Easy homemade acoustic bass VI !

[amillar]

Well that was fun - one of the quickest (and cheapest) build projects I've done, an acoustic bass VI made by converting a scrap electro-acoustic guitar. Video here https://youtu.be/QyzJbaM_4lg (Thanks to Ross Millar for modelling it! And apologies for saying "play something" and then pointing the camera... 😈 )

 

I just replaced the bottom four strings with the D'Addario EXPPBB190GS "Taylor GS mini bass" strings, and replaced the top two strings with an A and D from a standard acoustic set. Then all tuned to EADGBE (guitar an octave down).

 

The only mods I had to make to the guitar were obviously recutting the nut, and also on the bottom E string running a 2.5mm drill through the tuner and along the string pin to take the 90thou string. What surprised me was that the intonation's fine.

 

Definitely recommend this for others wanting to have a go, Ross reckons it's if anything easier to play than his Ibanez SRC6. And easy to reverse if you don't like it, the wider hole in the E tuner shouldn't cause a problem, it would just need a new nut and perhaps bridge pin to take it back to a being a vanilla guitar.  

 

Happy Christmas!

 

Andy

[JonesTheCat]

Ha that looks like good fun, tempted to have a go. Assuming the strings are at lower tension so no neck issues?

[AndyTravis]

That’s mint - great fun.

[amillar]

On 24/12/2021 at 23:17, JonesTheCat said:

Ha that looks like good fun, tempted to have a go. Assuming the strings are at lower tension so no neck issues?

Yes, the strings are pretty much standard acoustic tension, on this guitar at least I didn't have to touch the truss rod at all!