Guitar and Pear-Shaped

[Ken Smith]

Be careful with the center bout. If it is too wide, the Bow may not clear the 'wood'. On mine, the Bridge is quite high (7") but it seems to clear just fine. Also, is this an Orchestra only Bass, Solo only or Orchestra/Solo as far as its intended use? Smaller upper bouts from what I have seen seems to make the Bass sound thin on top while wider upper bouts usually have a sweet midrange like a 'wet' or moist kind of sound.

What will your Rib depth be? Mine just barely reached 7 3/4" at the widest point but is mostly 7 5/8" around the bottom portion. My Dodd was only 7 1/2" at the widest point as was the loudest Bass to date I have played.

Harmony in all the dimensions and with the wood chosen is not really a science. I think the Cornerless Bass may have a new revival on the horizon.