• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Wanting to start building basses

Nydhog

Nydhog

Guest
Aug 27, 2014
168
75
39
Louisville, KY
Disclosures
Endorsed by Eminence Speaker, Endorsed by Harper Guitar's
#1
So I have done quite a bit of research into the subject of building basses but there are a few things I can't seem to find a good answer for:

1) Is it worthwhile to buy woods like MDF or basic grade lumber to practice cutting out and routing bodies before investing in the high end quality woods? As much as I'd love to say right off the bat I have faith I could buy that Swamp Ash body blank and carve out what I want first try I don't see that happening or being worth the investment. I had heard poplar is a decent cheap choice to practice on. Thoughts?

2) I have basic woodworking skills but am a very quick learner, and also have access to all the tools I need and a friend who does a lot of woodworking. The hardest thing I have built to date was essentially an outdoor roofed deck. How difficult is a bass to build realistically?

3) The biggest question I have had a hard time finding an answer for: Is it worth it to buy body blanks, or am I better off ordering lumber from a website and gluing multi section pieces?
 
#2
I've built mockups out of multiple laminations of plywood and MDF just to try out techniques. It's not a perfect analog, as neither plywood or MDF will machine like solid wood, but a whole lot cheaper to learn on. If you already have a neck, that's a good way to guestimate the balance and ergonomics of a design with a mockup body. I've had good luck with pre-made body blanks. Try try find a source where you can get photos of the actual blank you are buying, which is usually possible through smaller vendors, not so much with high volume suppliers. I found a gorgeous solid mahogany blank on e-bay, all one piece, but most will be two-piece glue ups. Poplar may be OK for a painted finish, probably no good for stained as it often has green or black streaks. if this is your first bass, I'd buy a neck. The body is pretty basic stuff, but the neck can be really challenging, and difficult to fix if you screw it up. I'm about to try building a neck-through bass from scratch, so I'll be learning neck construction first-hand! There are some good books out there, but you can find tutorials on virtually every phase of guitar building on Youtube. Good luck!
 
#3
using high grade wood on your initial attempts at making something remotely 'playable' is like deciding you want to play bass and then ordering a top-end custom Alembic 7-string before ever touching a bass. look thru the history here in the LC and you'll an unending number of 1st build posts that utilize high end $$$ lumber ... and the great overwhelming majority of these builds highlight design flaws that can't be overcome into a great playing instrument and therefore never get completed before the person moves on to a new build or some other hobby. it's really sad to see all of the waste from so many who fail to grasp the concept of learning new skills utilizing inexpensive materials.

my thoughts on your questions -

1) MDF is good for templates, but not for carving. use something inexpensive like Poplar so you can develop your skills by utilizing inexpensive and sustainable woods. then, when you're ready for expensive woods, obtain a sample to work with so you can discover how it behaves while being worked and glued. this way you'll know how to make compensations for when you use it on the body or neck you're making

2) the answer to your question involves honestly answering how good you are with attention to fine details and understanding how tolerances work when mating different parts together

3) this all depends on what you want to accomplish, what tools you have available, and what lumber is locally available. it can be good to order a pre-made/finished body and neck from AllParts (or similar) and work an assembly with parts that will need little massaging to make a very playable instrument. next build your own body from a body blank and mate it with a premade neck. after that build a body from rough lumber and mate it with a premade neck. and lastly learn how to make a neck from rough lumber and mate it with a body you make. there is a progression of skill acquisition needed to achieve excellent results by following this workflow - proceed to the next phase only when you have solid results from the step you're working at. with this approach you'll have the skills needed to craft a neck when the time is right to make your own, and you'll have discovered where you need to hold dimensions to tight tolerances and where you can exhibit your creative flair
 
#4
I used 2x4s to make a prototype before I tried it with the real stuff the first time. When it came time to cut our the nice stuff the first time, it worked out great. There are some steps that you don't think about when you are just looking at it on paper. Order of operation is important and you only really get a sense of this by building one. Then another and another until you know what works for you.

I agree with everything Rod said above as well. That's solid advice.
 
#5
Basic woodworking skills are important, and experience building other things (decks, cabinets, etc) is certainly helpful, but the biggest difference I think you'll find between that and truly successful instrument construction is that lutherie tolerances are measured in millimeters or smaller and the level of precision required is astronomically higher.

Don't be afraid to dive into it, just start with something basic and don't try to go to crazy at first like what some of us put up on the LC. With each successive instrument you'll get a little better.

Lonnybass
 
#6
Thank you both for your replies! Devo_Stevo: For a bass build, how many 2x4's would I need to fashion together to make a decent blank to start from? Lonny: Oh no. No no. My ultimate goal is to build a BC Rich body style bass out of either Swamp Ash or Bubinga, but that's a ways down the line lol. I am equally content starting on the tried-and-true Fender P-Bass body shape as it seems to be one of the most common successful starter projects (and for a reason). Rodent: Thanks as well.
 
#8
Mine was a neck through. I used 4' for the neck, so I would guess that you could get by easily with (2) 8' 2x4s. Probably just one 2x6 depending on how wide your body design is and if you are doing a separate neck and body or a neck through where the width of the neck is part of the body width as well.

Either way, start with a good plan drawn out full scale and you'll have a much better idea of how much material you will need.
 
#9
One option you might consider is to check the TB classifieds for cheap project basses that other members are unloading. There are always bass bodies that need to have some work done and hardware installed for under $50 and many are practically being given away. These are perfect to try routing and reshaping, modifying, body filling, prep and finishing. Cheap, individual necks seem plentiful as well.

Similarly, you can buy a complete bass that needs work and is selling for dirt cheap. This is a great project for rebuilding from the ground up. Completely rework the body. Cut the headstock to a new, custom shape. Ditch the stock parts and install quality hardware, pickups and electronics. Do a refret, etc...

After you get a couple of these done, sell them and use the money to buy some quality wood and start from scratch.

BTW, are you planning on doing your own finishing (paint, clear, tung oil, nitro, stain or whatever)?
 
Last edited:
#10
Nydhog said:
So I have done quite a bit of research into the subject of building basses but there are a few things I can't seem to find a good answer for:

1) Is it worthwhile to buy woods like MDF or basic grade lumber to practice cutting out and routing bodies before investing in the high end quality woods? As much as I'd love to say right off the bat I have faith I could buy that Swamp Ash body blank and carve out what I want first try I don't see that happening or being worth the investment. I had heard poplar is a decent cheap choice to practice on. Thoughts?

2) I have basic woodworking skills but am a very quick learner, and also have access to all the tools I need and a friend who does a lot of woodworking. The hardest thing I have built to date was essentially an outdoor roofed deck. How difficult is a bass to build realistically?

3) The biggest question I have had a hard time finding an answer for: Is it worth it to buy body blanks, or am I better off ordering lumber from a website and gluing multi section pieces?
Click to expand...


If you practice on mdf, you could make it your template for the real body. I wouldn't try to do anything more than that with mdf though. Wear a dust mask!

If you want to practice on 2x4s or something, go for it!

Building basses is not much like building something like a deck, in my opinion. It should be a fun and interesting transition though. Basses require a lot more precision like the others have mentioned. Some things need to be really flat and level, some things need to be glued with really clean glue joints, and you'll pay much more attention to shaping and sanding to perfection and making the finish look as nice as you can. That being said, the difficulty level is high on planning, patience, and follow through. The actual woodworking aspect of it isn't too bad except when mistakes come up and you have to figure out how to make repairs, but the people here are really good at helping!

Also, you say you have access to all the tools you need, but have you thought about the specialty tools for fretboards/frets? You can buy a pre-made neck if you want or sometimes you can find other tools that can work similarly to some fretting tools, but a lot of times it works a lot better with the right tools.

For your last question, I'd just say to search around and see what you can find and choose based on that. You don't need a "body blank", but sometimes it can be easier than jointing and gluing wood.
 
#11
I figure for the first bass or two I would focus on the body and I would just get a Warmoth neck with a blank headstock and cut it to the shape I need. But if I end up getting good and taking the building of bodies seriously, I'd happily buy all the tools I'd ever need.
 
  • Like
Reactions: lbridenstine
#14
I have some thoughts:

1) Poplar is a great choice for practice wood. So is red oak, if you want to get a handle on what ash is like to work with. MDF is good for making templates, but patternmaker's plywood is better. I rarely use MDF anymore for anything more than a waste surface for my drill press, etc.

2) None of the individual tasks involved in making a bass are difficult. Some take more finesse, some take more precision. The hard part is knowing the order in which to do things. Drilling holes, following router templates, using a rasp, file, handsaw, etc...none of these things are hard by themselves. If you look at it as a great collection of lots of individual tasks, it will seem less intimidating and get to be pretty dang doable.

As precision goes...it gets better with practice. When I first started, I had a hard time measuring much more accurately than 1/16". As a result, a lot of fitted things were pretty sloppy and required adjustment and fixes. Now that I've got about a half-dozen full instruments behind me, I use a digital caliper and a rule with 1/64" and 0.5mm graduations. Things fit much better now.

Finesse is something you'll have to learn over time.

3) Regarding body blanks: If you have a thickness planer, jointer, drum sander, and lots of long clamps, then by all means do buy lumber and build your own blank. If not, buy a pre-made blank. If you have those tools, or have cheap and ready access to those tools, you can save a *LOT* of money buying and processing the lumber yourself.

Nydhog said:
I figure for the first bass or two I would focus on the body and I would just get a Warmoth neck with a blank headstock and cut it to the shape I need. But if I end up getting good and taking the building of bodies seriously, I'd happily buy all the tools I'd ever need.
Click to expand...

It may be logical to buy a neck and build the body, but honestly I think you are depriving yourself of some of the most enjoyable work involved in making a bass if you do so. Profiling the neck is my favorite part. I think it's where the real artistry comes into it.

lbridenstine said:
One small bit of advice that I had to learn the hard way, always drill pilot holes for screws and use a normal screw driver, not powered, to screw them in. I have stripped and broken off so many screws from using a power drill on the screws. The wood is just too hard for the screws to turn that fast or something.
Click to expand...

I use power screwdrivers for bridge screws, straplok screws, cavity cover screws, and neck screws. I also use stainless steel screws wherever possible. For bridge and neck screws, I use a 12v lithium-ion screwdriver. It has a lot of power and drives the screws in quickly and painlessly. It also has an adjustable clutch, so it doesn't break anything. For cavity cover screws, I use a smaller 4v lithium-ion screwdriver. It has an adjustable clutch and a speed adjustment so I don't break anything. About the only thing I use manual screwdriver for is those tiny tuner retainer screws.
 
Last edited:
#15
You can buy an 8' long 1x8 from home depot, cut it into four 24" lengths glue two flat sides together, joint the edges, and glue the edges together. This will give you a perfectly sized body blank to work with for about $20 bucks. If it is a total disaster you aren't out much, if it turns out to be a good instrument, then you know the blank is made from a decent material. This is of course best suited for a solid color instrument.

Like others have mentioned, start with a prefabricated neck. Guitarfetish.com sells a decent neck for about $40, spend another $60 for a fret job and they are a nice bang for the buck. MightyMite necks are about $100 new, but I haven't gotten one of them that didn't need fret work either.

The most useful in a builders arsenal is a router. Don't skimp on this tool, make sure you buy one that has 1/4" and 1/2" collets, most cheaper ones only have 1/4". I strongly recommend Porter-Cable.

There is no such thing as to many clamps
 
#16
But if I end up getting good and taking the building of bodies seriously, I'd happily buy all the tools I'd ever need.
Click to expand...

ha! ha! ha! ha! ha! ha! I remember uttering almost that very same phrase two moves, three shops, three NAMM Shows, and a mortgage worth of tools/materials ago.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jonny5bass and Nydhog
#17
Hopkins said:
You can buy an 8' long 1x8 from home depot, cut it into four 24" lengths glue two flat sides together, joint the edges, and glue the edges together. This will give you a perfectly sized body blank to work with for about $20 bucks. If it is a total disaster you aren't out much, if it turns out to be a good instrument, then you know the blank is made from a decent material. This is of course best suited for a solid color instrument.
Click to expand...

What kind of wood would I be asking for from them for this?

Rodent said:
ha! ha! ha! ha! ha! ha! I remember uttering almost that very same phrase two moves, three shops, three NAMM Shows, and a mortgage worth of tools/materials ago.
Click to expand...

This is what I my wife fears as well lmao
 
#20
if you want to visit a lumber supplier that should have better selection and pricing that Home Depot or Lowes, check this place out

Marwood, Inc. - [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

they're in Jefferson, IN (which is about 10 miles across the river from Louisville, KY)
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back