Scratch bass build- "The Folly"

Hi gang,

As I now have access to some mighty fine (and fresh) timbers, plus a woodworking dad with a great array of tools, I have decided to attempt a bass build project.

At present I have only decided on the body shape for certain. I'm fairly sure the body wood will be Tassie Blackwood. I'm considering a semi-chambered body, but that is one of the many facets up in the air. A photo of the bodyshape template pre-cutout is attached for your amusement.

As the wood is yet to be selected (and seasoned- a 2yr wait!) there won't be too many updates initially. But I'll no doubt be asking a lot of questions!

I wish you good luck with it. 4, 5 or 6 string? Bolt-on, set-neck or thru-neck?

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Originally Posted by Simon Barden

I wish you good luck with it. 4, 5 or 6 string? Bolt-on, set-neck or thru-neck?

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Hee hee- these are all the things I'm mulling over!

At present (and this will undoubtedly change) I'm thinking 4string fretless with a Billy Sheehan style neck join (unorthodox bolt-on), 2 octave fingerboard with neck position P-bass pickup and piezo bridge.

Nice design bass guy! I'll follow this thread :)

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Originally Posted by Bass Guy

Hee hee- these are all the things I'm mulling over!

At present (and this will undoubtedly change) I'm thinking 4string fretless with a Billy Sheehan style neck join (unorthodox bolt-on), 2 octave fingerboard with neck position P-bass pickup and piezo bridge.

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With 2 years curing time plenty of time to imagine how you want it to be.

Nice shape and the long top horn should provide loads of balance when played on a strap.

Here is the body template cut out and rasped into some semblance of shape. I will square off the edges today and cut out the second template to work on neck pocket, pickup placement, possible chambering and control cavities. Then it's onto thinking about the neck...

Ohhhhh interesting

Really love that shape mate

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Originally Posted by Bass Guy

Then it's onto thinking about the neck...

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Yes. I'd definitely have one if I were you. ;)

Good stuff BG. The world can never have too many basses.

I will be following this thread with interest.

rob

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Originally Posted by Simon Barden

Yes. I'd definitely have one if I were you. ;)

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Yes! Headless basses are one thing but neckless??

Why not! With nothing to compare it to for scale, your bass body template could be 45" long!

A tale told by an idiot, if I might mix literary references.

On the left is the master template- to be used for the body shape on the selected timber.

On the right is the copy of the master template- a bit shonky, but not in the places it matters. This is to mark out pickup placement, neck pocket, chambering and cavities.

If you plan to use it for actual routing, you would be better off making the routing template bigger around the neck join area. Big enough so that both sides of the router base can be supported when routing the neck pocket. It makes it a lot easier.

But if it's just for working things out on, then fine.

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Originally Posted by Simon Barden

If you plan to use it for actual routing, you would be better off making the routing template bigger around the neck join area. Big enough so that both sides of the router base can be supported when routing the neck pocket. It makes it a lot easier.

But if it's just for working things out on, then fine.

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Erm, this is simply to show that the two templates exist... further decisions require sober consideration -I'm about to finish the second bottle of shiraz for the evening..Updates to follow in the morning!

May your morning be hangover-free.

I've sketched out some areas which will be carved away, leaving solid areas where necessary for bridge, pickup and neck join.

The trap? I initially measured the scale length from the back of the bridge- not from where the saddle will be seated. So back to the drawing board for the neck design a little bit. Just glad I caught it before cutting up valuable timber!

cool project Bassguy, so why did you move to Tassy ? I presume its fairly permanent ?

tassy blackwood is a very nice timber to use.

Interesting design. A little bit Status, a little bit Zon, a lot cool.

Just don't remove too much weight so that it becomes neck heavy. You can take out a lot of weight near the centre of gravity and it won't do much to the balance , but taking it away from the bridge-end, which is a long way away from the CofG, will have a much greater effect on the balance (principle of moments). All very difficult to calculate though, so just bear it in mind.

Absolutely! I'm looking at a high mass bridge and lightweight tuners which will help- but a lot of the final decision will be determined by the wood itself.

Tassy Blackwood can have some beautiful colour through it. Will be watching with interest Bass Guy. As your dad has probably said already, measure twice, cut once

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Originally Posted by Simon Barden

If you plan to use it for actual routing, you would be better off making the routing template bigger around the neck join area. Big enough so that both sides of the router base can be supported when routing the neck pocket. It makes it a lot easier.

But if it's just for working things out on, then fine.

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That is a pertinent suggestion Simon. I must adjust my PRS Routing templates.

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Originally Posted by FrankenWashie

That is a pertinent suggestion Simon. I must adjust my PRS Routing templates.

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I'm only repeating what I saw on here a few months ago.

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Originally Posted by Simon Barden

I'm only repeating what I saw on here a few months ago.

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I miss a lot of those little snippets, apparently you see all!

I do try to read everything and I'm just good at remembering stuff like that.

I have measured out the neck and pocket templates, allowing for the correct positioning of the bridge this time. Headstock is still to be decided upon but I'm seriously contemplating the pros and cons of a reverse headstock design. At present I'm just letting it percolate until it brews into something.

The next two shots will be self explanatory. I like the flowing organic look of #2, even though the chambering isn't as extensive as #1.

I've been mindful to ensure that there's enough support around the neck pocket area and the bridge/pickup block. Version 1 seemed a little fragile, and the increased mass at the bridge end will help alleviate sustain and balance issues.

I'm also thinking about the topography of the inner chambers- I will be considering the depths of the chambering throughout, and may even look at different rear chambers, depending on the thickness of the timber I'm using... (insert evil chuckle here)...

Idea 2 seems better to me, though I'd probably keep it solid in the area between the pickup and the neck pocket. There will be the upward pull on the neck joint from the strings, as well as an inwards compression force, so I'd suggest making that area as strong as possible.

If the strap button is going on the end of the top horn, just make sure the wood is thick enough to take the screw without it poking through on the inside. I use Schaller straplocks and always use the longer screws they come with for a bit more security.

After a bit of to-ing and fro-ing over the pros and cons of various designs- I have settled on the following as the first trial.

The plan is to get a body blank made of inexpensive low-ish grade wood and test out the before and after effects of the chambering, looking specifically at inherent acoustic amplification, weight relief and body balance.

A lot of this is theoretical guesswork at best and at worst experimentation of the "duhhh, I dunno" school, but results should be intriguing.

1 more post Bass guy!

It certainly looks an interesting experiment. Would you do something similar to Robin and build up you plank as a series of slices or just have a base (a Bass Base?), into which you rout your chambers, and a top to cover them?

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Originally Posted by FrankenWashie

It certainly looks an interesting experiment. Would you do something similar to Robin and build up you plank as a series of slices or just have a base (a Bass Base?), into which you rout your chambers, and a top to cover them?

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At this stage I'm pursuing the latter option as I also want get to grips with the build process as close as possible.

One more post?

Yep it was one more post for your 1k! Congrats!

Hooray for me! Hooray for Zoidberg!

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Originally Posted by Bass Guy

Hooray for me! Hooray for Zoidberg!

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Sorry, did you say something??!!

Finally decided on a Gibson-esque Brian May shape.

the body shape is different BG but think it will look cool ! Love the red special shape headstock

Yep.. I can see that working. If it were me I'd take about 5-10mm off the left hand side, while retaining the over all curve and shape. It just looks a wee bit 'heavy' on that side. But yeah, I like it. Finding an original shape while not looking ridiculous is very difficult.

I’m good on the body shape BG, though I think SM has a point about a thinning that top horn. The asymmetry of the body and the strict symmetry of the headstock seems to jar a bit to me, I would have thought something offset?

Re the top horn- it will be hollowed, so I want it to have some area to work with.

I've rejigged the headstock to an offest profile, but to be honest I prefer the May/Gibson style. Offset makes it look like a Washburn. Methinks I'll be keeping my own counsel.