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I thought I'd give y'all a sneak peek of things to come. I've got four guitars currently in the works (one of which is a 5 string Acoustic Bass). I thought I'd give y'all a peek of the bracing before I close up the Bass. Actually the soundboard is attached to the rim at this point and after some voicing touch ups I'll be attaching the back before the day is up. More to come as things progress. Headin' back out to the shop now. Catch y'all later.

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Bill Hodge


One does not simply, own enough guitars!

I've always wondered how you brace a bass. Now I know.

Thanks Bill for the preview.

Joe

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

I`ve been looking for a decent plan for an acoustic base.
James

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James W Bolan
Nashville Tennessee

That looks really efficient. I like it

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Ken

Looking great, Bill. I hope you'll bring it down to Denver and let me play it when it's done!

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Mike

"The Dude abides. I don't know about you but I take comfort in that. It's good knowin' he's out there. The Dude. Takin' 'er easy for all us sinners. Shoosh." The Stranger

Looks great Bill.
Is the back Myrtle?
I see a bottle of Titebond -did ya use fish glue also?

MIke

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Mike Collins

You're welcome Joe. Thanks Ken.

James, I haven't found any Bass plans worth a hoot on the market. I have found a set of plans from Mark Stanley in WA who built classical guitars for about 25 years. He's also a bass player and has built some very great sounding acoustic bass guitars that are loud and have great sustain. I fashioned the layout of the bracing for this unit after his design. I used the parabolic bracing method on this. I like scalloped and parabolic depending on the design, size, and customer desires. This is a smaller body than his (only in the MJ class) and has a 34" scale.

Mike S, I may do that because I would love to get your input. In fact, if you're a gifted bass player, I may arrange to have you come out here so I can set up my equipment and record you playing some nice bass licks on it.

Mike C, ubetcha, that is Myrtle indeed! It came from a slab that the new owner's grandfather had in his woodworking business for years. In fact, he believes it to be about 100 years old. It has been an absolute joy to work with and I wish I had more of it. The sustain on the back with that x bracing makes my head spin it's so awesome. The back and the sides came from the same slab and it's going to be trimmed out with KOA. Got an Amboyna rosette I made per your tute. Oh yeah, and yes, I did use fish glue and Titebond. I wasn't brave enough to use the fish glue on the bracing yet (especially with this being a 5 string Acoustic Bass). I did glue the head block (4 pc) together with fish glue and I attached the head and tail blocks, the linings, and the soundboard all with fish glue. I also used it to join the back and top halves. Gonna glue on the back with fish glue as well. I love that stuff! And.... it doesn't smell like a dead rotting carcass.

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Bill Hodge


One does not simply, own enough guitars!

An update on the Bass. I'm building this along with 3 Steel String guitars so it's slow going. This thread though is about the Bass so as I have more I'll post it. Here are a couple more pics for your viewing pleasure.

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Bill Hodge


One does not simply, own enough guitars!

that bass is looking nice very cool bracing. i dont want to hijack your thread or get off topic but i have to ask about the soundports and maybe u can direct me to a place i can learn more about them. do you make your sound hole smaller to account for this?

A gifted bass player I am most certainly not I'd still love to check it out though!

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Mike

"The Dude abides. I don't know about you but I take comfort in that. It's good knowin' he's out there. The Dude. Takin' 'er easy for all us sinners. Shoosh." The Stranger

Very, very cool build there, Bill. It'd be interesting to hear, no doubt.

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Wes McMillian
Santo, TX
http://www.wesmcmillian.com

That really looks good Bill!
Thanks for giving us a peak inside an acoustic bass.

Joe

Looks great !! I sooo wish I am where you are at buiding !! My next will probably be a baritone !! . let us know how she sounds once she´s strung up.

Lars

Thanks Guys, and you're welcome. As some of you already know, most Acoustic Basses (AB's) tend to lack in the loudness and sustain department. I've done a lot of extensive research to gather the very limited info out there on the AB's and along with a lot of theory and testing, hope to have come up with one that will break that image. I'm sure others have gone before me successfully without a doubt but it just doesn't get talked about much on this or any other forum. And the literature available is sparse at best. An electric Bass when properly built and wired growls wonderfully. I'm attempting to build something here that will hold sustain, with good volume and balance for that sweet intimate acoustic setting where the bass neither drowns out into the background, nor takes over the show. We shall see soon if I accomplished my mission. If not, there are others to come.

P@ul,

I have not seen or found any tutes on doing side sound ports. That said, I haven't really looked for any. I simply thought it out and along with 30+ years experience as a custom woodworker, made it happen. Just shape and add a support inside the guitar where the sound port will be and go for it. I used a Dremel with a Flex Shaft attachment and a down cutting spiral bit to cut the hole then filed and sanded. I then used my material of choice (in this case KOA) and bent it to the proper shape, glued, chiseled, and sanded to it's current state. Others (and I will too) also laminate different veneers together to give a purfled affect. Play around with it on a damaged side set or spare pieces of wood and you can create some awesome stuff. It's a much simpler process and more forgiving than inlay.

Until next time!

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Bill Hodge


One does not simply, own enough guitars!