I'm going to try and make a 3 string bass CBG. Does the neck need to be longer than a 'normal' CBG? I have usually made a guitar with a 31inch (785mm) long neck with the scale length being 25inch (635mm).
I know the strings would have to be specific bass ones, but it's the dimensions that are throwing me. Thanks
You need to be a member of Cigar Box Nation to add comments!
Replies
Speaking as a bass player, short-scale basses rock! Yes, for any bass you need a slightly longer scale, but between 28" - 31" should sound and feel fine. Keep in mind, the longer the scale, the more tension you will have on the neck.
Another option is to string up with nylon/steel core ukulele bass strings. My son plays a Ubass and it has a very impressive tone, especially through an amp. The strings feel a little strange - your fingers tends to roll off them - but the sound is good.
Good luck with the build. I'm in the planning stages of a fretless baritone. Probably going with a 28" scale, so it's going to be close to a bass.
This will be the greatest tool you’ll need, you can get fret scale measurements for several instruments including Bass? https://www.stewmac.com/FretCalculator?mtm_source=google&mtm_me...
I use this one. It's bit more involved, but you can print out a fretboard pattern with the fret spacing.
https://www.ekips.org/tools/guitar/fretfind2d/
Hi, you could look into ukulele bass scales, around 20.8” or so. Then you can use ukulele bass strings. Just a thought.
Taff
Yes, a bass has a scale between 30”-34” sometimes shorter, have you tried searching for info around the site? There’s a few bass plans in the “how to build” section to give a few ideas? https://www.cigarboxnation.com/page/free-plans