload_2020-7-1_20-19-2.png


And a neck like this:
upload_2020-7-1_20-23-41.png


Though...those necks look a little sketchy....so, I may just do that on my own...
 
#9
...I wouldn't say you're any more of an idiot than this guy... ;) :D




ii7-V7 said:
I've always wanted an EUB. But, I've also always wanted to build an EUB. I don't know why it took me so long to think of this but...

...is there any reason why I can't just buy a premade neck and fingerboard and use that as the basis of my own build? That's the most difficult part. After putting that together I'm halfway there. I'm not super skilled at wood working, but I feel pretty confident that I could make a basic EUB body, and come up with a bridge.

Tell me why I'm wrong before I go drop $300 on parts that I can't use...
Click to expand...
 
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#10
I'm a pretty experienced woodworker and wo9uld consider a project like this possibly doable but a challenge. If you're not that experienced at woodworking, it may be above your pay grade to get a good bass in the end. Go for it if you are motivated, but I'd have lots of questions (and hope for someone experienced to answer) if I were to take this on myself.
 
#11
I say go for it, but keep your expectations realistic.
Enjoy the process, regard it as something that will teach you a lot about what you need to know about building them, keep asking for advice (not from me, I'm not a luthier) and be excited if your first one turns out to be fully playable.
Chances are you'll love it anyway because, by the time you're done, you'll be attached to the thing you've put so much time and work into.
 
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#12
I think the most effective road to having an EUB to play is to buy one made in a factory by people who've long since sorted out all the problems of building one.

On the other hand, the only way to experience the pride and joy of having built your own instrument is to build your own instrument.

if I wanted to take this on, I'd probably buy a not-too-expensive one, get used to it, and then use that knowledge to build my own.
 
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#13
turf3 said:
I think the most effective road to having an EUB to play is to buy one made in a factory by people who've long since sorted out all the problems of building one.

On the other hand, the only way to experience the pride and joy of having built your own instrument is to build your own instrument.

if I wanted to take this on, I'd probably buy a not-too-expensive one, get used to it, and then use that knowledge to build my own.
Click to expand...
That, and look at the range of approaches people have already taken. Just between my WAV4 and Stico there are wildly different philosophies, but there are others in the market that have gone in other directions again.
 
#14
You aren't nuts! Not until you did what I did! I started with a two string stick bass I made out of some Home Depot maple, got a cheap combo amp, and I felt that was the neatest thing ever. A one time thing, just to see if it works. Then the bug hit, it took about 25 different basses before I felt like I had a handle on what worked, what didn't, what I liked, what I didn't, and then you still never really know what it will sound like til you plug it in! My family thought I was nuts. I experimented with different scale lengths; different woods and masses; body types; necks,types,construction,fingerboards; lots of different hardware; bridges, wood, metal, floating, fixed; pickups (magnetic - cheapies, name brands, locations--piezos, rods, discs, ribbons, cables, under saddle, in saddle, under bridge, under soundboard, cheapies, expensive ones--piezos only, mag only, both combined); lots of electronic circuits; strings (oh my, there sure are a lot of strings out there!); endpins, attachments and location, endpin tips, etc, etc. It was actually a lot of fun, but one caveat: if you think you are going to duplicate a DB sound, save your time and money and get and learn a DB. You cannot change physics. Nothing wrong with using a bass guitar neck, but in my opinion, the best sound you can get is a nice pizzicato EUB sound, or a nice fretless bass guitar sound with piezo pickups--and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that, plus you will end up with a more ergonomically comfortable bass instrument to play! Good luck.
 
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#15
I've thought about this a lot, too. It seems you could even salvage the neck, bridge and tailpiece from a busted DB that should all theoretically fit together, get a piezo that will work with the bridge, and then construct a body will somehow accept the neck, house the preamp, and some sort of endpin. It definitely seems possible if you have access to an equipped woodworking shop. The result might actually be better than most commercially available EUBs.
 
#16
For me at least, building a EUB is more of an art than one might think. Carving the neck and shaping the fingerboard is a skill that’s acquired over several years as a apprentice luthier. The pickup selection requires a great deal knowledge of how to adapt a piezo to work on a solid body instrument. Ned Steinberger’s NS Designs have pickups he engineered and designed for those basses. Just my take.
 
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#19
I built my first guitar at age 12, surrounded by an orchestra of doubters who laughed at my idea and told me it could not be done.

Luckily, there were a couple of bright examples who encouraged me- not because they thought a 12 year old could make a master grade instrument, but because they knew it was a way to inspire curiosity and attention to detail and craft that were incredibly valuable life skills that are lacking in our traditional education model. Those people impacted my life more than they will ever imaging and fostered a lifelong love of instruments and problem solving with my hands.

If you have the desire, give it a try. Take a good look at the resources available, ask a lot of questions, generally be a well informed learner. If you get in a place where you need more, facetime me at the shop and I'm sure we can work it out....
 
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