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First Time Bass Build - Questions About Neck Strength

Hi all,

This is my first post on Cigar Box Nation. After building a pair of CB guitars (a 3 string and a 4 string) I've got a strong desire to build a bass. I'd like to get a four string bass but I may have to settle for a three string bass.

This will be a neck through bass and I have plenty of well seasoned 3/4" thick oak that I will rip down to size. I was thinking of doing a 1 3/4" wide neck built by laminating a 1/4" thick fretboard to the 3/4" thick neck. I was planning to make it a short scale to reduce tension and then use nylon tape wound strings to reduce it even further. I do plan to use standard bass tuners.

Will a neck of these dimensions hold up to a four string, short scale, nylon strung bass? Would it hold up to a three string steel strung bass? I've seen the posts about fitting a steel bar inside of the neck, would that be necessary to support either four nylon or three steel strings?

According to the D'Addario site the EXL170S strings have a combined neck tension of 134.7 lbs. and the nylon ETB92S produce 116.3 lbs. If I used the EAD strings from the EXL170S that would result in 134.7 - 33.7 leaving me with a tension of 101 lbs. (lighter than the four string nylon set). Are these types of calculations reasonable?

Thanks all,

Pete

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Richard Sanabia on September 2, 2012 at 7:56am

Hi Pete, I made a bass exactly like the one you are working on. Before I installed the fingerboard, I routed a 3/8 groove and installed a 3/8 rod, then glued on the fingerboard. The added weight of the rod improved tone, and gave it the needed "heft" so it would stay in place while playing. I made both a four string and a three string. I prefer three strings myself. The necks remain straight and play well. I use steel electric bass strings. I use a 28 inch scale otherwise the strings are not long enough because I go through the body.

Richard in Tennessee.

Permalink Reply by Peter Giulietti on September 2, 2012 at 9:17am

Was it a 3/8" square rod or was it 3/8" X 1/4"? Did you use short scale strings? I haven't played bass since about 1985, do you trim the ends of the bass strings just like you do guitar strings? Is the only difference between long scale and short scale strings the length of the strings?

Permalink Reply by Richard Sanabia on September 2, 2012 at 3:09pm

Hi Peter. The rod was square. I used standard scale, (34" scale base). I just snip the string like a guitar string, but you need to trim on the narrowed part, (for the two biggest strings), so you will have to use a piece of string to figure out the closet fit. The string companies will give you that measurement. I use juststrings.com. Length is the only difference in the strings. Here is an example of how far you can go outside the envelope in getting bass sound. This little 36 inch bass has a diatonic fret board, and plays great in Keys of D,G, A. Big sound, little instrument. If any of this doesn't make sense, you can call me. Peace, Richard

Permalink Reply by Peter Giulietti on September 3, 2012 at 9:08am

I like that thing. How do you play it? It's shaped like a cross between a dulcimer, a trout and a lap steel.

I think that I may do a hybrid CB bass using a standard bass bridge and pickup. I'll use the 3/8" bar inside the neck but I'll use a 1/2" thick fretboard piece to get the fretboard up above the face of the cigarbox. The problem is that the steel bar will have to end where the fretboard ends. I wonder if something like this might work. I could use different layers to brace the neck where there is no fretboard to cover the steel bar.

Permalink Reply by Richard Sanabia on September 3, 2012 at 11:55am

Hi Peter. Nice plan. I would continue with the steel bar, and use the cigar box to cover it, but you have plenty of bracing to prevent any flex. I play the dulcimer bass like a dulcimer, except I play the bass line, playing the 1-5 or a complementary note in each measure to provide beat for the melody players to lock onto.

Permalink Reply by rusty case on September 6, 2012 at 4:47pm