Navarone.45-43"multiscale headless

[Saved]

Its a litle bit complicated.

Years ago,i was looking for the perfect sounding B bass (i mean the bass with clear and strong B string)

I discovered that i need longer scale.

Then i build my first bass.A 40" fretless 6-string.

Then i realize that fretless basses are nice (i already had a 34" fretless) but they need to much attention when you playing.So, i decide to build a freted 40" scale.

I aslo always wanted a p-bass with mudbucker pickup.

The problem isthere is no mudbucker for 5-strings.So i build this p-bass tuned F#,B,E,A.

It also has a piezo bridge.

Then i saw that D and G strings are more useful than F#,but for me B is even more useful than D and G.

So i decide to build a 5-string.

But,because building basses is a never ending circle,and i knew after this i wanted to build a multiscale.

Now.I find playing my 40" easy.

So the multiscale will be 43-40" but then (2yearsago)people saying that kalium will build 43-40" basses.

I dont wanted people to say that i build this scale because of kalium.

I decide to go 34"+5 frets.

This is 44.75 scale length.But i weanted it multiscale,so 48-45 will be fine.Neil from newtone strings is winding my 40" strings.I asked him how much is the longest he could wind and said 50".

That means that i need to go headless if i go so big scale,and i need it torzal to be playable easy.

The blanks i had (maple and wenge) was 135cm.

So i did it 47-44.

Now,the .110 E string,will be tuned as B because the extra 5 frets of lenght.

So,a thiner,longer,more flexible B string will sound beter.

Thats the story behind the bass of navarone..

 

Edit.I found a luthier who builds pianos (upright and grand pianos)

He also winds strings,so maybe one day i will build an EUB longer than 50" just for the joy of the build

Edited September 9, 2018 by Saved

[SpondonBassed]

It's getting exiting now.

Newtone are local to me.  He's done me a set of five DBEs that I could get nowhere else.  Yay!

Edited September 9, 2018 by SpondonBassed

[Saved]

Neil is a greate guy.I would like to met him in person.We are talking only through e-mails.Always here to try new things,or to help me find the corect gauge for the pitch i want.First time he build me a 40" .255 string for my fretless bass back in the 2015 and maybe earlier.

It was his first thick and long string.He send it to me in greece free of charge.

I never had problem with his strings,his suport and his service.

I am glad to see him building strings for dingwhalls.He has very big experience and knowledge

[Saved]

No need to say,if there wasn't Neil,there wouldn't be navarone

[SpondonBassed]

Pioneering stuff!  Love it.

[alyctes]

Wow.  I'm stunned all over again every time I look at this.

How thick will the neck be at the nut, front to back, if I may ask?

Edited September 9, 2018 by alyctes

[Saved]

The neck is pretty thick.

Is 29mm all the way,because of 2 reasons.

1.the fretboatd is 3ply wenge/maple/wenge 9mm when all the basses have 4mm fretboatd

2.if i go for thiner,i am gonna hit the 8mm carbon rods.

So,9+8=17mm thick only for these two things,when there is basses with 19-20mm thick neck..

If you calculate the sharp angles of endurneck design,there is no way to go for thiner neck

[SpondonBassed]

2 hours ago, Saved said:

If you calculate the sharp angles of endurneck design,there is no way to go for thiner neck

I seem to recall on one of the endurneck video clips that a thicker neck was, dare I say it, good for metal.  Joking aside, it seems to suit the more technical players because of the flats on the back of the neck.

Anyone looking for a Jazz neck will be disappointed.  This bass will inspire a LOT of original thinking and some new ideas.

[Saved]

The truth is,i like "baseball bat" thick necks.And bexause i like playibg slow groove songs,this is not a problem for me.But i belive that thiner neck are better for walking bass playing style

[SpondonBassed]

23 minutes ago, Saved said:

The truth is,i like "baseball bat" thick necks.And bexause i like playibg slow groove songs,this is not a problem for me.But i belive that thiner neck are better for walking bass playing style

Perhaps.

No matter what the neck is like, my walking bassline always limps.

Edited September 10, 2018 by SpondonBassed

[Saved]

ITS PAINTED...not black..🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

 

Edited September 20, 2018 by Saved
edit to add more pics

[SpondonBassed]

This is where it all starts to make sense.

You must have been wanting to see this image from your thoughts become real for some time.

[bottomofthebarrel]

I love this thread!❤️

[Andyjr1515]

I agree with @SpondonBassed (there's a first time for everything!)  - it  all makes sense now.    That is a great look

[Saved]

Next steps

Do the electronics,

Install strings,

Pluck strings,

Booooom!!!!!

[SpondonBassed]

If all goes well, I'd advise anyone reading this to stand in a doorway or to sit beneath a sturdy table as there is likely to be a significant seismic event when this instrument goes off!

[Saved]

Its ready,and it sings

[bottomofthebarrel]

Wow! Congratulations on a fine build, it looks exceptional and probably sounds that way too!

[Saved]

It sound very clear with great harmonics content in every note.

I have to go to a recording studio to record some samples so you can hear it.I have an audio interface,but every time i try to rec a song,it took me hours with awful results

[blablas]

Very nice build, in the beginning it was hard to understand where you were going with this one due to all weird shapes and unorthodox constructions going on but the end result makes everything clear. Well done!

[Saved]

In the begining,even i was not sure what i am doing

[Daz39]

Hold on, back up a pic or two - does Doc Emmett Brown know you nicked his speaker cab?!

[SpondonBassed]

I especially like your metalwork Saved.

The instrument as a whole looks great!  I'd love to see a clip of it on YT or similar.

[HazBeen]

Congrats!

[Saved]

I am gonna make a few videos to se it in action