too much wood ?

[Arnold Schnitzer]

That bass bar is way too long.

[Adrian Levi]

Originally Posted by Arnold Schnitzer

That bass bar is way too long.

Arnold do you mean that the bar is too long overall , here is a pic of the whole bar ...

[Arnold Schnitzer]

I may be mistaken. In one of the earlier pictures it looked like the bass bar went almost to the tailblock. In your new picture that does not look to be the case.

[Adrian Levi]

I'm about to put new linings on this bass / I have a choice of spruce , willow or
maple . I'm thinking spruce at this stage , but still have a couple of questions that maybe someone help me with .

Firstly I am still intrigued by the size of the corner blocks . The block surface to rib contact is 3 inches (+- 8cm ) see pic. The blocks are also pretty thick .

Secondly , should the linings be 'jammed' as they were into the blocks ? Surely the extra pressure will inhibit vibration transfer ?

This bass has such a huge sound that I believe she may have the potential to be something special ..........

[Matthew Tucker]

Those blocks look fine. Personally, I wouldn't mess with them. Linings are normally butted up against the blocks or even let into them. That's how they are supposed to be. I'd use willow or maple linings.

[Adrian Levi]

Originally Posted by Matthew Tucker

Those blocks look fine. Personally, I wouldn't mess with them. Linings are normally butted up against the blocks or even let into them. That's how they are supposed to be. I'd use willow or maple linings.

Hi Matthew , I'm interested why you wouldn't use spruce.Is it because of the differential shrinkage potential between the maple and spruce?

Also a lot of makers and repairers mention how important it is to try and not inhibit vibration transfer of the ribs by adding too much repair material or making the ribs thick etc etc ... so I'm questioning the fact that on this particular bass the ribs were wedged between the blocks creating pressure against the ribs , surely its better practice to just 'bump' the edging up against the blocks neatly .... or perhaps there really isn't a right or wrong answer after all

[Thomas Erickson]

I don't like the idea of linings butting up to the blocks; to me, it just seems like asking for the ends to come loose as things shrink and they get pushed up tight to the blocks. I'd rather see them let well into the block so that they're securely tied down to the rib. Seems more structurally sound to have the linings secure to the blocks, too.

[Matthew Tucker]

I'd prefer willow or maple because they are more durable woods and/or bend better. Usually on a well made bass they are just fit neatly and exactly, not wedged in. I think if the linings are bent and glued properly there's no real need to inlet them into the blocks. A good glue joint will outlast you, anyway! Strad did it on his violins and everyone copied him. Not every maker does it. There's a maker in Sydney who runs the linings smoothly across the blocks and joined with a long scarf joint. Looked a good idea to me but extra work. So you can inlet them if you like; there's plenty of wood on the blocks at the C bouts to allow this.

Either way, I don't think its going to make much difference to the sound. The linings are to provide a wider edge-grain gluing surface than the edge of the maple rib; as long as this is achieved i don't actually think it really matters what they're made of or whether they're inlet.