My first build: a fretless ABG

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TrevorMag
Wandoo
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun May 10, 2015 4:53 pm

My first build: a fretless ABG

Post by TrevorMag » Sun Dec 20, 2020 2:37 pm

Design
I wanted to use A-frame bracing design with asymmetric soundhole, and carefully analysed the shape of four such instruments:
  • Tacoma Thunderchief CB10 - regarded as one of the best production acoustic basses, sadly no longer being made
  • Furch B61-CM - a very attractive design. This is a Czech brand, sold in America as Stonebridge, in Germany as Standford
  • Boulder Creek acoustic bass range.
  • Warwick Rockbass Alien.
I compared upper/lower bout ratios, waist height, waist depth, cutaway curves, squareness v. roundness, and came up with a design that I felt combined all the attractive aesthetic elements of those guitars, while avoiding aspects that didn't appeal to me as much.
I also came up with a wave motif that I wanted to use for the headstock, bridge and fingerboard end.
For a number of years I built jigs, molds, woodworking equiment, and practiced the craft with less demanding projects. At the beginning of 2020 I decided it was time to jump in.
I chose to make a fretless as my first build for a number of reasons:
  • Less precision regarding intonation
  • Less precision regarding fretboard straightness / action / relief
  • I wanted a fretless.
Disasterpiece
My preparation was to watch a series of DVDs on guitar building, plus a few YouTube videos and various forum posts.
I had no mentor during the build, and managed to make just about every mistake it is possible to make, plus a few that you might think aren't possible.
Each of these has been meticulously written down, and I believe that if I press on and build another, it'll be a much smoother ride.
011_cutting_scarf_joint.jpg
Cutting the neck scarf joint with a jig on my (self-adapted) table saw
013_neck.jpg
Neck pieces glued up
014_neck_slotting_trimming_jig.jpg
Cutting the truss rod slot in the neck using another jig
015_fingerboard_shaping_jig.jpg
Cradle to hold the fingerboard blank for cutting bevels
016_fingerboard_shaping_jig.jpg
Cutting bevels in the fingerboard prior to sanding in the radius
018_neck_and_fingerboard.jpg
Neck and fingerboard components
019_shaping_neg_and_fingerboard.jpg
Neck after initial shaping
021_pantograph.jpg
Pantograph jig for Dremel, reduces the template by one third, for headstock inlay channel
022_headstock_inlay.jpg
Headstock inlay
023_sides_milled.jpg
Sides milled
024_bending_sides.jpg
Bending the sides in a Fox bender
025_bending_sides_recurve.jpg
Bending the cutaway curve
026_sides_bent.jpg
Sides bent, ready to be laminated
027_laminating_sides.jpg
Laminating the sides
028_in_the_mold.jpg
In the mold
029_gluing_tail_block.jpg
Gluing tail block
030_glueing_neck_block.jpg
Gluing neck block
031_neck_and_headstock_1.jpg
Neck with headstock veneer
033_kerfed_linings_jig.jpg
Jig for making kerfed linings. This is hazardous! Think I need a bandsaw!
034_kerfed_linings.jpg
Kerfed linings
035_kerfed_linings_glueing.jpg
Gluing in the kerfed linings
037_kerfed_linings_done.jpg
Kerfed linings done
039_joining_soundboard.jpg
Butt-joining the book-matched pieces of the soundboard
040_soundboard_and_back.jpg
Soundboard and back after butt-goining
041_soundboard_back_bracing.jpg
Glueing the bracing to the soundboard and back
042_soundboard_back_bracing.jpg
Soundboard and back with bracing
043_attaching_back.jpg
Attaching the back
044_side_braces.jpg
Side braces
045_attaching_soundboard.jpg

TrevorMag
Wandoo
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun May 10, 2015 4:53 pm

Re: My first build: a fretless ABG

Post by TrevorMag » Sun Dec 20, 2020 2:51 pm

Part two
045_attaching_soundboard.jpg
Attaching the soundboard
046_soundboard_attached.jpg
Soundboard attached
047_back_attached.jpg
Back attached
048_disaster.jpg
A disaster with the router opening the access port
049_recovered.jpg
Partial recovery from said disaster
050_binding_channels_back.jpg
Binding channels - back
051_binding_channels_front.jpg
Binding channels - front
052_access_port.jpg
Access port fitted, bindings bent
053_attaching_binding.jpg
Attaching the bindings
054_binding_attached.jpg
Bindings attached
055_sound_hole.jpg
Soundhole cut
056_neck_fit_tongue.jpg
Shimmed and bevelled tongue for neck fit
058_glueing_neck.jpg
Gluing on the neck - gravity clamping - next time I think I'll use furniture-bolt clamping
059_trimming_fingerboard.jpg
Trimming the fingerboard
060_glueing_fingerboard.jpg
Gluing the fingerboard
061_shaping_bridge.jpg
Shaping the bridge
062_attaching_bridge.jpg
Attaching the bridge
063_taped_up.jpg
Taped up ready for finishing
064_french_polish.jpg
First round of French polishing
066_idiot.jpg
The most idiotic mistake yet - pickup jack on the wrong side...
067_cover_up.jpg
Cover up
068_glueing_pickups.jpg
Gluing in the pickup
071_superglue_marker_dots.jpg
Drilling and supergluing the side marker dots
072_marker_dots.jpg
Side marker dots after cleaning up
073_lowering_bridge.jpg
Lowering the bridge. I am aware that this is not typically done at this stage of a build
074_fix_neck_backbow_heat.jpg
There was a tiny backbow in the neck, but because I used Tassie oak, string tension was not enough to draw it out. Here is how you are supposed to fix this.
075_fix_neck_backbow_clamp.jpg
Heat lamps and string tensions not nearly enough. Here is how I ended up getting any relief at all!

TrevorMag
Wandoo
Posts: 14
Joined: Sun May 10, 2015 4:53 pm

Re: My first build: a fretless ABG

Post by TrevorMag » Sun Dec 20, 2020 2:55 pm

The final result
You can hear a rough'n'ready demo on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rbtcs1e2xEU
Here are a few shots:
078_finished.jpg
080_finished.jpg
082_finished.jpg
083_finished.jpg
085_finished.jpg

User avatar
kiwigeo
Admin
Posts: 10582
Joined: Sat Sep 29, 2007 5:57 pm
Location: Adelaide, Sth Australia

Re: My first build: a fretless ABG

Post by kiwigeo » Sun Dec 20, 2020 4:24 pm

I don't see any major gaffs....the access hatch cover will do what its supposed to do...cover anything underneath it. The jack...well yes that counts as a gaff......but then again I once glued a neck block onto the TOP of the neck. All in all pretty impressive for a first build and also without a bandsaw and a few other tools and machinery most of us have.
Martin

User avatar
56nortondomy
Blackwood
Posts: 674
Joined: Sat Jan 14, 2012 11:56 pm
Location: Melbourne western suburbs

Re: My first build: a fretless ABG

Post by 56nortondomy » Sun Dec 20, 2020 6:09 pm

Don't be too hard on yourself Trevor, we all make mistakes, anyway the end result looks good.
Wayne

User avatar
Mark McLean
Blackwood
Posts: 1084
Joined: Thu Apr 10, 2008 2:03 pm
Location: Sydney

Re: My first build: a fretless ABG

Post by Mark McLean » Mon Dec 21, 2020 4:28 pm

Nice job. You did your research, adapted the design, executed the plan, and learned a lot along the way. A great first build.

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