Hello

[Craig Regan]

Hello to everyone on Ken's Corner from Pompey NY.
I visit this site quite often to gather information for my luthier projects and to learn about the String Bass. Currently, I am building a Panormo copy out of Cherry lumber. The project has been going on for about a year now ( I have a day job), progress can be slow at times, but I still manage to chip away at the bass little by little.

If anyone is interested, I will post some photos of my "project"......Thats me in the picture chipping away.

[Craig Regan]

Here is the Rib structure without front and back plates. I just completed the mortise for the neck joint (notice the saw).

[Craig Regan]

Here is the neck and the half carved scroll, the volutes still need to be carved in.

[Craig Regan]

Chunking out the opening for the strings and machines.

[Craig Regan]

This weekend will be a big moment for the bass; time to finally glue the back on to the ribs. Not sure how it will go, the glue sets up fast and the back has to be aligned perfectly. The picture is of a dry fit (no glue).

Wish me luck.

[Craig Regan]

The back is now attached to the ribs! It was a very difficult operation and I am glad its over. Here is some highlights of the glue up procedure:

I made a special glue up bench from an old restaurant table. This new bass holder allowed me easy access to the bass carcass during the glue up (saw horses would have been way too cumbersome for this stage).

Had to make 44 spool clamps which took up most of the weekend.

The back has a 25 degree bend, so it needed special cauls to keep the clamps from slipping.

It took about 20 hrs of preparation and staging for a 15 minute glue up.

Now it is time to clean up the glue, and start planning the top.

[Craig Regan]

This is how the ribs came to be:

10/07 - Mould for Panormo Bass.
10/07 - First Rib.
11/07 - More ribs with corner.
12/07 - the linings.

[Craig Regan]

2/08 - Carving the back profile from a Cherry blank.
2/08 - More carving.
3/08 - Outside of back nearing completion.
4/08, 5/08 - wasting away the inside.
6/08 - The bend.

The back took a long time to make.

[Craig Regan]

Over the summer I got started on the top plate.

1) Spruce Billets before glue up. This was a big chunk of lumber.
2) Clamping.
3) My helper with our future bass top ready for carving.

[Craig Regan]

First thing to do was joining a flat side on the blank. Hand tools worked the best since the top is so large and the spruce is easy to work.

Next up: Leveling the front edges of the rib structure and tracing the bass outline to the spruce top.

[ed hauser]

i find the building of these things fascinating so keep up the good work and keep posting the pics!

[Craig Regan]

i find the building of these things fascinating so keep up the good work and keep posting the pics!

I am glad you like it Ed, and I appreciate the encouragement.

Digital photography is amazing; Thanks to Ken's Corner and the internet, I can snap a picture in my barn and within minutes have it seen world wide. This is what I did yesterday:

No power carvers on hand, so I used an sharp adze to "roughly" reduced the top thickness at the edges. Looks crude, but it worked just fine.

Next up; the jig saw will cut out the shape of the top.

[ed hauser]

just curious, how long does something like this take to build? is this for you or are you producing it for someone else? ive always wanted to do a project like this this but it seems so labor intensive it has to be done with a lot of love!!:D

[Craig Regan]

just curious, how long does something like this take to build? is this for you or are you producing it for someone else? ive always wanted to do a project like this this but it seems so labor intensive it has to be done with a lot of love!!:D

Experienced luthiers say it takes around 500 hrs to build a double bass. This is my first bass, so I suspect it will take me longer. The bass will be for my son who plays in a local youth symphony. He is due for a instrument upgrade so he can grow as a young bassist.

My regular job is working in a wood shop, but this project is completely different from anything I have ever built before. Luthier work requires a lot more brain time than say, building a bathroom vanity. Also, as I have learned, wood selection is crucial. It seems you are pushing the material to its limits. Balance act between fragility and strength.

Sorry, no pictures today.

[Craig Regan]

Leveling the ribs: Last night I removed the inside braces and worked on getting the front rim flat. Once the ribs are flush, I can trace the outline of the bass to the spruce top and begin carving.

A small block plane worked the best. I also tried some sticky sand paper on a flat board and moved the bass back and forth. The "giant sanding block" method worked o.k., it just seemed to lack some of the olde world appeal of the simple hand tool. In the end, it was good to experiment with different methods and the front rim is now very flat.

[Ken Smith]

Leveling the ribs: Last night I removed the inside braces and worked on getting the front rim flat. Once the ribs are flush, I can trace the outline of the bass to the spruce top and begin carving.

A small block plane worked the best. I also tried some sticky sand paper on a flat board and moved the bass back and forth. The "giant sanding block" method worked o.k., it just seemed to lack some of the olde world appeal of the simple hand tool. In the end, it was good to experiment with different methods and the front rim is now very flat.

The ribs are flush?? Do you mean no overhang 'Lip' for the Top and Back or do you mean 'once the Ribs are trued up'? Basses without an overhanging Lip can develop more problems over time. Even Basses with a Lip when made turn Flush over time around the lower Bout and Ribs need to be shortened at the Block to remedy this.

[ed hauser]

Craig how do you think this will stand up against "store" bought basses? i know you said it was for your son as an upgrade, i was just curious?

[Craig Regan]

Craig how do you think this will stand up against "store" bought basses? i know you said it was for your son as an upgrade, i was just curious?

Its going to blow them away!

Seriously, Since this is my first build, i have no idea. His stand partners all play Shen 3/4 willows and hybrids. It will be interesting to hear how they sound side by side and together as a section (if I ever get it done). Currently he play a plywood bass.

Ken, the ribs are "trued up", just couldn't come up with a better term.
The back has a 3/16" (5 mm) overhang, I think it looks attractive. The extra overhang could possibly help protect the ribs and be helpful in future repairs.

The Shen overhang seemed very tight to me. Could be to keep the edges from catching on bass bags and such.

[Ken Smith]

Its going to blow them away!

Seriously, Since this is my first build, i have no idea. His stand partners all play Shen 3/4 willows and hybrids. It will be interesting to hear how they sound side by side and together as a section (if I ever get it done). Currently he play a plywood bass.

Ken, the ribs are "trued up", just couldn't come up with a better term.
The back has a 3/16" (5 mm) overhang, I think it looks attractive. The extra overhang could possibly help protect the ribs and be helpful in future repairs.

The Shen overhang seemed very tight to me. Could be to keep the edges from catching on bass bags and such.

On the 'Store Bought' as far as Guitar stores go they sell Junk for the most part aka BSO/Bass shaped objects. Professional Bass shops on the other hand can sell Basses from under $1000 to over $100k so there is a range there if values are correct on the offerings. Any smart minded DB shopper should not buy Cheap Basses in a Guitar Store or the cheapos on Ebay. OnlyfFirst time Buyers who no very very little about DBs buy these 'negative value' wannabes.

On your Bass Craig, might I suggest Bumpers at the onset? Matching Rib wood under the Varnish would be best I think. Save your edges BEFORE they need Bumpers and repairs. I had them put on a few of my Basses recently. It's a relief in my mind when I lay the Bass down, trust me. This is the best time to do such a thing.

[Craig Regan]

I traced the outline of the bass to the top leaving a 3/16" overhang; then I cut out the shape. It was exciting to see the silhouette of the bass appear in the spruce. The next step was making the templates for the plate arching.

Evan though I am a little nervous about the next stage of the bass project; carving the top will be fun. My plan is to take it slow and enjoy the "experience".

Time sharpen some tools.

[Arnold Schnitzer]

Craig, you are doing some really nice work there. I think your arching profile shown in the pic could use some tweaking, though. The transition from the convex arch to the flat (or slightly concave) zone around the edges looks extremely sudden to me. Personally I find basses sound best when the plates have gradual, rather than sudden curves. Hope this is helpful!

[Craig Regan]

Craig, you are doing some really nice work there. I think your arching profile shown in the pic could use some tweaking, though. The transition from the convex arch to the flat (or slightly concave) zone around the edges looks extremely sudden to me. Personally I find basses sound best when the plates have gradual, rather than sudden curves. Hope this is helpful!

Thanks for the input Arnold. I made a new center arch and tried to flatten out the curve at the transition area as you described. Arch #1 did seem abrupt. Arch #2 is a lot smoother but I may tweak it some more. The top and bottom arches are much flatter at the ends and may not need adjusting.

I spent this weekend wasting away the spruce top by hand. I do not mind the grunt work; its a welcome change from the finicky stuff to come.

[Craig Regan]

I seem to have misplaced my camera; hope to find it soon so I can update the thread.

Currently, I am still carving the top by hand; its slow going but a good way to learn. It is tricky navigating the grain direction with all the hills and valleys. The spruce likes to tear out so I try to keep the tools very sharp.

More pictures coming soon....

[Craig Regan]

Very rough shaping at this point, top plate is still very thick.

Need to refine the shape and figure out the edge thickness. It is 10-15 mm thick around the edges, so I still have a long way to go.

(I found my camera)

[Craig Regan]

Photo #1
Winter is here.

Photo #2
Top carving. Roughed it out, then started to work on the "east-west" or horizontal arching. Here is the C-bout arch getting close to the outline of the template. My plan is to establish the top, middle, and lower arches, along with the long arch. Then, blend them together into a beatiful bass top.

You may notice a pitch pocket of some kind has appeared in the top. It was not there when I started to carve, but slowly revealed itself as the top got closer to the finished size. I may have to do some type of repair.

Photo #3
This is my arsenal. So far I have stuck to the hand tool method for shaping the top. Doing this by hand, IMO, might be a better way to learn the subtleties of plate arching, (as opposed to using power tools).

[Craig Regan]

Picture #1
I fastened the top plate to an old table base. This enabled me to work around the plate without having clamps and bench legs getting in the way.
Gracie (the dog) has been with me from the start, usually she just curls up in the corner wile I whittle away.

Picture #2
The top plate, in all its "fully carved" glory.
(still have to carve out the inside)

Picture #3
Working the edges. Violin makers spend a lot of time discussing "edge treatment"; it may not be as big of a deal in bass making, but, nice edge work is one of my goals on this instrument. I am using gouges to get the proper scoop and roll wile at the same time, maintaining plate thickness and reserving a place for the purfling. Also, one must keep in mind the overhang distance. There is a lot going on at the edge of a top.

[Arnold Schnitzer]

Nice looking handiwork there, Craig. Just as food for thought, you might be interested to know that most makers install the purfling before forming the edge hollow and bead, so that their purfling tools have a solid, flat surface to ride on. Are you installing purfling? If so, what method are you going to use to cut the channel?

[Craig Regan]

According to the box it came in, I have an "Ulmia Furnieradern-Nuten". Made in Germany. Its a channel cutter for inlay work I purchased years ago for furnituremaking.

It will need to be adapted to work on the bass, but in general, the tool functions the same as the ones they sell for cutting grooves for purfling.

I will regret it later, but, I will probably end up chipping out the waste by hand. Once again, I've chosen the slow method!

[Craig Regan]

This thread is proof that not everything on the internet moves a the speed of light!

The purfling is on hold, I ordered material and waiting for it to come in.

Still working on the arching; trying to get everything to the finished profile before hollowing out the underside. The high tech lazar shots give an idea of the curves on the top.

I left a lot of material on the edges so I can attempt a more sculpted treatment there. I am hoping it will look more "hand carved" than a production factory bass.

The last photo is just a teaser; I wanted to see how the top looks on the ribs. The underside still needs to be carved. Also, still have to remove some of the glue residue on the ribs.

[Craig Regan]

1) This is not a luthiers tool, but it got me through the job!
The cutters worked well, but the fence had to be modified so it could follow the curves of a bass.

2) Shop made purflings using different thickness veneers. They were glued up in forms that matched the contours of the bass

3) The preformed purflings waiting to be installed.

4) First purfle!
Cherry wood was used in the center to match the ribs and back. I did some preliminary edge shaping with small files; this is an attempt at a "sculpted edge". I hope it doesn't look too thick or get in the way of the bow.

5) The purfling is a bit on the heavy side compared to other basses, but I think it will blend just fine. Sometimes bold can be good.

[Arnold Schnitzer]

Nice work Craig. The form-laminated purfling is such a crazy idea that it makes sense! Of course the standard way is to glue up flat sheets, then bend with heat as you need. But the result is all that really matters. What's the width and depth of the purfling?

[Craig Regan]

The purfling comes in at a heavy 3/16", or 1.12" or 7/64". The black is .30", and the cherry is .50" (My dial caliper measures in .00"). Its looks wide on the spruce side, but blends in nicely on the cherry back! It looks like two separate black stripes when inlayed in to the cherry wood.

Channel 2 mm deep, edge 6 mm thick, after trimming the edge to 5mm, there should be 3-4 mm of material under the purfling. How deep should I go? Does the depth create the so called hinge effect?

[Arnold Schnitzer]

5mm is thin for the edge. 7 is more common.

[Craig Regan]

The hollowed out scoop is at 5 mm, and the rolled over outer edge is 8 mm.
Chandlers plans call for 4.5 plate thickness next to the ribs, and 6 mm plate thickness next to the ribs at the f holes. For now, I'll try to keep it on the heavy side.

[Ken Smith]

The purfling comes in at a heavy 3/16", or 1.12" or 7/64". The black is .30", and the cherry is .50" (My dial caliper measures in .00"). Its looks wide on the spruce side, but blends in nicely on the cherry back! It looks like two separate black stripes when inlayed in to the cherry wood.

Channel 2 mm deep, edge 6 mm thick, after trimming the edge to 5mm, there should be 3-4 mm of material under the purfling. How deep should I go? Does the depth create the so called hinge effect?

Check again. .50"/.500" = 1/2". Do you mean .050" and .030"? Missing a zer0?

.050" is like a G string or so in diameter and .030" is like a high C string.

[Craig Regan]

I think I'll switch to the metric language.

Black veneer .70 mm, Cherry 1.24 mm, total thickness 2.64 mm.

[Ken Smith]

I think I'll switch to the metric language.

Black veneer .70 mm, Cherry 1.24 mm, total thickness 2.64 mm.

You were just short that extra zero I mentioned. You had it listed at 10x the size without it.

.70mm = .0275", 1.24mm = .0488 , total = .100"/2.64mm

In dividing for MMs, use 25.4 instead 2.54 or you get 10x like with the Caliper misread.

[Craig Regan]

Glued (and clamped) the last of the purfling in the top.
My son thinks it looks really cool.

[Craig Regan]

Graduating the top.
I made a special table/cradle to hold the top plate.
Today, I will start to carve out the underside of the top deck.

[Arnold Schnitzer]

I see you have posted a graduation drawing. That thick ridge down the center is not traditional,. It is typical to work in more of an oval manner out from the thickest center zone. I believe the drawing is from the Chandler book, which contains some good basic info but is short on specifics. You will want to cut your f-holes while the top is still a bit heavy. Otherwise you will be cursing everytime a little tear-out episode happens on the inside.

[Craig Regan]

Thanks Arnold, I was hoping to get some feed back BEFORE I start carving, possibly saving me from foolish errors.

My back plate has the oval type of graduation, so I am familiar the pattern. Also, the oval pattern seems to be common in the other string instrument family instruments.

As far as the f-holes go, should they be cut with the little knives, or are the knives for paring to the line? I was thinking of using a small coping saw and possibly drill bits for the circles.

Again, Thanks for the info.

[Arnold Schnitzer]

Thanks Arnold, I was hoping to get some feed back BEFORE I start carving, possibly saving me from foolish errors.

My back plate has the oval type of graduation, so I am familiar the pattern. Also, the oval pattern seems to be common in the other string instrument family instruments.

As far as the f-holes go, should they be cut with the little knives, or are the knives for paring to the line? I was thinking of using a small coping saw and possibly drill bits for the circles.

Again, Thanks for the info.

Cut into the wood on the outside with a knife and scribe the line so you don't get tear-outs past the edge. (I pare twice so I actually have a little channel.) Then use whatever tools you want to chop out the bulk; pare to the line; clean it all up.

[Craig Regan]

Thats the author of this thread drilling holes on the underside of the top. Its cold, so I am wearing a coat, hat, and scarf.

Chopping it out by hand.
At the moment, there is little, in the way of extra funding available for a power carving machine, (we are saving every penny for the fingerboard).

[Craig Regan]

I got rid of the bulk of material so the top would be easier to work with.
The thickness is about 15 mm overall, or a heavy 1/2".

Now is the time to retrieve my luthiers notebook and figure out my graduation patterns.

[Craig Regan]

I am building from a Peter Chandler plan. His graduation pattern for the top plate has a thick 8 mm center "spine" running top to bottom. Here are some ideas for different patterns, for thinning the top.

The first is a simple peanut type shape. Starts off thick in the middle and gradually thins at the edges. Seems simple and straight forward.

The second is based on a cello pattern. Ovals in the center, thinned out in the upper and lower bouts or "lungs" as they are sometimes referred to in this sort of pattern. Good pattern for cellos and violins but unsure with double basses.

What is the accepted "normal" patterns used by manufacturers past and present?

Would the tea leaf and audio oscillator set up help out in this situation?

The further I go on this project - the less I know.
If anyone wants to chime in on graduating top plates, the forum is open.

[Ken Smith]

I am building from a Peter Chandler plan. His graduation pattern for the top plate has a thick 8 mm center "spine" running top to bottom. Here are some ideas for different patterns, for thinning the top.

The first is a simple peanut type shape. Starts off thick in the middle and gradually thins at the edges. Seems simple and straight forward.

The second is based on a cello pattern. Ovals in the center, thinned out in the upper and lower bouts or "lungs" as they are sometimes referred to in this sort of pattern. Good pattern for cellos and violins but unsure with double basses.

What is the accepted "normal" patterns used by manufacturers past and present?

Would the tea leaf and audio oscillator set up help out in this situation?

The further I go on this project - the less I know.
If anyone wants to chime in on graduating top plates, the forum is open.

Not having ever made a Bass I have been inside quite a few of them and outside as well. My worry on the second pattern for Cello on the right is Bass bar sinkage. I think the one on the left (Peanut?) is the more common and trusted way to go.

The 6mm all across the bottom might be ok but why take the chance. Also, I have heard that Panormo made some Bass at 6mm all over without any graduations. Each piece of wood is different and has different strengths and weaknesses even within the same piece of wood end to end. What you can do is try something more on the heavier side like circles in the center 8-10mm and gradually thinning and turning to oval graduations as you move outwards. After the Bass is done you can always go back and re-graduate if you like. I have seen some Basses with a slight built up platform under the Bass Bar, the entire length (and soundpost area too). This is done to add strength to that area. If re-graduated with the 'Bar in place, it would be ok to work around it leaving the platform. My Gilkes as made that way and I know of an old attributed Maggini that was as well. Someone re-graduated that Maggini thinking it was wrongly made and guess what? The Top sunk under the Bar afterwards, so the former owner told me some 3 1/2 decades ago. Things like that you don't forget!

[Craig Regan]

Thanks Ken, The extra material under the sound post and bass bar is a good idea.

It would be interesting to take a hacklinger gauge and measure the tops on various basses. Might be the best way to get answers to some of my questions.

[Ken Smith]

Thanks Ken, The extra material under the sound post and bass bar is a good idea.

It would be interesting to take a hacklinger gauge and measure the tops on various basses. Might be the best way to get answers to some of my questions.

Unless the wood you are using as well as the models between Basses are exact, copying measurements might not produce the exact same results.

[Matthew Heintz]

I'm not qualified to add anything here, but I spoke with Bill Merchant not too long ago about this and he said that he has seen quite a few modern basses with 6mm or 7mm tops coming back in for repairs. He said that they sound good initially but sink over time. Then again perhaps it works with certain woods, designs etc...

[Matthew Tucker]

craig you can get fine-tooth blades for coping saw that work really well for carving out the ffs. Until I found these, coping saw was hopeless, and fretsaw was just too fine.

Right now I'm glueing back the top of Sirente after regraduation. I'll soon tell you if the chandler "spine" is a good idea tonally or not, since I removed it ...

[Craig Regan]

Thanks for the tip Matthew, we are looking forward to the regrad results...

Photo #1
The f~holes are cut.

Photo #2
Removing excess wood, to achieve the optimum tone and response from the top plate.

[Matthew Tucker]

Craig you may have to wait a good 24 hours for any result from me. The top is on but I need to cut a new soundpost and get it all singing again.

[Craig Regan]

The top now graduates from 10 mm in the center to 5 mm at the edges. It is very flexible in some areas and yet, extremely ridged in other areas. Bass bar is next.

100% hand carved plates, blisters and splinters as testimonial.

[Craig Regan]

The top is spruce (white wood) while the ribs are cherry (reddish brown color). This could be a problem down the road. I would like to keep the cherry natural (center photo) and match the spruce to the reddish brown of the ribs. I have been doing samples with the cut offs from the top.

I have a fear the finishing will come out looking like a 7th grade shop project. More experiments to come.

[Arnold Schnitzer]

I advise you resist the urge to color the raw Spruce. You would be better off sealing it and then adding color coats to match it to the Cherry. You can put a very light water stain on the spruce first if you like, but any concentrated stain will have a tendency to get extremely blotchy, because of the mixture of face and end grain in the carved table. Are you planning to use oil or spirit varnish?

[Matthew Tucker]

The top now graduates from 10 mm in the center to 5 mm at the edges. It is very flexible in some areas and yet, extremely ridged in other areas. B

did you weigh it?

[Craig Regan]

The cherry looks great with nothing on it, wile the spruce needs some toning, to help it blend with the rest of the instrument. I am definitely leaving the cherry natural, so its only the spruce that will need "doctoring up".

Spruce is a softwood, cherry is a hardwood. They take a finnish completely differently. Some lighter maple dyes work well with the spruce; gives a good base to build up upon; sealing is a good idea. Most of these samples were "just playing around" wile I carved the top. When things get closer, I'll start some more serious samples.

Leaning towards an oil finnish, but still experimenting.

[Arnold Schnitzer]

Leaning towards an oil finnish, but still experimenting.

Do you mean an oil finish as in Watco or Linseed? Or do you mean an oil-based varnish?

[Craig Regan]

Originally, I was looking at the Hammerl oil varnish, with the idea of mixing various colors to come close to the cherry. The only problem is, buying 3-4 little cans of oil varnish imported from Germany could be expensive.

I may use a product called Bush Oil (sounds political) for the top coats ; It works like a Watco type oil but only much better. Linseed is defiantly out because it dries too slow.

[Arnold Schnitzer]

An oil finish is a bad idea on a spruce top. You can get a litre of Hammerl varnish from International Violin for about $30. It's good stuff.

[Matthew Tucker]

Craig you may have to wait a good 24 hours for any result from me. The top is on but I need to cut a new soundpost and get it all singing again.

OK is singing again.

yes is louder, yes is more responsive to bow (even strung with Spiros) . E string shaketh the floor. But, still very bright, and i think this is partly cos my bridge is too thin at the top.

I am happy I spent the time on regraduating the top. Worked for me.

I have ordered some Evahs for a special treat. We'll see how she go.

[Craig Regan]

OK is singing again.

yes is louder, yes is more responsive to bow (even strung with Spiros) . E string shaketh the floor. But, still very bright, and i think this is partly cos my bridge is too thin at the top.

I am happy I spent the time on regraduating the top. Worked for me.


Glad to hear your bass back together and working well after re-graduating.

There is a electronics repair shop in our town that is willing to lend me an old audio oscillator, I may take them up on the offer.

[Craig Regan]

Today is sunny and warm, and for the first time, it feels like Spring.

Here is a photo of the bass, and for the fist time, its starting to look like a bass.

[Arnold Schnitzer]

Nice looking bass, Craig! Now let's get some finish on 'er. This is the ultimate varnishing weather. (Today is mid 60's F., a gentle breeze, low humidity and dappled sunshine.)

[Ken McKay]

Looking great Creag!

Do you need some tuners? PM me.

[Craig Regan]

Here is the latest.

I have decided to set up the bass, before the finish process, to avoid scratches and dents.

Made the saddle, nut and fitted a sound post; then fit a bridge and proceeded to string it up.

Most of the nuts I have seen have wider spacing between the E and A strings and then the spacing gets smaller between the D and G string. This set up would work better on my beveled fingerboard (layout issues), but, I will try using 10 mm between every string as stated in the "Luthiers Corner".

[Craig Regan]

With only one string on the bass, I could not resist plucking out the first note....


Then I let my son try it with a bow.

[Ken Smith]

Here is the latest.

I have decided to set up the bass, before the finish process, to avoid scratches and dents.

Made the saddle, nut and fitted a sound post; then fit a bridge and proceeded to string it up.

Most of the nuts I have seen have wider spacing between the E and A strings and then the spacing gets smaller between the D and G string. This set up would work better on my beveled fingerboard (layout issues), but, I will try using 10 mm between every string as stated in the "Luthiers Corner".

The string spacing should always be measured from center to center and never between the strings. That will space the string wider on the lowers and narrower on the uppers. With center-to-center spacing, the pencil line only being spaced, the lower strings will looks closer than the uppers but in reality, the centers in which you place your fingers will be even.

[Craig Regan]

A boy and his bass.

[Craig Regan]

The string spacing should always be measured from center to center and never between the strings. That will space the string wider on the lowers and narrower on the uppers. With center-to-center spacing, the pencil line only being spaced, the lower strings will looks closer than the uppers but in reality, the centers in which you place your fingers will be even.

Yes, Center to center!

[Craig Regan]

Bass Inspection.

[Craig Regan]

I would rather get the next three strings on the bass then sit at the computer.

Here are some progress pictures from the last 2-3 weeks. Enjoy them.

[Craig Regan]

The $3.99 end pin reamer.

[Craig Regan]

Neck fitting.

[Craig Regan]

Neck gluing rig.

[Craig Regan]

Chips from the workshop.

[Craig Regan]

Heel shaping.

[Craig Regan]

Carbon fiber implant.

[Craig Regan]

Still more work to be done; back to the shop.

[Matthew Tucker]

Hi Craig I only just caught this latest update!

The bass is looking great. You must feel pretty chuffed about it. Well done!

[Craig Regan]

Here is a link, to hear (and see), the bass playing a G major scale.

It may not be the optimal sound clip. The strings are an old set, of thin Corellis, and the recording device, is a $99 digital camera.

Just the same, Its good to hear it making some real musical notes.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/35577594@N02/3510711677/

[Matthew Tucker]

You're endpin reamer is better than my one. Sheesh they're expensive if you want a real one!

I don't quite understand the box contraption you have clamped to the neck. What's that?

[Craig Regan]

I don't quite understand the box contraption you have clamped to the neck. What's that?

Basically, its a press clamp (see picture), installed in a customized frame. It was designed to give me finger tip control of the clamping pressure, without struggling with clamp alinement.

I do not know how others clamp their necks in place, this was my solution. It took 10 hrs to design and build the fixture and only 5 minute to glue the neck in place. A good example of why this project has taken so darn long.

[Matthew Tucker]

Ah I see - FINGERBOARD clamp? In the pics I didn't see a fingerboard ... so I thought you were using some contraption to press in the carbon rod.

[Craig Regan]

Ah I see - FINGERBOARD clamp? In the pics I didn't see a fingerboard ... so I thought you were using some contraption to press in the carbon rod.

I got mixed up, on post #78, the box like contraption is clamped to the neck to keep the neck straight and flat. At the same time 1/4" bolts, mounted inside the box on T-nuts, can be tightened down, to clamp the carbon fiber and wood filler, into the routed groove.

So basically, its a contraption to glue in the carbon fiber rod, maple filler, and, keep the neck straight all at the same time.

Photo of finished carbon fiber w/ maple insert:

[Craig Regan]

Here is the bass with some finnish work done. I tried to match the spruce top, to the natural color of the cherry ribs. Cherry wood darkens with age, so I may refinish the spruce part for a better look, later on.

This is a "learn to build bass", so I may go back in at some time and thin out the top a little. tweak the bass bar, etc., etc.

Later this summer I will do the "calender photo shoot".

For now, I am happy it is finally making some music.

[Tim Bishop]

Wow, you built this? If so, nice job.

[Arnold Schnitzer]

Very impressive! Please move closer to me...

[Tim Bishop]

Very impressive! Please move closer to me...
Yeah, between you and Craig, you could corner the U.S. Market on DB builds and restores :). I think it would be worth considering. ;)

[Robert Kramer]

Cherry wood darkens with age, so I may refinish the spruce part for a better look, later on.
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Cherry is also really photo sensitive causing it to darken more in direct and indirect sunlight. So you may be toning the color of the spruce after that calendar shoot. The bass looks nice, great job!

[Joel Larsson]

Stunning looks! I wish I could be there to hear it. ;)