Part 1 - Early February 2008

Part 1: Why? Why build one, when there are lots of them available? What’s my time worth? Why not just spend the $3000 to get a really well-built, beautiful-sounding electric instrument? Well, partly because I don’t have the $3000 to drop all at once. Partly because I don’t want to rack up $3000 more in credit-card debt. And mostly because I want to play a nice instrument that I’ve built, mostly with my own hands. Well, OK, not all of it is hand-built. The parts of the cello that I’m planning to make with my own hands are the tailpiece, bridge template and the neck and fingerboard. The rest of it, the body, bridge, and various hardware, is either in my possession now, on order, or waiting to be ordered, pending a later step in this process. I’ve ordered all of the parts I’ll need, except for the transducer bridge. I can’t order the bridge until I:

1. Decide on the number of strings that I want. I’m wavering between a 5-string and a 6-string cello, but will most likely go with a 5-string design (especially since I only ordered 5 tuning machines).
2. Make a bridge template.

So, the steps to my finished cello, as I see them now, are:

1. Settle on a design.
2. Acquire the various parts for the body, neck, etc.
3. Mark the neck design on the neck blank.
4. Rough-cut the neck.
5. Rough-cut the fingerboard blank to fit the neck.
6. Do the fine carving and finishing on the neck.
7. Cut the holes for the tuning machines, and fit them.
8. Install the truss rod in the neck.
9. Do the initial carving of the fingerboard, for the radius.
10. Glue the fingerboard to the neck.
11. Finish-sand the neck and fingerboard.
12. With the neck attached to the body, take measurements for the bridge template.
13. Cut a tailpiece template (if I can’t find a 5- or 6-string tailpiece that will work).
14. Cut a bridge template.
15. String up the cello for a play-test.
16. Assuming that the play-test works out (that is, if the neck doesn’t snap in two), order the transducer bridge.
17. After the transducer bridge arrives, install it on the cello.
18. Install a preamp for the bridge. Most electric instruments of this nature have some sort of preamping, and I’m assuming that mine will be no exception.
19. Final play-test.
20. Assuming the final play-test works out (that is, if the neck doesn’t snap in two, or something else bad happens – in case you haven’t noticed by now, I’m particularly worried about the neck that I’m going to carve), disassemble the cello for final sanding and finishing.
21. Final sanding of the neck and body.
22. Finishing of the neck.
23. Finishing of the fingerboard.
24. Finishing of the body.
25. Reassembly.
26. Done!

Of course, these are the steps as I see them right now, but I see already that by thinking out the process this far, I have a much clearer idea of the path ahead of me. Up to now, I’ve been sort of just imagining and envisioning the finished project, without any thought of what I might need to do to get there. So far, I’ve done most of step 1, and most of step 2. I’ve just ordered a set of strings tonight, and have gotten shipment confirmation emails for a shipment of various other parts (tuners, nuts, etc.). The adventure begins in earnest tomorrow, when I start to design the layout of the neck on the neck blank that I have.

So here are a few pictures before I've started carving. The body is from a Zeta Strados Crossover bass. The neck blank (second picture) is Honduran Mahogany. The fingerboard (third picture) is Zebrawood.