build a miniature bass guitar

http://www.instructables.com/id/Build-A-Miniature-Bass-Guitar/

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Build A Miniature Bass Guitarby MJT3 on February 19, 2014

Table of Contents

Build A Miniature Bass Guitar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Intro: Build A Miniature Bass Guitar . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Step 1: Cut Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Step 2: Rout And Contour Body . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Step 3: Shaping The Neck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Step 4: Fitting The Neck . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Step 5: Drill Holes For Tuners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Step 6: Locate And Drill Pickguard Holes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Step 7: Reworking Tuners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Step 8: Headstock Decal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Step 9: Install Tuners . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Step 10: Body Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Step 11: Pickguard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Step 12: Pickups . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Step 13: Neckplate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Step 14: Bridge Plate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

Step 15: Finish Bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Step 16: Drill Holes For Bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18

Step 17: Install Pots And Jack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Step 18: Assemble Parts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

Step 19: Project Complete . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Related Instructables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Advertisements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23


Intro: Build A Miniature Bass GuitarThese instructions are for building a playable, 11/24 scale bass guitar, which should take between 30 to 40 hours to complete, depending on skill level and toolsavailable.

Most of the work can be done with a Dremel. You will also need:

1. A drill motor / drills2. Sand paper / sanding discs3. Various small hand tools4. Router bits5. Jig saw6. Ruler

Materials:

1. Plywood2. 1"x 2" piece of wood3. Assorted sizes of small wood screws4. 3-ply pickguard material5. 8 cylinder magnets6. Wood stain7. Lacquer8. Decal paper9. 1"x 1" x 1/16" thick aluminum angle10. 1/4" metal bolt or rod11. Metal spatula12. (2) 500k mini pots13. 1/8" phono jack


Step 1: Cut BodyGlue two pieces of 1/2" plywood together. Rout body outline. The best way to get the outline is to print a photo from the Internet and trace the outline onto the wood.


Step 2: Rout And Contour BodyRout neck pocket 1" wide. You can take measurements from your printed version. Also rout pickup and electronic spaces. Finish contour of arm rest area and cut rearbody contour. It really helps to have a full size bass around so you can make comparisons.


Step 3: Shaping The NeckUse a 1" x 2" piece of wood to form the neck. Narrow the neck down, maintaining a 1" thickness at the base. Cut the headstock down about half as thick as the rest of theneck. The best way to get accurate measurements is from a full size guitar as a model (measure full size guitar, then multiply measurements by .45 -- this will give you aguitar 45% the size of an actual bass, which is just a hair over 11/24 scale. I found that this is the best size for using standard guitar tuning keys. I may add frets later.Right now, it is fret less.


Step 4: Fitting The NeckMake sure the neck fits to the neck pocket. Sand the neck a little at a time, checking for correct fit.


Step 5: Drill Holes For TunersYou can print out just the headstock and lay it over the the neck to find the correct location of the tuning key holes. Be aware that the holes must line up with stringposition. Hole size is 5/16".


Step 6: Locate And Drill Pickguard HolesCut pickguard shape using clear transparency. Place in position on body and layout holes with a marker onto the transparency in their correct position. Then punch holesthrough the transparency over marks for holes. Use a marker to locate holes onto body of guitar. Drill pickguard holes into body, using marks made using transparency.


Step 7: Reworking TunersUse standard, open-back guitar tuners. Before beginning, make sure you will have enough space for tuners to turn. Prepare tuners by disassembling and grindingmounting plates to fit on headstock. You will need to drill new holes into the plates for #2 wood screws. Also, measure and cut string posts (about 1/4" above headstock).After cutting, you will need to use a cutting wheel to cut grooves into the top center of the string posts. Do not reassemble tuners until mounting plates are screwed intoposition.


Step 8: Headstock DecalNeck can be stained and decal put on headstock.*Note -- Fender is a registered trademark and is used only for artistic representation.


Step 9: Install TunersInstall bushings and tuning keys. Once again, these are standard open-back guitar tuners that have been modified. Try to find tuners with the smallest size.

Step 10: Body ColorI used decal paper to print the sunburst finish and apply it directly to the body. You can then paint the edges black. You should lacquer over the decal after applying.


Step 11: PickguardUse three-ply material and either a jigsaw or small router bit to shape pickguard. Sand edges into shape, then use transparency to layout holes in exact position as body.

Step 12: PickupsPickups can either be made to be functional or only for appearance. To make a working set of pickups, search online: how to make a guitar pickup. You can even find infoon this site. Use (4) 1/8" diameter x 1/4" long magnets for each pickup. Magnets can be found online. You will also need 42 or 43 gauge coated wire for winding thepickups. If you want to attach the pickups to the body in the same way as a full size bass, you will need to add two small tabs to the sides of the top pickup plate and dillholes into each tab to screw into the body. The photos that I have included do not show these tabs.


Step 13: NeckplateUse tin snips to cut a spatula for a neckplate. Sand the edges into shape. Drill four 1/8" holes. You can decal the logo to the top.


Step 14: Bridge PlateUse a 1/16" thick by 1" x 1" aluminum angle. Cut string end to 1/4". Drill five 1/8" mounting holes and countersink them for flathead screws. Drill four #40 string holes inend of plate.


Step 15: Finish BridgeCut a 1/4" rod into two pieces. Drill a #50 hole through the center of each piece (you will need to make the hole a bit larger than #50). Drill a #50 hole between two of thestring holes at the end of the bridge plate. Tap a 1" #2 screw through the end of the bridge plate. Put ballpoint pen springs over the screws, then tap the screws throughthe holes drilled in the center of the rods. Make sure you can fit the mounting screws past the springs to install the bridge to the body.


Step 16: Drill Holes For BridgeTo locate the bridge, you will need to install the neck by drilling four holes through the back side, placing the neckplate and using #6 wood screws to hold the neck. Then,wind a guitar string around the 1st and 4th tuners and use these strings to center the bridge. If you want exact specs, you will need to figure out where the twelfth fret willbe, then multiply that by 2; this will give you the distance from nut to bridge. To locate the nut, cut a 1/8" notch in the neck just where it begins to sink into the headstock.Then form a small piece of wood or plastic for the nut. Later, you will need to notch it for the strings. Once you get the correct bridge position, use the bridge as atemplate to transfer the holes into the body. Holes will be for 1/8" screws.


Step 17: Install Pots And JackYou will need get (2) 500k ohm miniature pots and a 1/8 jack, like the ones shown. (Note: The photos do not show these installed). You will need to drill 3 holes into thepickguard for the pots and jack. You may also need to rout deeper into the body to accommodate the pots, depending on their size. I can't answer many questions aboutwiring, but there is a ton of information on the web.


Step 18: Assemble PartsIf you have gotten this far, the rest should be simple. If you want it to be playable, you will probably need to shim the neck a bit. It helps if you have some knowledge ofguitar adjustment.


Step 19: Project CompleteWhen you are done, you will have a miniature bass that looks nearly identical to a full size. Keep in mind, the sound will not be great quality. The fact that this bass will beplayable is more of a novelty, only to create the illusion of being an exact model of the original. In photos, it will be difficult to tell it is not a full size bass.


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