Post 4: Testing the Bass

   As always, I want to test my built before it's quite finished, especially something like this, when I am kind of making things up as I go... So I assembled the bass,  attaching the fretboard at a slant above the square tubing using mostly countersunk 1/4" brass screws, which also serve as marker dots. Only the last few ones are smaller 12-32 screws, so they fit between the last frets. I  used brass rods as spacers before tightening the screws. The last one also holds the top of the "soundboard" in place. 

    The Volume/Tone/Switch unit fits nicely inside the square tubing at the bottom and is connected to the two pickups and a jack situated just below the tone knob. I cut a pretty elaborate ebony bridge with brass inlay, and after finishing the aluminum and brass trapezoidal tailpiece, strung up the beast. 

    I will eventually attach a brass headpin with a rubber tip. I just taped it on for the moment.

   That's it, ready to make some noise... And it does work! Well, that is not rocket science... But it will require adjusting down the height of both the bridge and the nut, which I did make too high on purpose.

   I am well pleased with the look. You get to see my messy workbench too in this general picture.

    Just like for the lap steel, the pickup switch is defective and will have to be replaced.

    Once I figure out the optimal height for the bridge and the nut, I will take the whole thing back apart to sand and polish the square tubing core. I will cut another guitar shape out of 1/8" aluminum to match, make spacers, drill, tap the holes, and then assemble them with brass screws and close the "body" like the Lap Steel with a thin strip of aluminum bent to fit the curves. 

    I have some half round brass wire I was planning to wrap around from one end of the fretboard to the other after slightly notching the edges, but I am not sure anymore... 

   I am looking into the possibility of cutting a fretless rounded wood fretboard and a slightly curved bridge. The flat pickups would work fine because the two center strings tend to be louder, and that would place them a bit further, evening the tone. 

    I am also considering also making the neck narrower and bringing the strings closer together. I could then tune them as a chord instead of the standard EADG tuning, maybe something like an E minor EBEG, or an A minor like EACA. I might then be able to play some, even with that bad left hand that cannot make chords of finger a fretboard anymore...