Official Luthiers Forum!

I just finished this bass today, or well almost finished it. Still waiting on shipment of a deep panel stereo jack for it. Anyway, this is my first custom instrument, built for the bass player in my brothers band.
Specs are:

- Curly Walnut top, Mahogany back
- Laminate curly maple/purpleheart/walnut/purpleheart/curly maple bolt-on neck
- Ebony fingerboard, faceplate, and knobs
- 35" scale, 24 frets
- dual homemade truss rods
- Bartolini pickups and Bartolini 5.2 Active 3 band EQ
- Kahler bridge, Gotoh tuners, Schaller straplocks

There is a block of MOP inlayed at the 12th fret, with the owner's name engraved in it. Having some problems getting any colorant to stick in the rather wide lines.
The neck is finished in rubbed Tru-Oil. The body finish is brushed KTM-9 over System-3 epoxy. Thanks to all at this site for the info on epoxy pore filling, it worked great for me. I read everyone's methods, and wound up applying slightly thinned epoxy by wiping it on with a paper towel. Seemed to work good, and only took a couple of rounds to fill all of that porous mahogany and walnut.
I also hand sanded, and hand buffed the thing with Meguiar's products. My arms hurt
Pics show the instrument without it's control cavity cover, which is just black plastic.

beautiful!

I have always wanted a 6 string bass and I really like your design. The curly walnut is simply outstanding as is the finish on it. I'm impressed!

Well done my friend!

_________________
Reguards,

Ken H

Very nice looking bass! I especially like the body shape. How's the weight balance with the big 6 string neck (i.e. when strapped on, does it hang well, or does the head want to drop?)?

_________________
Todd Rose
Ithaca, NY

https://www.dreamingrosesecobnb.com/todds-art-music

https://www.facebook.com/ToddRoseGuitars/

Gorgeous! Love the wood and the shape of the thing.

_________________
"Building guitars looks hard, but it's actually much harder than it looks." Tom Buck

Looking sweet!!!

You will have to post some updates on how she sounds after you get your jack in....

Stephen

_________________
www.ziegenfussguitars.com

Nice. Just enough zip without going overboard and looking goofy. I'd be proud to play such an instrument, if I played bass.

_________________
Expectation is the source of all misery; comparison the thief of joy.
http://redrivercanoe.ca/

Thanks very much you guys. Balance is very good, not at all neck heavy, thanks to the long upper horn.

Sound - well, I have plugged it in several times, with the jack that it came wired with hanging out the back
It sounds really great, even through my guitar amp (I don't have a bass amp currently...). The low B is so deep it easily bottoms out the 10" speakers in my cab. The 5.2 Bart EQ really allows a lot of different sounds, everything from bright and poppy slap tones to low, smooth, rumbley reggae. I am delivering it on Thursday, I think, I hope my client likes it!

Hey Brady;
Beautiful instrument!
I have just been commissioned to build one of these & it's foreign territory to me... Would you mind if I picked your brains about some of the details?

Thanks Daniel. Ask away. This was my first 6-string bass, too, so I learned a lot of lessons, sometimes the hard way.

Great job on the bass! I really like the look.

_________________
Brad
Avon, OH

Beautiful bass. Did you do your own engraving? It looks great!

Steve

_________________
From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

That is a beautiful bass, and beautiful workmanship!

_________________
Mike

The only thing nescessary for evil to thrive is for good men to do nothing.

That is a beautiful bass, and beautiful workmanship!

_________________
Mike

The only thing nescessary for evil to thrive is for good men to do nothing.

The engraving I did do myself. It was tedious but I had fun doing it. I just found a font I liked and printed out the letters. I then stuck it to the fretboard, and transfered the outlines with a razor knife. I finished up with an actual graver. I don't know why, but every possible blackening I try epoxy, ink, laskin's blend) doesn't stick in there perfiectly, even though the lines are deeply etched. Maybe they're too wide?

Doesn't (didn't?) Stew-Mac sell some black superglue?
That might hang in there.

Steve

_________________
From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com