Building a fivestring bass

[flo]

Hi folks, I've started to build my first bassguitar yesterday. Have done some guitars before but my experience with basses is very limited, only one repairjob yet.

I'm planning these specs:
5 strings
maple / walnut neck, 5 piece, bolt on
ash body with 5 walnut stripes
long scale, 889mm (35")

Haven't decided upon the shape yet, I don't want to copy too much from others... I simply want it to become sexy as hell ! Ooh yeah!

I think that I'm somehow gonna use the number 5 as a main theme... you know 5 strings, 5 piece neck, 5 stripes... maybe 25 frets? 24 + zero?

Not sure about the fretboard yet, it's gonna be dark, but I don't know what to take really. Maybe padouk (ok it's not dark but red) or rosewood.

Since I have no clue about bass mics I ask you guys what you would recommend? I don't want to spend too much on pups, and I'm looking for a bright slap-friendly sound. Single-coils maybe? Active? Passive?
If anyone has experience with these things I'd be very happy for advice

Scetches will follow, and pics of the working process, bt you'll have to be patient, it's gonna take time...

 

[MF_Kitten]

seriously, try Q-tuners for pickups. hi-fi pickups that translate the sound of the actual instrument really well. Knuckle Guitar Works (knuckle_head on the forum) removed piezo pickups from his instruments, because the Q-tuner left them redundant. it´s that clean.

other than that, there are bartolinis and EMGs, but i don´t have too much experience with those to be honest. the Q-tuner pickups (google it. you buy the pickups from their site) are made in the netherlands too, so it´s really close to you.

if you´re using Q-tuners, you need a narrower string spacing for the 5 string pickups. if you want a normal wide string spacing, you´ll need the 6 string model for the bridge pickup (they see the strings from a narrow "window" unlike the wide field from most pickups).

nice choise of scale length. 35" scale is good for low B. i´m getting a 40" scale one myself, but i´m also certified insane

 

[flo]

Thx Dude, I've read about them and found their homeage. They are amongst the coolest looking units out there, but I forgot them... They sound good? I'll get some

I've noticed your insanity, but you're from Norway that explains something (if not all)
Takk!

 

[flo]

OK thanks for not posting "This thread is worthless without pics!"

I know I know...

Here is the neck so far, and a ROUGH design scetch (one of maybe 30...) (by hand since I suck at photoshop).

Nothing is fixed yet, especially the upper horn and the headstock, only to give you an idea... And it's most propably not going to be purple, I guess it will be only oiled and waxed.

 

[MF_Kitten]

that looks like it´s going to be awesome!

 

[flo]

Have been reading the Q-Tuners homepage for an hour now, I'm brainwashed completely

Fretboard fretboard fretboard...fretboard? Maybe in the style of my eightstring...LEDs...mmmm... both?

 

[Waelstrum]

I love how 24 + 0 = 25.

 

[flo]

I love how 24 + 0 = 25.

That's guitar math you know?

 

[MaxOfMetal]

I love how 24 + 0 = 25.

I'm fairly certain he means to use a "zero fret". Right?

 

[flo]

I'm fairly certain he means to use a "zero fret". Right?

Yep.

 

[SD83]

Nice design, reminds me of Ritter Basses. And the 5-main theme sounds like a cool idea to me
I just had a look at the Q-tuners page... that bass samples don't even sound like a bass at all to me. But as you want a bright sound...

 

[flo]

It's true that the design is inspired by Ritter, but this is only a very rough sketch. I'm going to change it alot and try to find my own style, I only need a staring point to go from and experiment a little. You've definetly found a style of your own Stefan, congrats

 

[flo]

News from the building process:

the Body has been glued together, a combination of six pieces of hard ash and five walnut-stripes.

the neck has been glued and plained

and I have decided on the fingerboard, it's going to be this padouk-board (natural bicolour)

finally, I've calculated the fret positions with open office.

 

[phaeded0ut]

For bass guitars, I've always been a huge fan of Lane Poor pickups (sadly no longer available) and Bartolini's (dual coils) and a few folks' active electronics. While these are not inexpensive solutions, the Bartolini's are a bit more common/available.

After posting this, I see Morten choking on whatever it was that he was eating followed closely by spitting out anything he was drinking all over his keyboard and/or monitor.

Haven't honestly tried out Q-Tuners in a bass, yet so I really can't speak to their abilities therein. On a 7-string guitar they are beyond phenomenal!!!

Love the zero fret, too. I'd also recommend going Stainless Steel for the frets, but that might be a bit too pushy on my part.

 

[flo]

thanks, Lee, all advice is very welcome. Poor Morten :/

What's the advantage with stainless steel frets? I've heard that they are very durable, but hard(er) to install.

Does by the way anyone know where to get a fretpress from? Steward MacDonald for shure... anywhere in Europe maybe?

 

[MF_Kitten]

*cough hark choke*

i don´t think i got what i was supposed to choke for, but there ya go
i was actually eating pizza while reading that

stainless steel frets will remain smooth on the surface for much longer, and they´ll last much longer due to not wearing out. they are much harder than nickel, so installing them will take longer. people say they have a brighter sound, too.

 

[hufschmid]

Does by the way anyone know where to get a fretpress from? Steward MacDonald for shure... anywhere in Europe maybe?

I hate fret pressing, i'm more accurate with a hammer...

However a collegue luthier did build his very own fret press, he simply went to the hardware store and bought a bottle kork press, then modified the end to accomodate a fret press caul....

Actually the stewmac one is a smart way of modifying a drill press....

 

[Andrew_B]

the stew mac fret press inserts are only like 5 bux each, so i bought a couple of them and made my own caul that i use in my drill press, just a hunk of steel with a slot in it for the inserts....

 

[flo]

Thanks to Morten, Patrick and Andrew.

I'll try the thing with modifying a drill press.

Have had a hard time installing frets the past couple of times (using a hammer), it's the most frusrtating part of guitar building for me. I think that I'm gonna build a few fretboards only to get better at it... and I'll ask Jens Ritter how he does the fretwork. Maybe I'll find a good book on this subject, I really want to learn it.

 

[Andrew_B]

Thanks to Morten, Patrick and Andrew.

I'll try the thing with modifying a drill press.

Have had a hard time installing frets the past couple of times (using a hammer), it's the most frusrtating part of guitar building for me. I think that I'm gonna build a few fretboards only to get better at it... and I'll ask Jens Ritter how he does the fretwork. Maybe I'll find a good book on this subject, I really want to learn it.

no problem,

the melvyn hiscok book has a bit about fretting in it...

but there is a fretting book and a few dvds by dan erlewine that you should be able to get through stew mac...
i have the dvds, good watch....


i agree that fretting is the most frustrating bit... lol