Official Luthiers Forum!

I am in the process of building an electric bass from scratch but i have a few queries and any guidance you can offer would be gratefully accepted.
I have a copy of Melvyn Hiscock's book, I have a reasonably well equipped workshop and I have also bought a set of plans for a through neck Aria SB copy from JohnAnthonyGuitars.

My questions relate to the wood to use for the build.

The neck is made from a laminate of five strips approx 42" long and c4" deep.
I have, in my wood pile, some sapele which i can cut down to size. Unfortunately the ash/beech I have that I was going to use for contrast has the length but not the depth. I could laminate pieces together to create the depth I need but would this effect the way the guitar sounds/plays?

Also with regards to the wings which attach to the through neck, the plans suggest that the grain runs parallel with the grain in the neck, i.e. straight up and down.
Again, apologies for showing my ignorance but does the direction of the grain have any impact on the sound or is it for the aesthetics of the look of the guitar?
I had considered making wings by laminating different woods together, possibly with end grain showing but would this affect the sound? I had toyed with the idea of making the wings with a "tumbling block" or other 3D pattern by using different coloured wood, but not if it affects the tone.

Any comments gratefully received.

_________________
Keep calm and carry plasters

If the contrast pieces you speak of make up a small percentage of the neck wood (does that make sense?) my opinion is that it won't have any discernible affect on the tone, as long as all the joinery is sound.

Other than adding mass and a place for controls and our arms to sit, I don't think there's much of anything that the wings add to the equation. Let your freak flag fly, brother!

And I'd love to see pics of the tumbling block thing, or whichever way you decide to go.

_________________
"Real guitars are for old people, Mr. Marsh."

Eric Cartman

I think it is best to keep the grain of the neck pieces reasonably parallel. Not from a tonal standpoint but for strength and stability. Wood expands and contracts and cross grain pieces will place unneeded stress on the joints.

And as Bill said, your joinery must be sound.

I think it is best to keep the grain of the neck pieces reasonably parallel. Not from a tonal standpoint but for strength and stability. Wood expands and contracts and cross grain pieces will place unneeded stress on the joints.

And as Bill said, your joinery must be sound.

Whenever you laminate pieces of wood, it's best to keep the grain running parallel, unless the laminates are very thin, such as in plywood. As for affecting tone, as long as the laminates fit properly, the neck should be just as good as a solid piece of wood.

I built a thru-neck bass with a laminated neck. I used sapele, koa and maple and placed carbon fiber stiffeners with a single truss rod. Koa was used for the headstock wings. No issues with strength or tone.

_________________
Julie Moriarty
http://JulimorCreations.com