Building a bass.

**Slapfest** · 17th September 2015, 07:59 AM

Hi all,
Just another set of new builder pics.
I'm attempting to build a 4 string neck-thru bass . .
The body shape is a Fodera rip off, but I liked the one i had previously,
and this bass is just for me , so their lawyers can relax .
And I have some lovely pickups, a mike pope preamp and FCH bridge to install, so I'm aspiring to that level of quality.
The 5 piece (Rock Maple\NG Rosewood) neck will feature all the way down to the strap button, and the body "wings" will have a nice cap on them .
Gotta put a good word in for Mapleman from this forum (i'm sure you're all familiar with his great timber selection)
But I'm sure you'll see, this top is far from finished , but once its been black washed, sanded out and maybe given a colour, maybe not . . it will be 3D , and spectacular. . onya Mapleman. . . thanks mate

Still need to get some Ebony for a thin layer between the maple and Rosewood for a distinct pinstripe effect.
But I'm doing this as an unemployed poor person, so the Ebony might have to wait for a bit.

Just one question . . a lot of neck-through builders will build a slight neck/body angle to accomodate bridges, fingerboards (actually i'm not sure exactly why). Some other guys just step the body down from the neck enough to allow for bridge height, setup, pickups etc.
I was thinking, I've drawn this out in profile and I only really need the bridge to be 2mm lower for everything to sit as it should.
So instead of a tiny degree of offest or stepdown of the entire body , I'm just going to route the bridge plate in 2mm lower.
ITs strung through the body, and I cant see why that isnt the simplest and most logical solution .
But I'm open to any thoughts . . I havent heard of many builders doing this and if I'm missing something , please let me know
enough of me, will post more pics of progress soon.

(I'm mainly trying to build basses, but I Have a spectacular 100 x 100 highly ripple-figured peice of Qld Maple quarter sawn for neck blanks
that is, unfortunately only long enough for 6 string guitar necks . . . if anyone is interested , or has some Ebony to trade, pls let me know . . . its a truly lovely set of neck blanks . . just not long enough for me)

**dpm** · 17th September 2015, 09:56 AM

The Qld maple offer is tempting what are the lengths?

Bass is looking mighty pretty so far. Re. the neck angle and height stuff I think it depends on how you play. If you're not in need of thumb rest height on the edge of the pickup then it might be fine. You might also think about wrist angle and how your arm will rest on the body. I know on guitar if the bridge is low to the body face and there's no forearm contour I find it uncomfortable for my picking hand, likewise if the bridge is high and the body drops away. A couple of millimetres can make a big difference.

**Cliff Rogers** · 17th September 2015, 10:16 AM

Watching.

On the 'String through' question, can you get ferrules to suit Bass strings?

**dpm** · 17th September 2015, 10:17 AM

You can, but they can be hard to find. Gotoh make them, and I think there's a Korean supplier too

Edit - allparts have ferrules

**MAPLEMAN** · 17th September 2015, 10:45 AM

Breath taking...will be watching this thread with interest...MM

**Slapfest** · 17th September 2015, 10:45 AM

Originally Posted by dpm

You can, but they can be hard to find. Gotoh make them, and I think there's a Korean supplier too

Edit - allparts have ferrules

The bridge I have came with the ferrules.
ITS a Babicz Full contact hardware bridge , with a cam-like height adjustment and as much solid contact for resonant transferance as possible with lock downs as well. A new-ish idea
Whether its a good idea , we'll see.

As far as the Maple neck billets - one is 110 x 100 x 79
the other is 110 x 100 x 81

These were bought from Mapleman at the same time as the bass top pieces, some big lengths and a few other bits around 5 years ago, and have been stacked and stored correctly.
One has a uhiform ripple of figureall the way through, ad the other is heavily figured, but in a less uniform fashion. Both are quarter sawn.

**Slapfest** · 17th September 2015, 10:47 AM

Originally Posted by MAPLEMAN

Breath taking...will be watching this thread with interest...MM

Yeah, lets hope I dont F%#@ it up, eh? . . haha . . cheers Chris

**Cliff Rogers** · 17th September 2015, 12:39 PM

Originally Posted by Slapfest

The bridge I have came with the ferrules.
ITS a Babicz Full contact hardware bridge , with a cam-like height adjustment and as much solid contact for resonant transferance as possible with lock downs as well. A new-ish idea
Whether its a good idea , we'll see.
....

Looks interesting, where did you get it?

**Slapfest** · 17th September 2015, 01:06 PM

Originally Posted by Cliff Rogers

Looks interesting, where did you get it?

Ypu can buy them direct from Babicz or FCH (the same thing, basically) online . . .

they are a bit pricey, but no more so than a decent schaller lock down etc . .
I saw a thing on Steve babicz a few years ago when he was first getting going and now i see a few senior players (Jeff Berlin etc) are giving it thumbs up, so what the heck, eh? . . . certainly a lot of bass bridges leave a lot to be desired, I reckon, so i'll give it a go.

Actually, theres a really interestibg interview on Richard Stanley, master NY repair, builder here.

http://www.dinosaurrockguitar.com/new/node/640

He has some very interesting and unorthodox views about what works and as far as the guitar goes, he thinks the bridge is THE point where it can all come together or not.
Its really quite an eye-opener , I mean this guy sometimes uses lead unserts in neck joints etc, but they all swear he's the man . . just if anyone's interested . .

**kiwigeo** · 19th September 2015, 10:26 AM

Originally Posted by Slapfest

Yeah, lets hope I dont F%#@ it up, eh? . . haha . . cheers Chris

Best way to avoid this is to do up a set of full scale detailed drawings. I do this prior to all my acoustic builds...essential once you start getting into fan fretting and falcate bracing.

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