[LewsTherin]

Designing an instrument

Designing an instrument is much like buying one. You have to consider the options you want, such as # of string, neck joint, woods, pickups, body shape, etc. You also have to consider, however, what youll be capable of constructing. Your first bass will NOT look like an Alembic or Conklin. Dont get too fancy the first time around. Also, you musnt forget that some things simply arent possible....despite the fact that you want it. There ARE structural limitations, even with electric instruments (which are still far more conducive to creative design than anything else).

Materials you will need/might want:
-plain paper (for doodling)
-Graph paper
-pencils/maybe a pen.
-ruler/straight edge

The first thing you should think about is the neck. Your neck design will affect the rest of your design. Here are some things to consider:

-What kind of neck joint do you want? Bolt-on, set, thru, or set-thru?
-Will you be buying or building a neck?
-How many strings?
-Scale length?
-Headstock design. Big headstocks = heavy. Too small a headstock = impossible to put tuners on. My cousin made a guitar with a really really small headstock, he had ALOT of trouble putting all the tuners on, and getting strings on it. Watch for that.

Once you have all this decided, you can start the rest. When designing an instrument, I usually draw the neck on the paper first, and design around it. One thing you can do, if you find yourself erasing body designs alot, is to draw the neck (first in pencil) in pen, and photocopy it, so you have plenty of paper with room to draw a body on, without a big mess of erased pencil.

Some things to remember when designing a body around a neck:

-Bolt-on necks need a solid base to be bolted on to. This can limit cutaway/horn designs.
-Set necks need a good amount of wood to be glued to. Same as above.


Some things to consider for body design:
-It should be comfortable
-Too small a body can lead to balance issues. An extended top horn always helps with balance, and a short top horn can lead to a neck-heavy bass (not good).
-Too big a body is, well, too big. Dont forget, you WILL be wearing this bass eventually.
-You need room for electronics and whatnot.
-Lower horn design can make or break a bass when it comes to sitting. Just look at Cort Curbow basses. They SUCK to sit with.
-Will you be able to make the body with the tools and experience you have? Im sure scrolls are nice, but dont plan for one if you cant do it.


Wood Choices.

Now, you have to decide what woods you want to use, if you havent already. (see the whole post about woods).
Some things to consider:

-Tone
-Weight
-Workability
-Feel
-Cost
-Looks (yes, it IS important)
-Durability
-Finishing characteristics

Sure, an all ebony bass would be nice, but itd weigh a million pounds, and youd have to take out a second mortgage out to pay for it.