New to site...Been lurking awhile..Bass build project.

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dsdesigns

New User
dsd
Hello all! I figured I would introduce myself with a project. When I was 14, I laid my eyes on my first custom instrument and I was hooked at how beautiful wood was. I drew this designs shortly after and packed it away for 12 years. I pulled it out last year and decided to learn how to make. I bought a how to build guitars book and a router and band saw. I spent the next 5 months to complete it. After getting married last year, my building itch has returned and I will likely focus on furniture and small items that justify the need for more tools :) . I had very little wood working experience but I am a fast learner and strive for perfection. I hand sanded most pieces to final size and dimension along with some rasps. Although this took forever, I enjoyed the intimate process of learning to work wood. The woods used are curly maple, walnut, /Hpurpleheart. The body has a walnut core, purpleheart veneer, maple top and back. The neck is CM/PH. The fingerboard is PH. Enjoy!

1.jpg2.jpg3.jpg4.jpg5.jpg
 

dsdesigns

New User
dsd
6.jpg7.jpg8.jpgHad a router slip on the headstock...Tried to duplicate the mistake several times to kill 'decoratively' later.....Bad idea, don't make creative adjustments right after a mistake. Think it over a beer first. Ended up adding a cover.
 

Steve_Honeycutt

Chat Administartor
Steve
Welcome to the forum. You have already mastered posting pictures. Your guitar looks really good. You certainly did not start off with an easy project. We have several luthiers on the site. Don't be afraid to ask questions.

Steve H
 

LeftyTom

Tom
Corporate Member
Welcome, DSD. There are others on here who also build bases and guitars. Me? I just annoy the dog by plinking on my guitar.
 

CrealBilly

New User
Jeff
Congrats on the Bosch router you made a good choice - I have the exact same model. Very cool first project, it looks very clean. it's a beautiful instrument, you did a great job.

Can you please give us some specs? Specs will really help us understand your instrument.

Body Type (Solid/Hollow/Semi Hollow/...)
Overall Width
No. Frets
Overall Depth
Scale Length
Binding type
Neck Width @ Nut
Fret Marker Style
Side Dots Style
Neck Width @ 12th
Head Stock Thickness
Fretboard Radius
Bridge Type
Body Wood(s)
Neck Type
Neck Wood(s)
Neck Thickness @ nut
Neck Thickness @ 12th fret
# and Type of Pickup(s)
Fingerboard Wood
Overall Weight
Output Type
Overall Length
Machine Heads Type
Truss Rod(s) Type
Finish Type
Finishing Schedule
Unique Features
 
Last edited:

dsdesigns

New User
dsd
Congrats on the Bosch router you made a good choice - I have the exact same model. Very cool first project, it looks very clean. it's a beautiful instrument, you did a great job.

Can you please give us some specs? Specs will really help us understand your instrument.

Body Type (Solid/Hollow/Semi Hollow/...) Solid Body
Overall Width - 14.5inch
No. Frets 24 frets
Overall Depth - 1.75in
Scale Length 35inch.
Binding type - no binding
Neck Width @ Nut - i will have to check, I know string spacing is 16mm
Fret Marker Style - I inlayed Abalone dots in a vine-like pattern from the body to the headstock
Side Dots Style - Abalone dots
Neck Width @ 12th - Ill have to check
Head Stock Thickness - 1/2in thick, the cover was trimmed around the machine heads so it is still 1/2 inch where it meets the posts
Fretboard Radius - 16 inch radius, used the block from StewMac, great buy. chalked the board to spot uneven areas.
Bridge Type - Hipshot 16mm string spacing
Body Wood(s) - Curly maple, walnut, purpleheart
Neck Type - 7 piece neck-through, Curly Maple, Purpleheart
Neck Wood(s)
Neck Thickness @ nut
Neck Thickness @ 12th fret
# and Type of Pickup(s) 2 Carvin Humbucking Soap Bars, I also used their 501B Active/Passive Module. Its discontinued now....what a shame, great product
Fingerboard Wood - Purpleheart. 1/4in thick. 16in Radius. Purpleheart is an amazing wood, very bright for tone. Super dense/heavy, prone to tearing, cuts brown and then turns purple due to either oxidizing or uv rays...Anyone Know? Some people have used a uv blocker to keep the bright purple aspect, idk if it works. I think the color/characteristics is more dependent on the individual piece of purpleheart. I encourage everyone to play with a piece if you haven't. Also, its on the higher end of toxicity.
Overall Weight - 9.3lbs
Overall Length Ill have to measure
Machine Heads Type - Black Gotoh 20:1 ratio
Truss Rod(s) Type - 2-way Hot Rod
Finish Type Truoil/wax both made by Birchwood, its primarily marketed for gunstocks
Finishing Schedule - I took all the wood to 220grit, raising and knocking back the grain with a little water and very very light sanding. First application of oil was put on thick using my hands to really work it in, wiped across the grain with a paper towel to remove any excess after creating the slurry. I waited a week, all future layers were relatively thin. After the first week and I felt it cured sufficiently, I added another layer and used it to wetsand lightly with 220 grit paper. Every 24 hours I added another layer of oil and increased the grit of sandpaper. I did a total of 16-18 coats and the last coat was hit with 0000 Steel Wool. I then used a 5 separate coats of wax, instead of sand paper, I buffed it with a polishing cloth. I could have done more coats fbut I was looking for a more matte finish, but one benefit of finishing this way, I am able to remove and reapply the wax and add more oil if needed in the future due to any wear or unforeseeable issues that arise. This type of finish offers very little protection to the instrument but I think it is the most natural look (let the woods speak for themselves). Another reason I chose this type is because how nice it reacts to sweat and heat. While playing, the neck feels smooth and fast.

Unique Features - I hid the jack inside the cutout at the bottom of the instrument. Havent seen this done before and wanted to mimic the headstock design into the body
 

CrealBilly

New User
Jeff
Congrats on the Bosch router you made a good choice - I have the exact same model. Very cool first project, it looks very clean. it's a beautiful instrument, you did a great job.

Can you please give us some specs? Specs will really help us understand your instrument.

Body Type (Solid/Hollow/Semi Hollow/...) Solid Body
Overall Width - 14.5inch
No. Frets 24 frets
Overall Depth - 1.75in
Scale Length 35inch.
Binding type - no binding
Neck Width @ Nut - i will have to check, I know string spacing is 16mm
Fret Marker Style - I inlayed Abalone dots in a vine-like pattern from the body to the headstock
Side Dots Style - Abalone dots
Neck Width @ 12th - Ill have to check
Head Stock Thickness - 1/2in thick, the cover was trimmed around the machine heads so it is still 1/2 inch where it meets the posts
Fretboard Radius - 16 inch radius, used the block from StewMac, great buy. chalked the board to spot uneven areas.
Bridge Type - Hipshot 16mm string spacing
Body Wood(s) - Curly maple, walnut, purpleheart
Neck Type - 7 piece neck-through, Curly Maple, Purpleheart
Neck Wood(s)
Neck Thickness @ nut
Neck Thickness @ 12th fret
# and Type of Pickup(s) 2 Carvin Humbucking Soap Bars, I also used their 501B Active/Passive Module. Its discontinued now....what a shame, great product
Fingerboard Wood - Purpleheart. 1/4in thick. 16in Radius. Purpleheart is an amazing wood, very bright for tone. Super dense/heavy, prone to tearing, cuts brown and then turns purple due to either oxidizing or uv rays...Anyone Know? Some people have used a uv blocker to keep the bright purple aspect, idk if it works. I think the color/characteristics is more dependent on the individual piece of purpleheart. I encourage everyone to play with a piece if you haven't. Also, its on the higher end of toxicity.
Overall Weight - 9.3lbs
Overall Length Ill have to measure
Machine Heads Type - Black Gotoh 20:1 ratio
Truss Rod(s) Type - 2-way Hot Rod
Finish Type Truoil/wax both made by Birchwood, its primarily marketed for gunstocks
Finishing Schedule - I took all the wood to 220grit, raising and knocking back the grain with a little water and very very light sanding. First application of oil was put on thick using my hands to really work it in, wiped across the grain with a paper towel to remove any excess after creating the slurry. I waited a week, all future layers were relatively thin. After the first week and I felt it cured sufficiently, I added another layer and used it to wetsand lightly with 220 grit paper. Every 24 hours I added another layer of oil and increased the grit of sandpaper. I did a total of 16-18 coats and the last coat was hit with 0000 Steel Wool. I then used a 5 separate coats of wax, instead of sand paper, I buffed it with a polishing cloth. I could have done more coats fbut I was looking for a more matte finish, but one benefit of finishing this way, I am able to remove and reapply the wax and add more oil if needed in the future due to any wear or unforeseeable issues that arise. This type of finish offers very little protection to the instrument but I think it is the most natural look (let the woods speak for themselves). Another reason I chose this type is because how nice it reacts to sweat and heat. While playing, the neck feels smooth and fast.

Unique Features - I hid the jack inside the cutout at the bottom of the instrument. Havent seen this done before and wanted to mimic the headstock design into the body
Thank you for the info. Sounds like a nice bass :) you did that bass up right.
 
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