Multiscale bass prototype

Overview

This instrument was built this investigate building techniques, playability, and tone for multiscale basses, and to see whether there is anything to be gained from adding a third pickup to the typical Jazz Bass configuration.

Specs

• Maple body
• Maple/jatoba neck with maple fingerboard
• 32.375" - 34.625" multiscale
• 3x DiMarzio Ultra-Jazz pickups
• Individual Bridge Saddles
• 1x volume, 1x tone, on/off switches for each pickup, and a master series/parallel switch
• Gotoh tuners with Hipshot D-tuner
• Dunlop Straplocks

The Body

Design

The shape is a sleeker re-imagining of the Jazz shape with a retro asymmetrical/offset look.

Building the body

Gluing up the blank

Surfacing the blank

Cutting out the shape

Contours

Pickups, control cavity, and neck pocket routed. Bridge, electronics, and neck holes drilled.

The Neck

Geometry

The neck is dimensioned like Jazz bass, except for the multiple scale lengths. FretFind 2-D was used to compute the neck geometry, and the inputs I used are shown below.

Fretboard layout in SVG format
Fretboard layout in PDF format (single page)
Fretboard layout in PDF format (multi-page, letter)

Building the neck

Gluing up the blank. Unfortunately, these are the only pictures I have of the neck under construction.

Assembly

A mock-up with the mostly-competed body and neck

The assembled bass