Cerb

It's just being held by double sided tape at the moment, but it will eventually be held by magnet. I take it off regularly to play slap, and after I remove it a few times the tape begins to lose its grip.

Entered for August .

I absolutely love the bridge. Very solid construction and very easy to adjust. It is fairly thick and heavy (maybe a pound). The engraving says "Taylor Baker - Concordis." I have such a bland name .

This is my very first attempt at luthiery, and even woodworking in general. So, I suppose I may as well enter.

(Clickable thumbnails)

Strings: 4

Fretted/Fretless: Lined Fretless

Body: Maple/Walnut/Maple

Neck: Wenge with Purpleheart and Poplar at Body and Padauk at headstock

Neck Construction: Through-neck

Fingerboard: Acrylicized Andiroba (thanks to Larry at Gallery Hardwoods)

Electronics: Active with Passive Push/Pull

Pickups: Bartolini Classic Bass Jazz

Preamp: Bartolini 3-Band with Volume/Blend

Hardware: Satin Chrome, Inlayed Straplocks, Wooden knobs

Bridge: ETS Tuning Fork

Tuners: Hipshot Ultralites

Finish: Boiled Lindseed Oil with Wax

Soundclip: Here

GOTM? I hadn't even considered it, being as it's my first instrument, but since you suggested. Thanks for the compliments .

Yes, it's finally finished. I believe it's been a little over a year and a half since I first started. For those of you that forget, here are the specs:

Strings: 4

Fretted/Fretless: Lined Fretless

Body: Maple/Walnut/Maple

Neck: Wenge with Purpleheart and Poplar at Body

Neck Construction: Through-neck

Fingerboard: Acrylicized Andiroba

Electronics: Active with Passive Push/Pull

Pickups: Bartolini Classic Bass Jazz

Preamp: Bartolini 3-Band with Volume/Blend

Hardware: Satin Chrome, Inlayed Straplocks, Wooden knobs by Nateo

Bridge: ETS Tuning Fork

Tuners: Hipshot Ultralites

Finish: Boiled Lindseed Oil with Wax

And a soundclip.

The EQ was set flat and the bass was run straight into my soundcard.

Some changes were made from the original plan. I decided to make it lined fretless after everything else had been finished. This was simply because I wanted to enjoy the instrument right after it was finished, rather than having to work on intonation for the next couple of months. I will probably go ahead and make an unlined bass at a later time. The pickups are also different. Originally I was going to get the 9J#1 Barts, but I found an unused set of the Classic Bass Bart J's on eBay for lots cheaper. The headstock laminate of padauk was also an afterthought, though one that was necessary. I accidentally took way to much off of the front of the headstock when I was thicknessing it with my router. So, I flattened the back with that devil tool and slapped the laminate on there. It turned out looking perfect, and I think I like it a lot better than I would have. It also happens to match the tophat knobs that Nateo turned for me .

There are quite a few mistakes, some which I will eventually be able to correct, and others which I must just chalk up to having no woodworking experience at the time. Some of the minor mistakes include fretlines in which the blade wandered a bit, side dots in which the dremel wandered a bit (I will eventually correct this by simply making the dots larger), very slight gluelines and gaps on the treble side of the neck where it joins the fingerboard (which I will eventually fill with... something), sanding marks, chips at the end of the fingerboard, etc.

I will not really attempt to describe the sound, as you can hear it in the clip. While it is hard to make it sound bad, it is very difficult for me to get my sound, especially through my cheap Behringer combo amp (my one and only... bought when I first started playing... didn't know better). The highs and mids can be very harsh because of the density of all woods involved. It does, however, sit well in a mix. It's just difficult to find a tone for playing by myself.

The ergonomics are perfect, which was certainly not planned upon. I just got lucky. Despite it's weight, it is very comfortable to play standing. The 4 inch Moody strap also helps . There is no neckdive, and the neck balances close to 45 degrees. Sitting while playing is also very comfortable, and my hand naturally rests where I usually pluck (resting my thumb on the fingerboard and plucking at about the 24th "fret").

Also, the inlay that I had planned has not yet been implemented. I had planned on inlaying an ammonite fossil at the top of the headstock, but the one I had broke while sanding the back, and the other one mysteriously vanished. So, I will eventually get to that.

I think that's all there is to really say, so here are the pics:

Click!

Click!

Click!

Click!

Click!

Click!

Click!

Click!

Click!

Click!

Click!

Click!

Click!

Click!

Click!

Click!

Sorry about the lighting. I guess I should have dusted under the TR cover as well :eek:. Also, in one of the pics, the pup cavities look way oversized, but that was just because of the lighting. But anyways, what do you all think?

P.S. Yes I simply copied this from my original post on Talkbass. Sue me .

Grounding the bridge is an unnecessay practice, anyways. As long as the cavity is shielded along with your pickups, and as long as it is done well, you will have little to no hum.

I believe there has been a couple of posts regarding this over at talkbass.com in the Luthiers section. I know that Cliff Bordwell of CB Basses has made beautiful adjustable wooden bridges for some of his basses, so you may want to email him. Just google for his site and you can probably find an email address. I played with the idea of making one for the fretless I just finished, but didn't. I may still make one and replace the current one (an awesome ETS bridge).

Ets Hardware mentioned above isn't as pricey as you would think. I had a Tuning Fork built for bass that ran $73 with shipping and an engraving. For a quality bass bridge, that is an amazing price. For guitar, I'm not positive.

Lots of progress has been made over the past 2 weeks: Body glued to neck, neck heel shaped, pickup cavities, battery box cavity, fingerboard radiused, inlaid straplocks, carbon fiber epoxied into neck, upper and lower bouts fully shaped. Go check out the pictures.

More neck and fingerboard progress. Check it out.

Most of my school's gym floor is made from birdseye and flamed maple. It's horrible when I take a detour through there to get to the other side of the building. My eyes are fixed on the floor and I have to have someone nearly drag me away from it.

This project is taking a mighty long time... about a year in the running it seems. Though, I just recently got a few vital tools that have furthered the progress of it tremendously.

Of course, I'm sure that none of you want to read any more of what I have to say, so I'll let the pictures do the talking.

Clicky!

While the things a bassist finds attractive and the things a guitarist finds attractive are two totally different things, I absolutely love them. I made one not long ago as a test for the basses I'm currently building. While I didn't have problems with splitting, warpage was a problem. I found that making it from 2 pieces with opposite grain orientation helped a lot.

I also have to ask, why would you make a guard from wood and then paint it?

How well do these colortone dyes work with oil finishes? Has anyone tried such, or is it a totally ignorant question?

There's a guy on Talkbass.com that goes by Hambone. Just search for his latest inlay thread. He does this exact thing, though much of his technique is a secret. But, he may be able to give you some pointers.

I actually started my first project when I was 14. I just turned 16 and I'm still working on it because of monetary issues. I decided to go neck-through for my first as well, and I'm sure that it will be no problem for you. Though, I would research for a little while longer. I actually researched for nearly a year before taking the plunge.

As for the design, I see potential, but as it is I do not enjoy it. I, personally think the lower bout needs very little work. The horn is perfect and resembles that of a favorite bass of mine. Just move the bottom portion (the butt, if you will) out a bit more. The upper bout, on the other hand, could use some fuller curves. Make the waist more apparent by swooping the horn and bottom out. I would also lose the pickguard. Take these suggestions for what they are, though, the suggestions from another person who knows not what you want in your instrument.

Also, if you would like, drop in over at Talkbass.com and post in the Luthier's Corner. There are quite a few well known luthiers that frequent there, inlcuding Cliff Bordwell, Ken Smith (of who I cannot stand to speak to), etc.

I, personally, find acoustics easier to play than electrics for most of the reasons stated by others that make them difficult. I am a bassist, though, so the thick, high tension strings a great for me, and finger picking is much easier. I also have large hands, so the thicker necks are perfect for me.

Since when are upright bass necks left unfinished? Maple should never be left unfinished, and any experienced luthier would never leave a maple neck unfinished.

In that photo it isn't sanded down. I bought it as a whole shell that had been cut into two halves. I have done some sanding on the fossil not pictured, and it actually sands very easilly and to a nice gloss.

It's not as noticeable when looking at it in person. If such a mistake were to be made on the actual headstock, it would be even less noticeable because of the glues holding the maple dust together evenly.

As of late I've been searching for something that I could inlay into the headstock of my bass (Yes, the one I still haven't finished. Though, I have made a lot of progress in the past week or so). I wanted it to also be something that I could continually inlay into future basses as a trademark of sorts.

A few days ago I was looking around the gift shop at the Indiana State Museum and found a pair (really one shell cut down the middle) of fossilized ammonite shells. I figured that it would look great inlaid into maple, and it does. The colors contrast really well. Here are a couple of shots of a practice inlay. My cheap camera doesn't show the colors well, but you still get the basic idea.

Notice that there are a few spots where the wood is lighter around the fossil. That is where I had packed dust from the routing to cover up some mistakes. There is no glue to hold the shell to the scrap wood. I didn't want to glue it in because I really don't want to waste one half of the shell practicing. I thought I did strangely well, though, especially for it being my first time.

Hopefully, once my Stewmac Dremel base arrives, I will be able to get it looking a lot better. The one I have at the moment cuts down on almost all visibilty.

If a circle were completed based on the curve of the fingerboard, that circle would have a 7.5" radius.

Craig seems to really like his Rim job.

(sorry... I couldn't resist. It was funny on Talkbass and it still is now )

Larry is definately the guy to talk to.