Hi friends and family,
While I can’t be handling most musical instruments and tools for a couple of weeks I thought I’d update you all on the latest stuff from my shop, David T Design. Here are some pics of the latest David T Design bass, the SCT-1, named after my awesome wife, Susan. SCT are her initials.
This bass is what is known as a “neck-through” instrument meaning; the neck goes all the way through the body rather than attached to the body with bolts, or glued to the body. “Body wings” are then glued to the top and bottom of the neck. A neck-through instrument will have more sustain and the neck will be more stable in most cases.
The neck of this beast is a 7-piece lamination of Brazilian Rosewood and Honduran Mahogany with a thin Maple veneer between each piece. The weight-relieved body wings are Honduran Mahogany and Wenge, with a Spalted, Flame Maple top. Maple veneer is between each laminated piece, as on the neck. The Maple veneer adds some extra color to the wood while adding a ‘tich‘ more high-end tone.
The fingerboard is Gaboon Ebony, which is a ‘sustainable’ and legal Ebony. It is quite black while showing streaks of Chocolate Heartwood. The headstock has an Ebony cap as well as the body, between the Spalted Maple wings. I designed it to appear as if the fingerboard runs from ‘tip to toe’. A bit of an illusion from the audience’s perspective.
This fingerboard is extra long. Traditional basses have twenty or twenty-one frets. Many modern basses us twenty-four frets. I designed this bass with twenty-four regular frets. And then, two-and-a-half more partial frets. I did this because I could. And . . . the curved end of the fingerboard is a part of the design elements of this bass.
All of these woods are very good tonewoods. The Rosewood has a solid, mid-high sound. Mahogany gets a nice low-mid-range tone. Wenge gives the bass a heavy, mid-range growl. And, the Maple has a solid high-end tone. The Ebony also gives the instrument a high-end tone.
The neck woods are also tapered from body to headstock. The principle behind using tapered lengths of wood is, because the neck tapers (is wider at the heel than at the headstock), it keeps the ratio of width consistent, up and down the neck, making the neck stronger and more solid, thereby adding another element to the tonefulness of the bass.
As pretty as these woods are, all laminated together, the overall tone is heavy, growling, and precise, when played with clean electronics to amplify it. I chose Delano pickups and electronics because they are ultra-clean and are capable of adding lots of tonal options to the bass.
The Bridge is a rather new design from Ray Ross. The “pins” that anchor the strings go straight to the body, rather than being bent into unnatural positions as a traditional bridge does. This design anchors the strings to the body giving the bass more sustain and picking up more of the tonewood character.
This bass is a BEAST!!!!! I have never played a bass that sounds and feels so solid and toneful! It rivals many Fender Precision basses for punch and gritty clarity and, rings like a bell with beautiful harmonics to be found all over the neck.
Thanks for reading. Please, please, stay safe. Don’t take any chances with your health and life. And above all, the health and lives of your friends and loved ones.
Love to all,
David T
p.s. Comments are very welcome. You can comment at the end of this article.
Check Out the Alignment of the Tuners. I Incorporated That As a Design Element. It Also Feels Right, Ergonomically. As You’re Tuning, Your Hand Seems To Naturally Follow The Tuner Placement.
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