Thread: I want to build a Double Bass

I have no idea how to help but will definately be checking your progress. I would love to build one too.
Good Luck

You need to speak to contrebasse ... in the unlikely event that he doesn't respond to this post, send him a pm.

added to my future projects list

if you do a search through the old old threads on this forum you will find a guy in sydney who builds double bass's...

he has his own site that goes through the process he took, includiing pictures and comments....

You can use a number of different woods for back and sides, just like in an acoustic guitar. What's hard is finding big enough pieces. A flat back uses much less wood. hardest to find is the rib stock; you can always make up a back from multiple pieces. Tasmanian oak works well. Quartersawn timber is best, for stability and low shrinkage and twist. Go through all the stacks at your local timbershop and pull out all the quartersawn planks wider than 250mm. Then make your choice.

You have very limited choice of soundboard material here. I'd like to try Bunya pine, but this is hard to find in big sizes. King Billy is extremely rare and costly, esp in that size. Western Red Cedar, if you can find a big enough plank, works well, and you can get it here, but it is not a local wood.

Sassafras might work for a top, but not easy to find in that size and harder to carve than a softer wood like spruce or cedar.

But you know, i think if people can make a double bass out of plywood - and most cheap ones are - then there's not reason you couldn't have reasonable success using anything else.

You have to be a bit of a pioneer unless you want to go importing spruce and maple at great cost. But our friends the guitar luthiers have already done a fair bit of that work for us.

you can make up a multipiece neck as guitarmakers do. This is good for stability and the timber is easier to find as a narrower plank. Fingerboard material needs to be dense, hard, and straight grain with no knots. Tailpiece can be whatever you want, depending on what look and sound you are after. I made one of silky oak and it is good.

Build slowly, think a lot, and use only hide glue.

Thanks for all of your suggestions, I am just starting to plan things. I have some experience in woodwind instrument making - so it is not all completely new.

Does anyone have any suggestions for helpful books?

I will keep you informed of any progress (don't hold your breath- it will be slow!!)

So you want to build a double bass - Peter Chandler
Setup and Repair of the Double Bass - Chuck Traeger

Both are great, and both are flawed and not entirely adequate.

Do you play double bass? It helps to understand how they work.

I started playing bass about 2 years ago, but have played music for most of my life - I'll see if i can get a hold of those books - is there anywhere in australia to get the books - do you think the plans are any good

The plans are excellent. You can buy the books online.get chandlers book and read it through ten times until you are dreaming of it. Then you are ready to start

Just a couple of thoughts for tops from native timber. Australian red cedar, Huon Pine? You find the odd bit in large sizes. The first guitar I made had a pepperwood (brown beach) top and it worked great. Could be a bit hard to find these days but I know that Lazarides timbers in Brisbane had it in good sizes no so long ago. Timber properties for brown beach http://www2.dpi.qld.gov.au/hardwoodsqld/8296.html

I looked into getting some DB size spruce sent over from the US but the cost is huge and I never got the same answer twice from AQIS or Australia Post regarding the need to treat it for bugs. The thought of forking out the amount of cash it would cost only to risk having it fed into the illegal import fire put me off the idea.

Cheers
James

Red cedar and huon pine are all very well but extremely expensive in the size needed for a DB top.

Remember, you need to start out with a plank 50mm thick and at least 300mm wide (need to add some wings to the lower bout) and arouns 1200mm long. You need two of these for a top. And preferably quartersawn. That's expensive. But James, if you know anyone with Aust cedar in these sizes, please let me know!

I happen to have a precious large slab of huon pine, but I'm not going to waste 80% of it in chips carving a top. I'm going to resaw it thinly and use it for ribs and a flat back. i have a hunch that huon will be a nice wood for a double bass body coupled with a WRC top. And that's another reason why i make flatback basses, there is much less wastage of wood.

As far as importing timber goes - I've never done it, but other luthiers DO do it. I think you need to make sure you are buying TONEWOOD, not just lumber billets. The former will be graded and dry and expensive. The latter will be much cheaper, but unseasoned, ungraded and a big gamble. And you'll need to cut it and dry it several years. But the seller will still claim it is tonewood!

I have heard dreadful stories of wood arriving in awful condition. And you can't take it back.

I'd certainly like to try bunya pine, maybe celerytop pine for tops. Maybe even silky oak would make a good top, but I think it would probably be really bright.

May I suggest you contact Greg Ward to see if he has anything that could be of use. I bought some timber off him a few weeks ago and he is good to deal with. He also takes orders!

https://www.woodworkforums.com/showthread.php?t=92928

I need to declare no interest except I got some great timber off him at competitive rates.

I agree... I think silky oak has lots of promise as a soundboard material, and it would look a treat.

As for big chunks of Aust red cedar. I have a board 1500x320x70 sitting in my workshop that can from the cyclone Larry clean up. Unfortunately it isn't mine, a guy supplied it for a club legged stool and harp he wants me to build. He got it from a portable mill guy near Cairns for $120 and it is beautiful, came from the centre slab so very near quartered but still a bit green. If you are after some then I'd suggest putting a post is the small millers section and see if any of those guys can help.

Originally Posted by Feralfelix

I looked into getting some DB size spruce sent over from the US but the cost is huge and I never got the same answer twice from AQIS or Australia Post regarding the need to treat it for bugs. The thought of forking out the amount of cash it would cost only to risk having it fed into the illegal import fire put me off the idea.

Cheers
James

I regularly import spruce tops from US and Canada and have never been bothered by AQIS. They opened one shipment of tops and mixed them up but I think they just did it to annoy me.

Originally Posted by contrebasse

The plans are excellent. You can buy the books online.get chandlers book and read it through ten times until you are dreaming of it. Then you are ready to start

Thanks for your help, I will get the book and plans and do lots of reading before anything else.