Mitch

It's basically a Jazz Bass setup. It will have 2 single-coil pickups, though I haven't chosen any particular model yet. The bridge will be just a standard hardtail. Since the top will be quite thin, I will glue a block under the bridge (not touching the back of the cavity) or leave a block of back wood under the bridge. I can't say I have ever had problems with a bass guitar feeding back before but then again, I have only ever played solid bodys.

Hi everyone I am in the planning stages of a new 4-string bass build. I have based the design on a Fender Jazz Bass with a 1/4" to 1/2" thick, flat top (possibly western red cedar) and a hardwood back. Anyway, I want to heavily chamber the body to gain the warmer, more resonant tone of a hollow body but I am worried this may cause feedback issues. For this reason, I think it may be a good idea to incorporate a centre block, and this is my quandary, I'm not sure if I need to have a full-length centre block, a block only under the pickups or a block only under the bridge. I'm aware that there are various different causes of feedback (sympathetic resonance of the strings, microphonic pickups etc.) but I don't know which type is most likely to cause problems. Or will the top be thick enough to fully chamber and have no feedback issues? Would a full centre block still allow me the tone I am looking for? Thanks Mitch

Oakie Doke 5 This is my second proper build but my last build before this was three years ago (I'm now 17 years old). I have come across many new things and learned a lot. Specs: All the wood except the veneer and the fretboard has been locally sourced and was grown within a few miles of where I live. Body: Burl oak top and sycamore back with a thin layer of cedar between Neck: 3 laminates of cherry (the centre laminate is from a different tree hence the colour difference) Fretboard: Indian rosewood with spalted beech inlay 34" scale length 5 strings (BEADG) Through-neck 24 frets 10" radius Chrome hardware 3-layer bound fretboard My own body shape design Seymour Duncan Basslines Phase II pickup Volume control Tone control with push/pull to switch between 2 different capacitor values (one is a standard tone control, one has a high cutoff point to subtly smooth out the sound) Second tone control (with very low cutoff point)

Hi everyone! It has been a little while since I last posted as I took a 2 or 3 year break from guitar making. I'm 17 now and hopefully my gain in patience will more than compensate for my forgetting of knowledge. It's great to be back! Anyway, I'm building a 5-string electric bass at the moment and I'm mapping out the fretboard to find what shape I need to cut it to. On basses, the standard gap between the outer edge of the string and the edge of the fretboard is 4mm. I was wondering if anyone has ever tried making a tapered gap, maybe a 3mm gap at the nut to a 5mm gap at the 12th fret. It would make sense as, near the nut, the string is less likely to slip off the edge of the fretboard. Thanks for your help. Mitch

I had the same problem exactly. Only it didnt end up being okay in the end because i destroyed the pot with the heat from the soldering iron. Whoopsie!

If i was doing that build I would leave the orange peel and say it was supposed to look like a fruit. But you probably wont wanna do that. http://lmgtfy.com/?q=orange+peel+on+guitar+paint+

I don't believe in string sweet spots. I try to get the pickups as far apart as possible to get the widest range of tone.

Sorry guys. Didn't realise. I'm sure I've been told that was what quilted was but I just can't remember where.

Remember quilted maple is just flame maple on its side. Flame maple is flatsawn and quilted is quarter sawn. People don't usually use quartersawn maple for guitar necks.

I think the stripes look pretty good. I would have grain filled it though but i guess the wood grain showing through is okay. I would also sort out a cover of some sort for the battery instead of sellotape. Overall though it's a pretty awesome looking guitar.

I always find it interesting what some folks notice when we see the WIP pics. It's okay. I use my little sisters pink bang on the door protractor all the time.

You have done an amazing job of matching up the cap. If you hadn't told me I would have thought it was 1 piece. This is looking like a very nice guitar so far.

Oops. Didn't read it properly. Sorry guys.

Flatsawn maple is fine. It was either martin koch or melvyn hiscock thats suggested flatsawn maple rather than quartersaw maple in their book. I'm not so sure about 45 degree though

The teak that grows in sand actually sucks sand up into the trunk or so i have been told and can spark when it's cut(probably not to good for blades and stuff).