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/diy/ - Do It Yourself

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410822 No.410822 [Reply] [Original]

So /diy/, I've been wanting to make a budget acoustic bass, but I'm not sure what kind of wood to use. The plans for it says it uses birch plywood, but would some birch plywood from Home Depot work?

Here's the bass if anyone's interested in seeing the plans:
www.liutaiomottola.com/instruments/Tinozza.htm

>> No.410833

You'll probably want furniture grade plywood, it has less flaws.

>> No.410842

>>410822
I'd just use thin Masonite. Plywood is already going to sound like shit, so just use Masonite.

Or Luan. Use Luan.

>> No.410851

>>410833
I think I might look for some.

>>410842
Plywood can't be THAT bad can it? And since this is a bass, it'll need a different tone anyways

>> No.411308

So I found the wood, but it's twice as thick as I need it. Would I need a larger soundhole to compensate or something?

I'm on a budget so I probably won't be looking for pricier wood.

>> No.411313

How do you plan on making those curved shapes?

>> No.411316

>>411308
I'm >>410842
You sound like you need to stop building this. You're going to end up hating the final product. You're going to make a bass guitar that has no resonance and sounds like it's being played through a tiny speaker in a shitty cabinet.

top wood = a sort of speaker on acoustics. a nice tonewood like spruce, mahogany or maple has certain characteristics to each, but all can hold a note. Plywood, even if high-quality, will sound less warm and probably have less resonance and sustain. An acoustic guitar made from craft wood from Home Depot is going to not sound musical. It's going to sound slightly better than buying a Guitar Hero guitar and stringing it up to play with real strings.

If you make your bass electric, materials don't mean much. Build it out of concrete if you want. Acoustics need good woods or they really stink. A cheap acoustic bass will cost 100 on CL or ebay. Just buy one of those. Your plans call for good wood, use good wood. Unless you're trying to set tooling up for a proof of concept.

>> No.411322

>>411316

Ironic how the most common diy advice on this board is

>Give up now and save yourself the disappointment

/diy/ - where dreams come to die.

Be that as it may, I genuinely concur. A project like this require tools and skills OP does not have. Fact of the matter is, one does not make a musical instrument (rather than buying one) to save money, you do that when you have a lot of money and time to invest in what would be a great hobby. You can spend 10-20 hours and 40-50$ to find out that you have to buy one if you want to slap that bass. Save the money and spend the 10-20 hours flipping burgers or something instead and it will result in you owning a decent instrument. Trying to make one will not.

>> No.411325

>>411322
normally I try to do some problem solving for OPs, but this is one that can't be easily fudged. Acoustic guitars are not an into project for the uninitiated, and definitely something you can't cheap out on unless you REALLY know what you're doing and can engineer around the horrible tonal flaws of cheap wood.

>> No.411335

check out cigar box nation and vulpestruments

google those both it keeps on saying im spamming when i do the direct link.

this board is shitty sometimes go out and make it, but if you want it to sound good your going to have to make a few of them so it would outweigh the cost of just buying a good one in the first place

if you want to make an instrument for the sake of an instrument then go for it

id recommend starting out with a cigar box guitar or tinjo good luck fuck the haters

>> No.411338

>>411316
It is more of a proof-of-concept kind of thing, as i actually plan on trying to make it a 6-string. I'll also admit that I'd be completely new to working with wood, but it sounds like you know what you're saying and I shouldn't cheap out.
I've been wanting to start making guitars/basses for some time and figured I'd start with something I've been wanting that's also difficult to find. I completely understand that this is not a for beginner, but I've learned that sometimes patience helps, and I was going to get a small amount of help. If I did end up hating the product, I'd just try again and avoid what I know I did wrong. I'm not gonna give up, but I'll save up and look for some better wood then.

>> No.411342

>>411322
I took it more more like
>What are you doing, dumbass, it'll be a piece of shit
>fix up your plans and don't take shortcuts
than actually giving up.
And by all means, he's right, I have no experience whatsoever, but I'm just that dumbass who likes to try things

>> No.411376

>>411342
Hi, I'm a different dumbass from all the other dumbasses so far. A brand new dumbass.

I second the guy who suggested cigarboxnation. I've built two of those now, and they are fun, relatively cheap, actually sound good, and are a good place to hone some skills like neck building (such a pain)

That said, try to build something because you want to and it's fun. I built duct tape and PVC bagpipes, because I saw it on the web and I wanted to. 1/16" plywood isn't going to sound super awesome, but so what. That, or some type of wall paneling should work. Do try to find the highest quality plywood you can, but if you build it with something less, so what, if you end up liking it, and can do a good job, you can do it again with better wood.

Shine on you crazy diamond.

>> No.411393

Alright.

Acoustics are a legitimate pain in the nuts to produce. You have to brace the soundboard to counteract the tension of the strings. You have to have to make a jig (if you want to do it right,) in order to make the proper contours. You have to route a neck for the truss rod (which a 6 string bass will need, DEFINITELY, the amount of force exerted in horrifying in terms of wood rigidity.) Select a fingerboard, slot it using the rule of 18 for proper fret placement, then you have to set the neck, fret it, carve a nut, make a bridge, make the saddle for the bridge...

This is not a beginners project. There are several kits out there for amateurs to get into luthiery, but starting from scratch without doing any research, having no tools, or experience is just asking for hours of heartache.

I know /diy/ seems contrary, and where dreams come to die, but often times people come here and ask for unrealistic things. /diy/ is one thing, and that is honest, thus it's negative disposition to the unfamiliar face.

>> No.411404

>>411393
OP here. I've been doing some research, not enough I'm sure. I know bass necks usually have stiffening rods along with the truss rod.
I do want to start learning luthiery though. Any tips on where exactly to start then?

>> No.411418

>>411404

Build an electric guitar kit from guitar fetish. Acoustics are advanced work, y'know?

>> No.411466

>>411418
Thanks, but I already know how to build electrics. I took an old guitar I had lying around apart one day just to see how it worked, and I learned wiring from when one of my bass' pots got busted. I desoldered everything, again just to see hoe it worked and resoldered everything using a schematic. I feel like these kits are just for building and wiring, but would be great if I wanted a cheap diy guitar or bass. I was more interested in learning to make necks.

>> No.411468

>>411418
Also, the site itself seems great for parts, and looks to have a larger selection than stewmac for some stuff