I built an Itty Bitty Behemoth! A 24" junior scale child size bass that works!

[@drummerjfa1728]

For the B and E strings, put a bit of solder on the string an inch or so before the tuning peg and cover it with some heat shrink tubing. Then you can peel off the outer layers, making them taper down at a much shorter length. The solder and heat shrink tubing will stop the rest of the string from unraveling.

[@GunsandGuitars]

Genius! I’m going to do this! Thanks for the tip!

[@jeremyy22]

A few ways to tackle the resin issue: paint on the coats, and do multiple coats of resin, the thinner the coat, the less it runs. You could also have gone the route you did, sand flat, then smear on an extremely light coat of resin, and it will gloss up, or, do kinda thick layers and then go through the sanding to a super high grit, then go through the buffing process. Ive found each of these methods work well, it's just about how much elbow grease you want to put in. You can also spray lacquer on sanded resin. Great build though, Aleays enjoy watching your videos.

[@errorabortretry3694]

Agree with the above. It seems like the way to do it like the dudes clearing cars. Thin coats sanded back as you go, and wet sanding near the end to get that gloss back. Could also get a pressure pot to get rid of the bubbles.

[@pdempsey]

Total win on the tone, sounds great. I didn't realize how small it was until you put in your lap. Great work as always.

[@robertr4193]

Love the grain pattern on the body. I also like the color and tented transparent finish. It does also sound pretty good.

[@BenD_Bass]

Im almost done with my First bass build! Thanks for your humbleness, definitely helped me overcome all the minor hiccups and not get discouraged and quit. All I gotta do is finish leveling and polishing the frets, install the electronics, the tuning pegs, and its ready to be stringed. Im super worried about my neck though

[@4stringz.]

Dan, it looks awesome for a first go. Call it a prototype. Like you said, it’s not a fail when you can learn from it. Beautiful grain!!

[@jeffyoung8726]

Dan, dude I LOVE this bass! The tone is KILLER, it's one of a kind. And as far as that finish? To me, it's got ATTITUDE man! Tells an interesting story about the process? Even though it might have some imperfections("as you say")it does have leaps & bounds! That is important with any instrument I think? Rockin' video bro!

[@tim0391]

Just finished building a P bass for myself which turned out great! My next project is going to be a short scale for my 3 year old son (in a colour of his choice) and this video is EXACTLY what I needed. Great job

[@Ypsiroselee]

Your kid (kids?) are going to have one heckuva present! Awesome job making bass lemonade!

[@fsolisiii]

What you can do Dan, is to remove the magnet on one pickup, flip the polarity, and the lead wires, and BAM!, hum canceling when both pickups on.

[@miracleman14]

Very nice bass. Perfect for the bass player in training. To protect that soft wood and get a nice finish, try Solarez. It finishes harder than epoxy, takes mica well, and is UV cured. Lay it down with a foam brush, cures in minutes, apply 3-4 coats and sand back. Polish and you are good to go.

[@lone-wolf-1]

Great build! Tight sound! I like the idea of a 24“ bass!🙌🏼 Shape and grain looks awesome! With the epoxy finish you'll get it soon right.

[@ConstrutorMusical]

Nice project. I love the error being on the video, so we could learn together. The only thing I would do differently is the wrappings around the pole... That is so ugly... Probably i would try to make some adaptation on the tunning pegs ..

[@GunsandGuitars]

If you have ideas I’m all ears. The only thing I can think of is to try some short scale specific strings, which could help potentially. These were standard scale strings, all that I had on hand.

[@DefenderTIM]

Nice! Love the color combo. When I apply my epoxy sanding sealer I hang the body and rub it on with gloved hands, smoothing it out as best I can; then I wipe it with paper towels while the epoxy is still open. It takes a few coats (1 per day) with scuff sanding in between to build it up that way, but it comes out baby-butt smooth.

[@GunsandGuitars]

Dang didn’t know you’ve done this. I should’ve asked you first

[@DefenderTIM]

@@GunsandGuitars not as a final finish, but I use Zpoxy as my sanding sealer under paint and have gotten decent at making it smooth. Not sure I'd ever be able to get it looking like glass with my technique, though.

[@stevepethel6843]

Dan Just thought of a simple solution on that overground string First unwind it Second lay it out so the speaking length would be the way you wished it was Third clip off the excess string at the ball end. Fourth unwind this end until you reach the center thick single wire Fifth wrap loop and twist this center wire around that ball end. Sixth form a loop around this ball end and use the unwrapped small wire around this ball end loop. Add a little thread over this and any glue into the thread Seven restring the converted string tune and play.

[@LisaHarsh]

Nice. You may want to look for self leveling epoxy resin and getting a pressure pot. The pressure pot will get air bubbles out. After sanding buffing the resin will bring back the gloss.

[@MrGwg11]

Looks like a lot of fun Dan.... and another Great Job!

[@hurdygurdyguy1]

Nice save on the epoxy finish! And it sounds great!!!!

[@v-for-vieira]

I love that shape and would love to have a guitar like this! Good job!

[@darcphat]

Hey Dan! Great job in saving that finish. I have a 27 inch scale bass that I had custom made for my daughter and the builder taught me a trick to work around the strings being too thick for the tuners. Cut the strings to length and pull on the outer most winding to make your own taper then just cut off the excess winding and crimp the string with pliers. I've done a few string changes already using this method and I haven't run into problems like the windings coming loose or the strings rolling when I pluck them. Not sure if this will work on flat wounds, though.

[@GunsandGuitars]

Wow thanks for the great tip! I’m going to try this.

[@timstahlmann8785]

@@GunsandGuitars Hey Dan. Inspiring as always. Hats off to you brother for thinking outside the box. Here's my 2 cents on a solution for the headstock. I think for something like this you would need to go headless so you could clamp the strings rather than have to wind them. It would also reduce the size of the instrument further for a child. Take care sir.

[@tysonfoshee7624]

Love the finish... if the flaws around the edge and back bother you touch, you could sand back and fade the edges with black, then clear it high gloss. I love your designs, brother. Can't wait until I can commission a 5 string from you.

[@SlightlyTechnical]

i typically like matte or satin finishes one elegant solution to the string winding issue would be locking tuners that way you would not have to wind them so much around the tuner it also makes it easier to play

[@TheDanification]

I think the finish looks pretty darn good

[@brosphbehemoth6141]

Dan I love my Behemoth bass! I think I want a 5 string now!😫

[@GunsandGuitars]

I can help you with that 😉

[@wbertie2604]

Please don't tempt me!

[@christophervincent8420]

That is the craziest and coolest bass I've seen! That is amazing

[@elijahblas3826]

Dude you’re so awesome! Bout to keep this thing in my back pocket, happy practicing everyone!

[@KingBespokeCreations]

Looks pretty awesome. High gloss in a small workshop environment is so hard! Still looking for the easy way!

[@saulgoodeguitars]

Bass sounds great, looks awesome, really inspiring And mate that shirt looks pretty darn good too

[@GunsandGuitars]

It’s my favorite work shirt!

[@yikelu]

For the tuning peg issue, you can unwrap the string itself, ie peel the windings off the end.

[@FOGHORNNC]

Man that's awesome.... Admittedly it looks kinda funny watching you play it.. Great job

[@grilledspaghetti]

Love the semi gloss finish. All day long. Always wondered why guitar companies never embraced semi gloss, the only ever give us shiny AF, or reliced.

[@makikogi]

Dan if you wanted to bring out a higher gloss finish without wet sanding and polishing you can dilute your truoil with Naptha or if that’s not available in your area lighter fluid. About a one to one ratio

[@JoeTheGuitarGuy96]

Wow Dan, you've really hit this one out of the park. Very cool idea on using Epoxy mixed with the colour. Really reminds me of a Blackburst without the burst.

[@joekoons1937]

I am sure you got a million suggestions so here's another to add to the pile. For one after applying your epoxy use a blow torgh to smooth and remove the air bubbles. As for a fix I would of sanded the epoxy with 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper till I removed the noticible air bubbles the apply 2 coats of nano coat for a super long time finish and very durable.

[@oscarestrada72oe]

The headstock looks amazing the bass se well great job 👏

[@KingDadBod666]

Great idea Short scales are nice.

[@tomsquire2293]

I love your bass videos. I hope I can build my own one day.

[@LisaHarsh]

Have you looked at Ukulele bass strings. They do have round wounds and flat rounds for 21-24” scales.

[@mark0ibrahim]

Amazing sound ad great job 👍👍👍 I love your bass guitars and specially Behemoth bass created by you...super👍 Shine on you and comliments a lots, cheers bro ✌

[@ChrisHopkinsBass]

In terms of strings, the other option you’ve got is use the bottom 4 strings of a regular guitar set (including a wound G) and have it set up as a piccolo bass

[@keithsmith9889]

I think it's still gorgeous

[@JCtheGeek2187]

Very cool and sounds huge! Suggestion...how about trying some of the strings for an Ibanez Mikro bass? The basses are 28.6" scale and the strings that are made for them might work better on your Itty Bitty Behemoth than the regular strings.

[@GunsandGuitars]

That’s a good idea and light solve the tuner peg issue!

[@JP-kg3ko]

I was gonna suggest Hofner Beatle bass 30” short scale strings but 28.5” sounds even better.

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

@@GunsandGuitars I'd love to hear them

[@theluthiersapprentice3309]

Two things: 1) regarding the bridges. I had a similar problem with string spacing on a short scale bass. Check out Guyker. They make 4 string bass bridges with adjustable string spacing. Do not know if they get down to 17 mm. 2) The ibanez mikro bass strings might be the best bet. But you can cut a longer bass string and the unwrap some of the outer layer and wind just the core on the tuner. Works for me on 27 inch scale. ( But I am going to check out thise Ibanez strings. Cheers and well done.

[@RockStarOscarStern634]

@@theluthiersapprentice3309 Ibanez Strings tend to bypass that

[@bigcountryjd]

Love the finish on it. B-E-A-UTIFUL!

[@BenD_Bass]

Thanks man, Im almost done with my first build!

[@davidbrooks4294]

Hey, that size would be great for the quarantine kids.

[@hillwooky]

An easy way to get rid of bubbles in your finish is to make a vacuum box from plywood and use a vacuum cleaner to lower the pressure in the box. All the bubbles will instantly pop in like three seconds. I have used this with epoxy and polyurethane. Especially on woods with a very open grain that seems to hold onto the bubbles.

[@TreatTroll]

Awesome job! Call me crazy, but I liked the blemishes in the original try. Part of a one of a kind instrument is all the little things that make it just that. Good job as always Dan.

[@barrygoodson4952]

Love the body shape and I think it would be awesome on a normal short scale. To me it looked a little big for the 34" scale. Would love to see that with a PJ set up !

[@MrDaveKC]

Looks and sounds great Dan! The body looks great. I would think this works as a guitar body, too.

[@tranka6112]

This video answers one of the so often posed questions - can you use epoxy as a sealer? Texas Toast didnt want to give an answer to that, because they never tried. So Jeremy here is right. If you want less bubbles - higher grid on the last sanding should be a fix, also intense cleaning after the sanding and a dustfree room are important. To safe yourself the masking and the risk for spots: always do the whole instrument per layer ;) Whatsoever: The Itty Bitty Behemoth is Killer !

[@lvrxplt397]

you can eliminate the bubbles by using a propane/butane torch when you're finished pouring the epoxy. Its easier than blowing on it. I did some epoxy work on some plaques and that was what I was taught, and used. The finished product was like glass. Sadly I can't help with the sides....

[@GunsandGuitars]

I used a heat gun, and it seemed to work great at releasing the bobbles, but the more I did it, more bubbles would return. I have a propane torch so maybe I’ll try that next time to see if it works better.

[@TheRealWilliamWhite]

Dunlop Superbright short scales have a wound length of 32" and should work better with the reverse headstock. They sound great too.

[@danmarshall3089]

you should be able to strip back a bit of the outside wind once you cut the string to length wouth out any issues just grab some pliers and unwind the outer wind a bit to get it on your tuner the way to avoid fraying of the string is to only unwind a little so that the outer starts just before it comes off the peg so that the end that's been unwound it trapped from further fraying

[@hextray]

Honestly what a save for the finish ! And I think just doing lighter passes on the epoxy (with a brush maybe ?) would ease the process ?... And maybe locking tuners would kiiindof help with tuning stability and overall look ?

[@TheChef470]

I love my shorties but I would really like it at 30"......beautiful bass. : )

[@nadiapaiva8170]

I love that finish, too bad it's not perfect glossy, but I'm sure next time you'll get it 💪 awesome instrument!

[@freesk8]

Nice! You do cool projects, man! :)

[@rickwheeler6811]

Finally, someone with intuition. I took a PRS SE and made it into 24"scale 4string bass. I used a set of 5 string BEAD.... No different then a long scale bass at 5th fret. Great job on the bass. How much for the kit... love it

[@GunsandGuitars]

$375 for the kit but they are all sold out at the moment. If you’re interested feel free to join the mailing list on my website and I’ll let you know when another round is available for sale

[@brevs8387]

That thing looks pretty awesome, like I like the body and headstock shape. It would be awesome to have a 6-string electric. I guess with this mini behemoth you can totally do that. I can almost picture one in my mind... Two humbuckers, 3-way switch, hmmm. 🤔🤤😁

[@Proper_Gander]

Maybe locking tuners would solve the string winding problem. Looking good though, great work!

[@familyengineering5591]

Short scale basses are awesome. That guy rob allen makes his whole bread and butter off that mouse bass. If you went into production only doing these i think it would be a hit. Ive never seen a shortscale 6 string like this. If you could do one of those in the same style i would be very interested

[@zacharywatson885]

Dan, check out Solarez for an epoxy like finish with no bubbles. It cures via UV in just a few minutes but stays wet until you give it sun light. May be exactly what you need.

[@nathanowens3423]

It’s a hand made guitar. To me as a guitar player and a wood worker, the imperfections make it perfect. That’s what people pay for.

[@dennisperusse3837]

For your first attempt it looks fine. The next one will always be better.

[@nicodemuscg]

My luthier teacher would do thin coats of CA glue as a finish on certain parts on acoustic guitars. Basically very thin CA glue applied like wipe on poly. May be worth looking at?

[@stevepethel6843]

Great grounding solution...Dan Jesus is blessing you.Hey on that big wind e a string to prevent string breakaciuld you coat the string with some adhesive maybe superglue or some adhesive? Just a thought. That solution for floppy string syndrome worked and sounded balanced too. Keep the good race with more videos.

[@MixingGBP]

Is there a reason why you could not have thinned down the resin with an appropriate solvent and then either brushed it on or even work it on with gloved fingers? Then level between the coats until you get the desired thickness. Then buff the top coat. This way would take more time, but I think you would get a nice finish.

[@Drunken_Hamster]

17:00 Damn this thing sounds just like a full-scale bass.

[@VacantCityDrifters]

congrats - agreed about trying the extra short scale bass strings like the ones that come stock on the ibanez mikro bass - 28.6" scale? my wife (tiny person) plays one and the strings work well ... might help your string wind problem

[@anthonyb5279]

I always sand and polish with Epoxy. Its important to post cure the Epoxy super hard and it will polish to a mirror finish. You also need a sealer coat then a finish coat.

[@GunsandGuitars]

Thanks for the tips. I’m thinking you’re right about doing a thin sealer coat, then maybe a thicker finish coat

[@altriplett9099]

I bought a pair of jazz rails on eBay for @$25.00 Last year.... I'm going to contact Glarry, to see if they sell replacement sets, for their 25" scale " child's basses"! Also, I might try some of the silverback sets for bass uke. LaBella already makes short scale tape wounds for fretless.... I ended up buying three Glarry child's basses for modding. One "P", two with jazz pickups, and 24 frets ..

[@thomaslthomas1506]

Use locking tuners to get around the string break issues.

[@GunsandGuitars]

Drop a link for bass locking tuners and I’ll buy them. I’ve never seen any

[@WilliamBannier]

I would love to have one of those in a 30" scale. Unfortunately, I can't even afford a Glarry right now.

[@damonking9234]

Gold Tone has metal wound strings for their 25" scale basses. They might work well for you.

[@GunsandGuitars]

Sweet thanks for the tip!

[@mordekai199]

Please, take a look at Mayones's Cali 4 bass. It have a super tiny scale and also works. Maybe that might be an idea for your next build🙃

[@Stratisfied22]

Can't you use a string tree to get the angle and use less winds?

[@GunsandGuitars]

The break angle isn’t the issue, it’s the the string coming out of the tuner peg that is the issue. I guess I didn’t explain it well in the video. The string needs to make a 90 degree bend when it leaves the tuner peg, and with the full .105 gauge wrap, it’s too brittle and breaks every time. That’s why the strings are tapered at the end. But they are made for standard scale, so I when I feed the tapered end into the tuner peg, I have to wrap up the extra slack.

[@RubyRoks]

Very much imperfect, but with the exception of the string winds, those imperfections are beautiful in my opinion. It looks played in with all the epoxy bubble pockets. Like a working person's instrument. I'll be excited to see what comes of the next attempt at the epoxy finish And that sound is incredible. That is the fattest sounding short scale bass i've ever heard, and i used to own an EB-0

[@peterwhite4462]

Isn’t the way we learn, from our mistakes. Then it only gets better.

[@ianybanez6884]

Despite the details I rather love the final product!!!!

[@andygrace3825]

I reckon shortening strings from the other end could work, just need a ferrule with a grub screw to replace the string end, good idea using the B string nevertheless :-), or go headless :-)

[@LilSirAxolotl]

I just noticed a Danelectro baritone guitar has the same scale length as a Danelectro short scale bass 🤷🏼‍♂️ so a Danelectro baritone is really just a Danelectro bass VI when you think about it

[@daveyboyd784]

Daaaaaaaaaaamn!!! That shape / finish combo looks absolutely amazing! I would LOVE to have a regular electric guitar that looked exactly the same, I'd play a beauty like that all the time. I heard you mention clients, but I'm a new sub so I don't even know if you're still doing this type of stuff or not. If you were, I'd be really interested to know how much you'd charge to make me a simple, straightforward, hard-tail electric guitar in that style.

[@GunsandGuitars]

I’m working on a guitar variant as we speak! Not sure how much it’ll cost, but I charge around $1,000-1,500 for a bass

[@Jonathan_Doe_]

You should’ve put the E tuner kind of opposite where the D and G tuners are, and sanded the bass side of the headstock to clear the peg and still allow a straight string pull with it there. Would’ve given it more break angle over the nut.. But something that short scale, a string retainer bar behind the nut would be a good solution.

[@GunsandGuitars]

The problem isn’t the break angle, it’s the string coming out of the tuner peg. The tuner holes align perfectly straight if the pegs were wound properly. The reason it looks funky is because it’s wrapped so many times, throwing the string off alignment.

[@mikewhitfield2994]

That's pretty cool, great for my stubby fingers but I doubt I could fit more than one per fret. Phil McKnight worked with Valiant Guitars to develop a special 27" scale bass as a benefit (Valiant being in Ukraine) so you might try one of those. Gorgeous finish in my opinion. Needs to be sprayed though, in two or three layers, rather than spooned on.

[@Spooky0910]

Where should I go to get a custom bass wiring kit cuz I wanna have the function and sound of a 82’ p bass special, so where should I go?

[@ethanslape8889]

pro tip for your bubble issue. just use a propane torch and quick sweep over the guitar. all those bubbles will vanish. I use epoxy for model train layouts and it works great. just be quick and dont get to close to it! what's that first background song you use? I dont see it under the musician listed. its killer!

[@GunsandGuitars]

That song was written just for my channel, it belongs to me! Haha. As for the torch, I’ll try it next time. I used a heat gun this time and it was great at raising the bubbles, but as soon as I stopped, even more bubbles would com back.

[@sleepybliiss7382]

Ugg need help with 25 inch scale bass strings. Is there a video? Method? Etc?

[@jameslewis2635]

I think that with this epoxy finish it would be better to approach it like a traditional paint job in that you apply a thin layer, sand it smooth before repeating the process until you get to a point where it looks good. I can only see this as a very labour intensive method since I can't see a way to put a thick mixture like this through a spray gun.

[@johnnyappleseed5029]

Would a foam brush not be appropriate for applying the epoxy resin?

[@GunsandGuitars]

It might be, worth a shot

[@johnnyappleseed5029]

@@GunsandGuitars Still a nice bass, love the body shape and it sounds great too

[@Furtheronmusic]

The sound is really fantastic. Travel bass marketing spin?

[@nickbellinger1047]

thanks for the vid Dan it looks and sounds good me hearty

[@MattCaffell]

That bass looks and sounds killer. Have you tried a blow torch to run the bubbles out of epoxy, most videos I've seen where they use epoxy, they use a blow lamp,

[@ChrisHopkinsBass]

You could always get a cheap Chinese strat pickup with the bar magnets underneath instead of individual slugs…remove the magnets and you’ve got a dummy coil. You just need to experiment with which way around it needs to be wired to the output.

[@The..Butterfly..Effect]

it's got a nice gold look -

[@nacho501]

What’s the model of your cutting machine I want to buy one tanks.

[@tonzokinawa]

Love your basses! Have you ever put together a multi-scale/fan fret bass before?

[@Jonathan_Doe_]

Sprayable epoxy is a thing, but for a guitar a poly or conversion varnish finish is easier and about as hard anyway. Investing in a little compressor and hobby spray gun is the way forwards.

[@GunsandGuitars]

Not a bad idea

[@Jonathan_Doe_]

@@GunsandGuitars It turned out awesome lookin anyways, the refinements you’ve put into your body shape since you started doing them have got it looking great now!

[@zodiacsnowwolf]

How much for one of these kits? Or for the finished one in the video?

[@migrantfamily]

Alternative solution for grounding with separate saddles: use a brass nut or a zero fret. That’ll give you a connection between all the strings.

[@GunsandGuitars]

That’s a good point! Thanks for sharing

[@lisasivertsen4669]

What kind of sander was that small thin one you were using very cool.

[@GunsandGuitars]

My new favorite tool! Check it out here (affiliate link): amzn.to/3cDGQz7