Guitar and Pear-Shaped

[Ken McKay]

Originally Posted by Ken Smith

I have put wood under the string and experimented with 42" and there was not much loss of sound. It tightened up a bit but this has so much bottom, no one will miss the difference.

I don't think Ruggeri or Roggeri would make a Bass that looks so primitive. These guys were some of the neatest makers ever. i think sometimes people pull names out of a hat to make the Bass something it is not. On mine being a Storioni, it is only attributed to that name and I am equally doubtful it is his work. I would guess blindly it was Boccaccini who copied him 50 years lated further south just a bit above Florence.

The upper bout is crucial in the tone and depth of the Bass as is the middle bout. The middle bout has to reach the limit to where bowing is comfortable but the more you give it, the wider and deeper the sound will be.

Regarding the Ruggeri attributed bass. Have you ever seen a Ruggeri scroll? they are better than Strad! That bass does not have a Ruggeri scroll. I am glad to see you write that.

I am sure you are right about the width issues also.


Have another look, I took Matthew's suggestion. http://www.upnorthstrings.com/cornerlessbasspage4.html Looks better doesn't it.

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Ken McKay

Regarding the Ruggeri attributed bass. Have you ever seen a Ruggeri scroll? they are better than Strad! That bass does not have a Ruggeri scroll. I am glad to see you write that.

I am sure you are right about the width issues also.


Have another look, I took Matthew's suggestion. http://www.upnorthstrings.com/cornerlessbasspage4.html Looks better doesn't it.

Yes, I see his idea there. The whole thing must be in harmony including the graduations, Arch and wood species.

Why does one Bass sound better than another? Why can't they make it just as good each time?

Does the words 'luck' and educated guess' mean anything? Yes, I think so but to what degree, THAT is the question..lol

[Matthew Tucker]

yeah better! Imagine the bottom bracket is the bumcrack ... much more shapely now! LOL!

[Brian Gencarelli]

Ken M.-

That is the ticket! Build away!

[Ken McKay]

Just a quick note and link to my progress. I have decided on the f hole design, it will be Gasparo da Salo style and the arching scheme is going to be Brescian style to go along with that. http://www.upnorthstrings.com/cornerlessbasspage6.

Thanks for you interest.

[Matthew Tucker]

I like the style and width but to my eye they are still sitting a bit high, for balance I'd experiment with dropping them about half an inch or an inch, so that they "hang" into the lower bout rather than sitting above it. This is purely a looks thing for me.

Problem with doing that is your string length may be longer, depending on where your nicks end up.

Your outline is looking nice!

[Ken McKay]

I would be able to move the f down about an inch and have the string length be 42.25. A lot of players will feel pretty comfortable playing it at that mensure.

By the way, Nick Lloyd wrote about a way to get mensure from body stop and neck length. For a bass I have here, it works out if I use:

1) neck length = from nut to where the neck joins the body.
2) body stop = top of bass (where neck and rib meet) to f nick-line.

Are 1 and 2 correct? Anyone know? where's Nick?


Did you look at the next page http://www.upnorthstrings.com/cornerlessbasspage7 where I started carving the plate.