standup bass

i was wondering if anyone knew where i could get some literature on building a stand up bass.

i have searched Google but i haven't found anything of use.

i can probably do the carpentry for it, i just need details of how to put it together, with electric stuff, and how to construct the neck

anyways, thanks to anyone who replies.

Can this help you a little?

Are you referring to the musical instrument? Did you mean the bass guitar or the string bass (double bass)?
My daughter plays the violin, and she has informed me that making a string instrument such as the double bass goes far beyond just carpentry. Makers go through extensive training to learn how to make the instruments. String instruments are so complex! You're dealing with acoustics, and every little bit makes a difference. The wood has to be very thin in some areas to allow vibrations and resonance.
Now if you mean an electric bass guitar, there could be more leeway since the sound is electronically amplified. Unfortunately, I do not know much about constructing one of these.
This link might help you build an electric bass: http://www.billsbest.com/thbass.html
I hope you have found something that can help you!

Post edited by: gubbler, at: 2007/08/23 18:39

I agree with GUBBLER if you're trying to build an acoustic double bass. Not only is the craftsmanship complex, exotic woods are usually chosen because of their ability to resonate at the proper fundamental and harmonic frequencies inherent to a particular string instrument.

On the other hand, if you're thinking of building an upright, fretless electric bass, I happened to find http://www.eclecticbass.com/eurb.html on the Web, which you might want to check out if you haven't already. Apparently there are others who have pursued this task and have some information to share. I just used Google to search for "build upright bass".

It 'sounds' like an interesting project! Good luck!

Don't listen to anyone when it comes to what you can or can not do,, I have had to deal with that all my life. My grandfather was a carpenter, and I barely dabbled in it while growing up. Recently I have been able to set up a small workshop in my garage, very modest , and I started out building guitar4s,, I have build about 7 hollowbodies and currently am working on my second standup bass. I WILL BE THE FIRST TO TELL YOU,, its IS NOT HARD to make a bass or guitar,, The issue is that you have to be precise with the cuts and measurements and simply know the correct steps. THere may be a lot of steps but the steps are childs play. It is only because the instrument looks complex that it seems hard. You can use inexpensive tools,, of course the better the tools are the easier it may be to build but thats up to your budget,, I'll tell you I am not rich by any means but I have found most of my power tools at recycler.com and ebay and thrift stores. I love to collect vintage hand planes and old style hand tools,, thats where I find them (garage sales too) If you can bake a cake you can build a bass.
patience, and some direction on how they are made is ALL YOU NEED. If you look up diy standup bass on google,, or try other keywords you will find a hundred guys making them in their garages, --QUALITY jobs too,.
for instance. Here si a forum thread about a guy named matt who is building one. he goes step by step. A third grader can do it if you know the steps. I apologize this link below will take you to the middle of his project but you can figure out how to navigate to the beginning. Don't give up
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?p=3909652

Here is a picture of my second guitar,, I didn;t know how to even paint with lacquer, but you can see that it looks sharp.

Post edited by: illdim, at: 2008/09/28 00:28

Post edited by: illdim, at: 2008/09/28 00:29

Hello Illdim, welcome to the forum