Noah Gilsdorf is a double-degree student at the University of Colorado Boulder working toward a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering and a bachelor of music in jazz studies. His performance focus is jazz bass, which includes both upright bass and electric bass.
For years I have been hearing from fellow students, teachers, and others I have met that I have an “odd combination” of majors. I have always wanted to find a way to combine the two majors and decided that the best way would be to build a bass from scratch. After a lot of research and several failures, I succeeded in building a bass from scratch. This video shows the process that I took, and how I was able to build a bass out of a small woodshop. The video gives an analysis of how the process went, how different steps affect the sound and the final product’s sound.
Funding for this project was provided by the SEE Student Grant Program in the Paul M. Rady Department of Mechanical Engineering. Details and application instructions for students interested in pursuing experiential learning opportunities are available online.