Making a bass ..... anything different to consider?

axisus

I'm going to make a bass next, bolt on neck. This seems like a daft question, but is there anything different that one has to consider when making a bass, in relation to making a 6 string guitar?

Bridgehouse

axisus said:

I'm going to make a bass next, bolt on neck. This seems like a daft question, but is there anything different that one has to consider when making a bass, in relation to making a 6 string guitar?

I've only done partscasters, but no - all the same.

WezV

 it’s mostly the same.  

Scale length options cover a much wider range with standard options varying from 30-35”.  

Bridges need more more compensation than guitars. 

You can can have more fun with the shape and design because weird basses are more accepted than weird guitars

Sporky

The longer neck means more consideration of balance.

Bridgehouse

Sporky said:

The longer neck means more consideration of balance.

And they are harder to get in the freezer when lacquer checking...

Winny_Pooh

Lightweight tuners are a must. You will also have a dizzy amount of options if you add active eq (which you should) and this will determine in advance the cavity routing etc

prowla

Drop-D tuner?
LEDs?
Pickup brand, active/passive, stereo?

The basic mechanics are the same, though - ie. 4 screws hold it together.

WezV

Winny_Pooh said:

Lightweight tuners are a must. You will also have a dizzy amount of options if you add active eq (which you should) and this will determine in advance the cavity routing etc

Hardly a must.  Most basses function pretty well without them 

guitarfishbay

WezV said:

Winny_Pooh said:

Lightweight tuners are a must. You will also have a dizzy amount of options if you add active eq (which you should) and this will determine in advance the cavity routing etc

Hardly a must.  Most basses function pretty well without them 

Yep. But good option if you do get a balance problem 

Also I’d recommend against active EQ if you go for a typical Fender type design. They sound great passive and you can get outboard preamp pedals that are more versatile than onboard pres.

Legionreturns

axisus said:

Making a bass ..... anything different to consider?

Yes. Poor life choices  

WezV

I have not found balance to be a major issue on most bass designs.  Okay, a thunderbird can be awful but most are fine.  I have built a couple of short horn basses where I expected an issue may occur, but they were still fine

Bridgehouse

I'd personally put active EQ in the same bucket as slap..

It's just now how his holiness Leo did it. He got it right in the 50s.

axisus

Probably going to have a mad active EQ. I like that kind of sound.

Bridgehouse

axisus said:

Probably going to have a mad active EQ. I like that kind of sound.

It has it's place. That place is a long way away from me tho

Rocker

axisus said:

I'm going to make a bass next, bolt on neck. This seems like a daft question, but is there anything different that one has to consider when making a bass, in relation to making a 6 string guitar?

Glad to hear that you have decided to be a musician rather than a guitar player  

Funkfingers

Bigger, longer strings undergo greater excursion than regular guitar.  Expect string-to-fret gaps to be larger than you are accustomed to.

Bridgehouse

Funkfingers said:

Bigger, longer strings undergo greater excursion than regular guitar.  Expect string-to-fret gaps to be larger than you are accustomed to.

Oh I dunno, I quite like my 1.5mm action on my P basses...

Funkfingers

You're not playing it hard enough. 

Bridgehouse

Funkfingers said:

You're not playing it hard enough. 

I've got delicate fingers. 


And a loud amp.

Andyjr1515

WezV said:

 it’s mostly the same.  

Scale length options cover a much wider range with standard options varying from 30-35”.  

Bridges need more more compensation than guitars. 

You can can have more fun with the shape and design because weird basses are more accepted than weird guitars

I agree with all of this ^

The one extra point to everyone elses is that, for 34" scale, the 'sit' of the bass on the strap can make a big difference to how far the nut is away from the player's hand...especially average height or shorter players.  
Depending on the design, bringing the bridge rearward can reduce the stretch markedly. You can see this with the Cort Curbow.  They look like short scales...but they're not.  But just look how far back that bridge is!

Andyjr1515

By the way, @axisus - are you going for a 'standard' design or your own?