One man's trash is another man's trashy Dolphin Nose bass

[bettyseldest]

My favorite bass was always the Vox Clubman (and the Teisco ripoff) followed by the Hofner. One is 30.1" and the other 30.5" (both likely metric) but I have always built a 30"and a 27" baritone until recently. Built a 34" bass for a customer and a 27" bass for me. The 27" through a compressor I accidentally left inline sounds plenty long enough and was easier to play

Just under 15" to the 12th fret.

Thanks. I am thinking guitar tuners but will have to look at the ends of the strings to see if they will go through the string holes. I'd imagine I could drill them larger if need be.

Tiny tuners on the Clubman Bass. I borrowed it from a friend in '78. I don't know what strings are fitted as a couple of years later a bass playing friend borrowed it from me and snapped the end off the nut, by the G string. He replaced the nut and fitted a fresh set of strings (badly). Forty years on they are still in occasional use.

 

[Jim_in_PA]

I borrowed it from a friend in '78.

Long term rental! LOL

 

[bettyseldest]

Long term rental! LOL

Sad to say that Roy had a near fatal motorbike v articulated lorry incident shortly afterwards which resulted in a few years in a coma. He will never play again. His long term memory is fine. He can recite Goons and Monty Python scripts, and recalls replacing the coaxial socket with a quarter inch jack socket, painting it rattlecan red, and having lent it to me, but nothing about anything we said a couple of minutes ago. His mum and brother want me to look after and play the bass. Having dug it out to take the photos, I'm having a low volume play through a guitar amp at the moment.

 

[Jim_in_PA]

Ah...while I clearly meant some humor, the reality of the situation for your friend Roy makes that moot. Very sad that things happened that way, but I'm glad you have been a good custodian of that instrument. I'm beginning to get an understanding about the memory thing, too, with a close family member likely headed in that direction. I hope you had a nice playing sesion with that bass!

 

[guitarbuilder]

Re: Strings

https://www.talkbass.com/threads/silvertone-1442.689218/?amp=1283737255

Scroll down to the post from Tom Richards, reference the Labella flatwounds and a D'ADDARIO set used by Jerry Jones on 6 string bass. Use only the 4 heavy strings. References the solid body Silvertone which in essence, you're building

I have some Ernie Ball short scale 6 string set ...close enough for a non bass player..LOL.

 

[guitarbuilder]

I played a friend's vintage dual pickup Dano. There seemed to be a problem with the top in a spot and I wasn't sure what was happening. It was the Masonite.

I had no idea that anyone ever thought that was a good structural material for guitars. But "follow the money" explains many otherwise inexplicable occurrences.

Nice build! That's how they should have done it in the 60's.

Thanks! This is a fun build so far. Something different is good as I've made my share of the same things over and over.

 

[guitarbuilder]

Regarding strings, I know LaBella make a set designed for the smaller tuner holes on Longhorn basses, but I seem to recall they are flatwounds, maybe not what you're after?

Spokeshaves are one of those tools that people love to mention but usually struggle with. Kinda like scrapers. They have their uses but sometimes they simply aren't the tool for the job. I use spokeshaves on maple necks - as long as you sharpen the iron to a shallow enough angle so the back of the bevel doesn't touch the wood before the sole does they work fine - but never on interlocked woods like mahogany or sapele, where the depth of pass needed to do a quick job (and I'm with you here - more than ten minutes for primary facets is too long) is a recipe for tearout. On those I used whatever rasp I have on my bench. And/or a sanding drum. I chisel out the transitions first because that's the fastest way I know how to do it. As they say, many ways to skin a possum...

I have a short scale set on the way. From what I see now, people really need to learn how to use their tools. They just repeat what they see in a video. Routing everything with a template or a cnc gets you an end result, but I think one misses out on the interaction of what woodworking used to be like if they don't use a variety of hand tools and different machines too. My dominant arm is too shot to use a bunch of different hand planes, but I still use one here and there. But hey..what do I know....

 

[guitarbuilder]

I clamped down my short straightedge to get a pencil line on there for dots. I do it the old fashion way...measure the slot and divide by two. I use a small phillips head to make a dent for the drill. I figure this is easier while I have a flat there.

 

[guitarbuilder]

draw in some lines for secondary facets

 

[guitarbuilder]

rasp between the lines to create a multi faceted neck from 5 surfaces to 9.

 

[guitarbuilder]

Then some scraping and filing and lastly I use my sanding belt block to blend all those surfaces.

 

[guitarbuilder]

It still has work to go but my arm said stop. I have a repetitive motion injury from rasping belly contours in a couple walnut strats 20 years ago.

 

[crazydave911]

I have some Ernie Ball short scale 6 string set ...close enough for a non bass player..LOL.

That's what I used on the Subsonic Bass. IIRC the low string was .090, a LITTLE much for guitar tuners

 

[guitarbuilder]

That's what I used on the Subsonic Bass. IIRC the low string was .090, a LITTLE much for guitar tuners

I could go .030 .042 .054 .074

 

[W.L.Weller]

For what it's worth, I use this Medium set on the 29.75" scale Danelectro baritone I posted earlier in this thread: https://www.labella.com/strings/category/baritone-electric/ (the corresponding gauges would be .030, .044, .056, .080)

I tune it A D G C E A, with the low A at 55 Hz.

If you're going to tune it E A D G with the E at 41 Hz, it may feel a little "loose"

 

[crazydave911]

I could go .030 .042 .054 .074

The D'ADDARIO set is still available at Juststrings.com

 

[guitarbuilder]

Just dots today. Drill, snip, and glue.

 

[guitarbuilder]

I didn't get much done today except snip and file the dots and run the fretboard over 80 grit on the long stewmac radius beam. Maybe 3-4 minutes, if that....I love that beam. The truss rod was in a neutral position.

Aluminum Radius-sanding Beam, 18" Long - StewMac


Aluminum Radius Sanding Beam 20.5" (520mm) length - Philadelphia Luthier Tools & Supplies, LLC


12" ALUMINIUM RADIUS SANDING BEAM FOR FINGERBOARD/FRETBOARD - 450MM (guitarsandwoods.com)


Aluminum Radius Sanding Beam 20.5" (520mm) length - choose your radius | eBay

 

[guitarbuilder]

I sanded on the beam with 120 and 220. I eased the edges as well with those same grits. The fretslots got the triangular file chamfer-1 swipe each. Then using the fret press and #149 fretwire, I pressed in the frets and clipped them flush. Happy New Year to anyone looking at this post...LOL.

 

[crazydave911]

Happy New Years Marty!