Yeah, but you should join for the fun!
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Winter Build Off 2018 - Walnut Free For All
- Thread starter Scoops
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- 2018 build walnut winter build off
Yeah, but you should join for the fun!
Ductapeman
Ringmaster and Resident Geriatric
Okay, this is not a serious contender, but it deserves to be shown here-- this was my primary bass for many years. The body is Circassian walnut and was made by my old friend Doug Hitch, who at the time was running the Set and Model Shop at The Evergreen State College-- had to be 1973 or '74, mostly just to see if we could do it. The body routs were painted with silver paint by Mike Lull when he was just the repair guy (and fellow circuit bassist) at the old Bandstand East in Bellevue, the "east side" of Seattle-- the neck and remaining parts came off a 1965 Precision I bought disassembled in a paper bag from the late Larry Gearon at the other Bandstand in Lakewood, WA "As Seen On COPS"-- someone had tried to rewire it with sheet metal solder, and all the connections were corroding-- gave the body and electronics to a pal who had had his bass stolen so he could build a cheap replacement, shoved everything else into the walnut body, then plugged the beast into a GMT head and proceeded to play it until the frets were below the level of the fretboard-- I didn't know you could do that-- As soon as my poor luthier guy recovers from an evil case of kidney stones I'll be talking to him about a refret-- (Sorry, do not know why my stupid iPhone always rotates photos when they post-- )
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Not an entry, just a meditation on using Walnut...
Nick Lloyd Basses | Exceptional Double Bass Luthiery | Cincinnati, Ohio
Nick Lloyd Basses | Exceptional Double Bass Luthiery | Cincinnati, Ohio
We got featured in the Talkbass email, so we'll probably see a little more traffic.
To everyone who is just visiting the Luthiers Corner, the real magic is happening in everyone's threads, linked in the first post of this thread. Except mine, my bass is still just blocks of wood
-Jake
To everyone who is just visiting the Luthiers Corner, the real magic is happening in everyone's threads, linked in the first post of this thread. Except mine, my bass is still just blocks of wood
-Jake
We got featured in the Talkbass email, so we'll probably see a little more traffic.
To everyone who is just visiting the Luthiers Corner, the real magic is happening in everyone's threads, linked in the first post of this thread. Except mine, my bass is still just blocks of wood
-Jake
Yes Indeed!
We have @paul to thank for that
I love that you guys are doing this! What do you all do with your basses once built? Are you each keeping them and playing them, or do you sell to finance the next one . . . or ???
You might think this is crazy, but at last summer's ISB convention, a bunch of luthiers got together to build an upright bass in a week. Here's the story, with a link to pictures. International Society of Bassists - 2017 ISB Convention - Build-A-Bass
Keep up the good, fun, honor system work!!
Jacque
You might think this is crazy, but at last summer's ISB convention, a bunch of luthiers got together to build an upright bass in a week. Here's the story, with a link to pictures. International Society of Bassists - 2017 ISB Convention - Build-A-Bass
Keep up the good, fun, honor system work!!
Jacque
Personally I try to sell what I make, but I end up keeping them, at least for a little while. I'm overrun right now. I need a better plan than building the next one when the last one is finished!
If someone says "Ooh that's so cool! Can I buy it?" I'll sell it. Hasn't happened yet, though.
I've sold locally, and have had inquiries from people here on TB, but most of what I make here is private stock until I retire. Then I open an E-Store and everything will be for sale. That's my plan and I'm sticking to it.
Until it comes time to sell.....
"Weeel....I'm kinda fond of that one".....
"Weeel....That was my first"....etc...etc....etc....
I sold my first build in about 1968 and have kicked myself regularly since. I was young and stupid back then, now I'm no longer young!
It was almost a complete pile of rubbish, more of a bass shaped object, but it was my first build.
It did have one redeeming feature, a low impedance humbucking pickup (totally by accident!) with a transformer to boost the output so there was enough oomph to drive an amp.
In it's defence it didn't sound too bad and it got me playing bass. That was until the neck started to bend like a banana and it became unplayable above the 3rd fret. At that point I sold it to another kid who was convinced he could fix it.
(You can't expect much more from a 16 y.o. armed with only with a few hand tools, a set of plans for an acoustic guitar from a woodworking magazine, and boundless enthusiasm.)
It was almost a complete pile of rubbish, more of a bass shaped object, but it was my first build.
It did have one redeeming feature, a low impedance humbucking pickup (totally by accident!) with a transformer to boost the output so there was enough oomph to drive an amp.
In it's defence it didn't sound too bad and it got me playing bass. That was until the neck started to bend like a banana and it became unplayable above the 3rd fret. At that point I sold it to another kid who was convinced he could fix it.
(You can't expect much more from a 16 y.o. armed with only with a few hand tools, a set of plans for an acoustic guitar from a woodworking magazine, and boundless enthusiasm.)
I've made an all walnut bass (except for the fingerboard) and I absolutely love it. The story on this bass is way cool!
Until it comes time to sell.....
"Weeel....I'm kinda fond of that one".....
"Weeel....That was my first"....etc...etc....etc....
I've been there! I had people make offers on instruments that I have an emotional attachment to. I passed then. As I build more instrument, my emotions wander to others, and the initial attachment starts to fad.
We know cream rises to the top. By the time I retire, I will have built up a nice stable, I'll take the pick of the litter, and let everything else go. I'll be able to do that.
I've been thinking this myself lately. Maybe by the time I retire I'll have plenty of nice basses to choose from. I've only got about 35 more years, better hurry
I mostly keep them or make them for friends and family. Amazing how many "guitarists" appear in your personal networks when they know you build...
I'm not entering the 2018 Walnut Challenge competition, but I've actually just gotten started on a batch of three all-walnut AMB-2 Scroll Basses. I plan to have these three done by the end of February, and I'll be starting the next two or three some time in early February. I've got a steady backlog of orders for the walnut models, and that's pretty much all I'm going to be building through 2018. Steady production of walnut AMB-2's, plus completion of several prototypes of new models, also in walnut. This is the Year Of The Walnut.
The Year of the Walnut in the Dendrology Zodiac; like the Chinese Zodiac, but for trees.
