Build a bass guitar, they said...

In the summer of 1978, I bought a Teisco EB200 bass guitar from my buddy, Jerry Tewell. I had no idea where this innocent purchase would take me. 

I wish I still had that bass. I wound up trading it for an electric guitar because my Dad wanted me to be a lead guitarist(it didn't happen, lol). Eventually, my independence was gained, and becoming a bassist was my goal. 

Being of a somewhat curious nature, I have disassembled things (and reassembled them successfully) for most of my life. This tendency extended itself to my instruments - first learning to set up and repair, then modding(which is still a guilty pleasure), and finally, around March of 2020 my dear wife Kerri suggested that I build one ... from scratch. 

So ... after several weeks of working over designs, dimensions and types of wood, we went to a store that sells hardwood lumber of several species and $80 later I had the beginnings of the bass now known as ' number one'. 

It's not perfect - far from it, in fact but it has become as much a part of me as my hands. 

That project took me from April to September to complete and lit a fire in me that has yet to go out. My profession at that time was welder/fabricator, and as it turned out, many of the skills that are required for fabrication transfer well to building bass guitars. 

Since then, I have built another bass from scratch that now resides with my most excellent friend and former co-worker Tim Duffield, and two basses from commercially available parts, one of which resides with my equally excellent friend and former co-worker Cody Williams. The other one is still with me and may be undergoing some modding in the foreseeable future (along with another of my basses). My current project is a pair of short scale basses - one in standard tuning (EADG), and one in deep drop tuning(BEAD). 

If and when I develop a workable process, I may begin turning out a bass every now and again for sale. 

Guitars? I own a few. I keep them around to remind myself that I'm a bassist. Build any? I've built a couple from kits and modded several, but I'm not going to build any from scratch. No desire at all. 

The upshot of all this blathering? Building bass guitars is some of the best therapy I've ever had. It's been a very interesting journey so far, and promises to remain so. 

Until the next mental bowel movement, catch y'all later!