Build an Upright Electric Double Bass - Guide

CONTENTS

Introduction
1. History of the double bass
2. Materials
3. Tools
4. Choice of Double bass
5. Table of measurements
6. Lofting
7. Making the Parts
8. Construction
9 .Finishing
10.String it
11.Jigs
12.Short cuts
13.Useful Links

Electric double basses or EUB's (electric upright basses) as they are commonly known, can cost thousands of pounds/dollars. The purpose of this book is to show you that with a little effort and minimal cost, you can build an electric Double bass or an electric cello with basic house hold tools.
This book contains all the information you need, to build the EUB on the cover
You will be surprised to learn that most companies currently building high quality EUB's and electric cellos are actually just people like you, at home or in the garage, working away with minimal tools, big factory machines aren't the answer and the personal touch is often the key to success in producing a high quality instrument..
While a factory can achieve a very fast turn out, this is not the same as quality, and the set up is invariably awful. A violin maker or luthier will happily charge around $1000 to fix the bridge, fingerboard, nut and truss rod. So that cheap EUB you've been looking at, may not be so cheap after all.
While this book is primarily for the EUB, all the techniques remain the same for the electric cello.
The table of measurements includes both EUB and cello. Good luck and happy building, but remember. Wear your goggles and watch your thumb.

In 1493 Prospero wrote of a "viol's as big as my self" this is the oldest reference to the instrument known. It appears the double bass started out as a fretted instrument up to 8 feet tall, though varying in height region to region. Although design's latter went all the way up to 15 feet in length as in an American example that had to be played by two people, and could play a note 16 octaves below middle C
Also in the 17th century Agricola wrote of the Contrabasso di viola as being the deepest voice available.

Leopold Mozart referred in the 1787 edition of his Violinschule to having heard concertos, trios and solos played with great beauty on instruments of this kind. Though it is worth noting it is probably impossible to play the music Mozart heard as the tunings were very different then which is a shame as there were so many different solo pieces composed at this time.
The earliest known instruction manual on how to play a violone/contrabass was written by Johann Jacob Prinner in 1677 though the tuning of the
time was F'-A'-D-F#-B though not exclusively, as it seems there are 40-50 tunings used between now and then, and great variance in double bass design
surely contributed to this. Also old paintings show the early double bass to have a shape closer resembling a violin, than today's double bass. The Violone was also a name used in the 16th century name to describe double bass.
Praetorius (1571-1621) described a violon da gamba sub-bass, a five-stringed specimen tuned DD EE AA D G. While this 8 foot fretted monster was tuned very much like the modern bass, it must have been very hard to play. Praetorius noted that the player of this instrument had to read the regular notation for the bass line even though the sounds he produced were actually an octave lower than what he saw, a practice that is still the standard procedure for the double bass players of today.

Domenico Dragonetti (1763-1846) is considered the first great virtuoso of the instrument, he was largely responsible for its permanent place in the orchestra. He left several concert pieces which show that his technique must have been revolutionary. His
fame was so great that conductors would often seat him next to the concertmaster where he gave the
audience a good show. It was not long after his death that symphonic and operatic bass parts were gradually emancipated from the cello.
With the advent of the all-steel string, the
strange harmonics and guttural tone of the old gut strings are no longer a problem., although this is a still a matter of debate.
Even now the double bass has not acquired a standard shape. Since its beginnings in the 16th century its shape has changed more than any other
stringed instrument. There are now two main body shapes, one is like a giant violin, sometimes with a curved back, sometimes with a flat back and higher 'shoulders' attached to the neck. The other is more pear like and more resembles the viol with its flat back and shoulders that slope more quickly and steeply away from the neck.
Of course the design we are most interested in is the electric double bass, but its always useful to know the origins of what we undertake to build.

There are many type's of timber available for the construction of quality instruments, either through your local timber merchant/(see YELLOW PAGES) or alternatively through the net. The internet is probably your best bet for quality and price; though the waiting time can be annoying. It is important to remember that one wood is not necessarily "better" than another, the suitability of woods for any given instrument depends on a number of factors, such as personal tastes and the type of music you will be playing. Also always check the postal prices before ordering, as these are often greater than the price of timber. I'll start with a list of woods commonly used woods.

Sitka Spruce
(Picea sitchensis)

Sitka Spruce is the most popular wood for guitar tops today. A native of the Pacific coast from Alaska to northern California, Sitka Spruce is a strong, straight-grained, even textured softwood. Sitka Spruce is sometimes called Silver Spruce. Because of its large size (trees grow to nearly 300 feet in height), straight grain, and elasticity, Sitka Spruce is valued for many applications requiring strong, light weight lumber. Colour is creamy white to light pink or brown heartwood. Weight is about 27 pounds per cubic foot. Sitka Spruce has the highest strength to weight ratio of any wood available today, and is a very tough wood that resists minor dings and scratches very well. Sitka has a longer break-in time than Engelmann Spruce, and a somewhat more mellow tone with a slower response.

Engelmann Spruce
(Picea engelmannii)
 Engelmann spruce is native to the Rocky Mountain region. About two thirds of the lumber is produced in the southern Rocky Mountain States. Most of the remainder comes from the northern Rocky Mountain States and Oregon. Somewhat lighter in colour than Sitka Spruce, Engelmann offers a quicker response and greater volume potential than Sitka. Lighter in weight than Sitka Spruce (weighing approximately 23 pounds per cubic foot) and a bit softer than Sitka Spruce, Engelmann is slightly more prone to minor dings and scratches than Sitka. Still, Engelmann is by no means "fragile" and will last a lifetime given proper care. Although Engelmann Spruce does not have the stellar reputation of Adirondack "Red" Spruce , it does exhibit the same tonal characteristics as Red Spruce, and many players and collectors have learned that Engelmann is a perfect substitute for the far rarer (and far more expensive) Red Spruce.

Red (Adirondack) Spruce
(Picea rubens)
Red Spruce exhibits a slightly lighter colour than Sitka, but is generally not as white as Engelmann. Like Engelmann, Adirondack is a softer than Sitka and requires a bit more care, but this slightly softer wood results in a top that is a bit less "stiff" and offers a quicker response, with more "snap" to the note. Red Spruce, like Engelmann, is also slightly lighter in weight than Sitka Spruce, weighing approximately 26 pounds per cubic foot. Because of the genetic qualities of this wood, as well as the extreme rarity of guitar-width sets, Red Spruce will exhibit more grain width and colour variation than either Sitka or Engelmann, and will often have a "striped" appearance along its exceptionally straight grain. Many players believe that the use of this wood was a significant contributing factor to the strong, clear tone of those older instruments, and is therefore far more
expensive than other species of Spruce, but is considered essential to many collectors and players seeking the ultimate "vintage" sound.

Mahogany
(Swietenia macrophylla)
Often called Honduras Mahogany, Brazilian Mahogany, etc., depending on the country of origin, Mahogany is native to Southern Mexico southward to Colombia, Venezuela, and parts of the upper Amazon and its tributaries in Peru, Bolivia, and Brazil. Plantations have been established within its natural range and elsewhere. Mahogany varies in colour from light to dark reddish-brown, to deep rich red. Dark coloured gum or white deposits commonly occur in the pores; sometimes rippled grain figure is present. Weight is 34 to 40 pounds per cubic foot. Mahogany has often gotten a bad rap because of its use on certain makers' more inexpensive instruments. But its great clarity of tone and cutting ability have always been used by luthiers. I consider Mahogany to be the perfect choice for neck/ scroll though others may disagree.

Curly Maple
(Acer macrophyllum or Acer saccharum)
Curly Maple has long been a favourite of Country musicians for its beauty and mellow tone. Curly Maple grows throughout most of North America, with commercial species in the eastern United States and Canada and the western coast of the United States. Curly Maple yields slightly less bass response and volume than either Mahogany or Rosewood, but with greater "punch" and "bite" to the note. Careful construction maximizes this wood's bass and volume, and enhances Curly Maple's warm, mellow tone. A strong, heavy wood (44+ pounds per cubic foot) with cream to reddish-brown heartwood, Curly Maple is often found with Bird's-Eye, Burl, Fiddle back, Quilted and other figured grain patterns. Curly Maple also takes a finish beautifully, and can be quite stunning visually. Very good for necks and fingerboards.

Brazilian Rosewood
Brazilian Rosewood, due to its rarity, is an expensive tone wood.  Because of long-time exploitation, the tree has become very scarce in the more accessible regions. Brazilian Rosewood is harder than the commonly-used Indian Rosewood, but is about the same density and weighs the same (53 pounds per cubic foot).
Often considered to be the "ultimate" in tone wood, Brazilian Rosewood was used for the finest pre-war instruments by the major manufacturers. Its balance, clarity of tone, quick response, and beauty of colour and figure are legendary. Hype aside, Brazilian Rosewood really is an amazing tone wood for all these reasons; unfortunately, an embargo was placed on this fine wood in the late 1960s, and since then Brazilian Rosewood has not been imported into the United States. Because of this, the quality of available Brazilian Rosewood has deteriorated to the point that slab-sawn, knotty wood, which would have been scrapped for kindling in the '40s, is today being touted as "high grade" wood. Even the currently-available inferior grades of Brazilian Rosewood are much more expensive than other tone woods, and can add thousands of dollars to the cost of an instrument. Though luckily for me still widely available throughout Europe.

Indian Rosewood
(Dalbergia latifolia)
Indian Rosewood grows throughout the Indian peninsula scattered in the dry deciduous forests, but is no where common; it attains its best growth in the Bombay region. Indian Rosewood varies in colour from golden brown to dark purple-brown with darker streaks giving an attractive figure and a narrowly interlocked grain. Weighing approximately 53 pounds per cubic foot, Indian Rosewood is heavier and more dense than Mahogany. Indian Rosewood yields a warm, "bassy" tone as described above, and is thus often a good choice for the double bass.
Since the Brazilian Rosewood embargo of the late 1960s, Indian Rosewood has become the tone wood of choice for most manufacturers' high-end instruments in the USA.  This wood is easy to obtain on line from India though postage can be high.

Honduran Rosewood
(Dalbergia stevensonii)
Honduran Rosewood is typically pinkish brown to purple with alternating light and dark areas forming a very attractive figure, with a medium to rather fine grain. Denser than Indian rosewood, Honduran rosewood is well known for its tonal properties, being the preferred wood for Marimba bars. It is one of the heavier hardwoods, weighing 60 to 70 pounds per
cubic foot. Tonally it compares well to Brazilian rosewood, producing a well-balanced sound with great projection.
Honduran Rosewood is very similar visually and tonally to the much harder to get Southeast Asian Rosewood; the grain lines are unusually tight and straight, yielding a subtler beauty with less figure than Brazilian or Cocobolo.

Cocobolo
(Dalbergia retusa)
Cocobolo is a true Rosewood that grows along the Pacific seaboard from Central America to southern Mexico.  A wood of limited occurrence, Cocobolo usually grows in the drier upland regions. Weighing approximately 68 pounds per cubic foot, Cocobolo is harder, heavier and more dense than other Rosewoods; because of this, Cocobolo is a better sound reflector, absorbing less sound than the softer Rosewoods. Cocobolo's colours vary greatly from light to deep red and the hues of the rainbow, yielding stunningly beautiful colours and figure. Cocobolo is probably closer in tone, colour and figure to the finest-grade Brazilian Rosewood used on the classic guitars of yesteryear than any tone wood available today, and for far less money than the inferior-quality Brazilian currently available.  Cocobolo offers everything Brazilian Rosewood offers, and more: increased power, increased sustain, increased volume, along with beauty of colour and figure not available in Brazilian Rosewood for years. For the player seeking to capture the sound and beauty of the finest Brazilian Rosewood from the '40s and '50s, with the added benefits of greater power and sweeter tone, Cocobolo is hard to beat. I consider Cocobolo to be superior in every way to the currently-available Brazilian Rosewood, and with about one-third to one-tenth of the cost of Brazilian, Cocobolo is a real bargain. I cannot recommend this excellent tone wood highly enough.

Ebony

Diospyros ebenum),
also known as India Ebony or Ceylon Ebony depending on its origin, is a tree in the genus Diospyros, native to southern India and Srilanka. It is noted for its heavy black, fine-grained heartwood. It is a medium-sized evergreen, reaching 20-25 m tall. The leaves are entire , about 6-15 cm long and 3-5 cm broad. The fruit is a small berry 2 cm diameter, similar to a small persimmon. Ebony heartwood is one of the most intensely black woods known, which, combined with its very high density (it is one of the very few woods that sink in water), fine texture, and ability to polish very smoothly, has made it very valuable as an ornamental wood. is your choice wood however for fingerboards, tailpiece, nut and saddle. Without these people regard the instrument as amateurish, regardless of tone or beauty. It is an unfortunate fact that a certain amount of snobbery, exists within players; in regard to wood choice. While Ebony is a very good wood for the fingerboards, tailpiece, nut and saddle, it should be remembered that so is Wenga, Walnut, and English oak, but Replace Ebony at your peril.
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Other materials needed, include the tuning keys, strings, a piezo transducer and a minimal amount of electronic components that Radio shack or Maplins will happily supply. Further details of these can be found later in the book.

First we have a list of the tools we will use, followed by a list of tools it would be useful but not essential to own. The bass featured on the front cover was built with the first set.

The tools you really need.

PAPER AND PENCIL
Yes the first tool you will use, and probably the most important is the pencil. A good soft pencil, eraser, sharpener and paper are essential for marking wood and lofting. Lofting is the act of planning and will be discussed in the next section.

JIGSAW
Jigsaws can be bought in a variety of price ranges. I personally have always used the cheapest available. Though I'm sure the more expensive models are better in many ways, there list of features can include laser sighting and all sorts of intriguing things. I just wished to saw wood so never really sore the point. That said jigsaws have a power rating written on the box, the more powerful, the faster the cut. As you will be cutting a lot with this tool this is an important consideration, as bending over for long
periods of time can definitely be a strain on the back.
There are a number of different blades available for your jigsaw categorised: Metal and Wood then subdivided into Fine Medium and heavy. Use the heavy blades for rough work and fine, for delicate work. Also there are a number of different fittings like u-shank, T-bar and other new ones coming out all the time, so just beware your new blades will fit your new jigsaw. The best way to be certain of the blade fitting in your jigsaw, is to take an old blade to the shop and just ask. People in small tool stores are often bored and will be happy to advise you.
SCREWDRIVERS
Screwdriver sets can often be bought in shops for as little as 2 Euro and instrument screwdrivers (little ones) just as cheaply. The main types are crosshead and flathead. To renew an old crosshead or flathead simply grind the very tip on a grinding wheel. This problem is caused because of wear and tear on the tip of the screwdriver causes it to loose its blades on the tip.
If you are not familiar with this tool, probably this isn't the project for you.

TENON SAW
Tenon saw, or often just backsaw - a midsized backsaw used to cut tenons or in a mitre box. The saw derives its name from its use in the cutting of tenons for mortise and tenon joinery. Tenon saws are commonly available with rip-filed teeth for rip cutting and cross-cut for cutting across the grain. Teeth are relatively fine, with 13 teeth per inch being a common size. For any delicate straight cuts, this is the saw you need.

COPING SAW
A coping saw is a type of hand saw used to cut intricate shapes and interior cut-outs in woodworking or carpentry. It is also occasionally used to create fretwork. A coping saw consists of a very thin blade stretched between the ends of a C-shaped frame, to which the handle is attached. The blade is easily removed from this frame, so that it can be passed through a drilled hole in the middle of a piece of wood, reattached, and start cutting from the middle of the piece. The direction of the cut is also easy to change because of the thinness of the blade, and because the blade can be arbitrarily rotated with respect to the frame. The teeth on a coping saw blade should face the handle ("backwards" as compared with most other Western saws); the action of pulling the coping saw allows the frame to remain in tension (and thus reduces blade breakages). This is as opposed to most other saws which only cut in the push direction. This is a good saw for cutting thin wood in tight curves. In lieu of a powered scroll saw, this
is your best bet for cutting the bridge design.

DRILL
Drills are commonly used in woodworking and metalworking. With a rotating drill bit used for drilling holes in various materials. The drill bit is gripped by a chuck at one end of the drill, and is pressed against the target material and rotated. The tip of the drill bit does the work of cutting into the target material, slicing off thin shavings. Drills can be either electrically powered or hand powered. I recommend a good electrically powered drill, as this will save you lots of effort, they are relatively cheap, and often more accurate than hand powered drills. Among the types of electrical drills available, we have corded/mains and un-corded. The advantage of an un-corded drill is its mobility and zero chance of cable drilling. The disadvantage is less power and a higher price. This ones really a personal call but I went for the cheaper mains power option.

BELT SANDER
A belt sander is a machine used to quickly sand down wood and other materials for finishing purposes. It consists of an electrical motor that turns a pair of drums on which a seamless loop of sandpaper is mounted. Belt sanders can be either hand-held, where the sander is moved over the material, or stationary, where the material is moved to the sanding belt. Stationary belt sanders are sometimes mounted on a work bench, in which case they are called bench sanders or drum sanders. Stationary belt sanders are often combined with a disc-sander.
Belt sanders can have a very aggressive action on wood and are normally used only for the beginning stages of the sanding process, or used to rapidly remove material. Sometimes they are also used for removing paints or finishes from wood. Fitted with fine grit sand paper, a belt sander can be used to assure a completely smooth surface. They can also be used with a ruff grit sand-paper to carve wood, as will later be described in this book. When selecting a belt sander it is important to check the wattage, as this is a more reliable indicator, in my experience than price. Sanding wood produces a large amount of sawdust. Therefore, belt sanders employed in woodworking are usually equipped with some type of dust collector. It may be a simple cloth filter bag attached to a portable sander or a large vacuum system to suck dust particles away into a central collector.

METRE STICK

A metre stick is a thin plank of wood unsurprisingly 1 metre long. It is useful for measuring over gapes where a tape measure would sag: causing incorrect measurement. Also it is useful for laying along the fingerboard, for the purpose of measuring flatness and bridge measurement. A metre stick can be purchased in your local hardware store.

SOLDERING IRON AND SOLDER

A soldering iron is essential for wiring in the pick up and electronics inside your double bass or
cello. It is a device for applying heat to melt solder for attaching two metal parts together. A soldering iron is composed of a heated metal tip and an insulated handle. Heating is often achieved electrically, by passing a current, supplied through an electrical cord or a battery, through a heating element. Another heating method includes combustion of a suitable gas, which can either be delivered through a tank mounted on the iron, or through an external torch. Some irons stay hot as long as they are turned on, while others heat up and cool down in a few seconds. Small battery-operated or gas soldering irons are useful when there isn't a convenient source of electricity. Some soldering irons have interchangeable tips for different types of work. Fine round or chisel tips are typically used for electronics work. When not in use, soldering irons are often placed in stands to keep them away from flammable materials. Such a stand often also comes with a sponge and flux pot for cleaning the tip. Some soldering irons for continuous and professional use come as part of a soldering station, which allows the exact temperature of the tip to be adjusted, kept constant, and displayed. Many soldering stations come with a sponge which, when wet, is used to wipe the iron's tip clean. A small amount of fresh solder is usually then applied to the clean tip in a process called tinning. A cheap soldering iron can be purchased from either Maplins, Radio shack or any other electrical shop. These devices are not hard to learn the use of, so don't be put off.
SPADE BIT DRILL BORES
Spade bits are used for rough boring in wood. They tend to cause splintering when they emerge from the work piece. They are flat, with a centring point and two cutters. The cutters often are equipped with spurs in an attempt to ensure a cleaner hole. Having small shank diameters relative to their boring diameters, spade bits shanks often have flats forged or ground into them to prevent slipping in drill chucks. Intended for high speed use, they are used with electric hand drills. They are also known as paddle bits. Spade bits are also very useful for boring a hole deeper than a router can. Also they are the device by which we bore the hole suitable for fitting the endpin. Spade bits must be used carefully as it can be very hard to bore accurately straight without the use of a drill press.
ROUTER AND ROUTER BITS

The router is an incredibly useful tool, used on many parts of the neck body headstock and even pick-up placement. the router is a woodworking tool used to rout out or hollow an area in the face of a
piece of wood. It was a tool particularly used by pattern makers and staircase makers and consisted of a broad-based wooden hand plane with a narrow blade
projecting well beyond its base plate gaining it the nickname Old Woman's Tooth. Since about 1960, it has been replaced by the modern spindle router, which was designed for the same work, although the first electric hand routers appeared in the years just after World War I. Further refinement produced the plunge router, invented by Elu (now part of DeWalt) in Germany in the late 1940s. This is even better adapted for many types of work. Today, traditional hand-powered routers are often called router planes. Modern routers are often used in place of traditional moulding planes or spindle moulder machines for edge decoration of timber, also known as moulding. Routers can be bought very cheaply in spite of there general good quality, and are very often an essential tool. They use a variety of bits, each with different purposes. For example a Flush trim bit, will level two pieces of wood together, making the edge of the top piece the same as the edge on the bottom. A half inch plunge bit, will carve a half inch circle into a piece of wood when pressed, and then can be dragged to create a half inch line groove.

RASP

A rasp is a woodworking tool used for shaping wood. It consists of a point or the tip, then a long steel bar or the belly, then the heel or bottom, then the tang. The tang is joined to a handle, usually made of plastic or wood. The bar has had sharp teeth cut into it. Rasps generally cut more coarsely than files. They are useful for rapidly removing wood from curved surfaces. They remove less wood than a drawknife, so they are easier to control. Even though rasps leave very coarse finishes, the cut-away areas can be easily smoothed with finer tools, such as files, sand paper and wire wool. There are several types and shapes of rasps. There is a half round, round and flat. The several types of rasps are bastard, cabinet and wood (finest to coarsest). All these varieties can be used to make different shapes. Rasps can be very useful in the curving and shaping of the neck, and is a very useful tool for a luthier.
TABLE VICES AND CLAMPS

Effectively these screw threaded devices are used to clamp or hold a piece of wood to a table. This gives a steady base for drilling, routing, sawing or virtually anything that requires two hands to operate.
BRUSHES

You will need brushes for applying the varnish, stains and glue. They can be bought cheaply, but in the cases of varnish and glue, should be tested on scrap first, in-case of loose bristles. There is little more annoying, than attempting to pick bristle hairs out of what you thought a finished work.

Next we have the tools you'd prefer to have, but aren't essential.

DRUM SANDER

A drum sander is powerful sanding tool, attached to a work bench. It has a drum shaped spinning area, hence the name. It can be used to thickness wood and is much more powerful than a belt sander. This device is commonly used by luthiers to radius fingerboards. If you do not have a drum sander, do not worry. I include instructions for a jig later in the book, which is far better than a drum sander for this purpose, and requires only the cheap router you would have needed anyway.

BAND SAW

A bandsaw (often spelled band saw in the US) is a saw that can be used for woodworking, metalworking, and a variety of other materials. It gets its name from its blade, consisting of a narrow band of toothed metal. This band rides on two wheels in the same vertical plane with a space between them. Band saws are particularly useful for cutting irregular shapes. The radius of a curve that can be cut on a particular saw is determined by the width of the band. Timber mills use very large band saws for ripping lumber; they are preferred over circular saws for ripping because of their smaller kerf (cut size), resulting in less waste. The blades range in size from about (4" wide x 19' long x 22 ga thickness) to (16" wide x 62' long x 11 ga thickness). The blades are mounted on wheels with a diameter large enough not to cause metal fatigue due to flexing when the blade repeatedly changes from a circular to a straight profile. It is stretched very tight (with fatigue strength of the saw metal being the limiting factor). Band saws of this size need to have a deformation worked into them that counteracts the forces and heating of operation. This is called benching. They also need to be removed and serviced at regular intervals. Saw filers or saw doctors are the craftsmen responsible for this work. The shape of the tooth gullet is highly optimized and designed by the sawyer and saw filer. It varies according to the mill, as well as the type and condition of the wood. Frozen logs often require a frost notch ground into the gullet to break the chips. The shape of the tooth gullet is created with a grinding wheel. The saw filer will need to maintain the grinding wheel's profile with periodic dressing of the wheel. Generally its easiest just to by a new blade but with the popular enthusiasm for recycling I thought id include the above. Band saws are a much more efficient method of cutting out parts than a jigsaw, but are a lot more expensive.
SCROLL SAW
A scroll saw is a small electric or pedal operated saw useful for cutting intricate curves where a jigsaw or coping saw is not appropriate; for it can cause "curves with edges". It is somewhat similar to a bandsaw, but unlike bandsaws, where the saw blade is a continuous loop, scroll saws use saw blades similar to those used by coping saws and operate through a reciprocating up and down motion. There are different types of scroll saws. The most common design is the parallel arm in which a motor is attached near the back of the arms, and the two arms always remain parallel to each other. The C-arm has a solid "C" shape with the blade being mounted between the two ends of the "C". The parallel link, used by Excalibur and DeWalt, has rods in the upper and lower arms that are "pushed" by the motor to move short (about 4" - 100 millimetres- long) articulated arms and the end which hold the blade. The rigid arm scroll saw, which was very popular up until the 1970s, but is no longer made, has a single-piece cast iron frame. The blade is attached to a pitman-arm on the bottom which pulls the blade down, and a spring in the upper arm pulls the blade back up again. This resulted in a significant weakness in that tension on the blade changed with every stroke of the blade. Modern scroll saws are all "constant tension" saws. Uncommon and larger industrial type scroll saws, included spring or vacuum sprung scroll saws, these variations didn't have arms. Instead they had the reciprocation mechanism at one end of the blade and a tension device on the other to return the push stroke, their advantage being the tension/spring device could be hung from the ceiling of a building and large parts that otherwise could not be cut on arm-style scroll saws could be cut, e.g.. aircraft frames of the past.

DRILL PRESS/BENCH DRILL

A drill press (also known as pedestal drill, pillar drill, or bench drill) is a fixed style of drill that may be mounted on a stand or bolted to the floor or workbench. A drill press consists of a base, column (or pillar), table, spindle, and drill head, usually driven by an induction motor. The head has a set of handles (usually 3) radiating from a central hub that, when turned, move the spindle and chuck vertically, parallel to the axis of the column. The table can be adjusted vertically and is generally moved by a rack and pinion; however, some older models rely on the operator to lift and re-clamp the table in position. The table may also be offset from the spindle's axis and in some cases rotated to a position perpendicular to the column. The size of a drill press is typically measured in terms of swing. Swing is defined as twice the throat distance, which is the distance from the centre of the spindle to the closest edge of the pillar. For example, a 16-inch drill press will have an 8-inch throat distance A drill press has a number of advantages over a hand-held drill: A drill press requires much less effort as the movement of the chuck and spindle, is by a lever working on a rack and pinion, which gives the operator considerable mechanical advantage. Also on a drill press the angle of the spindle is fixed in relation to the table, allowing holes to be drilled accurately and repetitively.

RADIUS BLOCK

A radius block is a useful but simple tool, consisting of a piece of wood or aluminium, inset with a convex curve where sandpaper is glued or held in place. The radius of the fingerboard is the curve under the strings, it is this we use the radiusing block to sand to shape. Unfortunately these can be very hard to get in the correct radius for anything but guitar, though sometimes can be made, as shown later in the book.

PLANE SET

A plane is a tool used for shaping wood. Planes are used to flatten, reduce the thickness of, and impart a smooth surface to a rough piece of wood. Special types of planes are designed to cut joints or decorative mouldings. Hand planes are generally the combination of a cutting edge, such as a sharpened metal plate, attached to a firm body, that when moved over a wood surface, take up relatively uniform shavings, by nature of the body riding on the 'high spots' in the wood, and also by providing a relatively constant angle to the cutting edge, render the planed surface very smooth. A cutter which extends below the bottom surface, or sole, of the plane slices guides the cutter to remove only the highest parts of an imperfect surface, until, after several passes, the surface is flat and smooth. Planes are a very useful tool, but it should be remembered that they are very sharp. Also remember, when possible always try to plane with the grain. Some experimentation is on scrap wood is advised, as using the plane accurately takes a little practice. The best types of plane for this work are,
The router plane:This allows planing of recesses as in the neck joint.
The finger plane:This tool is useful for work on the scroll. It is also known as the violin makers plane.
The jack plane:A jack plane is around 14 inches (350 mm) long is primarily for roughing out.
The smoothing plane:A smoothing plane is up to 10 inches (250 mm) long, it is used to begin preparing the surface for finishing.
The electric plane: The electric plane is both dangerous to you and your work. The power and planing style often cause the plane to rip big chunks from your work, and sometimes causing the fast moving blade to lunge at you. Only use the electric plane with extreme caution
WORK BENCH

While your dinning room table is quite useable, you may wish to consider how many dents and drill holes your average work bench has, and what the reaction of your significant other will be. A work bench dose not have to be expensive, and can even be an old unwanted table: preferably with a few clamps or vices around the edges. A work bench is not just useful tool, but could actually save you hours of compliant and grief.

A FINAL WORD ON TOOLS

Always care for your tools properly. Clean them as instructed, and sharpen when necessary. Tools are DANGEROUS so use wisely and in the correct manner.

Both the electric cello and the electric double bass, come in to main types. These are bodied and stick, the difference between them is mainly price when purchasing from a shop. The stick shape does away with the body altogether, and instead extends the fingerboard all the way to the bridge, where the instrument end. Also some stick basses or cello, requiring you to harness the stick to your self. This book mainly concentrates on the bodied shape, but I've included this information as you may prefer this design.

The Palentino is a cheap popular design

Here are some measurements for both the double bass and cello, making it easy to loft plans
And build an instrument that is correctly to scale.

DOUBLE BASS

Overall string length from nut to bridge 42"

Neck length from nut to body 18"

Neck length including scroll 30"

Scroll length 12"

Neck thickness at nut 1-9/16th"

Neck thickness at start of body 2 3/4"

Neck depth at first fingering position 3/4"

String width at bridge 4 1/4"

Fingerboard radius 5 1/2"

Fingerboard length 33 1/2"

CELLO

Overall string length from nut to bridge 27.4"

Neck length from nut to body 280mm

Neck length including scroll 520mm

Scroll length 240mm

Height of bridge 3 9/16"

Neck thickness at nut 28 1/2mm

Neck thickness at end of neck 31 1/2mm

String spacing at bridge 5/8"

String spacing at nut 5/16"

Fingerboard radius 64mm

Fingerboard length 579mm

Fingerboard Max width 62 1/2mm

First let me say this has nothing to do with the top of your house.
Lofting is the process of creating full size paper plans or cut-outs for the parts you need to make.
The best way to do this is stick enough pieces of paper together to fit your intended instrument part on, and then mark out the design. These templates must be accurate as they determine the eventual shape of the instrument. The reason we do this is to check that our parts line up accurately and we have something to draw around on the wood.
first chop out a section of paper long enough and wide enough to fit the part your lofting, then draw a strait line down the middle as this will help with symmetry. The next step is mark out your main points, connect the dots, recheck then cut them out.

In this section I will describe the construction of a very cheap to build quality double bass. This process will work equally well for any other electric fretless instrument, with only the measurements changed.

SCROLL/NECK
The scroll on a double bass or cello is the curly bit at the end of the neck away from the body. Its main function is to hold the tuning keys which enable tightening of the strings. The scroll section can be made as a part of the neck or carved separately, and then glued on. In this section I'm going to describe the process of a neck construction with a simple scroll/headstock made as a single unit, as in the picture on the front cover. This design is advised for the first time builder. It should be noted that there are many different methods for attaching the neck to the body. Described is a counter sunk top mounted method. You will need three pieces of mahogany 3" x 1" by 3' and two pieces of Wenga (preferred) or mahogany 1/4" x 3" by 3' and some good glue.

First loft the design, for this you will need a piece of paper at least 34 " long. First mark a point 1" in from the top and accurately centred, this will be your main mark to measure the other points from, write 1 beside this point. Draw a line horizontally through this mark. This is the end of your neck (body end). Next draw a line through that mark through the centre of the page to the centre of the other end.

Next make a mark 4" from your first mark along as this will be the end of the body/neck joint. The place were the body ends. Draw a horizontal line through this mark and write 2 beside it.

Next make a mark 22" from your first mark, as this will be the point where the neck ends and the scroll begins. Draw a horizontal line through this point and write 3 beside it.

Next make a mark 23" from your first mark, as this will be the point where the scroll has its widest point. Draw a horizontal line through this point and write 4 beside it.

Now draw a final mark 32" from the first mark, as this will be the point where the scroll ends. Draw a horizontal line through this point and write 5 beside it.

Now at the second mark, draw a mark either side on the horizontal line 1 3/8" out.

At mark 3 draw a mark either side on the horizontal line 3/4" out.
Next connect the two parallel dotes at mark 3 with the first set of parallel dotes but continue through to the first horizontal line. Now you have your basic neck and joint lines marked out. Now for the scroll/Headstock.

At point 4, draw two dots on the horizontal lines 1 1/2" out parallel from the central dot. Next do the same at point 5 then connect the parallel dots 4 to 5 by a gentle curve. As shown

Draw an s shaped connecting line from the parallel lines 3 to 4 on both sides. To complete this stage of the lofting cut out the design.

You now have a top view of the neck headstock lofted, so its time for a side view.

You now have LOFTING 1 complete, this is the top view , so its time for a side view or LOFTING 2

First stick together enough sheets of paper to fit your cut out on with at least 2" clearance on both ends.
First stick together enough sheets of paper to fit your cut out on with at least 2" clearance on both ends.

Make your first mark 1" from the top and centred. Draw a line horizontally through this mark and write 1 beside your first mark. This is the end of the neck body joint.

Next make a mark, 4" from the first mark. Draw a horizontal line through this point and write 2 beside it.

Next draw a mark 22" from your first mark, add the horizontal line and write 3 beside it. This is the end of the neck

Now draw a mark 23" from your first mark, add the horizontal line and write 4 beside it. This is the point where the scroll has achieved maximum width.

Next draw a mark 32" from your first mark, add the horizontal line and write 5 beside it. This is the end of your scroll.

Go back to your first mark and measure 3" along the horizontal make a dot then measure 1/8 of an inch down then write P1, for profile. Rub out the dot you used to find this place. (not mark one)

Now go to mark 2 and measure 2 3/4" along the horizontal and make a mark. Write P2 beside this mark

Next follow the centre line 1" further from mark 2 and make a temporary dot, measure 1 1/2" horizontal from this dot and make a mark. Write P2.5 beside this dot. This dot shows where the curve from mark P2 finishes.

Go to mark 3 and measure 1" along the horizontal and make dot P3. This shows where the neck finishes at its smallest point.

Now go to mark 4, measure along the horizontal 2 1/2" and make a mark P4. This shows where the scroll has reached maximum depth.

Next go to mark 5, measure along the horizontal 2 1/2" and make a mark P5 . This shows where the scroll ends.

Now draw a line from 1 to P1, then from P1 to P2, next draw a line from P2.5 to P3 and then from
P4 to P5.
Now draw the curves from P2 to P2.5, from P3 to P4 and then carefully over draw a slight curve from P4 to P5. Now cut out your side profile.

Hooray neck/scroll lofted

Now we to get out our wood. When cut out to the lofting shape, they will appear Mahogany, Wenga, Mahogany, Wenga, Mahogany. But first they must be cut to the correct shape prior to gluing. To cut your pieces to the correct shape, lay "LOFTING 2" along one of your pieces of Mahogany. Draw around the lofting leaving to millimetres clearance, and cut it out with the Jigsaw. Repeat this process with the other to two pieces of Mahogany and the two pieces of Wenga.
Now you have your two pieces of Wenga and three bits of Mahogany cut to shape. You need to cut out the space for the tuning keys on the two Wenga pieces and the middle piece of Mahogany.

Clamp all the pieces together in the correct order. Place your LOFTING 1 on top and draw around it. Now make a mark 1" in from the end of the scroll, and another at mark 4. Extend those lines to 1/2 " from the sides of the head stock and connect the higher lines to the lower. Now round the edges of those lines, and this shows the shape of the hole you wish in your head stock. Note that the sides have to be 1/2" thick so as to hold the tuning keys later.
Now un-clamp the pieces of wood, and using the Jigsaw cut away the pieces that are in your stock hole area. We do it this way, as its harder to get at later.
Cover the pieces in glue and reassemble them, clamp them firmly (I suggest at least 5 clamps)
Then wipe of the exes glue and wait to for it to thoroughly dry. Wait double the recommended time before continuing, as sometimes the recommended drying times are fairly optimistic.
Now its dry, you can use a rasp, chisel or even just sandpaper to make the pieces around the hole section strait. If you have to use anything but just sand paper, make sure you at least use sandpaper at the end, as this leaves a much better finish than anything else. Working to a finer and finer sandpaper grade is the best way to finish this section.

Next you must cut along the lines of LOFTING 1 Now you should have a blocky, square looking neck. So next we have the really hard part. The carving of the neck is by far the hardest thing about making this instrument. First, you must remember the joint section must not be carved, as this section remains square, so as to fit in the body slot. The rest of the neck must be heavily carved. The head stock however needs only light rounding. The best way to round the neck area between 2 and 2.5 on LOFTING 2, is to use a belt sander or rasp. These tools should be used carefully as while more wood can always be removed, adding wood is impossible.
After getting roughly the right shape with a belt sander or rasp, you should move to a heavy grade sandpaper, then a finer paper and finely a very fine sand paper. Thus you end up with a very smooth finish. After using the finest grade sandpaper you can find, you should move on to wire wool. Wire wool acts like an even finer sandpaper and leaves a very smooth finish.
Fitting tuning keys is the next step for completion of the neck, and will
And will be covered in construction.

The easiest way to deal with the bridge is to buy one. They can be bought for as little as 25EURO from "Janika's Music Shop" (please note I have no affiliation or connection with this shop) who can be found on E-bay. To get the bridge looking this nice takes a lot of effort. But if you want the fun of making one, here we go.
First get some Maple 1" thick and cut out a bit 5"x6" now you need to make the bridge get thinner towards the top. Remember bridges only get thinner by sloping on the side facing away from the neck. The best way to do this is with a belt sander or rasp, moving on to finer sandpaper later. The top thickness should be 1/4" thick. Now copy the design included or simply or simply leave it flat. I have made temporary flat bridges from pine, and they seem to work just as well as Maple. Although I wouldn't recommend you try this, if you do, don't cut the design, including legs into it, as Pine is not as strong as Maple,
When your bridge is finished, cut out a rectangle 1/4" bigger than the feet area of 1/4" ply or hardboard, so as to make a base for it to sit on

REMEMMBER don't touch the top of the bridge. This cannot be correctly rounded until your bass is fully assembled. This will be covered in construction

Above is an example bridge, I've put in this big picture, so as to make the design copying easier. Don't forget to leave the top, much to big and square.

We don't round the top until the fingerboard is on the finished instrument. Thus we can transfer the radius accurately, also leaving space to avoid fret buzz.

To make the body you first need to loft the design. Luckily you only need one lofting as the body's depth is constant. This is called the BODY LOFTING. You need a piece of wood (Choose your body wood by what's available/affordable) 11" x 2" by 40", a Jigsaw and a router for this bit. You also of course need some sandpaper.
Stick together enough sheets of paper that you can fit your wood on it. Next on the lengthways top edge mark the middle point. Do the same at the middle bottom point, Measure these don't guess.
Draw a line through these points, this line will be known as the centre line.
At the first point write 1, then measure out 1 3/8" either side and draw dots. These will be the neck width at join. Check it against your neck.

Measure down the centre line 4" and mark 2 with a dot. This shows the point where the neck joint ends. Also check this against your neck.

Measure 1' down from the first mark and mark 3.
Measure out 4 1/2" from this point either side, and make a dot.
This will be the end of the first outward curve from the neck joint.

Next measure down 1'6" from the first mark and mark 4. This is the centre of the inward curve. 3 1/2" out from this point make an X on each side

Now mark a point 2' from the top of the centre line. This is dot 5. Measure out 5 1/2" from this point either side, and make a dot.
This is the second wide point on the body.

40" from the first mark make a dot, mark a dot 6. Make a dot 1" either side of this final dot. This is the end of the body where the end pin comes out.

Now its time for dot to dot, but be careful to make the curves look nice. When you've done your best with the curves, choose which side looks best. Next fold the BODY LOFTING along the centre line, and cut along the nicer looking curves. Symmetry is achieved.

Put the lofting on the wood using double sided tape, and draw around it. Then remove the lofting and use the Jigsaw to cut along the line.

The next step is the routing, both along the edges to round it and also to route the neck joint pocket. Clamp the body to your work bench, using scrap wood between the teeth of the clamp and the delicate wood of the body.

We will start with the rounding of the edges. Attach a (1/2" rounding over bit) to your router, and slowly plunge the router, next to your double bass. This will allow you to judge your desired plunge depth. When you have this depth locked, you can begin routing. To route this section get the router up to speed, and then slowly move the router in to the wood. You will notice the guide wheel on the bottom of the (1/2" rounding over bit) stops the router biting in to deep. Be careful not to let the router twist at an angle, as this will ruin the effect. Move it all around the edge of the body, turning the body and re-clamping as needed. Now turn it over and di it again.
It looks pretty now doesn't it
First decide which side is the nicest, that's the top.

Now we must route out the pocket for the neck joint.

To do this we lay the neck joint along the body with the neck carefully lined up. Check from all angles. Then draw around the neck joint, remove the neck, and route out this pocket using a 1/2" standard router bit.

Next it's the electronics pocket, the battery space and a tiny bit under the bridge that need to be routed.

First we'll do the pick up hole. Measure out 24 1/4" from the neck joint, mark this point on the top in pencil. It is important that this dot is horizontally central. Now mark out a horizontal line through that mark, extending 2" either side. First route a 1/4" depth hole on your mark using the 1/2" standard router bit, then change to a 1/4" standard router bit and route 1/4" deep groove along your line. Hay presto that bits done.

THE NEXT PICTURE SHOWS THE GROOVE AND HOLE WITH PIEZO STICKING OUT

You can see in this picture, the electronics cover. Under here we need space for the electronics. Id suggest making the electronics first, so as you now how much room you need in the hole, and on the cover. Ones you have the electronics made you should make a cover to thread your volume pots and jack sockets through. Remember you will need to be able to drill from your pick up to this electronics cavity, so don't make it to small or far away.
Design your cover to fit the curves of the bass, and large enough for whatever pot/jack selection you make, cut it out of paper. This we call the ELECTRONICS COVER LOFTING. Try that on the bass to make sure its fits, then place it on a piece of 1/4" plywood, and cut around the edge. I set my Jigsaw to 45 degrees so as to get a nice effect when cutting, but alternatively you could just sand it smooth of edges. Next turn that cover upside down and trace it on some paper. Now draw a line 3/8" away from the edge all around, then cut that out. This is your ELECTRONICS CAVITY LOFTING.
Place this on the bass in the correct place and draw around it. Now you have a clear idea of the area to route, go ahead and route it out to a depth of 1 1/4"

Using a half inch standard router bit. By using the 1/2" bit we leave enough room on the corners for screws.

Now we have to make the battery compartment. To do this we want it up close to the electronics cavity, so place a battery on the back 1/2" away from the pick up cavity but on the back. Draw a box 1/4" bigger than the battery on all sides, then route this out to a depth of 1" using the 1/2" standard router bit. Now to make a cover for this cut out a piece of 1/4" ply slightly bigger than the hole, add a hinge and use a screw to hold it closed. Perfect.

Now you must drill holes from both the left edge of the pick up groove to the electronics cavity, and from the battery compartment to the electronics cavity. Do this very carefully, as your drill coming through in the wrong place on the body, could be very annoying.

Now its time to make the fingerboard, but first you must make the fingerboard JIG, this you will find later in the book. Build the Jig then come back to this place in the book
Back so soon, good work. Now attach your fingerboard blank (1"x4"x40"hopefully Ebony) to the jig, by carefully lining it up straight marking the holes to drill. Drilling them, and bolting it on (also covered in jig section). Attach the router to the jig slide, then mount it on the jig. Make sure not to hit the bolts when routing, and also to keep the router slide against the side of the jig. Mark out 33 1/2" on your piece of wood. Lower your router bit (unplugged) until you measure 5.5" between the lowest point of the router bit, and the floor of the jig. This is the Radius you will have, on your fingerboard.
Routing this section takes some practise, so Id advise trying this on cheap pine until you get the hang of it. Start the router, and carefully keeping the side slide touching the jig, do half inch strips horizontally across the fingerboard. When you have reached the other mark, go over it again, trying to get any bits you missed.
Take it out of the jig, and smooth it with sandpaper. While this can be done quickly with a belt sander, Id advise the slower more accurate approach. Check with a metre stick to make sure your fingerboard is straight. A slight dip in the centre is perfect, just so long as its evenly approached from each side. A very handy tool for this job is a radiusing block. You attach the sandpaper to the negative of the fingerboard radius, and then enables very accurate sanding of the fingerboard.
Now its time for you to chop the rough ends from your radiused fingerboard blank. Next lay your neck on the fingerboard blank, line it up central with the end against LOFTING 1 mark 3. Then draw along the sides of the neck till you reach the end. When you reach the end, use a meter stick to continue these lines till the end of the board. Saw this out using the jigsaw.
Now check the fingerboard against the neck, and if all is well, saw the fingerboard down to 33 1/2" long.
Now we cut the recess on the reverse of the fingerboard. This is done for tonal reasons, but should extend no more than 5" up the reverse of the fingerboard, from the fat end of the fingerboard. This should ideally leave the wood at least 1/4" thick, and follow the curve on the top in reverse.
With this done the fingerboard is complete, as it cannot be glued to the neck, until the neck is fixed to the body.

The construction of the nut is quite simple relative to most pieces. Place a 3/4" X3/4" by 3" bit of (preferably Ebony) in the correct place. Then draw around from behind to get the correct lines in place.
Now clamp it and cut along these lines carefully with a coping saw. Now carefully shape the end facing away from the fingerboard with a file. A nice shape is a gradual slope from 1/4" above the fingerboard to the scroll level.
Next carefully mark out the string spacing, and when you've got it just right, File your string grooves to a level, a bit higher than they should be. You can always file them more if the completed bass proves hard to play on the first semitone notes.

I've found that a double bass tailpiece looks to big on the EUB, so I've used a cello one. You can use a double bass one if you choose, it will look funny, but deliver less stress on the bridge.

It is pointless to carve this piece yourself as its not hard to get an Ebony cello tailpiece for under 20EURO
From your local music shop. Alternatively eBay has them even cheaper, and the purpose of this book is not to make you use effort for fun. Just where it saves you money. Net price £8

Available from "Janika's Music Shop" on eBay.
( I have nothing to do with this shop except thinking they are a good source of cheap parts)

If you make your bass out of a very hard wood like Wenga.
You don't need rubbing bridge for the tailpiece end line

In my attempt to find a cheaper end-pin (They only cost £25) I found that you could use an adapted adjustable broom handle. As seen pictured in the bottom right picture.
I would suggest using the proper double bass end-pin. Its not worth the effort of making converting a broom handle. Either way you will need to use a 3/4"paddle bit with your drill to bore the hole. As the hole you will have to bore is 12" deep you will need to be very careful. The method I found best, is to clamp the body down, measure and find the centre of the end of the bass and draw a dot.
Put your drill on the table lined up with the end-mark. Place placemats under the bass until its lifted, so the mark is level with the spade bit. Now you can carefully slide the drill along the table, and hopefully bore a perfectly centred hole.
If you decide to make an end-pin from a broom handle (mine cost 2EURO) you must pull it to bits and cut both bits to 12" long, then cut the plastic casing away and reassemble

For some people this will be the easiest bit, but for others like myself, I'm going slow.
First I will describe a preamp, 1 volume pot 1 1/4"jack plug socket, set up

The parts used are a standard guitar volume pot, a guitar jack ( easy to get from the music shop) or Maplins Part no : HF91Y
And an amp from Maplins,
Part no: N64AW (you can use others, but I know this works)
Also a piezo transducer from Maplins
Part no: YU87U Price is £0.55
These piezo transducers bought from a music shop can cost hundreds, and only contain this same part, buried in logo coated plastics.

We have to use a pre amp in this circuit, as a piezo transducer has the wrong impedance, (Signal strength/resistant) there for, the Amp boosts the signal and lowers the impedance, meaning your amp/ headphones will work well and without hum.

We will call the three legs on your pot. POT 1 (Straight leg on the end), POT 2 (Middle leg) and Next is the piezo Transducer. There are two legs coming of off this transducer. We will call them PIEZO 1 (this is the wire coming from the white crystal), PIEZO 2 (this is the wire coming from the brass)

Now we have the Amp, it is marked + - Input and Output

Also the battery shall be known as BATTERY 1 (red wire)
And BATTERY 2 (black wire)

And we have the 1/4" Jack plug Tip, called JACK +
And the earth, known as JACK -

Poke the Battery and Piezo through from there cavities, then follow these wiring instructions.

You will need solder and a soldering iron, a place to safely rest your soldering iron, and a tray
under your working space to catch stray drops of solder. Also some good shielded wire, to connect any points that don't have wire

Connect PIEZO 1 to Amp input

Connect PIEZO 2 to POT 3

Connect AMP OUT to POT 1

Connect AMP + to BATTERY 1

Connect AMP - to POT 3

Connect POT 2 to JACK +

Connect POT 3 to JACK -

This circuit gives you one volume pot and one jack.

To add a headphone socket, simply wire these extra connections.

Connect JACK - to little JACK -
Connect JACK + to little JACK +

To add an ON/OFF switch, simply break the battery wire, and connect the two wires to the switch.

Piezo transducer bought
on-line for £0.55 if you by these in a music store you can pay Hundreds.

And the amazing thing is, it's the same part.

Amplifier bought on-line for only £7 Although most people recommended a smaller power Amp, I found them hopelessly inadequate.

1/4" Jack and a 35mm Jack

In this section we assemble the parts. That means the neck to the body, the fingerboard to the neck, fitting the tuning keys and fitting the bridge tailpiece assembly.
First take the neck and place it in the slot on the neck. Put your Fingerboard on top, then slide the fingerboard towards the body, along the neck.. Keep pressing the neck into its joint, and when the fingerboard extends over the bridge area. Get a friend to measure the gap at the highest point.
Now add 1/2" to this number, and this is the bridge height required. You can change this height if you don't want to change your bridge, by sanding the front or back of the neck joint block. Then repeat this until your happy.
Now your happy, you need to glue the neck in place. Don't be stingy with the glue, but do wipe of the excess. When this is glued properly (Don't rush it) You must drill 4 holes for the bolts that will take the majority of the strain. Very carefully drill the 4 holes to take the bolts using a 1/8" bit, then counter-sink these holes on to the back of the double bass, to a depth of 1/4" using the 1/2" router bit.
Next you turn the double bass back over, and using chocks under one end of the router (To keep it straight, relative to the body) Counter sing the neck holes 1/2"

Now you can place the 1/8" thick bolts through the holes, using 1/2" washers on both sides, stick the nuts on, and loosely tighten them. Now you must see how much to remove from each bolt with the jigsaw, remove the bolts, put the nuts on and cut them to size.
We put the nuts on first so as taking them of will re-cut the thread. Now re-insert the bolt, washer, bass, washer, nut assembly and tighten them up.
Good, you now have the neck fixed to the body by both glue and bolts. Using a wood filler, fill the holes front and back. You will find you can match the shades very accurately with the filler, if you take some spare wood in with you to the shop.

Next we stick the fingerboard to the neck. This is done with good strong wood glue.
If you wish to fit a truss rod, now is your last chance. While a truss rod is good for keeping a guitar neck straight. I find double basses made of good wood do not need them. However if you want one, fit it as the instructions say, and proceed to fitting the fingerboard.
Cover the back of the fingerboard in glue, and the neck area in glue. Then hold it in place with cable ties. If you cant get the cable ties tight enough, try wedging some small chocks in-between the reverse of the neck and the cable ties. Wipe off the excess glue and wait for it to dry.

Now we're going to fit the tuning keys. First mark out the locations you wish them to go. Make sure they will not overlap the top or bottom of the headstock.
When your central dots are marked, carefully drill through with your 1/8" drill, then use the router (1/2" standard bit) to finish the boring to its full width.
Insert the tuning keys in place push the collets on to the rods from the inside. Then screw the little screws in and your nearly there.
Check that a metre rule slides along the fingerboard and hits 1/2" along your early drawn Bridge line. If this isn't so, rub out your line and redraw it. Cut along this line and smooth the edges with sandpaper.

Finally Glue a small amount of foam in the battery box, to stop the battery from moving about .

The finishing is effectively the varnishing or French polishing. You can also spray your instrument, but I've found the very best finish is obtained by French polishing.

If you choose to varnish the double bass, carefully apply one coat of varnish a day for seven days. If you cant find anything to hold it up while you do this, simply paint one side every day for 14 days. This will give you a very strong and durable finish, though still wont look as good as it would if you French polished it.

French polishing is not an expensive process, and is the method I would advise. After all, you've put a lot of effort in to this instrument, and its silly to cut corners now.

FRENCH POLISHING
French polishing is one of the classic finishes for wood. Although French polishing came to the fore in the late 19th century, the underlying premise of using shellac has been used for nearly 4000 years. In this section I'll describe one technique, although there are certainly many variations.
Shellac is sold as a ready to use coating in most paint and home improvement stores and is usually sold as either a clear (blond) or amber (orange) colour. These ready to use variations come pre-mixed with Denatured Alcohol. It is also possible to purchase "pure" shellac flakes that you can mix yourself. The advantage of this latter approach is that it has a longer shelf life than the premixed variations as once the alcohol and flakes are mixed together the wax has life-span of about 12 months (depending on the temperature). The "pure" Shellac flakes come in various types of flake and, as standard contains a natural wax. However, while the inclusion of this wax can make sanding easier, in some cases the shellac does not adhere to the wood surface too well. To address this issue, you can also buy a de-waxed version of some Shellacs.
When mixing or buying shellac you should look for the number of "cuts." Each pound of Shellac flakes that is added to one gallon of Denatured Alcohol equates to one pound cut. So, for example, if you were to dissolve three pounds of flakes into one gallon of Denatured Alcohol, the result would be a three-pound cut. normally Shellac is not used over a three pound cut, but some manufacturers sell "ready to use" four or five pound cuts. These should be reduced to a three pound cut (or less) before application.
When first learning the art of French polishing, I recommend that you use a ready for use Shellac. You will also need to buy a bottle of Denatured Alcohol and a good paintbrush, as it will be necessary to brush on three thin coats of Shellac. Most ready to use Shellacs are three-pound cuts and you should reduce this down to two lots of 1 1/2 pound cut by doubling the amount of Denatured Alcohol.
To begin the process, use the brush to apply the Shellac to the wood ensuring that you apply a good even coat to the entire surface. This first thin coat (the "spit" coat) will dry very quickly under most conditions. [Note: If it does not dry within an hour then the Shellac is probably bad and should be replaced. In this situation, remove the sticky Shellac surface by applying more Denatured Alcohol.]

Once the first coat of Shellac is dry, apply a second coat. Then, once this is dry apply the third coat. Once you have added all three coats, leave the Shellac to dry overnight. The next day, use a 600 wet and dry sandpaper to smooth out the Shellac and then wipe off the sanding dust with a tack cloth. You now have your base coat for the French polishing.
Mixing the French polish used within the pad comes down to an individual's choice. When first learning we recommend that you continue to use the 1 1/2-pound cut that we used to created the base coat above. However, as you become more proficient at this technique you may wish to experiment with lesser and greater cuts.
Take a soft, lint free cloth - such as cheesecloth - and fold it into a ball (called the "pad" or "rubber." Now apply the Shellac to the pad so that it is moist, but not dripping, with Shellac. Tap the pad in the palm of your hand in order to disperse the Shellac; the aim is to make sure that the entire front of the pad is damp. We recommend that you consider wearing surgical-type rubber gloves before beginning this process as it can be quite messy.

The best way to comprehend the act of French polishing is to imagine that the wood's surface (with the base coat on it) is an airport landing field and that the pad is a plane. What you are going to do is to practice allowing the plane (the pad) to touch down on the field and then immediately take off again, without stopping or even slowing down (if you were to stop you would damage the base coat). As you "land" slide the pad across the wood's surface and then take off again, working from left to right and then from right to left, overlapping each stroke as you apply it. Slowly work up from the bottom to the top and then start at the bottom again, ensuring that you have enough Shellac on the pad so that the strokes are uniform. You can add a little lemon oil or cream polish to the pad to help make it slide easier (although you should be very sparing with the oil).
Once you are satisfied with the wood's finish place the pad in a jar and close the lid tightly. Allow the Shellac to dry for at least a couple of hours and then take out the pad again. Add Denatured Alcohol to the pad and tap it in the palm of your hand to disperse the alcohol to the front of the pad. Then lightly pad over the wood's surface again. This process is known as "spiriting out" and serves to remove the oil as well as further evening out the Shellac finish. The result will be a far glossier, smoother finish.

Now we are going to deal with the whole, tailpiece, end-pin, bridge strings assembly. When we have the strings loosely attached , you will be able to see where the bridge strings-grooves will go. File these as you did the nut. But first

String it

The end-pin is inserted and the tailpiece line loops over the end-pin groove. Attach the strings to the tailpiece, then attach them to the tuners and apply a little bit of tension. Now slide the bridge carefully over the piezo pick-up, and tune it.

The first and most important jig is the radiusing jig. With the radiusing jig, you can get the proper radius on your fingerboard.
First cut out three rectangles 6" by 4' of MDF. These will be the sides and bottom. Now cut out two squares of MDF 6" by 6" these will be the two ends. You need the hinged section in the middle. This is made by cutting out a piece of MDF 5" by 3 1/2" fit three hinges evenly spaced on the bottom of one side. Measure your bottom piece and Fit the hinge, so the swinging piece is dead centre.
Attach two 3' pieces of 2" x 1" to each side of the top of the swing board. Drill holes in the ends of your two pieces of 2" by 1" but be accurate as this is where you bolt the fingerboard blank for carving.
Next you need a piece of MDF big enough to go from one side of your jig (roughly 10 1/2 x 6 6"") to the other, and overlap by 2" each side. Cover the overlaps with 2" x 1" so as to make it slid able. Place your router in the centre of this board and drill through the holes in your router. Route a 2" circle in the middle of the board. Use bolts to secure the router to the board.
See fingerboard for details of use.

This is piecework radiusing jig, but its fully functional and was used to make the fingerboard on the bass on the cover. While looking strange it follows all the measurements given

Next is the planning jig. This is useful if you need a thinner piece of wood than is available, or for a custom depth (e.g. 3/8") not readily available.
To build the planning jig You will need a 1/2" thick 3'10" X 2 'ply-board, three bits of 2"X1"X8' pine.
2 bits of 2"X1/2" pine. Chop these in half to get three thick planks for each side, and two thin planks for each side. Now Drill a hole 1" in from the end of each pile of planks, at both ends. Now put a bolt through each of those 4 holes. Now you have a big flat area with 4" rails. Next we make a router slide, using one bit of 2" X 1" eight foot long. Saw this in half, and then secure them along the ends with a piece of 2" X 1" four inches long, attached along the underneath, long ways down, on each end. This makes a rectangle shape. With the two 4" pieces hanging down, snug against the sides of the rails.
Now you can adjust the height of the rails to reach the router blade down to your desired height.
You do this by adding rails, or taking them away and re fastening the bolts.
Place the object to be routed on the flat tray, slide the sliding piece over it, and move the router up and down this frame. You will have to move the slide 1/2" further each time you've done a stripe, but this jig works well when you need a specific unusual height. Also it can be set with one rail higher than the other, this enabling the routing of a slope shape

This is a rough sketch to help you understand the design of the planning jig.

This is a jig for copying one neck or other wooden part, in to many. This jig is very complicated but a very useful jig.
To build this you will have to find a supply of small wheels, I recommend checking your local model shop. First check that you can find eight wheels, roughly 1/2" wide, with a 2" diameter.
Assuming your local model shop has turn up trumps, we shall move on.
Cut out 4'x2' of 1/2" thickness ply. Put one of 1"x1" pine strip, along each of the two long edges.
Next leave a 1/2"gap and then put another strip of 1"x1" parallel to the first. There will now be a square board with two strips on each of the long edges. We will call this the X-axis unit. Block the ends of the grooves with small 1/2" squares screwed in place. This will stop the next section rolling of.

Next we cut out a rectangle of ply 2' by 1'6"
This piece lays across the other piece at a 90 degree angle. Put four wheels in the corners so as this piece can easily role along the grooves on the base. This new unit we call the Y-axis. Block the ends of the grooves with small 1/2" squares screwed in place. This will stop the next section rolling of.

Now put a strip of 1" by 1" along the two longest edges of the Y-axis. Leave a half inch gap and then put on another strip of 1" by 1" parallel to the first so The Z-axis can slide. This part should now look like a half size version of the X-axis, but with wheels on, and slightly fatter. Block the ends of the grooves with small 1/2" squares screwed in place. This will stop the next section rolling of.

Now we have the third layer of the machine. This ones a bit different. Build a box 1'6" by 1'6" by 1'6" complete with the wheels in the corner so as it can roll on the X-axis. Fit hinges to the front of the box, and attach a flap of 1/2" ply hanging almost to the bottom of the whole unit. On this Y-axis hinged flap, attach a router to one side and a wooden copy of the router bit, on the other side. As you move the wooden copy bit over the neck. The router bit cuts a copy to the side.
Make sure you have the piece of wood you are carving bolted down.

Yes its hard to get this one right, but you can make another 10 necks, for less effort than carving the original.

There are several short cuts available in the construction of your EUB. For instants, you could buy a neck or fingerboard. This would save you a lot of time and effort , and your bass will still be produced at a fraction of the cost of buying one. Also you wouldn't have to make the radiusing jig. On the bad side, if you thought up another design you wanted to try, say a modification, you would need to pay for the bits again, as apposed to just cheaply turning out another one.
Another short cut is to replace the onboard electronics for a cheap clip on pick-up, pre-amp unit. These can be bought cheaply on line. The only disadvantage is that the pick-up unit is visible. They can be bought online for as little as £25
This means you don't need to wire anything up, or route out all those cavities for electronics.