Maple top bass and guitar

[Peter Wilcox]

A guy I jam with wanted me to make him a bass of my own design, so here's what I came up with. Thought I'd make a guitar too while I was at it. They have chambered alder bodies with maple tops, and alder and walnut laminated necks with maple fretboards, headstock veneer and truss rod covers. Stacked tone and volume controls, and a 3 way switch on the guitar. I cut the chambers in the bass before I thought it through, so it doesn't have a belly carve.

[Peter Wilcox]

The headstocks.

[Dan Smith]

These are unique and quite nice, Peter!
Some really good Maple, love the color!
Did you dye the wood or finish?
How did you get the dark line between the body and top?
Groovy headstocks!
Dan

[Hans Bezemer]

A great couple, you've made!

[Peter Wilcox]

Thanks Hans - glad you like them.

Dan - the dark line is plastic binding. As for the color, I dyed the wood by wiping on very dilute Transtint medium brown, then sanded back the surface and wiped on garnet shellac, and finished as usual with lacquer over that.