Semi-Hollow Sides Thickness

[rgarcia26]

Hi is being a long time since my last post...

My question:

I am working on a Semi-Hollow bass guitar, i am to make the sides from bended soft-maple, just like a traditional Gibson es-335 construction... I got 2 pieces for the sides of soft maple 1/8" thick (3.17mm) I think this is too thick to successfully to bend specially on the horns.... let me ask you what is the optimal thickness for the sides? (I forgot to mention this is the first time that I do all this )
thank you so much Ruben
The Body:



My Mold (an Inside Mold)

To be honest I was trying to make this part on the sandwich between the 2 tops, but result was to heavy. So I will use this as a mold, and then I will cut down the sides, leaving the center alone with the two bended sides.

[Allen]

To get that bend around the horns you are most likely going to need to go down to around 1.8mm.

[rgarcia26]

To get that bend around the horns you are most likely going to need to go down to around 1.8mm.

Thanks for your answer. Silly question do the thickness have to be regular through the whole sides... what I meant is can be like 2mm tapering to 1.8 towards the horns... Just curiosity...

[Allen]

I've done a couple of cutaways with that type of horn. The sides I had at 2.2mm and only took the area of the horn down to 1.7 on mine, as per Bob Benedetto's recommendation in "Building an Archtop Guitar".

On ukuleles I bend all my sides at 1.7 to 1.8mm as the bends are close to being that tight on the waist and the upper bout on most of my instruments.

[Dominic]

The CS 356 is a smaller version of the ES and is made by hollowing out a solid blank as you have done. But the sides are only about 6mm thick so you could go ahead as you have done but remove more wood and it will be lighter.
Is this an acoustic bass or will it have pickups?
Nice work on the top.
Dom

[funkytwang]

hi
when I built my es-335 I laminated 4 X 1.5mm thick pieces for each side. So that's 6mm thick. I used QLD Maple and was very easy to bend at 1.5mm. Pretty sure I read or sighted somewhere that Gibson use that method to give a 1/4 inch thickness (approx 6.35mm). I also glued in kerfed linings top and back.

Paul

[rgarcia26]

I've done a couple of cutaways with that type of horn. The sides I had at 2.2mm and only took the area of the horn down to 1.7 on mine, as per Bob Benedetto's recommendation in "Building an Archtop Guitar".

On ukuleles I bend all my sides at 1.7 to 1.8mm as the bends are close to being that tight on the waist and the upper bout on most of my instruments.

Thanks I reduce the thickness is the sides, they are a lot more flexible now I got it down to 2 mm to 1.8, is not perfectly the same thickness, I tried but is not 100%, I did it with my hand plane.

[rgarcia26]

The CS 356 is a smaller version of the ES and is made by hollowing out a solid blank as you have done. But the sides are only about 6mm thick so you could go ahead as you have done but remove more wood and it will be lighter.
Is this an acoustic bass or will it have pickups?
Nice work on the top.
Dom

Thanks the top is made from padauk not very friendly wood to work with, the back on the other hand is from Spanish cedar such a pleasure wood to work. Now your solutions is so obvious and makes a lot of sense I don't know why I did not think of it before lol. But one thing could be a little weak on the horns and in between the bounds? But at the same time is going to be sandwich between the top and the bottom. Thanks

[rgarcia26]

hi
when I built my es-335 I laminated 4 X 1.5mm thick pieces for each side. So that's 6mm thick. I used QLD Maple and was very easy to bend at 1.5mm. Pretty sure I read or sighted somewhere that Gibson use that method to give a 1/4 inch thickness (approx 6.35mm). I also glued in kerfed linings top and back.

Paul

Interesting... So u laminate 4 pieces of 1,5mm each. But let me ask you. Do you bend the whole 6mm laminated? I mean the bending did u do it after the pieces where glue together or u used a different aproach?

[kiwigeo]

hi
when I built my es-335 I laminated 4 X 1.5mm thick pieces for each side. So that's 6mm thick. I used QLD Maple and was very easy to bend at 1.5mm. Pretty sure I read or sighted somewhere that Gibson use that method to give a 1/4 inch thickness (approx 6.35mm). I also glued in kerfed linings top and back.

Paul

Interesting... So u laminate 4 pieces of 1,5mm each. But let me ask you. Do you bend the whole 6mm laminated? I mean the bending did u do it after the pieces where glue together or u used a different aproach?

When working with bends and laminations I usually bend each individual lamination first and then glue bent lams together. This is how I do laminated solid linings. 6mm is a bit on the thick side for safe bending and if youre doing with heat blankets then delamination due to heat affecting the glue can become an issue.

[rgarcia26]

hi
when I built my es-335 I laminated 4 X 1.5mm thick pieces for each side. So that's 6mm thick. I used QLD Maple and was very easy to bend at 1.5mm. Pretty sure I read or sighted somewhere that Gibson use that method to give a 1/4 inch thickness (approx 6.35mm). I also glued in kerfed linings top and back.

Paul

Interesting... So u laminate 4 pieces of 1,5mm each. But let me ask you. Do you bend the whole 6mm laminated? I mean the bending did u do it after the pieces where glue together or u used a different aproach?

When working with bends and laminations I usually bend each individual lamination first and then glue bent lams together. This is how I do laminated solid linings. 6mm is a bit on the thick side for safe bending and if youre doing with heat blankets then delamination due to heat affecting the glue can become an issue.

Kimigeo: Thats what I though but it most be really difficult to get the correct joint between blended pieces, I am a hobistro I don't have your woodworking skills, I am sure that is above my abilities.

[rgarcia26]

So looks clear nos to me I got two option for my project: 1.keep carving my middle form until is about 6cm tick. 2. Using a more traditional aproach and bend the sides and kerf top and bottom. With a 2mm to 1.8mm sides.


Laminates de sides is above my skills

I appreciate everyone's imput I could not do this project with out your help.

Ruben

[rgarcia26]

By reducing the thickness of the sides It will loose some weight, but I think is going to be a heavy weight fellow, there is anything that u could think about shaving some weig of this bass?

[rgarcia26]

The CS 356 is a smaller version of the ES and is made by hollowing out a solid blank as you have done. But the sides are only about 6mm thick so you could go ahead as you have done but remove more wood and it will be lighter.
Is this an acoustic bass or will it have pickups?
Nice work on the top.
Dom

Sorry I did not answer ur question on my previous reply, on this project I am trying to do something similar to an Gibson Es-335, it does have 2 humbukers and a tune o mastic bridge

[funkytwang]

hi
when I built my es-335 I laminated 4 X 1.5mm thick pieces for each side. So that's 6mm thick. I used QLD Maple and was very easy to bend at 1.5mm. Pretty sure I read or sighted somewhere that Gibson use that method to give a 1/4 inch thickness (approx 6.35mm). I also glued in kerfed linings top and back.

Paul

Interesting... So u laminate 4 pieces of 1,5mm each. But let me ask you. Do you bend the whole 6mm laminated? I mean the bending did u do it after the pieces where glue together or u used a different aproach?

Hi again
as I said "easy to bend at 1.5mm". I agree that you would not be able to bend them when laminated and 6mm thick. The process I uesd was to cut 8 pieces (4 for each side) and sanded them down to 1.5mm thick. I heat bend each 1.5mm thick piece into it's shape. Then I glued and clamp 4 together to get 6mm thickness using a mold that I made up. There are probably a number of ways to build the sides depending on skill level, the machinery you have and preference. This is the way I did it and it worked for me.

This is a youtube vidoe of a tour of the Gibson factory. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zEiiDa0twNM It shows them laminating "sheets" in a press to create the sides. Same technique but just more industrial.

Paul.

[kiwigeo]

In effect you are building using an internal mold....a method usually used with violins but Ive rarely seen it used for guitar building.

IMHO you would find things a bit easier if you were working with an external mold.

[rocket]

IMG_1857.JPG (159.83 KiB) Viewed 16845 times

EB2 mid scale bass build, Silky oak b/s Sides are laminated in the mould, two layers 2mm thick, no probs bending round the double cut, linings are lam also, not kerfed.
Cheers,,
Rod

[rgarcia26]

I see...now.. I have to weight my options and see what's the way I want to go... I need to deside about the binding and everthing ahead of time... I can't thank you enough