Andrews Projects (bass + guitar/s)

**Andrew_B** · 7th March 2009, 08:20 AM

gday

iv been holding off starting a new topic for a while now, since we have a fair few running here at the moment....
but im bored and decided i would just make one to keep me occupied lol

so... what do i have in the works.....

a 7 string
a bass
a V

the bass is for a mate, surprise present type thing....
so i didnt really want to post much on the net, just incase he was to come on here and see....
but i think im paranoid....
and im sure dadovfor will be interested.....

now.. im no bass player.... sure i have one... and it sits nice on my guitar rack....
but thats as far as that goes LOL!!!!!!!!!!!

so i dont know alot about bass designs, features, blah blah blah
so designing a shape is hard.....
knowing my mate.... im pretty sure he would wan something along the lines of the music we listen to and something that represents him....
so with that in mind i drew some stuff.... mostly crap, wasting a tree worth of paper... lol

for example
this: my take on an esp eclipse/sg... but with more lower horn access

and this.... nothing really... just a modified version of my bass....

so i sat down and thought about what he likes and what we had talked about before when i built my first guitar.... (yep he is one of the reasons i started screwing around with guitars... got my first strat off him too lol)

so i was thinking about it... and he likes bc rich and esp type stuff....
he also always had a soft spot for the sg basses hence the sketch above... (i think they ended up being short scale so he never got one...)

so after say... 30 crappy drawings.... i gave up for a while...
then something just popped in my head....
and i believed i had a design in mind....
so i started sketching again...
after 2 bits of paper this time, i came up with the first draft of this bass....
well hopefully ( I WANT FEEDBACK!!!!!)

maybe a little extreme....
but it will get changed a fair bit as i will be constantly working on the design over the next few weeks to see how i can make it better....
and you guys will give me ideas hopefully

then i should be able to get started

oh and it should be getting his initials inlayed at the 12th fret if i can cut an inlay... otherwise i will try make someone cut it for me lol... otherwise no inlay..

so thats the bass.....

now... the V....

well thats been sitting around for a while now waiting for a t-o-m bridge and a fretboard and i need to buy a fair amount of fretwire and a fret saw....
i bought a set of machine heads for it last week..

i should have a t-o-m bridge and a fretboard on the way next week sometime...
i dont remember if it needs anything else

and thats the V,,,,

now... the 7 string....
well... i have always wanted to try one....
and not long ago i got my hands on a set of machine heads and a 7 string tremolo bridge (vintage strat style kinda stuff)....
apparently the guitar they came off of got run over by a truck

so i got them for a pretty good price.....

now we all no im not a fan of trems...
so i was thinking...
and i got bored and went to my shed and made myself a hardtail bridge plate lol....
pitty i cant get it plated...
was fun to make though
i obviously didnt make the saddles.....................
been cleaned up alot since the pictures

so yea...
not sure what i will be doing...

need to make some templates...
bought a sheet of mdf to do that...

spent yesterday realigning the table saw.....
that was such a pain in the ass!!!
cant wait to get the new shed... lol

now im just rambling....

oh.. and if you are a lurker and going through my post.... please dont steal my designs.... thats just not cool................

thats all

cheers

**Mr K** · 7th March 2009, 02:52 PM

I like this one Andrew
Would be hard to shape and finish around those sharp horny bits though ,
but go for it mate

Cheers Mark

**Andrew_B** · 7th March 2009, 03:28 PM

cheers mate

yes those sharp horny (lol) bits most likely will not be as sharp as they appear...

the only thing is, the waist is pretty small....
not sure if im liking it or not....but with those horns, theres not much i can do...
unless i rework the shape of the end of the body...
might bring it closer to the back of the bridge..
hmmm

i need to fix up the top carve shape too..
not sure if i will carve or just bevel it..

**R3R** · 7th March 2009, 03:28 PM

looks like a plan for a lot of sawdust coming up!

the bass design looks quite 'pointy' for a bass and it gives away the fact tht it must have come from a guitar player

i personally would go for more 'roundedness' in a bass...perhaps even more so relative to a guitar

**Andrew_B** · 7th March 2009, 05:21 PM

well thats the thing....
my mate likes guitar and bass.....

as i said, hes into bc rich shapes.... warlock and beast and stuff....

so why not do a bass with a more vicious guitar-ish look to it?

he is also a pretty big guy so i have to shape and size it with that in mind.....
nothing as ?????? as finishing it and realising the body is a bit too small and doesnt sit well on him.....

i had a look around the internet for "insperation"
google searched, and as you said... rounded basses...
i found a whole lotta rounded fat ugly basses....
and a few cool ones.... but not really my style...

why do just another rounded bass when i can do absolutly anything? and to make it just that much better... it is one of a kind....
and i have the pleasure of designing something that could turn out great....

i like to be different...

now that i think about it... maybe i will shape the 7 string based on this body

**dadovfor** · 7th March 2009, 07:17 PM

I think I've found the design for my bass project!!!!

I like it a lot. I think it really captures the design elements you went for ... a bass designed by a guitar builder ... a bass for a guy who likes guitar stylings. Well done Andy B.

I had to photoshop it a little to really get a feel for it and I really thing you're on to something. Maybe the lower horn needs a little de-pointing on the left side? Not sure??

Just had another look ... it's good as it is. But my Andrew thinks the bodies a little fat ... moreso at the bottom. Don't worry, I'll hit him for you.

I haven't thought too much more about mine ... but a reverse iceman will probably be my starting point for design ideas. (Excuse this weird 8-string ... but you get the idea). And I like the idea of white (or off-white) body neck and headstock ... but it's early days.

So get going already!! I need you to start building it so I can get all the dimensions I'll need for my project!!

**R3R** · 7th March 2009, 09:08 PM

Originally Posted by Andrew_B

well thats the thing....
my mate likes guitar and bass.....

as i said, hes into bc rich shapes.... warlock and beast and stuff....

so why not do a bass with a more vicious guitar-ish look to it?

he is also a pretty big guy so i have to shape and size it with that in mind.....
nothing as ?????? as finishing it and realising the body is a bit too small and doesnt sit well on him.....

i had a look around the internet for "insperation"
google searched, and as you said... rounded basses...
i found a whole lotta rounded fat ugly basses....
and a few cool ones.... but not really my style...

why do just another rounded bass when i can do absolutly anything? and to make it just that much better... it is one of a kind....
and i have the pleasure of designing something that could turn out great....

i like to be different...

now that i think about it... maybe i will shape the 7 string based on this body

heheheh

i think i know where you are coming from ....

well...if eventual owner insists ...i say ...you go serve em well ....

but the seven stringer with that shape works a lot better imo than a bass in tht shape but then again a metal McCartney might just be around da corner and it would be unwise to nip tht one in the bud ...

**Andrew_B** · 8th March 2009, 12:10 AM

lol thanks for that photoshop daddy old pal...

it really helps to get an idea of how it will look with hardware....

i started to draw i up early neck and body and realise the body will need to be beefed up a little bit...

i agree the lower horn needs work.... it will be getting it
same with the back half of the body.... i will work out the horns then ill fix the back up...

its funny just how different a disign looks when you draw in a neck....
i did reshape it a fair bit already....
looks pretty sweet...
but as i said.. i need to beef it up a bit

im yet to figure out a headstock shape,

as for the reverse iceman.... i love the back half of the body... hate the horns...

R3R,
the eventual owner has no idea what im doing...
so i just have to go by whats in my head and what i assume he will like....

hell if he was telling me what to do.. this design would have been done and the build would have been started a year ago... lol

what do you guys reckon, a 2/2 or 4 inline headstock?
i have a set of 4 inline machine heads on their way to me... but i think i screwed up and bought a set of elephant ear machine heads....
so i will have to try and trade or sell them and get another set

**walcen** · 8th March 2009, 01:22 AM

Don't you ever sleep? LOL

I'd go for the four inline, they are more comfortable to tune.
Kindest regards
Wal

**Andrew_B** · 8th March 2009, 02:42 AM

hmmm its very rare that i sleep,
and its even more rare when i have guitar builds consuming my brain

plenty of time to sleep when im dead

lol

hmmm 1 vote for 4inline tuners

**dadovfor** · 8th March 2009, 11:28 AM

+1 for the 4 in line ... but I'll be interested to see your headstock.

**tim290280** · 8th March 2009, 12:43 PM

Like the bass design Andrew. Saw something similar by a European luthier (Posidion model or something) and it looks pretty good. Is the thickness of the upper horn going to be strong enough?

**floody_85** · 8th March 2009, 01:03 PM

4 inline!
looking good dude. i wish i had friend who built me guitars. im still waiting for my design to get blown up on my V

**Andrew_B** · 8th March 2009, 05:49 PM

Originally Posted by dadovfor

+1 for the 4 in line ... but I'll be interested to see your headstock.

ooo another 4 inline vote
im also interested to see my headstock

Originally Posted by tim290280

Like the bass design Andrew. Saw something similar by a European luthier (Posidion model or something) and it looks pretty good. Is the thickness of the upper horn going to be strong enough?

dammit...............
will have to see if i can find a picture of that model and change mine....
bummer

as for the upper horn....
its bigger than the horn on me ibanez....
will be fine

Originally Posted by floody_85

4 inline!
looking good dude. i wish i had friend who built me guitars. im still waiting for my design to get blown up on my V

i wish i had a friend who built me guitars too

you need to go get that design done.. now! lol

**tim290280** · 8th March 2009, 08:59 PM

This is a pic of the one I was thinking of, don't let it put you off though:

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