Cypher Posted November 30, 2004 Report Share Posted November 30, 2004 Well, I've been visiting this forum on and off for about 2 months now and you guys have inspired my to try my hand at building a bass for myself...However I need some advice as the materials I should use... Firstly...What kind of woods should I use, I want a kind of mellow sound from it but I'd also like it to be playable to some heavier stuff when cranked up loud...Preferaly a dark wood but if it can be stained then that's ok... Same kinda thing for the pickups but I'm not a pick-up guy, pick-ups confuse me a bit because there are just so many... Anyway, if you have any suggestions or tips on my first guitar then please shoot for it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SawDust_Junkie Posted November 30, 2004 Report Share Posted November 30, 2004 Hello there Cypher ! Nice to meet ya ! One of our fellow PG members has been good enough to cover some of the questions you have about wood. Take a look at this link: http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...ic=9222&hl=wood I can't really offer any advice on pickups as I am not a bass player myself. But I suspect that just as with woods, there are certain pickups that are know for certain tones and qualities, the end decision is really up to personal preference and tastes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveq Posted November 30, 2004 Report Share Posted November 30, 2004 I think most people would agree that alder is a good, versatile wood. Mahagony is another good choice I think. Both are easy to work with. Mahagony is a bit more work to finish but not bad. If you are limited to buying what is available locally, let us know what your choices are. I would recommend sticking to a known shape, design such as a gibson, fender, ibanez, ... The idea being not to make more work and frustration for yourself dealing with design issues and allowing you to concentrate on the woodworking itself. This isn't something that you have to do but I think it helps people who are getting started. Get some plans if yo can. There are some drawings available here (if you donate) and there are other places who sell printed plans as well. I'd also consider getting some (if not all) parts in before you go too far with the woodworking. You can skip this as you gain more experience but I think when you're getting started - it helps to have the parts in hand. Pickups are difficult to decide on - there are so many opinions. Maybe you can try out a guitar at a local shop (made of the same type wood) and see which pickups sound good to you? Seymour Duncan has a great return policy (although I have not made use of it yet) - you can return any pickup within 30 days (I think it's 30) for a different model. Pickups do make a big difference in the sound so it is important to be selective and not just go cheap or take whatever you can get. Good luck and have fun with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cypher Posted November 30, 2004 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2004 You guys are a great help! Thanks! As for the designs...Although, yes that would be possible, I was hoping to make this MY bass but now that you've mentioned it, since im new it probably would be better to use other plans... I can get nearly all woods because there is a timber factory about 500 metres from me... As for trying guitars...No such luck...the good guitar shop doesn't do basses and the other shop has a stingy old owner that if you breathe on the guitar he'll kick you out... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveq Posted November 30, 2004 Report Share Posted November 30, 2004 Well, if you really want to do something different - I don't want to scare you off. It certainly can be done. You'll just need to understand scale length, pickup location, neck pocket requirements (if you have one), ... In other words, be careful and draw it out full size. If you do that, you should be fine. It's a big project so it should end up being something that you really want and will be proud of. I've just seen a few people forget about a few things in their designs and all of a sudden, there's no room for a pickup or something like that. Bummer about the guitar shop. Crud. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primal Posted December 1, 2004 Report Share Posted December 1, 2004 You first need to ask yourself what style of pickups you want. Do you like Jazz basses? Precision basses? Or maybe a P and J? Musicman? Humbucker? Most of the characteristics (in my opinion of course) will come from your pickups. You need to decided what type of pickup allows you to get that mellow tone you like and still be able to play heavier stuff. From there you can explore your pickup choices. There are all kinds of great pickups out there from EMGs, Seymour Duncans, Bartolinis, or even Fenders. As for a dark wood, I would suggest mahogany or possibly walnut. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickguard Posted December 1, 2004 Report Share Posted December 1, 2004 You guys are a great help! Thanks! As for the designs...Although, yes that would be possible, I was hoping to make this MY bass I hear you...see the picture under my user name? That's the project I'm working on right now--I'm cutting and reshaping a telecaster to make this. The advantage of doing it this way is that I don't have to worry about the neck pocket and bridge placement...and I don't have to build my own neck. I plan to do a few of these before I go ahead and make my own from scratch. Although I don't think I'll ever try to make my own neck. I suggest you get ahold of bass you like well enough and build your design around the core (the line of the neck pocket ---bridge---bout). If you can draw a little bit, you can design your own shape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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