I never met an "acoustic bass" I liked, so I'm going to try to build one. They all sound very thin in the lower register, and I'm guessing it's likely due to inadequate air volume in the soundbox. A guitarron has a much better low end, though its lowest note is only A 55Hz. I estimate its volume at somewhat less than 2 cubic feet. A 3/4 double bass sounds a lot better, but with a larger box of around 4 cubic feet (my guess.) I'm going to try to make one of about 2 cu ft, and hopefully light enough and of a configuration that it can be played hanging from my shoulders somewhat in the manner of a guitar, though with a more vertical orientation. I haven't decided yet if it will have frets or not. The body shape is an ellipse - a compromise between a rectangular box which maximises volume but is ugly, and a pinched waist which is lovely but loses volume. It gets larger toward the tail to try to add more air volume.
Here's a general plan of the shape and dimensions, though the width and depth will have to be slightly smaller as my wood is not quite wide enough. The construction techniques will generally follow that of a steel string guitar, though I've never built one -
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Yes, I know it was huge overkill, but since it is a four piece top, and it's 31" X 21", and only 1/8" thick, I wanted to make sure it stayed flat against the bench, and that it wouldn't buckle.
