My double basses are handmade by me from raw materials using figured English Sycamore for the back, ribs and head/neck and a variety of different spruces and furs for the fronts depending on availability. This model is typically English, based of the great London luthiers of the early 19th Century such as Lott, Kennedy, Fendt and Hart and therefore has a flat back. The size is in the middle of what is considered today’s full size (3/4), a back measuring 113 cm. excluding the back button with a string length as standard of 105.5 cm. which can be either increased or decreased to order. The wood is bought in some years in advance of making and is at the time of purchase considered dry, for example current front stocks were felled between 1977 and 1982.
I do not intend that the description and order of making that follows is definitive, in the final analysis whatever works, works. This is how I make a double bass, from over 40 years of experience as a maker/luthier it suits me well and achieves successful results both tonally and in appearance.
See also the video slideshow presentation of my English double basses being built with Fabien Sevilla playing this instrument and also shows carved back basses being made. Please click the link below.
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Work starts with the preparation of the back and rib stock, this is just a matter of thicknessing in the case of a flat back bass, but can involve sawing the ribs from larger blocks of wood. The top, bottom and corner blocks are prepared and fitted to the rib form on which the ribs will be assembled. The head and neck block is prepared, has the profile marked on it and then sawn. This is done well in advance for no matter how dry the wood is such a large section has internal stresses in it and this approach relieves these and adds considerably to this component’s long term stability.
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Next both the front’s and the back’s centre joints are shot (planed) and glued together. In the case of the back, little further flattening will be required as I take great care in ensuring the centre joint is as flush as possible both sides when gluing. The front differs as it is always necessary to plane the underside of it once the joint is glued, this forms in part the surface to which eventually the ribs will be glued. At this stage the front, back and head block are put aside for the ribs to take priority. Top, bottom and corner blocks are shaped to accept the ribs. After the ‘c’ ribs are bent and glued on, the top and bottom bout ribs follow. The ribs, still on the form are put to one side until later in the build. The jointed back can be seen behind the rib form in the photo above.
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As any practical person knows, in such assemblies as the ribs there is great deal of glue drying time involved therefore work is often continuing on other components concurrently in order to work efficiently. Whilst the ribs progress the outline for back and front are marked, sawn and trimmed to the line. The edges to the front are thinned to their overall final thickness and the outside of the front rough carved, like this the back and front are now ready to be purfled. In the photo above the rough carved front has the purfling grove cut and awaits the fitting and gluing of the purfling. Once the purfling is dry, the outside of the front can be finally carved and finished off, and the ‘break’, the splayed top of the back can be bent.
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At this stage of the build there is much to do and progress can be made on all parts of the instrument. The back has its braces fitted along with the centre joint and break reinforcing pieces. In the photo above the break reinforcement has been shaped, the braces and other components will be finally finished off after the glue has dried. The back is almost ready to accept the ribs in this photo.
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With the advancing back I turn my attention to the ribs again, they are trimmed off flush with the form and have linings fitted to the back's edge. The over large top, bottom and corner blocks are shaped and preparations are made to glue the ribs to the back. With the ribs now fixed to the back the linings to the front edge of the ribs are fitted and finished off. The back and ribs are now able to accept the front when it is ready.
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The front was left after the outside was definitively carved. The inside of the front now requires carving out and its thickness graduating. This done the ’f’ holes were cut and the bass bar fitted and finished off. Preparations made, the front could now be glued on. The photo shows the front, back and ribs immediately before the front was glued on. With the front glued on work continues to the head and neck.
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The head and neck block having been sawn some weeks before had ‘moved’ very slightly as is normal. The photo above shows the block as bought my me. I thought I would show this as I sure some people think I buy them! For the record I really enjoy carving heads.
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To save both money and natural resources head and neck blocks are often of insufficiently thick to accommodate the full thickness of the ’eyes’ (the centre) of the scroll. It therefore follows that the first operation is often to saw some wood off the block where it will be wasted and graft it to the scroll end, it is by definition a good match, this is very common practice in the bass world. The photo above shows the head and neck block with pieces grafted on, outline marked, profile sawn and finished to line.
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As a matter of interest and to demonstrate how much wood is wasted the block was weighed at the start and the head and neck were weighed prior to fixing the finger board to it when it was just 19% of its original weight! It will be seen that had a block of full thickness been used with approximately 1/3 as much wood again, this already high level of waste wound have become horrendous. As can be seen from the following photos of the head both during carving through to the finished instrument, the head shows no detrimental signs of this grafting. The photo above shows the head with the peg box cheeks (sides) cut in, note the 2 cheek off cuts on the bench behind.
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The photo above is the next stage, the scroll has essentially been carved and requires the bevels, under cutting ,the back fluted and the peg box cut out. The photo below shows the completed scroll. The neck section of this I leave unfinished until after the finger board is glued on.
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With the finger board prepared and glued on to the as yet unfinished neck work continues in setting the neck at the right height and line into the body. Once this is achieved and the neck glued in, the final neck shaping is performed, ebony strips are fitted to the sides of the neck, nut and high ebony added and finished off. The photos below show the bass finished in the ‘white’ and now only requires varnishing and fitting up. Due to the drying time involved, varnishing from start to finish it could take the same length of time as the work so far.
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Fabien Sevilla bought the bass in 2007 so I will let him have the last words-
Dear Martyn,
it's a real pleasure hearing from you!
Yes I am really enthusiastic about your bass. I realised it's been just one year since I came in London to take it back home.
I've been playing it for a while with the original Thomastick strings (mostly classical music) and also solo
strings. That was really amazing and I was thrilled with it.
I am now back in jazz music so I tried to put on the Pirastro Olive gut strings, ....... It's amazing, we have a project in 6tet and I just play acoustic with no problem. It's rich and profound sound, well, great work Martyn!....
Best Greetings from Switzerland!
Fabien Sevilla
CH- Vevey
Please click here for my fine double basses for sale page.
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