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]

Originally Posted by ed hauser

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!!

[Craig Regan]

Originally Posted by 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!!

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]

Originally Posted by 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.

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]

Originally Posted by 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?

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]

Originally Posted by Craig Regan

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.