Hughes Posted March 18, 2005 Report Share Posted March 18, 2005 im currently in the process of making a neck for a bass...its fine at the top, but compared to my ibanez bass, the lower part is smaller then the ibanez...it feels better in my hand, but im worried if the the strings will fit on it...any suggestions? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hughes Posted March 18, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2005 its about 1/2 inch to small, or about that...maybe i should just add some wood to Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hughes Posted March 19, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2005 another question, why do the necks go from skinny to big? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Setch Posted March 19, 2005 Report Share Posted March 19, 2005 ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hughes Posted March 19, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2005 hah, might i add im only 14 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassman Posted March 19, 2005 Report Share Posted March 19, 2005 (edited) my suggestion, get a book and read it... " Build Your Own Electric Guitar"... you will then hopefully know how to plan a guitar. After you know how to plan a guitar/bass then you can build one successfully. Just really make sure you know what you are doing before you start hacking away at the wood. Best of luck to you! 1/2 to small? make it a three string bass. Edited March 19, 2005 by bassman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hughes Posted March 19, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2005 hah, i wasnt even planning on making a neck, i have one in my old town, but i was bored Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devon Headen Posted March 19, 2005 Report Share Posted March 19, 2005 Yeah, 1/2" too small you might want to build a fire. I second the book suggestion. It's by Melvyn Hiscock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hughes Posted March 19, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2005 crap eh, yeah incase u were wondering it was all i had to work with Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted March 19, 2005 Report Share Posted March 19, 2005 Back in the day (like the late 1800s...) there actually were 3-string upright basses. I second the suggestion to press ahead and make a 3-string; if nothing else, you'll learn alot... ...especially after you read the Hiscock book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpa Posted March 19, 2005 Report Share Posted March 19, 2005 Well if you keep sanding you'll wind up with a "broom handle sticking out of a washtub" type of bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hughes Posted March 19, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2005 hahaha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hughes Posted March 19, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2005 couldnt the string spacing just be closer? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Sorbera Posted March 19, 2005 Report Share Posted March 19, 2005 (edited) I'm sorry but dont even take a tool to a peice of wood before you know more. Dont take that the wrong way. Just take a break and read a whole bunch. And check out this link fred board calculator. It's a .pdf you'll need adobe reader to view it. The string spacing and the fingerboard size is the biggest part of a guitar or bass. If you dont get that right your not going to be happy with the product at all. And the reason a guitar or bass neck gets bigger as it goes tward the bridge is if it diddnt it would feel really bad and be very hard to play. (If you dont know the measurments that go in the boxes in the link I posted stop, just stop.) Please correct me if I said something wrong. I'm really tired right now... Edited March 19, 2005 by Godin SD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devon Headen Posted March 19, 2005 Report Share Posted March 19, 2005 Godin is right. Getting the correct fretboard width and taper is one of the most important measurements for playability. It will have as much affect on the feel of the guitar as anything else. It's also one of the most overlooked things for new builders in my experience. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hughes Posted March 19, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 19, 2005 ok, thanks...i just hate wasting stuff, and im kinda choked that i made wrong meassurements... i will find somemore wood i guess Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickguard Posted March 19, 2005 Report Share Posted March 19, 2005 I'm sorry but dont even take a tool to a peice of wood before you know more. ← I disagree. Everyone has the right to make mistakes, and he probably learned a big lesson that he might not have taken seriously if he hadn't tried. I mean, it's just a piece of wood, what's the big deal? And he's only 14, it makes sense to just go for it. Hughes, why not try to rescue the neck? You could probably make a cool-looking laminated neck out of it...the outer layers can taper toward the headstock, it'll end up looking very cool. While you're scrounging around for the wood for that, take a few moments to read up on what you're doing too. Oh yeah, and about the three-string bass thing...I got along just fine as a bassplayer basically sticking to the E and A strings...'course, it was a different era back then... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hughes Posted March 20, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2005 haha thanks for that...the wood i was using was reaaallly thick (2 inches) so im just gonna cut n' double to make the right size Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devon Headen Posted March 20, 2005 Report Share Posted March 20, 2005 Wait, there's no fretboard on it yet? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hughes Posted March 20, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2005 sorry devon, im not that dumb...haha Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hughes Posted March 20, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2005 i just have to cut it EXACTLY in half, and i will be nice and good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monty Cadenhead Posted March 21, 2005 Report Share Posted March 21, 2005 Much good advice here, but go ahead and finish it. You (At least, I...) learn more from your mistakes than your successes, so make as many as you can on your first. As regards the books, Most libraries have a service called interlibrary loan, where they can get books from other libraries for you to borrow. It's hit or miss, but it doesn't hurt to ask. Monty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hughes Posted March 21, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 21, 2005 haha ok thanks monty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hughes Posted March 22, 2005 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 to bad i dont have a tablesaw...i will have to wait till next week to use one...i heard of people making nice straight cuts with a jigsaw and a straight edge, would that work good? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Devon Headen Posted March 22, 2005 Report Share Posted March 22, 2005 The jigsaw will wander and won't cut straight. If the neck's already tapered it's going to be difficult to rip down the centerline anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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