David T. Music And Stuff

Hi friends and family,

I began this build in September 2022. I had been looking at my collection of exotic woods, looking for a potential next build, and found what I think is a beautiful combination for a unique and functional bass. Sue, my wife, helped me pick the awesome-looking brown/green-colored Phoebe top plate wood.

Warning!!! Technical stuff in the next three paragraphs!!!

I wanted this bass to be a five-string bass because I was interested in making a 35″ scale neck rather than the typical 34″. The reason for extending the scale is that the 5th string (the ‘B’ string) will be tighter. It sounds almost piano-like. The trade-off is that the other strings (G-D-A-E) will also be tighter. The shorter the scale of the neck, the softer the strings feel, and you get a bassier sound. Short-scale basses (30″-32″) are fun to play and easier on the hands.

My neighbor, who was the road manager for Badfinger, asked me to make him a short-scale bass. I have plans for that bass. And I figure Gary isn’t going to move any time soon.

I am making plans in my head to build a multiscale bass which is a whole nother’ beast. The low string will be 35″ scale (maybe 36″) while the rest of the strings get progressively shorter, Maybe as low as 30″ scale. Multiscale guitars and basses have been around for a long time but are only recently becoming mainstream. They look kind of funny because the frets start off on an angle at the angled nut. The angle then progressively gets shorter, then progressively angles in the other direction. The pickups and bridge are also on an angle. It’s supposed to be very ergonomic. I have to build one so that I can try it . . . Another challenge! One reason I started building instruments from scratch is that I don’t want to spend the ridiculous amount of money they charge for high-end instruments. Someone else can pay those prices for my hand-made high-end instruments., LOL!

Back to the normal build description:

I started this build with the neck. Not only is it a 35″ scale, but I also made it a 7-piece tapered neck for strength and stability. The layers are Mahogany, a White Ash insert, a tapered Purpleheart length, White Ash insert, tapered Purpleheart, White ash, and Mahogany . . . Phew! The PurpleHeart is a hard, bright-sounding wood that polishes out very smoothly, like Ebony. While Mahogany is a softer wood with lots of midrange tone. The white Ash is just for decoration, although it may add some interesting tone to the neck. The back of the neck is sanded in an asymmetrical shape, with the bass (lower strings) side of the neck being thicker than the treble side. It feels good on a wider neck and evens out the tone of the whole neck. I added a “Zero Nut” rather than a “Carved Nut”, as most modern basses use. The “Zero Nut” causes the “open strings” to sound the same as fretted strings, whereas a “Carved Nut” adds its own tone. Both have their pluses and negatives. The “Zero Nut” was used in many vintage instruments. My Guyatone guitar has a zero nut.

The fingerboard is called Rocklite Sundari. Here’s the manufacturer’s description of it: Rocklite® is a revolutionary and totally environmentally friendly approach to tonewoods for musical instruments. It looks and sounds like real rosewood. It is an engineered composite produced from eco-friendly, readily available wood species. LMI has done loads of testing on this material, and it performs well. It cuts, routes, and sands easily. If you’re looking for an alternative to Rosewood, Rocklite Sundari is for you! …AND it’s exportable! Every piece is unique.

This material was a joy to work with. Cutting the channels for the binding went smoothly with little chipping or tear-out.

The body is a two-piece Roasted Swamp Ash. I hollowed out the body for weight relief. The Drop Top is called Phoebe Wood. It’s from China and was apparently used in Temples. Its colors run from Brown to Green to Red. I can’t wait to see what it will look like with a glossy finish on it. The body is Seafoam Green, and the top is natural with a black pinstripe between the top and bottom that seems to set it off nicely.

The electronics are made by MarkBass. It has lots of tone control. And I’ve never heard so much ‘useful’ bass come from a preamp. This is a ‘big’ sounding bass. The Nordstrom Pickups are a favorite of mine. Articulate and toneful. The neck and bridge pickups are both humbucking without losing any tone.

Well. Here we are in early September of 2023, and I am putting the finishing touches on this awesome bass. I made a few blunders that I was able to fix without too many tears and/or curse words. The results actually came out better than my original plans for the bass. I also had some repair jobs that took some of the time. And I started to work on a guitar that my Oncologist commissioned. I chose an exotic wood for the guitar that is sure to please him. I won’t charge much for the guitar because I figure it’s a good idea to suck up to the people who are trying to save your life.

My health went through some ups and downs during the past year. We won’t go into that in this piece. Sue, Brianna, and I also took a trip to Italy to visit my daughter, Jennifer, her husband, Jacob (both Army Sergeants), and our granddaughter, Bella. The trip was incredible! I hated the 10-hour flight to Paris and then Venice. We did get to see some of Paris during our layover. I guess the trip will be part of another story. Oh! We did some sightseeing also and watched a ceremony at the Army base where Jennifer was handed over the reins of, okay, I’m not sure how many soldiers and raised up a grade (I think they had to make up the grade because Jenn was already at the highest grade of Sergeant). Jennifer also gave a beautiful speech and included the fact that it was National Women’s Month and that she was the first woman to attain such a grade in the Army. We’re very proud of Jennifer.

So, this is what took so long to build this bass. It’s a good thing that I’m extremely patient, or it would be in the wood pile instead of being displayed here. The true test and justification for a lengthy project after the paint is cured and buffed out is picking it up and playing the instrument . . .

OMG!!!!! The bass is light, balanced, easy to play, and sounds just like I hoped it would!!!!! I plan to bring this on the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise that Sue and I have booked for October. I will play it as often as I can and see if I get any bidders on it. I have a feeling this bass will get some good reviews from the paid entertainers on the cruise.

Thanks for reading. Please, please, stay safe. Wear a mask when appropriate. Don’t take any chances with your health and life. And above all, the health and lives of your friends and loved ones. Please be thoughtful about when to wear a mask or not and GET THE COVID-19 VACCINE (it won’t hurt unless you’re a political jerk) OR SPEAK TO YOUR DOCTOR IF YOU BELIEVE YOU SHOULDN’T FOR HEALTH REASONS . . .

Love to all,

David T

p.s. Comments are very welcome. You can comment at the end of this article.