I’ve got the laminate materials for the first three basses, and I’ve settled on a bracing design for the tops. The next step will be to start building the body mold and side template so I can start making some sawdust. I’ve been holding off on this step for a while because I […]

Instruments, Acoustic Bass Guitars | 1 Comment »

One of the best characteristics of a brace for an acoustic guitar top is a high stiffness-to-weight ratio. The less mass the top and braces have, the easier it is for the string’s energy to set it in motion and create sound. At the same time, the top and braces need to be […]

Instruments, Luthierie/Guitar Building, Acoustic Bass Guitars | 4 Comments »

Here’s a preview of the next ABG design in CAD showing the assymetric body profile and port tube. So far everything’s coming together for a run of three of these basses - one fretless 6-string for a customer and two 4-strings to keep for stock/marketing. The 6 will have an ebony fingerboard and […]

Instruments, Acoustic Bass Guitars | 5 Comments »

Here’s my workbench, newly cleaned off and organized in preparation for the upcoming run of acoustic basses. Next to the bass is one of the flared port tubes that will be the soundhole of the next bass, and on top is a sample of the high-pressure laminate I’ve picked out.

Instruments, About Me, Luthierie/Guitar Building, Acoustic Bass Guitars, Workshop | No Comments »

This bass is one I made in 2000 while I was working at the Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery in Phoenix. The top and back are redwood and the sides are madrone. The body is around 5 1/2″ deep and it’s 19″ wide. Offsetting the soundhole does two things - it makes better […]

Instruments, Luthierie/Guitar Building, Acoustic Bass Guitars | 3 Comments »