Seeing the really stiff bracing on the back Kevin, I knew exactly what you were going to say before you said it and I think your modus operandi is spot on ! I look forward to your subsequent, illustrative videos on this model. Thanks.
@thepragmaticluthier Жыл бұрын
Thanks! Let's hope my judgement and intuition pay off all the way through this project.
@jonahguitarguy Жыл бұрын
This is going to be a fun build. I did an ES-335 sized short scale bass a couple years ago. Just made it up as I went.
@johnford7847 Жыл бұрын
Looking forward to seeing (and hearing) how this progresses. Thanks for sharing.
@earlsinstrumentsandtunes9732 Жыл бұрын
That is a nice piece of butternut lumber, it must have been a pretty good sized tree. Looking forward to this series of videos, thanks for doing it.
@thepragmaticluthier Жыл бұрын
It was a big tree, about 48" in diameter, but having a very short stalk, at about 6 feet. It was old and badly deteriorated. After sawing, I doubt that I got more than 5o board feet of useful material.
@JamesJones-qf9xg5 ай бұрын
Love your words of encouragement to new builders. Will follow
@thepragmaticluthier5 ай бұрын
Thank you. I hope you get a lot out of my presentations.
@ronaldrice4085 Жыл бұрын
I've never seen a guitar finished on the inside. he would seem to me that a finish on the inside would make it more responsive. As Guitar Building videos go yours is by far the best thank you
@thepragmaticluthier Жыл бұрын
The body you see in this video is not finished inside yet, but will be. There is the theory that a finish inside the body tends to make the back in particular more reflective. I am not aware of any science to support this theory. Additionally, a finished interior, especially a top can be a repairman's nightmare.
@tomehCanada Жыл бұрын
Only two have stood out, a Takiline with Mahogany body. Sita top and Larrivee with rosewood body and Sitka top. The rest I have tried were just about useless on the low E. I have often thought that the PRS Tony McManus, signature, 6 string, top design would be excellent for a bass? It is like a drum top and can take all the drop tunings of the low E extremely well. Down to D or C without fading.
@nic6754 Жыл бұрын
Brilliant video. I look forward to the next
@kimstrickland65 Жыл бұрын
Don't have any first hand experience with this, but am interested in what can be done. I have done a bit of online research, and recall some things I have seen in live music settings and music stores. Going to the major online music stores, most of the major manufacturers offer or have offered some sort of acoustic bass. These can vary a lot on how they are built. Scale length varies from 34" down to 24". Strings can vary from flat wound steel, bronze wound steel, to special nylon. Most are shaped like a guitar, but are a bit larger, but they are still much smaller than an orchestral double bass. Ernie Ball started selling one in 1972, loosely based on the design of the guitarron, a Mexican instrument used in mariachi bands. From what I have seen in stores, most subsequent acoustic guitar basses were inspired by the Ernie Ball version, but were not close copies. I suspect the reason is that frankly, the volume and tone of the early instrument was not worth copying, even if the concept was interesting. Last year I visited Pimentel in New Mexico - in addition to a variety of nylon and steel string guitars, they also make the traditional Mexican guitarrons and banjo sextos, as well as smaller requintos. Their web site also claims that they will build bass guitars, but the site does not show pictures of them. Think about what you want to do with the instrument and what kind of instruments you are already comfortable playing. Strength of the instrument (wood thickness) will have to scale with the tension of the string set you want to use.
@jessejonescomposer Жыл бұрын
great idea for a series! - never seen one on acoustic bass guit before!
@johnbanks127 Жыл бұрын
Thanks for picking up on my comment on the last video. I’m really looking forward to this one
@steveloudoun54208 ай бұрын
Man, thank you so much for this - so good to hear!
@thepragmaticluthier8 ай бұрын
My pleasure!
@johngray4476 Жыл бұрын
I am a acoustic bass player also a rough wood worker keep us informed on progress of this bass vary interested on end results Ps. I like you vlog keep it up
@hampshirepiano6383 Жыл бұрын
Good idea.
@wilsonguitars156 Жыл бұрын
nice work!...ive built some acoustic basses and the last one was an archtop....ive made much the same as you are with X braces too....i really like archtop style....i have developed a method of hand bending the arch top and back with steam and forms.... I think your on the right track and ill be watching as the whole thing unfolds...you are a great thinker on the subject!
@MrJohntheHarp11 ай бұрын
A mate of mine comes along to our session with his 6 string acoustic guitar, It has an X braced back & works just fine. Just saying :) Great job BTW..👍
@Kevin.odonnell Жыл бұрын
On fire with the videos lately bud!
@glynnphillips15768 ай бұрын
Beautiful
@tomehCanada Жыл бұрын
Beautiful. Interesting bracing. I can't wait to hear it completed. I have found acoustic, bass guitars challenge in balance to be a relatively weak E string. This is also true in laminated, Double Basses.
@thepragmaticluthier Жыл бұрын
I agree with every word in your comment, especially the low E string losing strength from the fifth fret up. FRUSTRATING!
@Stanvansandt Жыл бұрын
I tried to find an acoustic bass guitar that could be heard acoustically in a bluegrass quartet and concluded that it couldn't be done. (I have a bad back and can't lug a doghouse around.) The closest I found was a Stonebridge fretless with an offset sound hole (the low E string was its best feature), but it really needed amplification to hold its own. They all do - I hope you bear that in mind as you design this. It needs a good pick up. The type of music intended should also dictate design features: I was shooting for a double bass sound, but other genres might benefit from a little more brightness. I will be following your posts - you do a good job communicating without resorting to show biz tricks. The iPhone is fine.
@thepragmaticluthier Жыл бұрын
You're clearly right about the volume issue with acoustic basses. Fortunately for me and the owner, this instrument will be used in very small groups and jam sessions, never on stage or even open mic situations. The basses that I have hold up well in that context as well, but admittedly, without a good pickup, they're limited. Thanks for the positive response regarding the iPhone. I'm sure you already know, I'm not a videographer.
@tedrowland7800 Жыл бұрын
Thank You!
@erlingwesth70556 ай бұрын
Hi Kevin, I have built western guitars and atchtops for a couple of years - bur never an acoustic bass guitar. So your videos are quite welcome. I like the way you progress and I was going to ask you some questions when I realized that apparently you have not finished the building proceess. Will there be more videos? I do hope so. But nevertheless I want to ask you about specifikation of the bass guitar. Thickness of top, back, sides etc Can that be found anywhere? Kind regards Erling Westh (Denmark)
@thepragmaticluthier6 ай бұрын
I will be happy to answer specific questions through text or email. Contact information can be found on my website.
@MrDaveKC Жыл бұрын
I'm very curious to watch this series. I'm not much of a bass player but I do like them. Once i get more experience in making acoustic guitars, I just might be interested in building one.
@thepragmaticluthier Жыл бұрын
Curiosity and limited skill as a bass player is what got me into building basses too. Strangely, it led to a few commissioned pieces later on. I have one in Tenessee and two others locally. Thanks for watching my videos.
@rakentrail Жыл бұрын
Looks Good! Back in the late 80's to mid 90's I was a tech at a guitar store. My boss stocked up on acoustic basses as the metal ballads were the next big thing. Sadly the ones available all sucked when it came to intonation. Both American made to Asian made. JMHO but I'd pay close attention to that which I'm sure you will! Can't wait to see it done!
@thepragmaticluthier Жыл бұрын
My experience with acoustic basses has been similar to yours. The early Guild basses were not that great, the Martins were better but not by much and the imports mostly sucked. The only really impressive acoustic bass I have seen was at least twenty years ago; a Taylor, which appeared to be a collaborative effort between them and I think, Steve Cline. I saw only one in Ithaca, NY and have never seen on since, but was a KILLER.
@waldopaco34344 ай бұрын
Question that's been killing me...... What would you do to make an acoustic bass loud enough to play with to guitars or a guitar and an acordion..... Or at least to make it loud enough to play it unplugged with a guitar.
@thepragmaticluthier4 ай бұрын
The sort of volume you're describing can be very difficult to achieve, but I have found that a large body, 18 width helps along with length, so as to increase the monopole and dipole response as least send one in the right direction. See the top as thin as is reasonable (that varies with every piece of wood) and decrease the diameter of the sound hole. Keep top braces a little lower. Prey to the gods of low frequency:)
@gregholmberg2 Жыл бұрын
The lowest note on a regular guitar is 82 HZ. For that, you want a Helmholtz frequency 90-100 Hz. This is determined by the volume of the cavity and the hole area. For a bass guitar, the lowest note is an octave below that, so 41 Hz. So I guess you'd want a Helmholtz frequency 45-50. That will be difficult. You need a large box and a small hole. The other problem is bracing something so wide, such that it doesn't break, while also making the frequency lower, which means less rigid. That's a contradiction. You're probably shooting for something around 100 Hz for the top main mode? Note sure. Sounds hard.
@thepragmaticluthier Жыл бұрын
Thank you. I admire your informed presentation of information. It's just this sort of exchange that challenges perceptions and provokes thought.
@alext8828Ай бұрын
How does the bass bar work in a violin?
@thepragmaticluthierАй бұрын
I don't build orchestral stringed instruments.
@hampshirepiano6383 Жыл бұрын
Are those back braces shaped to fit the radius?
@thepragmaticluthier Жыл бұрын
Yes. I always arch my braces to the desired radius. Have some shaper jigs that match my radius dishes to perform the task. Works very well.
@markfogleman8438 Жыл бұрын
The acoustic bass documentation and other info on the Liutaio Mottola site are a great resource.
@thepragmaticluthier Жыл бұрын
Thank you. I had not seen that information there. I'll return and find it. I appreciate the suggestion.
@blauschuh Жыл бұрын
How about some videos is something other than 1995 360p
@tomehCanada Жыл бұрын
Maybe you can donate enough 2023 dollars so that he can purchase a High End DSLR with 4K?
@thepragmaticluthier Жыл бұрын
I'm sorry that you're disappointed with the quality of my videos. I record them on an iPhone 11 and that's about the best I can do with it. If I was monetizing my work and creating click bait, I might invest in better equipment, but shameless commerce isn't my gig.
@tree-e2q Жыл бұрын
iPhone 11 has good camera that make high quality video so i think it is youtube upload quality setting issue or camera application issue@@thepragmaticluthier