Although it is a complex task, it is possible to build your own bass.
Basses are the largest, most expensive instruments in an orchestra. For those who are interested in owning a bass but would rather not spend the $500 necessary to buy one, there is always the option of building your own. Although a complex task, a simple but functional bass can be built by just about anyone.
Instructions
1. Decide on the size of the string bass you want to build and purchase the amount of mahogany or walnut wood that you will need to build it. Cut the bass's bout by securing mahogany or walnut wood, drawing out your preferred design and using a band saw to cut the wood into the shape of the design. This process will need to be repeated for the front, back and sides of the bass. When you are finished, glue the components together and let them dry.
2. Cut a bridge for your bass's strings. Cut a 3-inch by 2-inch block from a 1-inch-thick board with a band saw. Glue the bridge to the lower-middle portion of your bass's bout.
3. Cut 3-inch by 1-inch F-holes running vertically along the body of your bass, so that you have 2 F-holes, one on either side of the bridge.
4. Cut a 3-inch by 3 1/2-foot piece of walnut. Sand its front side into a smooth contour and sand down the corners. Glue it to the body of the base so that its lowest point is 1 foot above the bridge and its highest point is 3 feet above the body.
5. Glue two 2-inch by 3-inch slabs of wood to the top of the 3 1/2-foot wooden piece. Place the slabs on either side of the piece. Drill 2 holes in one side of the slab and 2 in the other.
6. Cut 4 notches in the bass's bridge with a band saw.
7. Lace 4 strings into the bass. Begin the strings in the bass's bridge and run them all the way to the top of the bass.
8. Screw pegs into the recently drilled holes. Lace the strings through the holes in the pegs, and then turn the pegs until the strings are coiled around them.
9. Paint the base with wood finish. Let it dry.
