Doomentia Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 Hey guys I've recently started a progressive doom band, what we want to do with it is totally have some weird stuff going on down on the low ends, to do this I am considering to build my own bass, I've never done it before, so would any of you have any advice at all? It will be a 5 or 6 string, want some good quality wood and i'm also considering putting a whammy bar on there too So like, yeah, any advice would be grand peace Doomentia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dom in Dorset Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 Before you spend a lot of time , effort and money building this thing, buy a cheap five string , see how much use you get out of it. Play it for while,then think what changes would you make? A six string usually has an extra high C string. Also , ditch the whammy bar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doomentia Posted July 1, 2012 Author Share Posted July 1, 2012 Cheers I already got a 5 string (Shine SB35) I really like how well it plays, I use it in my Thrash outfit. Have also played around with a 6 a few times, slowly getting used to that like anything you could recommend instead of the Whammy? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dom in Dorset Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 A bridge! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lettsguitars Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 If you have woodworking experience and the range of tools needed for the job then no problem. You could bosh one together using only hand tools if you were clever, it can be done, i did it myself. Chances are you wont be happy with your first attempt for too long and will be selling your grandmother for wood money. It gets highly addictive and takes a long time to get the skills to a decent level. If the only reason is to have a six string bass then i would definately consider just buying a bass (off me) rather than getting into building, unless you really want to do it. I can list all the essentials and tips to get you started and help along the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dom in Dorset Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 Actually, I'm talking out of my hat re whammy bars on basses. I often find that if something is invented and scarcely used or google throws up very few examples it probably never caught on - why ? Because it's probably flawed in some way or didn't prove to be of much use. I have a Shine 5 string, good value , I turned mine fretless, not the sound i was after but an interesting exercise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 I built my own solid electric guitar in my final year at school. I must have spend getting on for £100 on parts but I also put in around 500 hours of my time from doing the initial designs to the final set up. The attitude in the woodwork shop was unless a job was impossible to do by hand or the student's wood working skills were definitely not up to a particular task, the use of machines was not allowed. Therefore apart form some initial thicknessing planing, cutting out of the (very) rough body shape on the band saw, using the drill press for the bridge and tail-piece mounting holes and some of the sanding, every other job was done by hand without power tools. I learnt plenty of things - some of the most important being that everything is much easier if you have the right tools and being able to accurately sharpen chisel and plane blades is just as important as being able to use the tools themselves. I'm glad I did it, but having done it once, I'm in no hurry to repeat the experience unless I had access to a fully equipped workshop and someone skilled on hand to provide advice and guidance. The guitar turned out fine and got used in all the bands I played in for the next ten years until the neck joint gave way and it proved impractical to repair. Also the second -hand Yamaha I bought for £250 to replace it was a far better playing instrument. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertbass Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 I made my bass, the one in my photo and it's the best sounding and playing bass I've ever owned. It took me years to attempt it but in the end it was suprisingly easy. I say give it a go and even if it doesn't work out exactly the way you planned you'll have learned an awful lot along the way. This was my bible at the time, http://www.amazon.co.uk/Make-Your-Own-Electric-Guitar/dp/0953104907, it proved invaluable. There are quite a few plans for basses on ebay at the moment as well. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeFRC Posted July 1, 2012 Share Posted July 1, 2012 [quote name='Doomentia' timestamp='1341134406' post='1714049'] Hey guys I've recently started a progressive doom band, what we want to do with it is totally have some weird stuff going on down on the low ends, to do this I am considering to build my own bass, I've never done it before, so would any of you have any advice at all? It will be a 5 or 6 string, want some good quality wood and i'm also considering putting a whammy bar on there too So like, yeah, any advice would be grand peace Doomentia [/quote] Pay for someone elses expertise. Define a bit more what you want.... and then it it were me I would PM either lettsguitars (the nice fella above) or ou7shined for some of the builders on here, or ACG (skelf) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doomentia Posted July 2, 2012 Author Share Posted July 2, 2012 okay, cheers for all this guys Just looking at some of the prices at the moment and what not I'll take a look at your bible as well BertBass Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lettsguitars Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 All the info on building is out there in cyberspace if you're willing to search it out. Plenty of luthier forums, individual experiences etc. A bandsaw, jointer and router are the main expenses when starting out, but you can pick them up pretty cheap second hand. You will also need an outbuilding of some kind, as it gets very noisy and dirty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xilddx Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 [quote name='lettsguitars' timestamp='1341218477' post='1715146'] All the info on building is out there in cyberspace if you're willing to search it out. Plenty of luthier forums, individual experiences etc. A bandsaw, jointer and router are the main expenses when starting out, but you can pick them up pretty cheap second hand. You will also need an outbuilding of some kind, as it gets very noisy and dirty. [/quote] And for god's sake work safely aswell. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lettsguitars Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 [quote name='silddx' timestamp='1341231940' post='1715385'] And for god's sake work safely aswell. [/quote]Spoil sport He has a point though which unfortunately my left thumb doesn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harleyheath Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 (edited) Hello Doomentia, if you really fancy going it then go for it! its fun and you'll always love playing it! and you will be surprised at how good they can sound! but.................yes theres always a but! lol I don't know what your wood working skills are like but if there not that good forget it! you most certainly can learn as you go but you'll be throwing wood away at an alarming rate, or end up with an unplayable piece of crap! your going to have to know how to use planes and chisels well and know how to keep them razor sharp! your going to have to be able to plane a peice of wood, flat, square an of an even thickness down to 0.1 of a mm. you can build a bass with just hand tools, machines do help and save time but apart from maybe a router (truss rod grove, pick up holes, neck pocket) everything can be done by hand but you do need good hand skills. I went to 'totnes school of guitar making' around 8 years ago and im sure it hasn't changed, the tools provided where minimal (hand only) the guidance wasn't! and that really helped! read as many books on it as you can and do your research. when your doing it, don't be afraid to ask lots of questions on here. you will need some specialist tools though an you can't do without those. I'll be happy to list those if you fancy going ahead with it, they shouldn't cost too much, under a £100 maybe. also think about whether you want a thru-neck or bolt on, active or passive, painted of fancy wood, you can make a bass from anything like a couple of hundred quid to a grand, just for materials. If you have the hand skills then go for it, its not easy, but its doable, and it is very satisfying. most of all do lots of research, a full size drawing an take your time! ps, hipshot do a good whammy for basses, never used one so can say what there like, but they aren't cheap! Edited July 2, 2012 by harleyheath Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
xilddx Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 (edited) [quote name='lettsguitars' timestamp='1341233021' post='1715412'] Spoil sport He has a point though which unfortunately my left thumb doesn't. [/quote] I'm not spoliing any fun mate. Bandsaws, routers, hand tools, power tools, hardwood dusts, solvents, fire risk .. also, he's a metal head, the long hair and the rotating drill bit can be immense fun Edited July 2, 2012 by silddx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
harleyheath Posted July 2, 2012 Share Posted July 2, 2012 oh and a deffo to the out building, this isn't something you can do on your kitchen table. and a massive deffo to the working safely!!!!! a sharp chisel can take a huge lump out of a finger, a table saw......well mine took 3 of my fingers off, 2 sowed sort of back on an a whole heap of hospital an pain for a hand that can't really play bass any more! SAFTY SAFTY SAFTY!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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