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I wan to go full nine and build a double bass!

Posted by Micah Haley on June 24, 2010 at 12:46pm in Building Secrets, Tips, Advice, Discussion
Hey there everybody! I'm just getting into this. About to finish my first acoustic three string CBG this week. (Then on to number two of course!)

I have a long term goal however, of constructing a full scale electric double base once my chops are up to the task. (That is double bass, as in "classical upright", not "double neck", though that would be AWESOME!)

Has anybody tried this or something similar? Can anybody link me to a resource for the measurements, materials? Got any advice?

Just throwing this out there to see what comes back.

Thanks!

-Micah

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Replies

  • Diane in Chicago January 8, 2011 at 8:55am

    This guy has a 3 string, which makes a lot of sense.  He's got playing tutorials there, too.

     

    http://www.konaweb.com/walkingbass/

  • Don Thompson January 7, 2011 at 9:16pm

    http://www.eclecticbass.com/eurb.html

     I would do a google search for Elecrtic Upright Basses . Truly a lot of ideas out there.

    Don

  • Kevin Sprague (Knotlenny) January 7, 2011 at 7:29pm
    Capt. Mudflap just built this 2-stringer, the body is a big plastic tub.  He carved the headstock.  The neck a big broom handle with a piece of soil pipe for a finger board and Weedwacker strings.  Typical piezo buzzer pick-up.  Sounds great, in my opinion!.  There's another photo up on my profile.  (I couldn't figure out how to link the photo.)

    Knotlenny said:
  • Kevin Sprague (Knotlenny) January 7, 2011 at 7:25pm
  • Jack Schmitt January 7, 2011 at 6:03pm

    Sorry for the bump, but I thought this might be of interest, since I had the same issue (looking for inexpensive bass tuners) for a long time.

    Try Experimental Musical Instruments. At $4.50 each, it ain't bad. They also have piezos and wound pickups among other things.  http://windworld.com/products-page/hardware-for-acoustic/bass-tunin...

    If you want to go even cheaper, check out the Uncle Bob tuner. http://www.cyberferal.com/UncleBob/design.html Check the bottom of the page, pic on the left. You can replace the phillips heads with knuled knobs - although with bass string tension, it might be too hard to turn.

     

    Jack

    Micah Haley said:

    Hey David, what did you use for your tuning machines?

    I'm trying to source some and they are anything but cheap.

    Thanks!
  • Micah Haley June 25, 2010 at 8:41pm
    I hear ya! This probably won't be my second or even fourth build. I'm going to get a few more under my belt before I attempt it. This one is going to be the proper electric Contra Bass that I can't afford otherwise.

    Then, we bring the THUNDER!!!!!! XD
  • Johnny Debit June 25, 2010 at 3:50pm
    I used Bubinga for the bridge and nut since I had about 12" x 4" left over from the fingerboard. It's pretty dense, but not as dense as Bloodwood. As far as wood-working skill goes, it's my first build. I thought a lot about it, looked at a lot of examples on this site and others, and took my time with each step. In the end, I guess there's no better way to learn than by doing. My next project will be a fretted 21" scale 4-string CBG tuned to GDAE (an octave below a mandolin).

    Ben said:
    David,
    I've done some violin/a/cello/bass repair workshops and have definitely found that the set up can take for ever. Setting the sound-post on an expensive instrument, right where the owner loves the sound is quite an undertaking. I'm really impressed with your build though. You obviously have some wood-working skills. Out of curiosity, what wood are you using for the bridge and nut?

    David Herring said:
    Thanks for the kind words suggestion Ben. I played around with clamping the piezos between the strings. It helped some, but I’ve found these MEAS tabs respond better under pressure. I ended up cutting a slot on each side of the bridge about ¾” from the top and putting the piezo tabs in the slots – sort of like the feet on the sides of a traditional bass bridge. The pressure from the strings flex the slots and push down on the piezos just enough to get good, even volume. I’ll have to upload pictures this weekend. I’m still tweaking the nut and refining the bridge. I might end up spending as much time on the setup as I did building the thing.


    Ben said:
    Hey David, sweet build! I was thinking about your piezo problem. Have you considered going the Fishman route (make your own of course). I have it and I really like it. It has two piezos that are clamped ON TO the bridge between the E and A strings and between the D and G strings. This might give you more vibration but keep it from getting boomy.
    http://www.fishman.com/products/details.asp?id=10

    David Herring said:
    Micah

    I'm currently working on one myself. I used a 41" scale, with a 33" fingerboard (1.5" wide at the nut and 3.5" wide at the base and a 4" radius). Here's a link of what I've done so far. http://herringmeisterlist.blogspot.com/
    I think the long scale length is the deal maker. Everything else is a matter of taste.
  • Ben June 25, 2010 at 3:31pm
    David,
    I've done some violin/a/cello/bass repair workshops and have definitely found that the set up can take for ever. Setting the sound-post on an expensive instrument, right where the owner loves the sound is quite an undertaking. I'm really impressed with your build though. You obviously have some wood-working skills. Out of curiosity, what wood are you using for the bridge and nut?

    David Herring said:
    Thanks for the kind words suggestion Ben. I played around with clamping the piezos between the strings. It helped some, but I’ve found these MEAS tabs respond better under pressure. I ended up cutting a slot on each side of the bridge about ¾” from the top and putting the piezo tabs in the slots – sort of like the feet on the sides of a traditional bass bridge. The pressure from the strings flex the slots and push down on the piezos just enough to get good, even volume. I’ll have to upload pictures this weekend. I’m still tweaking the nut and refining the bridge. I might end up spending as much time on the setup as I did building the thing.


    Ben said:
    Hey David, sweet build! I was thinking about your piezo problem. Have you considered going the Fishman route (make your own of course). I have it and I really like it. It has two piezos that are clamped ON TO the bridge between the E and A strings and between the D and G strings. This might give you more vibration but keep it from getting boomy.
    http://www.fishman.com/products/details.asp?id=10

    David Herring said:
    Micah

    I'm currently working on one myself. I used a 41" scale, with a 33" fingerboard (1.5" wide at the nut and 3.5" wide at the base and a 4" radius). Here's a link of what I've done so far. http://herringmeisterlist.blogspot.com/
    I think the long scale length is the deal maker. Everything else is a matter of taste.
  • Johnny Debit June 25, 2010 at 2:29pm
    I used http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Tuners/Bass_tuners/Adjustable_Tension_B...

    At $31.98 they are not cheap. I even had to drill a hole in the string slots for the E and A strings to accomodate the string's girth. Since I was trying to make this thing a nice as I could, I sprung for the tuners. In the future, I think I'll just use eye bolts.

    Micah Haley said:
    Hey David, what did you use for your tuning machines?

    I'm trying to source some and they are anything but cheap.

    Thanks!
  • Micah Haley June 25, 2010 at 2:10pm
    Hey David, what did you use for your tuning machines?

    I'm trying to source some and they are anything but cheap.

    Thanks!
This reply was deleted.