Starting a DB Project

[Ruben E garcia]

In advance I have to thank you all for all the help that I’ve being getting from this here and there… I’m in the process of planning my first acoustic build, with limited resources and experience (Sound like a great combination), and ¾ DB, carved top and back, may be a hybrid… here is my initial development plan:

1-Buy a good book “So ... You Want To Build a Double Bass by Peter Chandler”

2-Get a workshop on making an acoustic guitar, lets say I do live in Atlanta Ga, don’t want to spend a fortune “Woodcraft” have a $600 workshop for that.

3-Get an DB beyond repair, I figured is somebody have a shop they may have a DB that is in un-reparable and get it for a good price (ANY ONE OUT THERE)

4. USE SPRUCE for the top and MAPLE for the back

5. I have no clue just yet

So what do you think about my super plan?

[Ruben E garcia]

U guys left me all by my self , that's ok... Update!!! I did get some advise from one luthier, I am going to be opening the front to repair the bottom and the back opening, he explained how to…(He recomend not to open never the back because the bass will lost it shape!!!) I am waiting for my DB repair book to arrive, and he also showed me an used ebony fingerboard for $200, nice figure but it worries me a little knot in the back and a little wave in the front, I made a sketch for u guys to see it, by the way if you want to recommend somebody to buy a fingerboard from or you have one send me a PM, I am not at the point where I need one but I would like to start studying the case

[Thomas Erickson]

Originally Posted by Ruben E garcia

U guys left me all by my self , that's ok... Update!!! I did get some advise from one luthier, I am going to be opening the front to repair the bottom and the back opening, he explained how to…(He recomend not to open never the back because the bass will lost it shape!!!) I am waiting for my DB repair book to arrive, and he also showed me an used ebony fingerboard for $200, nice figure but it worries me a little knot in the back and a little wave in the front, I made a sketch for u guys to see it, by the way if you want to recommend somebody to buy a fingerboard from or you have one send me a PM, I am not at the point where I need one but I would like to start studying the case

Attachment 1925

You have long way to go 'til you need a fingerboard! Worry about the rest of the bass first!

[Ruben E garcia]

I posted this on TB… this is what I did this weekend:






The Bottom Block :








The Front repair:

[Ruben E garcia]

And the Crack:



The patch:

[Ruben E garcia]

Originally Posted by Thomas Erickson

You have long way to go 'til you need a fingerboard! Worry about the rest of the bass first!

hi Thomas, I got you... by the way what u think about the repairs?

[Arnold Schnitzer]

Ruben, with all due respect, next time you remove a bass top please be more patient, and get some more advice about doing so less destructively.

[Ruben E garcia]

Originally Posted by Arnold Schnitzer

Ruben, with all due respect, next time you remove a bass top please be more patient, and get some more advice about doing so less destructively.

Next time I will be more careful, I though it was going well but at the end I realize that the top was damaged, fortunately I got most to the top pieces back, and i do think that the bottom block was glue using yellow glue, now I need to work extra to fix the damage that I made .
I'm thinking now that I could used some heat or weaken the glue a little more....

[Thomas Erickson]

Originally Posted by Ruben E garcia

hi Thomas, I got you... by the way what u think about the repairs?

I think you stand to learn a lot before this bass is closed up - no offense, it is a good project and I applaud your nerve - keep us posted but definitely take your time and ask questions if things don't seem right.

[Ruben E garcia]

Well as Arnold suggested I am going to be using Diamond Cleats, the cleats are about 1" each side and 1/8" thick and also with the grain running about 45 degrees ...

I am using this time an bigger chisel as Mathew suggested, he say that it will be more fun this way

I am going to be making few deep throat C clamps... as per Wayne Advise to use the right tool for the job (no lipstick sorry)

and Taking all apart and do it again as Ken also recommend for me to do






after making the clamps I am going to laid down the cleats but before I will send and picture for everybody to see what is going to be my plan

[Matthew Tucker]

Ha! And get that chisel sharpened

[Thomas Erickson]

Originally Posted by Matthew Tucker

Ha! And get that chisel sharpened

You can start that thread!

[Matthew Tucker]

Tell me about it ... just spent three hours with 80 grit trying to undo the damage I did to the back of a pristine HSS plane blade by putting it down, freshly lapped, on my bench overnight. If anything defines "the pits", that does

[Ruben E garcia]

No no nooooo!!!.... I am good in that department, It doesn,t really show in the picture but that chisel its very sharp, I did spend yesterday more than an hour sharpening that chisel its deadly sharp


I start by flatting with 80 grip sand paper on a granite stone, then I move to 320g sand paper, and so on…
Then I use my Veritas honing jig and register jig (Amazing little tool) for the bevel a 25 degrees again 80G, 320G, and tree diamond stones 320, 600, 1000. After that I use and 2000G sand paper and finally a leather belt for mirror finish…. When I done I do a 30 Degrees micro bevel… and I use the back on my The thumb nail to make sure its sharp…

Also while I am working I am make sure stay sharp… by honing it with my leather belt… those chisels my be not the best chisels out there but they hold the bevel sharp as long I don’t mess with too much H. glue or little metal wires like the ones that I found on some of the patches in my DB

PS it doesn’t give me you a lot of room for accidents

[Ruben E garcia]

Originally Posted by wayne holmes

Easy, big fellow, with that chisel! If you are going to chisel after you glue the cleats-you might want to put tape around the cleat in case (or inverted diamond shaped cakes of lipstick) don't want to damage the top-Ruben, if you ain't careful, this could be disaster coming down the road.

I guess it would be considered butchery to use a sander on the edges of the cleats before they are glued?


cleat-look I don't know, but looks like your hand is healing up good. How did you do that- the wounds look like about 2mm shy of the width of the chisel...

Hi Wayne I guess the traditional way is chisel out the Cleat after Gluing… I don’t think that sanding before gluing it’s a bad idea… for now I am sticking to what I have seem (don’t want to be very creative).. I am going to tape around the cleats for sure, don’t want to nick the top… to be honest I did make few nicks the first time

The hand its fine, it was a 10mm wound and it hit the bone.. Lots of blood and all that, I lost some tactile sensation on the skin of my finger, I got a none feeling in a good part of that finger right after the accident, like local local anesthesia feeling… I was tacking down the cleats and old hide glue from the top with the small chisel and guess what! my hand was on the way… and the chisel slipped….. Boom… work time was over

Now I am very careful and aware where my fingers are all the time…

[Matthew Tucker]

I guess I saw your microbevel and thought it was a burr ...

i think you'll find that no amount of tape will save the top from a sharp chisel.

Better to be careful and use a slicing movement in an upward directon. You'll work it out. Your cleat looks fine to me.

[Thomas Erickson]

I hate to derail the thread any further, but -

If you are stropping your chisels, the microbevels probably aren't worth the effort - but I haven't tried both (together) either. It just seems a bit counterintuitive (to me) to put a tiny little bevel on a blade and then polish it on a soft surface. But hey - whatever works!

[Ruben E garcia]

Originally Posted by Matthew Tucker

I guess I saw your microbevel and thought it was a burr ...

i think you'll find that no amount of tape will save the top from a sharp chisel.

Better to be careful and use a slicing movement in an upward directon. You'll work it out. Your cleat looks fine to me.

I got a good camera but not as good as yours I can really get cl ose details as your pictures... I guess you are into Photography too hum?

Tape, I did save the top from few nicks last time, but u are right no tape is going to offer 100% against a sharp chisel, that is for sure.

last but not least... yes I saw ur video shaving those cleats, u are using a totally different technique as I did, I was using downward force (not a great idea), u also cut with the flat part I was using the bevel part... the cleats closed to the bass bar are specially hard to shape (keep posting your restoration project it really helps a lot and more videos if thats posible )

[Ruben E garcia]

Originally Posted by wayne holmes

Ruben, I just don't know where to start...I agree with number 4.

I totally
disagree with number 3---I speak for only me when I say that there is no bass that is "un-reparable" if most of the pieces are there and they have been kept dry.

Number 5---if you meant to say glue-it's too early for that, but use mostly hide glue-if you mean clue, then I would hold off on doing anything.

Number 2- are you wanting to make a bass or a guitar? If you want to make a bass, any learning experience will help. To get to the point where you are ready to make a double bass, you will , most likely, have to spend a small fortune in time and money.

Number 1- books can be helpful, but a mentor would be good too.

When I think of what it takes to go from nothing to building a double bass, I sorta feel like I'm having the early signs of a stroke. I think most of us start out changing our own bridge and develope a passion for working on instruments. I'll just share my journey since I am close to the point of making my first bass. I began by changing my strings, bridge, etc over 20 years ago. Then if one of my double basses needed something I would find a book and fix it myself.

About 5 years ago, I got a bass from a luthier who had restored many basses and cellos. He became my mentor in repair and restoration. With what he taught me, the use of several books, and with the help of anyone who would answer my questions, I restored around 15 instruments in the last five years and have set-up and repaired scores of basses as part of my business. I would recommend that you start with a restoration, one that is not too complicated so it won't discourage you.

In the restoration process you will learn about the parts of a bass, the tools needed,etc. After you successfully complete the restoration, then maybe do another one. Eventually, you will work up to trying your hand at making one. I think that my experience is somewhat like most who end up making basses. For me, it has been a timely, and expensive venture, but I love it.

I hope that you make the right decisions along the way. You are starting out correctly by asking a lot of questions and this forum will, I believe, help you to stay on a safe course.

Fair winds and following Seas.

So my plan stink hum?

That's a wise advise, I really haven’t tried to find out a mentor... if u were a little closer I will stop by to bug u a little , but I can give u a call for advise, I really can use some.
On the TB forum one guy suggest a similar approach, buy a beat up ply DB, made a carve top and replace it… that could be a good start, I will have the chance to see first hand how is build, I will do the setup… it may take me closer to a build, I may actually improve the instrument

[Ruben E garcia]

[quote=wayne holmes;20553]

Originally Posted by Ruben E garcia

So my plan stink hum?

ha! stink-that's the word I was looking for. Again, Ruben, , I would start out with something not too complicated to restore- It will be better to go from kinda simple to the more complicated. I would get a bass that you would ,at least, have to remove and replace the top. If it needs a neck repair, too, then you are off and running.

My view is that luthiery is an art. We are working with something that will do more than a piece of furniture will do. It will produce music, hopefully, and the purpose of music is to touch the heart. A well made cabinet or bed-frame will not do this, unless there is some pathology present. An art is a skill that you develope by experience, study and observation. Since we are now in the information age, the process is made easier. One thing I have learned is that if you want to do something good, there will always be others who will help you accomplish it.

So, my suggestion is to find a restorable that you will have to do major repairs to but not a complete massive makeover. Once you get the bass, you could put a picture of it on this forum and let the questions begin- your first question could be-where do I start? We will tell you what to do and what tools you will need. For right now, you need to make sure that you have a space and a table to do the work-Don't use the dining room table like I did my first year. The women folk, although quietly supportive, really don't like that. If you have a shop-great-you can make a bass operating table with a 4 by 8 3/4 plywood and saw-horses and then make a cradle to elivate the bass for clamping, etc. You will need about 50 clamps for the top- you can make these yourself and save a lot of money.

This is my opinion and experience. Hopefully others will share theirs.

Good luck Ruben!

I do have a small workshop, I’m a hobbies, so nothing too fancy and I don’t have all the tools, I do have, Stanley chisels (I want better ones), Drill press, 14” bank saw, no table saw but circular saw, a bunch of saws, a bunch of claps (I know the claps that u are saying I will make 50), bench, router, orbital sander, bench planer 5”, few useless gouges that I got from HD, craftsman cordless drill,… I’m thinking on really getting an Jet 10” joint/planner combo only $300, and a bell sander.