First build, new member

Posted by John Risher on February 26, 2011 at 7:15pm

Hi There

My name is John, hailing from middle Tennessee.  Been watching and learning for a while now.  Here are some pictures of my first build.  The box is red cedar, with 1/8 top and bottom and the sides are 1/4.  The neck is white oak and the fretboard will be either white or red oak.  I still have to scarf the neck and make many adjustments.  Nothing is glued at this point.  I would welcome any suggestions at this point.  Scale is 24.5, planning on 18 frets.

Thanks in advance for any advice. 

 

John

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Replies

  • John Risher February 27, 2011 at 3:25pm

    Thanks all for the suggestions.  The box is 2.5 inches deep.  I will relieve the sounboard a little more.  I do have precise measurements for the nut and the bridge.  The marks are too faint to show on the pictures. I will probably be doing the scarf on the neck today or tomorrow.  In retrospect, I should have completely finished the neck first.  Should I use nylon or steel strings?  (Will be three string open tuning)

    again, thanks.

     

    John

  • Dan Sleep February 27, 2011 at 11:07am
    Looks good so far John, welcome to CBN. I am curious how deep the box is. It can become uncomfortable to play if the box is too deep. I built a 2 string bass from a pretty large box, and it does not fit under the arm very well. Not a criticism, just an observation. Mark makes a good point about the headstock, it is a good idea to get that done and out of the way first. I had one I did and I wish I made the headstock first, it made for a very awkward build that way.
  • Mark Bliss February 27, 2011 at 2:28am

    Your off to a fine start. Very nice work for a first build!

    I would suggest you do your headstock and locate precisely where your nut will be. (This often moves slightly as you work, trust me.)

    Then measuring off of that you can locate your bridge location pretty closely and your box mounting location is dialed in and then may I suggest you might want to add to your sound board relief on the neck so it doesnt hang out into the box so far. Take full advantage of that nice top you have there!

    Have fun!

  • David Davies February 26, 2011 at 7:28pm
    Nice work John.... Thats one hell of a shop
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