acoustic bass plans?

[Greg]

Where can I find plans to build an acoustic bass (not a double bass but
a dreadnought sized bass)? Archtop-style is fine.

Thanks. Internet search was a bust.

Greg

[Benoît Meulle-Stef]

www.luth.org have one, but if you wants a proper bass responce be ready for
a "Dreadnought" with a 19" lower boot :-).
Cheers
Ben

Post by Greg
Where can I find plans to build an acoustic bass (not a double bass but
a dreadnought sized bass)? Archtop-style is fine.
Thanks. Internet search was a bust.
Greg

[Steve]

Post by Benoît Meulle-Stef
www.luth.org have one, but if you wants a proper bass responce be ready for
a "Dreadnought" with a 19" lower boot :-).
Cheers
Ben

Post by Greg
Where can I find plans to build an acoustic bass (not a double bass but
a dreadnought sized bass)? Archtop-style is fine.
Thanks. Internet search was a bust.
Greg

When I went to a Bluegrass Festival in June, one of the luthiers there
had an acoustic bass guitar that was larger than any I'd ever seen. The
lower bout was about 18" wide, and the entire body from heel block to
neck block was 6" deep. Although it had better bass response unplugged
than most, it still could not hold its own against multiple guitars and
a banjo, for example. You need something the size of an upright bass to
do that.

I played the 5-string acoustic bass guitar that I built last year in a
jam session at another Bluegrass Festival in September. Playing with a
pretty heavy pick, it was working OK (marginal, but OK) until the banjo
player showed up, and it was all over.

The point is that acoustic bass guitars are essentially electric basses
that look (and to some degree sound) like an acoustic instrument. When
I played mine amplified, other members of the band said that it sounded
more like an upright bass than my solid-body electric basses do. My
acoustic bass guitars have Ernie Ball Earthwound bass strings on them.
I think the next one I build will be fretless. :-)

--Roseville Steve

[tho x. bui]

Post by Steve

Post by Benoît Meulle-Stef
www.luth.org have one, but if you wants a proper bass responce be
ready for a "Dreadnought" with a 19" lower boot :-).

Post by Greg
Where can I find plans to build an acoustic bass (not a double bass but
a dreadnought sized bass)? Archtop-style is fine.
Thanks. Internet search was a bust.
Greg

When I went to a Bluegrass Festival in June, one of the luthiers there
had an acoustic bass guitar that was larger than any I'd ever seen. The
lower bout was about 18" wide, and the entire body from heel block to
neck block was 6" deep. Although it had better bass response unplugged
than most, it still could not hold its own against multiple guitars and
a banjo, for example. You need something the size of an upright bass to
do that.

You may have a chance if you're cool enough to handle a guitarron,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitarron

They are used in Mariachi groups, which per wikipedia: "usually consist
of at least two violins, two trumpets, one Spanish guitar, and a vihuela
(a high-pitched, five-string guitar)" in addition to the Guitarron.

I try to see local Mariachi groups, which tend to be more modest;
usually trio or quartet. It definitely can be heard, not overpowering,
but definitely present and accounted for.

The standard acoustic bass, however, will never have much of a chance,
even with a large body. The string tension is too low to store much
acoustic energy, and if you want to play with the standard fretboard and
relatively low action, it will never impart enough volume. For both the
doghouse bass and the guitarron, you can pluck very vigorously because
the action is very high, 1/2" or more. With an accoustic bass guitar,
you'll have at most 1/4" or less.


Tho

[Steve]

Post by tho x. bui

Post by Steve

Post by Benoît Meulle-Stef
www.luth.org have one, but if you wants a proper bass responce be
ready for a "Dreadnought" with a 19" lower boot :-).

Post by Greg
Where can I find plans to build an acoustic bass (not a double bass but
a dreadnought sized bass)? Archtop-style is fine.
Thanks. Internet search was a bust.
Greg

When I went to a Bluegrass Festival in June, one of the luthiers there
had an acoustic bass guitar that was larger than any I'd ever seen.
The lower bout was about 18" wide, and the entire body from heel block
to neck block was 6" deep. Although it had better bass response
unplugged than most, it still could not hold its own against multiple
guitars and a banjo, for example. You need something the size of an
upright bass to do that.

You may have a chance if you're cool enough to handle a guitarron,
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guitarron
They are used in Mariachi groups, which per wikipedia: "usually consist
of at least two violins, two trumpets, one Spanish guitar, and a vihuela
(a high-pitched, five-string guitar)" in addition to the Guitarron.
I try to see local Mariachi groups, which tend to be more modest;
usually trio or quartet. It definitely can be heard, not overpowering,
but definitely present and accounted for.
The standard acoustic bass, however, will never have much of a chance,
even with a large body. The string tension is too low to store much
acoustic energy, and if you want to play with the standard fretboard and
relatively low action, it will never impart enough volume. For both the
doghouse bass and the guitarron, you can pluck very vigorously because
the action is very high, 1/2" or more. With an accoustic bass guitar,
you'll have at most 1/4" or less.
Tho

Part of the problem with an acoustic bass guitar is the scale length.
At 34 inches, if you strung it up at the same tension (60 lbs or more
per string) and high string action (3/8" or more at the middle of the
scale) as an upright bass, it would be impossible to play--the action
would be WAY too stiff.

BTW, one of the reasons my 5-string acoustic bass guitar does OK with a
couple of guitars and a mandolin is that it has a fairly high action for
an acoustic bass guitar - about 3/16" at the 12th fret - whereas my
electric basses are under 1/8" at the 12th fret. But the low B string
has very little voice unamplified anyway - the box just doesn't resonate
that low.

--Roseville Steve

[Don L n FTW]

Take a look at This http://www.ehhs.cmich.edu/~dhavlena/acoustic.htm

Post by Greg
Where can I find plans to build an acoustic bass (not a double bass but
a dreadnought sized bass)? Archtop-style is fine.
Thanks. Internet search was a bust.
Greg

[Art Robb]

Greg,

Have a look at www.art-robb.co.uk/plans.html

All the best,

Art

Post by Greg
Where can I find plans to build an acoustic bass (not a double bass but
a dreadnought sized bass)? Archtop-style is fine.
Thanks. Internet search was a bust.
Greg