How to Make a Long-Scale 5-String Bass Guitar
- 1). Cut the body of the bass. Decide on a shape that you like and, using a vertical band saw, cut the rough shape from a bass body blank. These medium-sized pieces of maple can be purchased at music supply stores on-line. Use an orbital sander to finish the shape and create contours on the back and where the arm rests on the bass.
- 2). Cut the routs for the five-string pickups. These pickups are about an inch wider than standard bass pickups but the same depth and basic shape. Measure your pickups and rout the body respectively. You want equal space on each side of the strings when finished.
- 3). Cut the neck pocket. Five-string necks are substantially wider than standard necks, so cut the neck pocket to accommodate the neck you will make, which can vary depending on the string spacing.
- 4). Rout out a control cavity in the back of the body. This will hold the electronics if you have any and allow you to attach volume and tone pots to the bass. Drill holes large enough to accommodate the shafts of the pots in the desired locations.
- 5). Buy a extended-scale five-string bass neck. This is an easy way to make a long-scale five-string bass, as necks are very complicated to make on your own. Scale lengths vary up to 36 inches, but the standard five-string long-scale neck is 35 inches from the bridge to the nut.
- 6). Attach the neck using the screw pattern already cut into the heel of the neck. Most five-string necks use five screws for stability set up in an asymmetrical pattern; this will prevent the neck from shifting.
- 7). Attach the bridge. Line up the strings with the bridge and neck with each string traveling over the pickups. The magnets used to transmit the sound from the pickup are bars, so exact placement is unnecessary, but it is best to have equal amount of extra pickup on each side for aesthetics.
- 8). Drop the pickups in and wire them to the volume and tone pots. You may need to drill small holes from the pickup cavities to the control cavity to run the wires.
Source...