construction of the neck

[dtapper]

what all needs to go into the making of the neck? i read a post by The Eclectic talking bout the neck & i'm not sure what i need to be aiming for, right now my tapper is a 8 string bass so i'm not sure what i need to be aiming for in my up & coming tapper project, still researching ya know measure twice cut once. if i remember right tractor once said you want the neck to be flat, please give me all the knowledge ya'll have i will be very thankful.:D

[Tom Drinkwater]

Hi there dtapper. Congrats on deciding to make an instrument!! I have a few questions for you.
1. How many strings?
2. Mono or Stereo?
3. Scale length?
4. Playing position? Upright, guitar style or lap style?
5. Is your 8 string bass a real 8 string or a 4 course with doubled strings?
6. How much woodworking experience do you have?
I don't mean to overburden you with questions but these are needed to determine some of the details of the neck and the rest of the instrument. Also, do you have tools? Table saw, router etc.. The forum members here can help you with any info you need.

[dtapper]

answers
1 i'm looking at a running a set up of 8 melody strings tuned in minor 3rds, a inverted 5 string bass in the middle & a 4 string piccalo bass on the other side or a standard 12 string uncrossed version with the inverted bass & an extra 6 string melody on the other side of the bass. i can explain my thoughts on this late if anyone cares to hear it.
2 stereo
3 scale 34"
4 guitar & or upright
5 yes sir a true 8 F# to F, but thinking of dropping the F# & going B to Bb.
6 not a ton but i have a buddy with a ton of esperience with wood & a ton of hand & power tools.:D
i'm thinking 3 differenr sets so i could (granted after time) play a melody, bass, & supporting chords altogether with the bass & cords having their own sound. i don't know but it might work.:D

[Tom Drinkwater]

I might be way off base here, but I think that your instrument would be easier to play and build if you cut back a little on the number of strings involved. Granted the m3 melody side would have to have 9 strings to achieve the same range in any given position as a guitar. The reason the guitar has a 2 octave range per position is because it is a single region instrument designed to play melody and accompanyment with one hand. Your instrument will have 3 regions. There would be no need to have such low notes on the melody side. In fact, I would have only 4 strings on the melody side and tune to fifths, but I also play an octave mandolin. You could also do a 12 string set up with 4 strings in each range. Tune them all in 4ths with the melody side higher than the supporting chords side. Just some thoughts. I have done alot of experimenting myself with different tunings and setups. Whatever you decide on will be whatever is best for you and your playing style. BTW there is a good thread on tuning to 3rds in the playing section. Please keep us posted on the build!!!

[Tom Drinkwater]

I just had another crazy thought while reading another thread. I once read about a kid who designed and built a "guitar/bass" that had a really cool string layout. It was strung like a regular 6 string with bass strings between each of the guitar strings. All of the strings were equidistant apart. I don't know what he used for spacing. It would be impossible to seperate the bass from the melody without specialized pickups of course but that configuration would be great for tapping. Just a thought.

[rjgoos]

Originally posted by Tom Drinkwater
I just had another crazy thought while reading another thread. I once read about a kid who designed and built a "guitar/bass" that had a really cool string layout. It was strung like a regular 6 string with bass strings between each of the guitar strings. All of the strings were equidistant apart. I don't know what he used for spacing. It would be impossible to seperate the bass from the melody without specialized pickups of course but that configuration would be great for tapping. Just a thought.


Tom,

I've seen two US patents (6346661, 6660918) that cover something like this:


http://homepage.mac.com/tap6/treble-bass.jpg

[RocknDrTom]

Maybe it's just me, but after reading your answer, I still can't figure out exactly how many strings. Sounds like you're still a bit undecided as to what you want. It's best to know exactly before you start construction.

Once you start adding more and more strings, structural concerns become the most important issue.

[Tom Drinkwater]

Hey dtapper, what's the verdict on your build?

[dtapper]

i'm leaning toward a double neck now. i'm sorry so many thoughts & as well as anyone would know 1st build is a big deal. going double so i can pursue my thoughts a little easier & i think the construction will be easier. i'm still looking into tunings for the melody side of the 1 neck which will be bass/melody then i will focus more on the other neck which will be melody also not sure on string count as of yet. OCD on over thinking things so after Christmas i'm going to start up so i have 3 days to settle it but as soon as i can i'll get some pics up on the board. thanks so much for ya'll support, oh if there are any thoughts please express them, pro or con on anything. i like brainstorms!:D

[Tom Drinkwater]

Will you be building the necks yourself or using guitar/bass necks from a builder. Carvin, Stew-Mac, Soul Mate all make great necks. One good way to go is to buy scratch and dent instruments from Music 123, Samash, Musicians Friend and Ebay. That way you get electronics too and hardware for less money than just the parts and you'll have stuff left over for the next build. Guitars are like cars. A new minivan might cost $30K but if you were to buy all of the parts seperately it would cost over $90K. Then the prototyping and what not. Of course that's my favorite part. I picked up an ESP 6 string bass about a year ago with the intentions of doing a double neck tapper but ended up building from scratch. If you are really serious about doing this you need to check out www.mimf.com. It's a builder page with tons of info. The important part is to not let those crazy talented builders get to you. It's your vision and your money and your instrument. If you want to build a 28 string 5 region half fretless midi stereo world dominating touchstyle masterpeice with wammy bars on everyother string than build it. You'll find a way. Keep us posted and let us know how we can help.

[dtapper]

it took more time than i 1st thought but on bass it will be 5 string inverted with a piccolo on the other side and the melody will be in minor 3rd's how many strings will depend on if i go 1 neck or 2, leaning towards 1 but always dreamed of a double neck (strange how a childhood dream can effect your life decades later).:rolleyes: :D