2 String bass for a little guy. (first finished bass)
Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2012 10:25 pm
I'm new to building instruments, although I've been playing and messing with them for years (minus the woodwork). About three months back my 3yo son came into my office and announced he was going to play my Fender P bass. He grabbed a pick, went across the stand and pulled it out... much to my surprise. I was so astounded I took a pic...
And then the harassment began. All he wanted to do all day everyday (I work from home) was "pay your back gtar daddy?". I had a few bass building projects on the go at the time. However, it became pretty clear that I'd need to build something pretty fast and Christmas approaching gave me a good deadline, so I drew up a design. A two string, rip-off of an ernieball musicman stingray called an "Early Bass, Muffin Man, SimRay" (his name is Simeon and we call him "Mr Muffin" regularly). The neck is Vic ash/Tas oak and the body is Silky oak. It's bolt on and uses a P bass pickup wired direct to the jack out in paralell. After frantically painting and polishing in the last few days, I got it together and he opened it on Christmas day...
Needless to say, it was a huge hit with him and all my friend and family. He went round for weeks saying "It's my faybret yewwow bass dgat!". He is still in love with it. I hope to get him playing some simple lines this year.
It even sounds good. You can here a sample of it playing here...
http://soundcloud.com/simpleinnovation/ ... y-paralell
Have to say thanks to my wife for putting up with compressors late into the night in the week before Christmas. And a huge thanx to Mark Gosbell (a fellow poster here) for helping me with so many firsts. Neck, frets, body, sanding, finishing etc. He talked me through it all.
And then the harassment began. All he wanted to do all day everyday (I work from home) was "pay your back gtar daddy?". I had a few bass building projects on the go at the time. However, it became pretty clear that I'd need to build something pretty fast and Christmas approaching gave me a good deadline, so I drew up a design. A two string, rip-off of an ernieball musicman stingray called an "Early Bass, Muffin Man, SimRay" (his name is Simeon and we call him "Mr Muffin" regularly). The neck is Vic ash/Tas oak and the body is Silky oak. It's bolt on and uses a P bass pickup wired direct to the jack out in paralell. After frantically painting and polishing in the last few days, I got it together and he opened it on Christmas day...
Needless to say, it was a huge hit with him and all my friend and family. He went round for weeks saying "It's my faybret yewwow bass dgat!". He is still in love with it. I hope to get him playing some simple lines this year.
It even sounds good. You can here a sample of it playing here...
http://soundcloud.com/simpleinnovation/ ... y-paralell
Have to say thanks to my wife for putting up with compressors late into the night in the week before Christmas. And a huge thanx to Mark Gosbell (a fellow poster here) for helping me with so many firsts. Neck, frets, body, sanding, finishing etc. He talked me through it all.
