Winter 2017 Build-off - Wing bass

[Jisch]

My dad is a semi-professional woodworker, so "my" first bass was mostly "his" first bass. I described what needed to be done and he did most of the actual work. I sold that bass a few years ago, I'll have to see if I can find a picture of it. It is a five string fretted built with a neck I bought from Carvin. It came out good considering it was my first bass, the body was huge though.

If you wanted to dip your toe into the whole thing start with a kit, but really if you go slow, and look through a lot of the threads here on LC, don't be afraid to ask questions, you can make a credible first bass for sure.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

How thick is the maple desk top? Most basses are 1-1/4" to 1-1/2" thick. You could always laminate the maple to a slab of less figured wood like mahogany. If you want to build a bass, start with a good set of templates, either buy some for typical Fender body styles, or make your own custom template. The template needs to be as close to perfect as you can make it, it's the basis of the build.

 

[NicholasBT]

Hi!
Amazing!!
I am planing to make one i saw you secured the strings on the nut part with the string balls, how did you attach it to the bridge? Does that bridge has a locking system? If yes, which bridge is it?

 

[Jisch]

There are two four string systems out on ebay.

One is the "Overlord" system, I didn't buy that one just because I hated the Overlord stamp in bridge. I found out afterwards that the ball ends of the strings need to go on the bridge end, which would mean you'd need to clamp the string on the head.

I bought this one. It's more expensive than the overlord one, but the strings go inside holes and get wrapped around an axle, so the ball ends go up on the headstock. It works great, I built two basses with this system and they both stay in tune and are easy to adjust. New Black Roller saddle 4 String Bass Guitar Bridge for Headless Bass Guitar T4 | eBay

You could also use individual tuners like the ones I used on my most recent build from Mera Guitars, but they are $50/, so that's an expensive way to go.