DFW

Well, you guys have proven why I'm here. Consider the 445 year old fanning idea nixed. Hah, shows how much I don't know. I guess I was just trying to run too far from tradition. But, I do know kittens are cute... right? Maybe not all kittens... And yea, it's going to be natural. As to the woods, I was thinking rosewood body, and flame maple neck and fingerboard, as well as the recessed wings. It'll be a set neck with a deep and heavily slanted pocket... you know what, I'll just SketchUpify the ideas I have for the body pieces and see what you pros think. Thanks a lot again, all the trouble you're all saving me is much much much appreciated. I owe you guys. EDIT: So here's what I'm thinkin for roughish cuts. I'd like a one piece neck with a rear routed truss and some sexy wood for the strip, perhaps Padouk or Purpleheart, or something else similarly striking. I'm going to inlay the clef in flame maple to match the neck and wings, the string stop will be ebony, and the bridge wood will be determined once I really know what I'm doing, and I'd appreciate suggestinos. The rosewood body is going to be rear routed as minimally as possible. Should I make the neck pocket deeper to allow more gluing area, and compensate in neck depth? I'm already afraid I won't be able to locate figured maple in that size (3'x3'x34). If I've no chance/choice I'll change neckwoods, but I think one-piece would be devilishly sexy. I've always loved fretless all maple necks... mmmm... And the wings will match the fingerboard, whatever wood I settle on. I'll shape the middle of the neck, the top 80% of the headstock, glue the neck to the body and the head to the neck, shape those joints, glue on the wings and shape them, then shape the body. Feel free to school me if this sounds stupid.

I know very well that it will be incredibly difficult to play, but I've got a good ear, and no plans for it to deteriorate, so I'm just going to trust that. I've been able to switch between fretless guitar, bass and upright with ease thanks to listening, so I think I can handle it. If not I'll toss some lines on there though, good call. Also, I never trusted frets in the first place. I'm the one who decides the notes, not my instrument, and not anyone prior. I'm the decider! ... Heheh Oh yea, and I'll reorient the neck so that it lines up in the middle, and change a few bodylines as well. As I said, I'm still getting used to the program and I'm pretty tired of editing one aspect and having it throw everything else out of whack.

Well, I fanned it for the same reason anyone fans anything, for the sound. Bigger sound waves sound better on bigger strings (in both gauge and scale), and vice versa. I can understand a cello not having fanned scales, as the concept wasn't invented until the last decade or so, and cellos have been around for centuries and have changed construction minimally. I'm just trying to keep up with the times and get the best tone I can. And thanks to everyone for the support, at least y'all agree it's interesting, albeit sometimes "nasty" interesting.

Alright, I've decided to fan the scale as I'm going to be tuning this thing in fifths and want to retain as much tone as possible. Also put in the backwards bass clef hole, and I like the way it looks, so I'll likely keep it.

Thanks a lot man, I really appreciate the support.

Alright, redux. Take into account the neck will have a steeper angle to the body, as I realized my folly after getting about 98% of the drawing done and didn't want to deal with the logistics of redrawing the entire neck. The two tone thing and recession are tentative, as are the control/jack placements and f-hole design/placement. Also I'm still working on the tip of the top horn. But here's the general idea so far. http://www.flickr.com/photos/48204020@N00/...57594449415646/ And I'm diggin the polarization of opinions on the body design.

I heard they're pretty strict about doing it the standard/RV way, so I'm going to do both required guitars exactly as they ask and give no fuss to prove competence in that area to them and myself, and give me reason to go as bonkers aas I can for the third instrument whiloe I have professionals to help me in person Flippin genius, I'm definitely doing that.

Alright, I'll ditch the trem, it's especially senseless on a fretless I'd think. I kinda just wanted to see if I could render it well in SketchUp. I'll redo the render and have it up in a bit Yea, I'm being a bit overzealouos talking about the 3rd guitar so early, but I figure you get so much teaching for the first two instruments, and their structure is so set in stone that their completion is pretty much guaranteed, so long as you're driven. Thanks for the info about Bart, I'll definitely discuss it with him.

I'm in the Spring '07 Class. With the radiusing, I did it before on my first bass found here: http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...mp;#entry269802 I did it with a hand plane, patience, and a large piece of wood. Started off at an inch thick, and wasn't perfect, but I know most of my mistakes. Given a suitable working environment I could likely fix them. Good point about the Kahler fitting, I guess I didn't think about that. Well, I'll nix the trem most likely, or nix the radiusing. I did that with my last bass, had a really steep neck angle and a 3 inch tall bridge modeled slightly after an upright bass bridge. it was a lot of work so I was trying to find a middle ground. I'll probably beef up the horn a bit in reality, I just wanted some sort of representation I could discuss with the teachers. I used SketchUp to draw it, which is $49 for a student license, $495 for regular. It's amazing and really easy to use. And to rhoads, the outlandishness of the body is pretty much set in stone, and I personally think it's more tasteful than several original custom guitares I've seen. It is pretty ridiculous, I know, but I'm a ridiculous fellow, and my instrument needs to match me. I'd look more odd playing a black strat than this.

Oh yea, it'll be a PUTW piezo under the bridge, and perhaps one elswhere as well, maybe up near the top horn/first octave. Detuners, yes. And as to the comfort quotient, I've already built a guitar with the same lower bouts and it's so far caused no problems. I might have to make it a bit softer though, good point.

So here's the plan. 4 string unfretted bass, single cut ala Fodera Imperial, cutaway for three octave neck ala Hyperbass, plus the fingerboard goes the whole scale length for what I call infinite notalogy. Then there's a Kahler for some bendy fun, and I'm stickin 4 Hipshots up top, also ala Hyperbass. And there's gonna be a pretty aggressive fingerboard radius for using a bow, maybe more so than in the rendering. If they'll let me do neck thru that's the plan, if not it's gonna be set neck. Any suggestions/comments/revisions? Anything is appreciated. http://www.flickr.com/photos/48204020@N00/...57594445337600/ Thanks in advance.

Why not try somehting like the Gibson Moderne?

Also realize that the frets on guitars aren't the word of God. They're not the only notes in existence. That's like saying there's only one shade of green. We see one octave of color and look at the variation, it's infinite. Imagine what's been hidden behind the frets. Probably most of the cooler noises.

Well, no inches or centimeters or anything like that. I used devices to get the widths of various parts the same, but I never used the numbers on my slide rule. And except for the body layout and the centerline down the boards for the neck I drew no lines either. The main idea is develop as unique a style as possible I guess, free even from numbers.

About a month and a half ago I stopped attending classes and started getting more into bass guitar. After about a week of intense bass-o-rama I decided to build one. I set rules, these being: 1) no measuring, 2) no power tools, and 3) no real plan. As this was basically my first foray into lutherie I decided to jump in head on and just do what I could to make a playing instrument. I went to the hardware store and bought two 6"x4' boards of walnut and maple, ripped both in half, laminated the two maple peices in the middle and the walnut on the sides. Then I cut out the neck side profile. The face (for the fingerboard) had to be angled in comparison to the body, as I was aiming to combine an upright with a guitar and needed the ability to bow it. I glued a 3"x24"x1" Indian rosewood fingerboard on and rounded it with a plane and a bunch of sandpaper. Then I cut out the body wings from sapelle and glued them on. I built a combined headstock and nut and a bridge out of the sapelle as well and affixed the prior at the top of the neck with some more glue. I ordered some upright bass strings, strung it up, adjust the bridge about 30%, noticed the fingerboard was about 6% out of whack in terms of a non-level section, and then destroyed my d string. At that point school was nearing an end and I mailed it home so I could work on it later. I should finish it within the week. http://www.flickr.com/photos/48873994@N00/...57594141788737/