{"id":267,"date":"2011-07-10T15:40:56","date_gmt":"2011-07-10T19:40:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hackaweek.com\/hacks\/?p=267"},"modified":"2011-07-10T17:53:39","modified_gmt":"2011-07-10T21:53:39","slug":"the-1994-five-string-electric-bass-guitar","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/hackaweek.com\/hacks\/the-1994-five-string-electric-bass-guitar\/","title":{"rendered":"The 1994 Five String Electric Bass Guitar"},"content":{"rendered":"

This weeks project is a retro look at a five string electric bass guitar I built in 1994. I documented the project in photos and put them into an album. I thought it would be interesting to make a Ken Burns style video with these photos using the two axis camera dolly<\/a> from hack #7. <\/p>\n

Back in 1994 I was living in Hawaii on the island of Maui. I was into RC airplanes and woodworking at the time, and I had just started playing the bass guitar. I wanted my own bass and, being the DIY person that I am, decided to build my own. I chose to make it a five string because that extra low B note is big and round, and it allowed bass lines below E. <\/p>\n

The first order of business was to find some wood. I found a local man that had a sawmill and he sold local grown woods already cut into cured planks. I chose Monkey Pod for the front body wings, Tropical Almond for the back body wings and Golden Ponsiena for the neck. I chose Purple Heart for the fingerboard because of its hardness and density which closely resembled Ebony. <\/p>\n

Now that I had a selection of wood, it was time to start designing my new bass. I did a few sketches and then went to work on a scale drawing in pencil on drafting paper, old school style. I didn’t have a PC or internet access back then. I still use pencil and paper a lot to this day to draw up plans and shop drawings. I like it’s simplicity. After about a week of drawing and design changes I had a final plan. The next step would be to do a full scale color rendering of my new bass to see how the woods would look together. I used some water color markers for this and soon had a nice full color picture to hang on the wall and look at. I liked it. Now it was time to get started with the build.<\/p>\n

At this point I’ll let the video and photos tell you the rest of the story about the construction. I love this instrument! It’s become a part of me, an extension of my musical expression and I plan on playing it for years to come. <\/p>\n

Enjoy the video, and keep on hackin!<\/p>\n

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