Custom 5-String Bass - First build

[Chuck Raudonis]

I finally finished the bass that I have been asking questions about for a while. Thanks to everyone who patiently answered my newbie questions on my first build. You all have a hand in making this thing come out the way it did.

The body is made of 15 pieces of wood to get the layered and sandwiched look I was looking for. It is Bubinga on the faces of the wings and Flamed Maple and Walnut for the rest of the layers/stacks. It has an Artec BE-2 preamp (I LOVE this thing) and a P-J configuration. I am very pleased with it. It plays like a dream and sounds great. Sound clips are on my blog listed below. If you're interested, the blog takes this bass from first design inspirations all the way through completion and playing it. The blog also has a bunch more pictures of the finished bass.

I think the bug has bitten me now. I'm looking around for my next project.

[Jim McConkey]

Great looking bass, Chuck! I love the sandwiching. Did your planer do all the work of truing up the faces before gluing? Congratulations on a wonder first build. As Ellie used to say, "Build more!"

[Chuck Raudonis]

Jim,

Thanks for the kind words!

Yes, the planer did most of the work (with VERY sharp blades for the figured maple and bubinga) If you check out these entries, they cover the whole process of building the sandwiches for the wings with pictures:

Construction of the core http://thewaywardluthier.wordpress.com/ ... ome-wings/

Planing down the maple http://thewaywardluthier.wordpress.com/ ... be-planed/

Adding the Bubinga http://thewaywardluthier.wordpress.com/ ... tty-stuff/

[James Tonguet]

Nicely done!

Keep up the great work

[Beate Ritzert]

Really nice.

And yes, the bug always bites...

[Roger Rosenberger]

Very nice Chuck! Way better than my first attempt, and most of my other attempts now that I think about it.
I do have one question. Why did you use that nice figured maple on the wings only to plane away most of it and then hide it inside the sandwich?

Oh, and don't stop building.

[Chuck Raudonis]

I used the flamed maple because I wanted the revealed maple where I sanded down the belly relief and the forearm rest to show that figure.

Here are pictures of these two areas to show you what I mean.

[Roger Rosenberger]

I used the flamed maple because I wanted the revealed maple where I sanded down the belly relief and the forearm rest to show that figure.

Here are pictures of these two areas to show you what I mean.

I see, very nice indeed.
It appears to have even more figure on that angle cut.