Official Luthiers Forum!

Show me your acoustic bass guitars.A friend of mine wants me to build him one. I need some ideas on body style, size, and top wood selection.

I bought a set of plans from a guy named Mark Stanley, he also gives a small tutorial on woods, construction, and design that might help with building an acostic bass. Check EBay, thats where I got mine.

Tim

I have a fender acoustic bass, and I would guess, by eye, that it's based on a OOO or OOOO shape, but bit larger and longer, and bit deeper. After played some, I could give you some suggestions:
1- Cutaway.
2- Maybe think about a arm rest (please!)
3- Joint the neck at 15-16 like the Martin ones, instead of 12 or 14... Best playability
4- I'd try redwood for the top. Purely personnal suggestion!

Good luck, and please give us news on this project!
Francis

_________________
Francis Richer, Montréal
Les Guitares F&M Guitars

I was also thinking cut-away for playability.And 14 fret to put the bridge in a good spot.I've heard redwood doesn't take glue very good for bridges and braces,(splinters up easily)sort of a grain shear.So how about cedar top with walnut body? I have those woods ready to go.

Here is a link to some interesting acoustic bass plans.

http://liutaiomottola.com/instruments.htm#mozTocId11443

It seems like about a year, a year and half ago there was a similar thread about acoustic basses that Rick Turner chimed in on. He brought up some really good points about why 4/4 and 3/4 double basses are the size they are. It takes a lot of acoustic body volume to get the frequencies low enough to be a bass. I suspect that if you put a pickup in the guitar, the volume issue will be much less of a factor.

Please keep us posted on progress. My acoustic bass project is along the lines of John How's -- body from Ace Hardware -- No. 3 washtub.

_________________
Jim Howell
Charlotte, NC

I'm finishing one up now and will try to get some info up later. I did a cedar top and made a huge error in how thick to make it. I just finished redoing the top with two layers of cedar (cross grained the second layer) because it all but collapsed when tuned up. I also did some carbon fiber reinforcement rods to keep the body from trying to fold in half. I guess that is what you get when a classical builder does a steel string bass for the first time! LOL

Never heard a cedar acoustic bass, but I guess that would work great. And if you have a good set of walnut, go ahead. I love walnut, and sounds great.

_________________
Francis Richer, Montréal
Les Guitares F&M Guitars

I was just wandering how thick your top was.I plan to keep mine on the thick side plus i'm closeing the x brace quite a bit as well.I want the wings of the bridge over the x.

Bill Moll makes some amazing archtop acoustic basses (and guitars) which he claims will hold their own in an acoustic jam. Pretty much as large a guitar as one could hold without standing it up. 20" body with 4" ribs and a 34" scale. Check out gallery number 2 for some pictures. http://www.mollinst.com/pages/Resources ... allery_2-b

Thanks for the link to Bill's site. Man, he does some beautiful work.

_________________
Jim Howell
Charlotte, NC

to be honest, I don't remember, but it was way thin! Probably closer to .08"...with steel/electric bass strings I would go .10" or quite a bit more.

Thanks Darrel, that was a nice link to Bill's site.What i'm looking for is a base with bridge pins. The guitar i want to build won't be a archtop though. So bring on some pictures guys.I

Wow Matthew! That was thin. Since i'm useing cedar,i'm thinking at least .135" top thickness.