Spoombung Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 (edited) After 25 years of playing fretless bass I’ve decided I’m in need of frets now and sliding harmonics about and generally farting around slurring all the notes in my usual Hopperesque confused imbroglio is not always appropriate to the type of music I’m making these days. It’s time to design and commission a new bass! Well, I recently purchased a Danelectro short scale and have discovered the joys of being able to stretch my hand over over 4 frets and low string tension without making an effort. It’s been quite a revelation because I’d always dismissed short scales in the past because all the basses on offer were not really to my taste and no one really made a hi-fi model except Alembic, which would have me filing for bankruptcy as soon as the cheque bounced. But I just don’t like the £200 Dano enough: it’s crudely made and the sounds are limited but more than that, it also has the one thing in common with most bass guitars that I just can’t get on with: the inability to pivot the instrument up to a nice playing position while seated. I think this is mainly due to the [i]fashionably reduced lower horn [/i]on modern basses (stop sniggering in class). Most basses are great for playing standing but a lot of them slip of your lap seated. Let’s pick on a typical example, this washburn bass, for instance: I always play my bass seated at home. The only time I strap it on when I go to the toilet. So I’m going to start this whole project by cutting a shape out of hardboard around my leg and extending the lower horn and we'll go from there. Let’s see what happens… Okay, I'm using my girlfriend's jigsaw and workbench (Women have all the powertools these days). God, it's noisy. If it's too loud I'm too old. Edited July 21, 2009 by Spoombung Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoombung Posted January 17, 2009 Author Share Posted January 17, 2009 What the....?! Well I said an [i]extended lower horn [/i]but this is ridiculous...and rather rude. You've got to be joking! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoombung Posted January 17, 2009 Author Share Posted January 17, 2009 Oh God, that's...HUGE.....and quite obscene! No! No! I can't have that. I'm going to have to censor it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul h Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 Already this is the best build diary I have seen. P. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 [quote name='paul h' post='383405' date='Jan 17 2009, 05:30 PM']Already this is the best build diary I have seen. P.[/quote] +1. The customisation possibilities on that lower horn are endless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul h Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 I wish my lower horn was that big. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budget bassist Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 this should be interesting! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoombung Posted January 17, 2009 Author Share Posted January 17, 2009 Okay, it's back to the drawing board - with a bit of liquid help - and a few more modifications, re-drawing and a couple of cutouts. Hopefully I can filter out the X- rated content of the previous effort and try and restrain myself a little. Well, you, know, that's not too bad and quite a bit closer to what I'm aiming for. Instead of an ugly, crooked phallus it's starting to resemble a shapely woman waving enthusiastically with the promise of a box of chocolates and a peck on the cheek. Unfortunately Other aspects of the shape are starting to worry me now - like the rather elevated upper horn (oh, the trouble I have with horns) and I suspect it won't fit into a regular gig bag. Hmmm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoombung Posted January 17, 2009 Author Share Posted January 17, 2009 (edited) Well, I'll be a son of a gun. It actually feels very comfortable! I'm heading in the right direction The lower horn is still looking inevitably, rather risque, but I can see if I shave off another cm from the end and deepen the oval shape of the lower body it might look better. I might as well sweep the curve a bit more at the forearm ease and lower the angle of the upper horn and work toward squeezing the body design into a gig bag. The top of bass is more mysterious to me because, I suppose, theoretically, there is really no need for the top part of a solid, wooden, electric instrument at all -other than to have an upper horn to attach a strap. The temptation is to go a bit radical but the puritan in me is resisting. Edited January 17, 2009 by Spoombung Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budget bassist Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 That looks cool, really reminds me of a ritter or an ibanez EDA900 Any headstock ideas yet? And i think you could probably get away with making the bottom horn a bit small and less phallic, if that's what you're going for. Also, you really remind me of Martin Clunes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoombung Posted January 17, 2009 Author Share Posted January 17, 2009 Right I've done yet another cut out lowering the upper horn, shaving off a bit of the lower and I moved the position of the leg curve slightly to the right. Now it's time to glue on the neck and measure the scale distance from the nut to the string saddles and make a slightly raised lump to suggest the bridge position. Then I'll have my first proper mock-up to think about. Okay... HERE IT IS! Good grief. It's wonderful. I already love it so much it's very tempting just to stop proceedings right now and live with my hardboard, dream bass! I mean, why bother spending all that money getting a real one made up when this could be quite adequate, quite satisfactory? It's an elegant solution if you think about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budget bassist Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 You could sit with it on your lap, but not much more i think!! Nice headstock by the way, looks kinda MTD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoombung Posted January 17, 2009 Author Share Posted January 17, 2009 [quote name='budget bassist' post='383555' date='Jan 17 2009, 09:00 PM']That looks cool, really reminds me of a ritter or an ibanez EDA900 Any headstock ideas yet? And i think you could probably get away with making the bottom horn a bit small and less phallic, if that's what you're going for. Also, you really remind me of Martin Clunes![/quote] Ah, yes, I'm aware of those basses. There is a similarity with the ergonomics. I'd love to try one but have never seen one in a shop. The angle of the lower horn is quite shallow though and the knee cut is flatter and further away from the strings - so the pivot angle would be lower. That's where the designs differ. Plus I'm wanting short scale with a very narrow nut - 34mm - which i will come to shortly... Martin Clunes? I'm far better looking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budget bassist Posted January 17, 2009 Share Posted January 17, 2009 Ah ok, i think they were discontinued some time ago anyway, i've only ever seen a couple on ebay, could have been something to do with the luthite body being too brittle and those horns being rather thin. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleabag Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 (edited) You building it yourself, or getting a Luthier to build it ? After seeing some of his basses dotted around the net, i reckon ACG would make that into a monster He's in the uK and his prices are reckoned to be excellent Edited January 18, 2009 by fleabag Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoombung Posted January 18, 2009 Author Share Posted January 18, 2009 [quote name='fleabag' post='383864' date='Jan 18 2009, 11:55 AM']You building it yourself, or getting a Luthier to build it ? After seeing some of his basses dotted around the net, i reckon ACG would make that into a monster He's in the uK and his prices are reckoned to be excellent[/quote] I can't even put up a shelf properly so yes - someone else will make it for me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoombung Posted January 18, 2009 Author Share Posted January 18, 2009 How fitting I'm playing my fantasy, hardboard bass in the pink, Sylvanian - inspired landscape of my daughter's bedroom. I've got to say the balance and proportions seem fantastic at the moment. I wonder what will happen when it gets transformed into wood? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoombung Posted January 18, 2009 Author Share Posted January 18, 2009 And it's not so far away from the standing angle I play my Wal bass at: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 Interesting ideas. Do you have someone in mind to build this for you yet? Just in case you're looking for more inspiration for the body shape, here's a couple of designs that look as though they've the same thinking as you: [url="http://www.rolfspuler.com/gb/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=24&Itemid=126"]The Rolf Spuler Affirma Bass[/url] [url="http://www.littee.free.fr/pages/sl.html"]The Littee SL Bass[/url] Looking forward to seeing how this develops. Also I've been enjoying listening to your Musical Saw playing from the "Whispering Foils" CD - amazing stuff! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-soar Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 Hi Kev, give Alan at ACG a call, better over the phone than emails. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoombung Posted January 18, 2009 Author Share Posted January 18, 2009 [quote name='BigRedX' post='384223' date='Jan 18 2009, 06:28 PM']Interesting ideas. Do you have someone in mind to build this for you yet? Just in case you're looking for more inspiration for the body shape, here's a couple of designs that look as though they've the same thinking as you: [url="http://www.rolfspuler.com/gb/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=24&Itemid=126"]The Rolf Spuler Affirma Bass[/url] [url="http://www.littee.free.fr/pages/sl.html"]The Littee SL Bass[/url] Looking forward to seeing how this develops. Also I've been enjoying listening to your Musical Saw playing from the "Whispering Foils" CD - amazing stuff![/quote] You really are an encyclopedia of bass knowledge, Red. Both of those links are fascinating. Glad you're enjoying [url="http://homepage.ntlworld.com/kevin.hopper1/Foils.html"]Whispering Foils[/url]! I [i]do[/i] have someone in mind to build it but I just need to fine tune the design and make a few more decisions on things like pickups and headstock shapes before I put a deposit down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoombung Posted January 18, 2009 Author Share Posted January 18, 2009 Okay, it's time to look at the drawings, have a think and outline some concerns I have about the design. Now, the first thing that immediately seems obvious to me is there is only likely to be enough space for one pick up because of the proximity of the knee curve to the line of the strings in which case I would want to position the pickup near the bridge as I tend to play with that on all the time with my other bass. However, I do like a blend of the bridge and neck pickups (in fact I produced a whole album in the past with that combination resulting in tracks like [url="http://tinpanalley.biz/spoombung/Spoombung/11-I%20Dreamt%20of%20C.%20Lyons.mp3"]this[/url], for instance). So I'm wondering whether I can squeeze a small pick up in the middle of the bass before the knee curve starts. I'll have to do some research. Actually thinking about what pickups to use is starting to aggravate me a bit. Why on earth is the nothing like the Wal pickup around? Juicy depth and hi-fi clarity. The second is the narrowness of the neck at the nut - a proposed 34mm. That's going to make it vulnerable and I need to check whether I can have the neck reinforced with carbon rods when I have it made. The third is that I can see it won't stand upright and will be impossible to prop against a wall because of the curves. It will simply fall over - as the hardboard version does. It's easy to dismiss this sort of thing as trivial but it could quite easily turn into a right pain in the butt - so I may have to think of a prop of some sort like a piece of curved plastic to fit onto the strap lock. Lastly, I need to give the headstock some serious thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoombung Posted January 18, 2009 Author Share Posted January 18, 2009 Now we come to one of my pet-hates in electric bass design: [i]the side mounted jack plug[/i]! What crazy fool thought this was a good idea? I've spent my life turning the bass upside down to find that wretched socket - and if you've got to do that at a gig or a rehearsal room everyone hates you for all the deadening pops and buzzes and general noise pollution you create. Plus, you can't recline on a sofa and play your bass with the lead sticking in the covers! Important! What was wrong with the good old Fender face jack input? Well I'm determined to own a bass with a jack socket [i]where I can see it[/i] this time - or a least in a position that makes sense. I'm looking at two options. One like this: (common to Ibanez basses) and beautiful, ergonomic and simple. Or the more radical back of the bass (like this Ritter) which would also suit my design because of the lowered oval shape where the controls will be. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleabag Posted January 18, 2009 Share Posted January 18, 2009 Twice now you've been recommended a UK Bass builder but ignored it both times. Do you have a problem with ACG basses and their design ? Is it some big secret about who's going to build it ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spoombung Posted January 18, 2009 Author Share Posted January 18, 2009 [quote name='fleabag' post='384451' date='Jan 18 2009, 10:25 PM']Twice now you've been recommended a UK Bass builder but ignored it both times. Do you have a problem with ACG basses and their design ? Is it some big secret about who's going to build it ?[/quote] No, no, you've got that all wrong. I've spoken at length to Alan at ACG and really admire his designs. He was incredibly helpful and handed out great advice - really simple things like how to produce an accurate drawing for instance. We also spoke about his electronic designs. Alan was actually the first person i had in mind and he gave me a quote. Although i have never played one of his basses before, I have every confidence he could build this instrument really well. However, I have to consider that he lives hundreds of miles from me in Scotland and it would be impossible for me to visit him. Feel free to disagree with me if you like - but I think there are 3 crucial points when it is helpful for luthier and his client to be present together. 1. To approve of the body shape and contouring before it's finished 2. To approve of the neck carving and profile 3. Set up/ action These factors are really important to me and after lots of thought my inclination is to commission someone more local and accessible. As I haven't put down a deposit yet I lean on the side of discretion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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