Am I Making A Mistake

[JohnRossitter]

I'm working on an Electric Upright Bass presently.

I have a 4" x 6" x 48" solid BASSWOOD blank I'm working from.

I have worked with Basswood in the past for bodies, but I'm making this EUB as a solid single unit.

I intend to use carbon fiber bars and a truss rod, but I wonder how the nect will fair over time.

Has anyone else ever made a neck from Basswood?

I will post pics soon.

[Hector]

I'm working on an Electric Upright Bass presently.

I have a 4" x 6" x 48" solid BASSWOOD blank I'm working from.

I have worked with Basswood in the past for bodies, but I'm making this EUB as a solid single unit.

I intend to use carbon fiber bars and a truss rod, but I wonder how the nect will fair over time.

Has anyone else ever made a neck from Basswood?

I will post pics soon.

I never heard of anyone using basswood for a neck.

too soft. you should do a maple one.

[marksound]

You could probably carve it with a spoon, but that doesn't mean you should.

[JohnRossitter]

You are probably right abouty it being too soft.

I'm mostly done carving it anyway, so Ill finish it and chalk it up to experience if it fails.

[Woodenspoke]

Has anyone else ever made a neck from Basswood?

I will post pics soon.

Seems like a rhetorical question if you are posting Pict's?

[Hector]

oh, I see.

this is kind of a neck thru, that`s why you`re using the same wood for the body and neck.

if that`s the case, I wouldn`t do it. I`d make a neck using maple. or something else.

but not basswood.

[rjhalsey]

Once you tighten them strings that neck is going to snap like a twig. JMHO!

[fryovanni]

I am not sure if I would use it as a neck for a couple reasons (it is soft, and could ding up easy, not notably stiff).

That said, it has a modulus of elasticity comparable to bigleaf maple, slightly lower than Mahogany(but close). FWIW, it has a higher MOE than Khaya(african Mahogany) which you will find occasionally used for necks. You are adding Carbon fiber to add a bit of stiffness and strength which is not a bad idea. The wood is reasonably stable when well dried. The dimensions of the wood you are using makes me hope that you have ensured the wood is fully dried, especially if you are using it as neck wood.

Will it snap, I doubt it. Will it bow under the tension of strings, not likely. Will it be a very active neck, most likely yes, be that good or bad(not what I look for in a bass neck). Will it get dinged up over time, my gut says it is very likely.

That is just my take FWIW.

Peace,

Rich

[Mattia]

Maybe than average Khaya, mind, which does'n't say anything at all about the individual piece of wood; I've got lightweight Khaya I wouldn't ever use for a neck, and stuff that's easily as stiff as the sapele I've got...

It might be fine, with a good, thick, stiff double bass fingerboard, add some carbon fibre stringers, and you might be just fine.

[erikbojerik]

What Mattia said about the fingerboard, use one that's fairly thick. Thinking gabon ebony for a trad look, or for something different a mac ebony or cocobolo fingerboard could be cool. You could take some basswood away from the back of the neck, and slot the underside of the fingerboard to accept some of the truss rod thickness. I'm doing this with a fretless bass now, just to leave the fingerboard fairly thick in case I need to re-level it sometime down the road.

This would make it an absolute PITA if I ever needed to remove the fingerboard...but hopefully that will never happen.

A slightly OT question...do uprights have a compound radius board? I've always thought it looked that way, but it could just be an optical illusion from the neck taper.

[JohnRossitter]

Yeah,

I think that some may have missed the point, in that this is a single billet of basswood.

It's a neck thru design, and no scarfed headstock.

So it's a single cut making the entirity of the EUB.

I plan to use dual carbon fiber rods from bridge to nut.

Yes the wood is properly dried.

It's also been sitting in my shop for 2 years waiting to become something.

I don't expect it snap, as its going to be a short scale 4 string.

I hope the carbon fiber rods keep it from bowing.

Its an experiment to begin with, I want to get the design down with a softer wood and then remake it with some shedua I have in the shop.

Most professional EUBs I have seen do have compound radius fretboards.

I also plan to fret this one.

[Dudz]

The company parker makes necks out of basswood. After they cut the neck and shape it they do a thick layer of graphite around the hole neck. The fingerboard is graphite too.

[JohnRossitter]

The company parker makes necks out of basswood. After they cut the neck and shape it they do a thick layer of graphite around the hole neck. The fingerboard is graphite too.

Did not know that...interesting, Thanks

[erikbojerik]

You can get carbon fiber sheet that is flexible enough to fit around the entire back of the neck....but you'd need a pretty large vacuum bag to pull that one off!

[JohnRossitter]

You can get carbon fiber sheet that is flexible enough to fit around the entire back of the neck....but you'd need a pretty large vacuum bag to pull that one off!

That might be overkill

[rogerzilla]

The truss rod should hold it together OK (the tension on a bass would bend or snap most woods without one).