I began this bass guitar as a project while tutoring a middle-school student in building his own bass.  The bass is a neck-through with a center core of maple and purpleheart and side wings of myrtle.  The bass is a 5-string with low B as the fifth string.  It has Bartolini pickups and a Bartolini active electronics preamp.  The fretboard markers are strips of purpleheart.

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COMMENTS:

Ryan Gibbler, bassist and instructor at GTR Studios in Moscow, ID had this to say after playing the bass-

Excellent playability and overall sound.  Very good feel.  Has a ton of treble – I would only play it with the treble rolled off.  Awesome spacing between the strings – so many 5-strings have the strings too close together.  Thanks! Ryan.

 

FINISHED DIMENSIONS (in inches):

• Scale = 34.0″
• Number of frets = 24
• Nut width = 1 7/8″
• String width = 1 5/8
• Headstock nut to tip = 8″
• Headstock width = 3 1/2
• Headstock thickness = 19/32
• Headstock thickness total = 19/32
• Width at 22 fret = 2 27/32
• Neck joins body at frets 17 and 23
• Body thickness = 1 19/32
• Body width at upper horns = 11
• Body width at waist = 8
• Body width at lower bout = 13 1/8
• Total body length (upper horn to bottom) = 20
• Fretboard bottom to bottom of body = 10 5/8
• Lower horn to bottom of body = 14 1/2
• From 24th to top of Neck pickup = 2
• From 24th to bottom of Neck pickup = 2 3/4
• From 24th to top of Bridge pickup = 5 15/16
• From 24th to bottom of Bridge pickup = 6 5/8
• From 24th to closest  bridge top end = 7 5/8
• From 24th to farthest  bridge top end = 8
• From 24th to bottom of guitar = 11 1/8
• Neck thickness at nut (without fingerboard) =  3/4
• Neck thickness at nut with fingerboard = 1
• Neck thickness at 12th fret (with fingerboard) = 3/4