Re: Upright Electric Bass Build
From my experience (built a few) an EUB is a pretty basic project, particularly if it has magnetic pickups. For a 3/4 scale instrument, all the critical dimensions come from the upright bass. I've built 34" scale length instruments for use by electric bassists, and for these the critical dimensions are taken from the electric bass or acoustic bass guitar. Two things that may not be obvious at first glance when considering an EUB project are dealing with string length, and ergonomics. On the first, unlike with mandolin or guitar strings, wound steel string length cannot (usually) be simply wound around the tuning machine posts without breaking, so dimensions between string anchor and bridge, and between nut and tuning machine posts are critical. More info on that is available on my website here:
https://www.liutaiomottola.com/formulae/bassString.htm
The ergonomics of a 3/4 size EUB are challenging, because the upright player's body touches the bass body in ways that must be emulated by an EUB to facilitate playing. A good make-or-break test of an EUB to see if it is playable is to try to play it in thumb position. Different EUB builders use different techniques to deal with the ergonomics. Some include various pieces that emulate the places where the player contacts the body of an upright. Some mount the whole thing on a rigid stand. One of my own EUBs is wearable, which deals with the ergonomic requirements in a somewhat unique way. Plans and some construction info on that one can be found here:
https://www.liutaiomottola.com/instr.../libellula.htm
EUBs are cool instruments for sure, and like all instruments they come with their own design and construction challenges.
Author of the books Building the Steel String Acoustic Guitar and Mottola's Cyclopedic Dictionary of Lutherie Terms
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