This bass started life as a big plank of maple and a plank of quartersawn wenge. I resawed both to appropriate dimensions for both the body and the neck, and bent the wenge on a hot pipe--my $2.49 side bender. After I bent the wenge, I made a center core out of maple and glued the sides to it. Here you can see me sizing up the resawn, bookmatched panels of maple to see what would look best. The corners where the sides join the cutaways are reinforced with solid wenge blocks. I had cut the top- and back-slope angles into the center block on the table saw, and I used the belt sander to extend those angles onto the sides.

The next step was to glue in kerfed lining--I bought commercial rather than making my own--so that the sides would be less fragile. Since the shape was freeform and asymmetrical, I didn't need to build a form. Also, the wenge showed no hint of wanting to move from the shape I'd bent it to. These aluminum clothespins date from the 1950s. My parents had a small appliance store after WW II, and they sold these clothespins. I inherited two 3-pound coffee cans full of them; they're great little clamps because most glues don't stick to them. I should also mention that this patternmaker's vise, sold by Stewart MacDonald and Woodcraft, was invaluable on this project. I made a couple of different styles of jaws for various tasks. I trimmed the top angle into the kerfing with a sharp chisel, then refined the angle on the belt sander.

I then joined the top and back, which I'd jointed with the 3-degree angle that the design was built around. Those back-to-back bar clamps worked well in this case, providing controllable pressure on the edges of the rough-shaped top and back. The solvent cans provide some weight, while the 1/4 inch aluminum rod running under the joint, provides the "altitude" necessary to hold up the joint. Dry cleaner's polyethylene keeps the glue off the clamps and such.

I was pleasantly surprised to get an invisible joint on both the top and back. I was concerned that the angled joint might not be as clean as one where I could apply flat pressure. I suppose I could have come up with a technique to hold the joint down with more force than the solvent cans, but I also wanted to be able to see it, monitor it for squeezeout and any potential gaps.

Next, I glued the top onto the body. As you can see from the above, I'd rough-trimmed it to size, so that there was less than half an inch of overlap around edges. And thank goodness for the Woodworker's Warehouse sale on these 2-inch clamps. They're no good for a regular guitar, but perfect for this thinline.

I trimmed the edges back on the router table, using a 1/4 inch end mill and an overarm ball bearing to act as a guide. I made a V-shaped carrier to support the body, and stuck a piece of slippery plastic on the bottom so that it would move easily on the router table. The overarm is a heavy aluminum extrusion. The high shear angle and low "bite" of the end mill worked well for avoiding tearout. The bearing is a bit large for getting into tight curves; I'll rework this for the next guitar.

As good as the router was, you don't want to go all the way down to zero with it. Or at least I don't. I finished the edging with a Robosander, a drum sander with a captive plastic bearing on the end. I like making chips more than making dust, but I had a big dust collection port on the drill press table, which sucked up everything that came off the Robosander. Even with a fairly aggressive sleeve on the Robosander, this was an easy by-hand task.

The next step was to rout the pickup holes. I made Plexiglass templates for the Jazz-sized Carvin HN50 and the MusicMan-like HB-5. I made wedges to keep the templates flat on the surface, and clamped everything down.

The pickup cutouts open into the body as well as going into the center block. I cut the center block deeper on the treble side, tapering it down so I could insert all of the electronics through it, then insert the pickup into the treble side, then pull it back into position. I wanted a very minimalist look on the bass--no mounting rings, no exposed pickup ears. The Schaller bridge is just here for position.

Finally, time to glue the back on. I put masking tape all the way around to catch squeezeout, which saved a little time in the cleanup, especially with the porosity of the wenge. Once you get glue in there, it's not coming out. I trimmed the back just like the top, first on the router table, then the Robosander.

Now, if you're still interested, on to The Neck.