Is it possible to make my own bass guitar?

.K.A.L.I.M.A.

Hi everyone,

First time posting on the instruments thread so you'll have to bear with me.....

I got this bass guitar off a cousin of mine. He said to me that he found it in the dump and if I learned bass we could start this band. It's not a option that I would choose but I told him him I'd think about it.

The condition it was in was terrible. There was holes on the side, a string was missing, every steel part was rusted to feck, really out of tune due to it. I decided to do nothing to it until now. I was surprised when I plugged it in it was still making a sound.

When I talked to my old woodwork teacher about getting mahogany and making my own frame and any parts I could savage out of it I would use, he thought it was something good to make and it would be different to anything else I made.

Problem is... can the knobs which are at the front to change the bass removable, as this is the main thing I need to know.

Thanks to anyone who helps.

feylya

Yup, all the hardware (for the most part) is removable and replaceable. the tuners, nut, bridge, knobs, electronics, pickups are all available as second hand parts. Once the body and neck are in decent condition (no cracks or breaks, straight neck and decent frets), you should be able to restore it.

I think we'd all love to see some photos of the process if you decide to do it.

wild turkey

Throw up a few pics of it !
Everything should be removable on the guitar, but the main question would be is it worth your while fixing it as there are sub €100 basses on adverts that could be actually better than it
If it was found in a dump its probably a POS & could cost a nice bit to get up & running

feylya

wild turkey wrote: »

Throw up a few pics of it !
Everything should be removable on the guitar, but the main question would be is it worth your while fixing it as there are sub €100 basses on adverts that could be actually better than it
If it was found in a dump its probably a POS & could cost a nice bit to get up & running

Could be a nice project to learn about bass guitars on though!

wild turkey

feylya wrote: »

Could be a nice project to learn about bass guitars on though!

Very true !

I started re-fretting & experimenting on a cheap tele a few years ago & learned a lot from it & the tele actually turned out alright as well
But pulling it out of a skip ????

feylya

Gotta start somewhere!

.K.A.L.I.M.A.

I haven't actually started it yet as I wanted to know first if the knobs and other parts are 100% removable and I have to order in the mahogany, but I will throw up some pictures of the bass guitar the way it is now (Two pieces) and what advice you can give me along the way.

http://s1321.beta.photobucket.com/user/IIIKALIMAIII/media/DSCN2224_zps30d706ea.jpg.html
http://s1321.beta.photobucket.com/user/IIIKALIMAIII/media/DSCN2227_zps917905e9.jpg.html
http://s1321.beta.photobucket.com/user/IIIKALIMAIII/media/DSCN2228_zps8989691e.jpg.html
http://s1321.beta.photobucket.com/user/IIIKALIMAIII/media/DSCN2229_zps71d6b130.jpg.html
http://s1321.beta.photobucket.com/user/IIIKALIMAIII/media/DSCN2230_zpsf55f5c97.jpg.html?sort=3&o=1
http://s1321.beta.photobucket.com/user/IIIKALIMAIII/media/DSCN2231_zps98ac59df.jpg.html?sort=3&o=0

(For some reason, the pictures won't come up directly for me, so I had to put it into a link).

martinedwards

alllllll righty....

looks a bit like a Yamaha RBX, but the 4th tuner on the low side? maybe not.....

ANYway.

there are instruments in much worse condition in daily use. look at Seasick Steve's guitars.......

the biggest problem I can see is the two screws broken off in the neck. a pair ov vice grips will sort them and you can get replacements on ebay. check the length.

the tuners are probably OK, but I'd strip them and clean them. or replace them. again, ebay. don't be fooled by the people who say you have to spend a fortune on tuners. so long as they are mechanically sound they'll do just fine!

there are nuts missing off the fronts of some of the tuners I think. it might be easier to find replacement tuners than just the nuts......

its a project instrument and definitely resurrectable as it is.

the neck looks fine.

as to salvaging the parts and building a new bass from the bits?

weeeeeelllllllll,

the neck looks reusable, as is the body. but if you are going to need new tuners etc I dunno about salvaging the other bits for a transplant.

if you aren't a bassist (or even a guitarist) then it would be good to have a musician in on the project.

a woodwork teacher is NOT a guitar maker (I know, I've been both!!) but he will bring many skills that will help you a lot.

I played guitar for years before I had the confidence to take on a job like this, so good luck!!

be warned though, guitar building is more addictive than crack cocaine!!

my last one was #90!!!!!!!!

wild turkey

A little tip for getting those screws out of the neck without snapping them.
Heat them with a soldering iron for about 30 seconds, this will get them to expand & when they contract again they'll come out easily

.K.A.L.I.M.A.

It's been a while since I've posted but i have two design ideas for the frame:

1. - Mahogany. Wax varnish when finished.

2. Based off Adam Gontier's Guitar from 'Three Days Grace' (It'll be in base form):

- Mahogany. Paint the frame white either twice or three times, add red markings (instead of pink) and finish off with varnish (Unsure of what varnish to apply, help would be appreciated).

More detailed:


I've to order in the wood soon so for now in woodwork I'm getting the layout of the wiring and attempting to remove the screws in the neck.

If you have any thoughts on the two designs, please feel free to post.

wild turkey

I did one with a rubbed on oil finish similar to true oil as tung oil takes too long to dry.
Easy to apply & looks like a professional did it

martinedwards

and please call it the body rather than frame!!!

.K.A.L.I.M.A.

Question about the wood:

If I go for the second design, would it be the better choice to use mahogany for the body? I was looking in the woodwork room today and I was thinking of using red deal (Pine) which is a softwood, but a friend of mine mentioned that it has to be a hardwood due to sound...

68 lost souls

Red deal would not make for a nice guitar, it would be a lot cheaper alright but mahogany or similar hardwoods are what you really need for a guitar or bass. Warmoth do a good comparison of wood types if you want to have a look. http://www.warmoth.com/bass/Options/WoodDescriptions.aspx

wild turkey

Sqiier Classic Vibes are made of pine & they are fantastic guitars , Very resonant

Try it with pine ( Red Deal ) if your having trouble getting the mahogany

I have a pine telecaster body waiting to be routed in the shed
I used construction grade 9x1 white deal

E.A.P

There is an entire science among guitar makers about the choice of woods, just google tonewood and you'll see.

As a rule of thumb, stay away from softwoods. Use hardwood.

Red deal is common in woodwork because its cheap and easy to work with, because it grows fast and has a wide, soft grain that doesn't resonate.

Most hardwoods work as tonewoods; ash, cherry, walnut, and of course mahogany, maple and rosewood. Oak isn't a tonewood though.
Test it for yourself, if you can find any samples of hardwood, hold a sample to your ear and tap it further along the grain (screwdriver helps), you should be hoping to hear a high ring depending on the tone wood and I can tell you that pine will sound flat and dead.

Tap any hardwood you can get your hands on, if it rings it should work. Use a straight grain if you can.

Of course there are far more important things for your first guitar to worry about then tonewood. If the neck does not fit into the body right it won't matter how they resonant. If the bridge sits to high or to low on the body, the bass will be unplayable.

Look on amazon for books on guitar making. Building a bass is a very particular project and need a particular guide and tools.

Also, I found this guy to be a good supplier, he based in england so postage is a lot better. http://www.daviddyke.co.uk/

Sources: 'Build Your Own Electric Guitar'- Martin Oakham. Built an electric body guitar for the leaving cert.

.K.A.L.I.M.A.

68 lost souls wrote: »

Red deal would not make for a nice guitar, it would be a lot cheaper alright but mahogany or similar hardwoods are what you really need for a guitar or bass. Warmoth do a good comparison of wood types if you want to have a look. http://www.warmoth.com/bass/Options/WoodDescriptions.aspx

I looked at the link you provided and it helped a lot.