2011 double bass build

[matthew]

It's all pretty self-explanatory.

Roughed out with the Horrible Arbortec to about 10mm all over, a little thicker in the centre.



Then the gouge







Gotta use Redhead again for effect.



Then the large plane

(Couple of shots for "Luthiers Weekly")





Then alternating between measuring and marking thicknesses and planing off the excess, progressing to the smaller plane as needs dictate.

(Note, in this next image, the Amazing Levitation Technique, done without lasers this time, that suspends the plate a couple of feet above the bench)







The graduations go from around 6mm at the edges to 11-12mm in the centre under the bridge.



At this stage the plate weighs just under 2kg! Another 400grams to come off at least!

[Nick]

Hmmmm ... maybe I should try the Laser Technique on my wife ...

Don't go there Matthew! You'll only elicit the usual question when anything new goes near them.... "Honey, does this laser make my bum look big?"

I see you use pilot holes to help with the depth to rough carve to, I won't ask what you use to do final thicknessing/graduation as you'll probably show a picture shortly, or you may not. In which case........"what bit of kit do you use to do final thicknessing/graduation?" And I'm not surprised by the levitating plate pic either! judging by your old bass rebuild I already know you are a magician so would expect nothing less from you .

[matthew]

I use a combination or dial gauge caliper and home-made pincer caliper. The dial gauge is accurate but too bloody slow, plus i need glasses, so I mark out a couple of "known" points, say 7mm, 9mm, 11mm on the top. Then I use my wooden "pincer" caliper (which also makes a great back-scratcher when opened out) and I "pinch" the known spot, tighten the wing nut, then move it all over the plate and mark where it touches. Then i join the dots to get the contours. This gives me a bit of a picture of what's going on. Close enough.

The pincer caliper is in the following pic:



I could drill more pilot holes but the bass top is unwieldy on my own, and my drillpress only has a 9 inch throat - and I'm a bit scared of the stop slipping, or me slipping and lifting the plate ... and accidentally drilling through the top!!

is that what you were after?

[J.F. Custom]

It's all pretty self-explanatory...

(Note, in this next image, the Amazing Levitation Technique, done without lasers this time, that suspends the plate a couple of feet above the bench)

Great Tip! Again, so simple - most wouldn't think of it...

What species are you using for the back and sides Matthew? Qld. Maple?

A magician? Well yeah - you should see him pull the knotted hankies out of the f-holes... It's a two hour show

Jeremy.

[Alan Stassforth]

Wow!
I was curious, Matthew, if that large piece of wood stays fairly flat,
or does it move around on you?
Especially when you are caressing it.
Nice work!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Nick]

Thanks Matthew, that answered my question I use a home made dial gauge type for the archies & wondered if you did the same for the scaled up plates.
Got me tickets booked for the two hour show by the way.

[matthew]

Yes home made dial gauge. but its too heavy. must drill more holes in it.

The plate stays flat for light work and I can use bags of lead shot and gravity, but I do use F clamps - you can see them on certain pics if you look carefully! I don't use F clamps when levitating the plate though. Antigravity (from LMI, $30 a kilo) is enough on its own.

The plate is sitting in an MDF cradle so the convex bit has somewhere to go. So it rests on its edges.

(When the plate is still heavy, as in the earlier photos, it just sits on the benchtop which has a rubber surface and doesn't slide around. When it gets lighter, it needs more help to stay put)

More of an issue for me is that as space is a premium with all these big instruments, all my benches are on wheels. This lower bench is just on smallish castors, without locks (which are a pain anyway) so I use wedges under the base, my feet, bags of shot and generally keep the underside of the bench as heavy as possible. It's only really an issue using the gouge though.

Jeremy, I have Silky Oak lined up for back and sides. I am a bit stuck for what to use for neck at this stage. Perhaps Qld Maple, or a laminate with maple and some silky oak up the centre to keep the look going. I have used blackwood but it's just too damned hard to carve a scroll out of it.

Suggestions?

[needsmorecowbel]

I'm hoping it is finished in a similar way to the Green one Behind you

[Luke]

Just logging on to your build too Matthew to keep track of your progress.
great to watch and as always very entertaining.

[matthew]

I'm hoping it is finished in a similar way to the Green one Behind you

You mean Shrek?

[Allen]

Shrek is cool. Love the sound and especially the color. How come we didn't get to see this one?

[needsmorecowbel]

Shrek is very cool...that's the kinda coloured bass i can see someone like Les Claypool playing

[P Bill]

Matthew I really like the new mould. It looks more versatile and easier to make and store.

[matthew]

Take an old six-foot workshop shelf ...























Now, just running it through the thicknesser, boys.











Any questions?

[charangohabsburg]

Any questions?

Where do you get your workshop shelves from?

[Allen]

That looks like it could be very thirsty work Matthew. Great demo of what HHG will do for you too.

[matthew]

That looks like it could be very thirsty work Matthew. Great demo of what HHG will do for you too.

Tastes good too!

[J.F. Custom]

...Jeremy, I have Silky Oak lined up for back and sides. I am a bit stuck for what to use for neck at this stage. Perhaps Qld Maple, or a laminate with maple and some silky oak up the centre to keep the look going. I have used blackwood but it's just too damned hard to carve a scroll out of it.

Suggestions?

Hey Matthew,

Lovely work again. I think the Silky Oak is a great choice for back and side material - good weight, responsive, it's going to be one very flash looking bass too, come the finish. With respect to the neck options... Qld Maple as I'm sure you would know, will function well and match the silky. Myself and my opinion only, I'm not sure I would laminate silky in with it though as they are a little too similar in a sense. They don't have a lot of contrast so I feel the distinction could be lost a little... unless perhaps you laminated some veneer pinstripes of say a walnut or similar in to offset the rest... My thoughts anyway.

Look forward to seeing what you come up with and hope that major obstacle you alluded too earlier has or will be overcome.

Jeremy.

[Nick]

Very cool! Loving the thicknesser too, I can understand & see why the thirst built up during/after that operation! I'm knackered & hanging out for one working on much smaller guitar sets! (hence the burgeoning waistline & the need for a new thickness sander in order to save my liver! )

[liam_fnq]

And to think I'm still working on getting a good joint on a ukulele top. Very impressive.

[DarwinStrings]

Looks like you are shooting that joint with a #6, nice work using a short jointer.

Jim

[matthew]

I've done the same with a #4. The #6 just has some more heft to it for long strokes. I don't find the flatness of the #6 THAT much of a help, since I chalk-fit the edge anyway.

[DarwinStrings]

Wow! your planes are flat?

Jim

[Dominic]

Hey Matthew, I may have missed this somewhere in the thread so apologies if you have. But the back plate looks pretty thin. Is the back arched at all as there does not look to be much room. Is it just the pic or does this bass have a flat/ish back?
Cheers Dom

[matthew]

This being a flatback bass, the back is flat. Like a viol. Others have carved backs like violins. I have never made a roundback bass. Too wood-hungry I reckon.

This one will, however, have a bend in it about 1/5 down from the neck so that it's easier for the player to get around.

pros - less wood, easier build
cons - more prone to shrinkage, needs bracing