Odin Posted January 4, 2006 Report Share Posted January 4, 2006 Hi all you guitarbuilding friends! I have just finished a mahogany/walnut bass (p-bass style) and its way to heavy for my back. Im thinking of removing some wood from under the pickguard.. Will this affect the sound noteably? How much do you guys think i can remove? Thanks! Odin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supernova9 Posted January 4, 2006 Report Share Posted January 4, 2006 Hi all you guitarbuilding friends! I have just finished a mahogany/walnut bass (p-bass style) and its way to heavy for my back. Im thinking of removing some wood from under the pickguard.. Will this affect the sound noteably? How much do you guys think i can remove? Thanks! Odin ← Yes you can remove some wood, general suggestions I've seen on here previous suggest that you need to leave at least 1/2" left on the sides of the guitar, and a hefty portion around the bridge and neck joints. It will affect the sound, but I wouldn't have thought it'd be very notable. If removing that wood doesn't make enough of a weight difference, you could always rout off 1/4" from the top, chamber the whole guitar, then put on a top (some nice maple or something always looks nice imo). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegarehanman Posted January 4, 2006 Report Share Posted January 4, 2006 You'll probably hear even less of a difference in the sound if you make a lot of little cavities as opposed to one large one. If you went that route, you could just use a drill and a large bit as opposed to a router and templates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doug Posted January 4, 2006 Report Share Posted January 4, 2006 You likely spent some time picking just the right top for your bass too so it might be painful to have to remove it! However, drilling holes then putting another top on might be the ticket. You could also investigate a lighter bridge while you're at it. Some of them can be quite heavy. Of course that could effect your tone in the end too. Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickguard Posted January 4, 2006 Report Share Posted January 4, 2006 Those basses tend to have really heavy necks, don't they? You might run into balance issues if you take away too much wood from the body--though you could solve that by moving the strap button. I'd imagine the only place that would really affect the tone would be around the pickups and near the bridge, so I'd leave the center column alone. How about routing from the back of the guitar? At any rate, I'd go with thegarenahanamananan's ( ) idea, I think that's the way Gibson does it to their lightweight les pauls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Odin Posted January 4, 2006 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2006 ...well i really like my walnut top ...and the bridge is a badass bridge ( like that one to) I think ill go for the "just use the drill" option. The mahogany i have used is heavy as hell...and i think maybe the bass will open up a litle if i remove some of it as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thegarehanman Posted January 4, 2006 Report Share Posted January 4, 2006 (edited) thegarenahanamananan Are you trying to tell me that my name is hard to pronounce? It's really easy, really. The Garehan Man. Edited January 4, 2006 by thegarehanman Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickguard Posted January 4, 2006 Report Share Posted January 4, 2006 thegarenahanamananan Are you trying to tell me that my name is hard to pronounce? It's really easy, really. The Garehan Man. ← Nope, I'm just being silly. It's that good French wine. Burp! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nitefly SA Posted January 4, 2006 Report Share Posted January 4, 2006 I believe he's referring to the "repair man (man man)" skits from "All That" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skibum5545 Posted January 4, 2006 Report Share Posted January 4, 2006 Definitely keep the Badass bridge-- a nice massive bridge does a lot for your tone; I have a badass II on mine, and it's great. I'd go with the drilling holes method. I wouldn't do it under the pickguard so much as farther out towards the edge. You could even drill in from the back and remove a lot of the wood that way, then put a 1/8" or 1/4" back on the guitar-- perhaps also walnut? The other option is just to use a well-padded strap and get used to playing a heavy instrument. The walnut bass you see in my avatar weighs in at just over 10 lbs, but I love it nonetheless. I've just gotten used to a heavy instrument. Good luck, and post pics! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
doug Posted January 5, 2006 Report Share Posted January 5, 2006 Adding a layer to the back is great idea! That is one way to make it look like you did it on purpose. As you know, there are many guitars made that way too. That good bridge you have should really stay since like the others have pointed out it will contribute to really great tone. -Doug Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.