Arching Profile

[Arnold Schnitzer]

Originally Posted by Craig Regan

I have noticed different arching profiles on string bass tops. Some rise up in hight quickly then flatten out across the f holes. Others are more dome shaped, cresting at the middle of the top. How does this effect the sound?

I am a believer in moderate arch and also in having a nice flat zone around the edges (which actually become a bit concave after carving in the recurve). Basses with tops that rise up right from the edge sound stiff to me and rarely produce the subwoofer tone people crave. Basses that have arching that is really flat in the middle lack definition to my ear. As Ken McKay stated above, a lot depends on your wood. Graduating your plate to a set of numbers fails to take into account the density and stiffness of a particular piece. But telling a person who is building his first bass to use his instinct is not helpful. So I would err on the side of slightly higher arch or slightly thick graduations. You can always open it up and remove wood later, but it is really hard to add wood. By the way, when you glue that top on, use weak glue!