Bass of the Week: Joe Goldsmith Fretless Singlecut Bass

We’re featuring another incredible bass made by an amateur builder this week. Bassist Joe Goldsmith sent us some pictures of a stunning singlecut bass he built to suit his style. The eighteen-year-old, who mainly plays double bass, decided to make something that would make him feel more at home on an electric.

Joe Goldsmith Singlecut Bridge

“As a double bassist, I’ve found that I’m not immediately comfortable on electric basses, so I set out to make my own,” he tells us. “My biggest problem with ‘standard’ bass guitars is how short the fingerboard is; for that reason I built this fingerboard long enough to reach the pickup, leaving plenty of room for the right hand. For that same reason, this bass has an unlined board and features very minimal controls (just a simple volume knob).”

Goldsmith got the wood to build his dream instrument for under $100 by utilizing reclaimed Lebanese Cedar for the body and working for a guitar-building friend in exchange for a East Indian Rosewood top. The fingerboard is Macassar Ebony. He opted for simplicity in electronics by fitting the bass with a single bridge soapbar matched to a single volume control.

Scale:33 1/4”
Strings:5
Body:Lebanese Cedar (Chambered)
Top:East Indian Rosewood
Neck:3-piece Rock Maple with book-matched Flame Maple headstock cap
Fingerboard:Fretless Macassar Ebony, Unlined
Nut Width:47mm
Thickness at 1st Fret:19mm
Pickup:Single Soapbar
Electronics:Passive with Single Volume Control
Bridge Spacing:17mm
Weight:~9lbs

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Share your thoughts

  1. Good gravy, he could build a bass for me any time he wanted.

  2. Bob DeRosa

    Looks great. Hope Joe eventually does a YouTube video to demonstrate it.

  3. Srdjan

    Is that a hole under the bridge?

  4. Steevo

    Deep mwaaah…

  5. john weber

    Can you make me 1…..wow beautiful bass ….would really like too hear you play it …you have a youtube video yet

  6. Paul Docherty

    Stunning, would love to hear it in action! Keep me posted should you post a video…

  7. :Good job young man. Love the thought and workmanship involved with this build. You may have found your calling.

  8. Tolbert Pitman

    I want one!

  9. Mike Matthews

    Sign me up : )

  10. Are you sure you are an amateur luthier? ;) Impressive

  11. I like that art deco logo.

  12. Spectacular! I’m a keyboard player, but I peruse this site just to see the workmanship of handmade instruments. I’m stunned by your design and workmanship, especially from someone so young. Engineering, craft, art. Just wanted to chime in with my congratulations! Best of luck.