benbastin

Yeah similar to that. That is from the german company that makes them. As far as I can tell no one is making them in the UK, and no one is making them with a choice of woods either. So hopefully there will be some interest. Start production next week. Any one interested please PM me Thanks

What i'm proposing is a little bigger than a drum stick so as to be strong as possible. With a steel rod out of the top of it 10mm in diameter to go into the bass. The top of the wooden pin would have a metal collar to prevent the wood spliting and the a rubber foot to stop it all slipping. Would people be interested in different woods then? I'm thinking walnut oak and ash would be pretty good contenders. Perhaps Sapele too.

I've been using one for over 6 months now and I love it. It adds volume to my bass and rounds everything. I am thinking about making some to sell and was wondering if anyone would be interested. They will be custom length of course, and possibly in a choice of woods. Definitely walnut but perhaps some other choices too. They will be standard fit to 10mm end pin units, but I could do 8mm and bigger if people need. If anyone is interested please send me a message. I'm trying to tot up materials and things, but will be able to let any interested parties know soon. Thanks Ben

Interesting video from L'arrivee guitars. He talks at around 10 mins in about leaving his guitars to "settle" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3P6HcKVTrY I thought some of you may enjoy this.

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1381490167' post='2239735'] My bass is somewhere in the region of 100 years old, and it has been several decades since the top was last off for repairs. I guess this means that it's quite settled in terms of long term changes, but I think I do notice a seasonal change in the sound. I [i]think[/i] (but I can't be sure) that it's somewhat quieter and duller sounding during spells of high humidity, especially with the bow. Of course, some of this could be related to my bow hair too. It's hard for me to say whether the sound "closes up" again if the bass is unplayed for a while, because this usually means that I'm out of practice also. Certainly, I get a better sound when I'm playing every day, but since I only own one double bass, I can't seperate the effect of the amount I'm playing from the amount the bass is being played. [/quote] Interesting point about how it is difficult to see how things change due to their being so many variables, not least of all ones own playing

Obviously the player is a much bigger factor in how a bass will sound. But the thread was about how the bass itself changes over time which is an interesting thing to contemplate. I feel my main bass change throughout the year as the seasons change, so there are consideration to take in. Instrument builders are in a much different position to that of Panormo or Strad. We have access to a huge selection of wood, which we can be pretty sure has been very well looked after. All the time makers are trying to pair down what makes the difference to each instrument. Should it be 4mm thick or 3mm, etc etc etc which really can never be fully explored when the wood is so different, but perhaps a reason for looking for drier and more stable wood choices, is also in that effort to remove variables to the process of building. Its interesting to hear every bodies experiences of how their instrument has changed since they bought it, or even how its different in the winter to the summer, and then to theorise as to why these things might happen, or even if its just a placebo.

[quote name='henry norton' timestamp='1381349016' post='2238052'] 30 years???!!!! Maybe if your paying 20 grand for a bespoke DB!! Given the choice I'd go for 3 year old wood and 27 years of being played rather than a brand new DB made of 30 year old wood. [/quote] Wood takes a long time to dry. This is standard for all wood for building purposes. It seems too much, but if it is not dried slowly and naturally it will twist, warp and split. You might get away with 10 years with smaller wood, but the size of wood for double bass makes it even more important. Some people dry wood in kilns for furniture making, this is rarely done for instruments as its less desirable and not as easy to control. Kiln drying can be done relatively quickly. Also spruce is felled according to phases of the moon, some info here http://www.tonewood.ch/moonwood.html if you look at this, http://www.flickr.com/photos/60334748@N02/9486863237/ this is the spruce for the bass im building and you can see the moon phase stamped on.

Here's my take on it. Wood for instrument making is dried for a long time before use, typically at least 30 years. It takes this long to full dry out, and make sure your not going to get any nasty surprises with it warping in funny directions. Then you put the wood through an further long process of carving, bending, tweaking, glueing etc This all changes the properties of the wood drastically, and the further to that it end up covered in varnish. So when you start to play the instrument, all these different components are going to move, and change. Usually this manifests it self in a feeling of tightness or reduced sound in the case of repair, and an opening up as the instrument begins to vibrate together, as the components become one instrument and not a collection of parts. The wood itself has to get used to its new shape and purpose. It had at least 1 hundred if not 2 to 3 hundred as a tree, then a further 30-40 as a plank, then between a few months and a few years being whittled into an instrument, so its hardly surprising its not immediately happy as a bass or a guitar. In addition to these considerations is the glue used, especially when dealing with laminates. Instruments are traditionally made using hide glue, which seems to be closer to wood in terms of vibration that other glues such as white glues and epoxy often used in cheaper instruments and mass produced guitars. Hide glue certainly has a minimal affect to the wood. Where as when you use laminate which are often made using white glue or epoxy and extreme cases such as the cheaper range of martin guitars the wood itself it impregnated with epoxy, the glue becomes a huge part of the equation, and takes much longer to bed in. Any instrument that isn't played regularly will not maintain its sound, thats the best thing you can do for any instrument is play the hell out of it every day.

I used a quiver for 8 years, and realised one day I was always taking it off to record, as my bass sounded much better, and why I wasn't doing this always. I use the arco hook mostly off a mic stand or music stand as I move around a lot when I play and the bow flaps about a bit too much for me.

Be interested to see it ubassman. and the slide show was a happy accident and just happen when I linked the flickr page!

ubassman your using maple to make the top block? Any reason for using maple and not spruce? I'd love to see some pictures, this design doesn't have sloping shoulders so that simplifies that a little bit!

I bought the maple for the back sides and neck from David Dyke [url="http://www.luthierssupplies.co.uk/"]http://www.luthierssupplies.co.uk/[/url]

Incase anyone is interested here are some photos of a violin I made. http://www.flickr.com/photos/60334748@N02/sets/72157636122476095/

Hi There So i'm building a double bass, and thought some people might be interested in the progress. You can follow the progress pictures here, http://www.flickr.com/photos/60334748@N02/sets/72157635031167744/ I will update details here from time to time, and if anyone has any questions please ask. Thanks Ben