Andyjr1515 Posted February 16, 2017 Report Share Posted February 16, 2017 Hi Yes - me again. And Pete again!! For those who haven't seen the other threads, Pete is our old-blokes-band's bassist and, for reasons that I don't fully understand, is my best customer. I can only assume that the low frequencies and our band's general bad playing has somehow shaken up his brain cells to the point that he can't differentiate between properly made instruments and my hobbyist efforts Hmmm.......or that he has realised how much cheaper my efforts are.....and that he can always get them fixed if they ever go wrong (which happily they never have yet)...or that maybe he's dating MrsAndyjr1515 while muggins is down in the cellar wading through sawdust.... Anyway, so far I have built him a Jack Bruce Warwick-style fretless bass, an SG-style 6-string electric and an EB3-style fretted bass. And now he wants me to build him a piccolo bass! So, first question to ask, 'What's a piccolo bass?' OK - there are multiple answers to that so, to cut to the chase, this is what I'm going to build him, whether it's what he's expecting or not: A guitar-sized bass, pitched at an octave higher than a normal bass, which makes it, essentially, a 4 string guitar To try to get a non-electric guitar tone: going for a single, mid-biased rails pickup in the neck position; multi-scale (26" at bass side and 25" at treble); flatwound strings Figured walnut top, with teardrop f hole and chamber; mahogany wings; maple and mahogany laminated through-neck; snakewood fretboard; 24 frets Here's broadly what it's going to look like (I'll actually reduce the angle at the nut and increase it at the multi-element bridge: Here's the top: ..and the main components with the neck splices cut, waiting gluing together: I'm looking forward to this one...probably in the same way as a small clueless child might look forward to scouts forest trip on the outskirts of Mordor. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted February 16, 2017 Report Share Posted February 16, 2017 Woohoo! It's on. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted February 16, 2017 Report Share Posted February 16, 2017 That's a nice looking walnut top, Claro Walnut I presume? Am I seeing back/body blanks with horizontal grain orientation? SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted February 16, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2017 16 minutes ago, ScottR said: That's a nice looking walnut top, Claro Walnut I presume? Am I seeing back/body blanks with horizontal grain orientation? SR No - it's chatter marks from the original sawing. It was a couple of boards originally destined for fancy flooring that were rejected because of that so I was able to pick them up relatively cheaply. The grain goes the other way (same board as I used on the Mouradian-ish back wings) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted February 16, 2017 Report Share Posted February 16, 2017 Ahhh. Now that you mention it, if I look more closely...and put some cheaters on, I can see the actual grain. You'll have a little bit of work to do cleaning that lot up. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted February 16, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2017 2 minutes ago, ScottR said: Ahhh. Now that you mention it, if I look more closely...and put some cheaters on, I can see the actual grain. You'll have a little bit of work to do cleaning that lot up. SR Actually, I'm going to cheat...and put it through the thicknesser... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted February 16, 2017 Report Share Posted February 16, 2017 Good call. I couldn't remember if you had one of those. I don't, but I'm pretty sure I'd like it if I did, SR 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted February 18, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 18, 2017 I ran the mahogany sections through the thicknesser to get rid of the saw chatter and then cut the sections, slightly oversize: With these kinds of top, I usually use the top as the routing template for the mahogany sections underneath once they are glued up and in place The next task is probably the fretboard. As you all know, I build these things slightly unconventionally and will be cutting a notch in the neck so the wings and body section of the neck become the flat surface for the top to be glued onto. However, the notch will be angled slightly to accommodate the neck angle, and the neck angle needed depends on the height of the fretted fretboard... Hmmm....multi-scale....snakewood... OK, well this could end up badly! One of these days I will build conventionally...I'm sure it must be more straightforward... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted February 18, 2017 Report Share Posted February 18, 2017 Conventionally? I don't think there reasonably is such a thing. There are established methods for getting from A to B, however that isn't always appropriate or convenient for everybody. You choose your battles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted February 18, 2017 Report Share Posted February 18, 2017 Yeah, to be unconventional is to be unique. To be unique is a worthwhile condition, at least in my book. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted February 18, 2017 Report Share Posted February 18, 2017 As long as that condition isn't liable to get one of us committed or medicated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted February 19, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2017 8 hours ago, Prostheta said: As long as that condition isn't liable to get one of us committed or medicated. Ahhh - a conditional condition. Hmmm this unconventionality is trickier than I thought.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted February 19, 2017 Report Share Posted February 19, 2017 I love unconventional. If it's adequately thought-out, works within set parameters, etc. then there's no reason it can't become conventional. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted February 19, 2017 Report Share Posted February 19, 2017 At which point some new element of unconventionality will have to be introduced.....just because. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted February 19, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 19, 2017 Well, with the normal warning that these threads are always simply about how I personally go about things and never that this is the way you should go about things, I'm into totally new territory: multi-scale and hand-cut fret slots. First I got into some decent light...I thought I'd give daylight a try for old-times' sake. I clamped a ruler to the fretboard to the workbench, at the angle that the strings will run at and starting at the angled nut position: Then a double-check, triple-check, quadruple-check measure against the treble scale and a sharp tap with a hardened metal point: Then ditto for the bass string run. Then clamping with a squared piece of wood, that has been cut at a height to allow 3mm blade exposure, using the saw's blade clamp strip to prevent the blade cutting too deep: Then gentle sawing against the wood block until the slot was formed, then hard sawing to depth. Snakewood is VERY hard...this is my exercise for the week sorted! And, if I've got everything correct...this should be a 26" to 25" fanned set of slots!: Only time will tell... And I must be losing my touch...that felt relatively conventional 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a2k Posted February 20, 2017 Report Share Posted February 20, 2017 Just came across these videos of the Marleaux Soprano bass. Maybe this project isn't so crazy! Now I want one... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted February 21, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2017 Excellent videos, @a2k . These broadly have the tone I had in my imagination - more bass, mild, vibe than a standard electric. If I can achieve at least this, I will be happy...anything more will be a bonus! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted February 21, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2017 Basically I've done all of the machining I need to do before gluing the wings and top onto the neck, excepting one thing I'm going to do next: As you can see, done is: the control chamber and cable run to it from the pickup position; the pickup cutout in the walnut top; the 'semi' chamber under the teardrop f-hole; the truss-rod slot. Final thing I have to do before anything gets glued is cut the neck plan-view shape. I'll do that once I've checked the positioning of everything...again....! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
curtisa Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 You missed an opportunity to cut the f-hole in the shape of one of your trademark Swifts Interesting to read/watch/hear about piccolo basses. I was previously vaguelly aware of them, but had always assumed they were tuned to sit somewhere between a regular bass and a standard guitar (say, pitched up a 4th from a 4-string bass, A/D/G/C) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted February 22, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 1 hour ago, curtisa said: You missed an opportunity to cut the f-hole in the shape of one of your trademark Swifts Interesting to read/watch/hear about piccolo basses. I was previously vaguelly aware of them, but had always assumed they were tuned to sit somewhere between a regular bass and a standard guitar (say, pitched up a 4th from a 4-string bass, A/D/G/C) Great minds think alike...I actually made a paper template originally to see what it looks like . And it looked rubbish . The guitar that is pitched somewhere between the bass and standard is the baritone. I can't remember what the standard tuning is of a baritone but it is pitched somewhere in that region. Ref the piccolo, the more usual arrangement is fitting of special piccolo strings to a standard bass and pitching up to the bottom 4 strings of a 6 string guitar. A few of the mainstream string manufacturers make strings for the purpose (including, I think, D'Addario). That would have been a more straightforward but much less exciting option Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 That walnut looks gorgeous Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted February 22, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 4 hours ago, Norris said: That walnut looks gorgeous Thanks, @Norris The top will be shaped with a smooth convex curve - I think that will suit the figuring nicely. Before I do that, though, I have to decide on 'do I or don't I?' for binding and, if I go ahead with some, how I want to do it: curve the top then apply an even binding (challenging) or bind it while the top is still flat but then have the binding varying in width round the curve (easier but maybe less visually attractive). I'll decide when I can see it with the top and back blocks all glued up (in progress with the glue curing as I type ) By the way, I should be able to bring this to the Basschat East Midlands bash if you're still planning on going Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted February 22, 2017 Report Share Posted February 22, 2017 Les Claypool's old Carl Thompson 4-string Walnut bass is a piccolo. 32" scale, if I recall however I don't think it has ever been strung as a piccolo bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norris Posted February 23, 2017 Report Share Posted February 23, 2017 19 hours ago, Andyjr1515 said: By the way, I should be able to bring this to the Basschat East Midlands bash if you're still planning on going Certainly. I'm hoping to bring a completed Nozcaster for you to have a gawp at 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andyjr1515 Posted February 23, 2017 Author Report Share Posted February 23, 2017 9 minutes ago, Norris said: Certainly. I'm hoping to bring a completed Nozcaster for you to have a gawp at Now THAT'S the kind of fighting talk I like 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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