Last chance: 36" - what strings?

[Sandu]

Tomorrow I'm going to leave the 50% deposit to the local luthier to start work on my dream 8 string fretless tuned F#-F, and I have everything sorted out EXCEPT the scale length. I want to get the full 36", but I'm afraid I won't have strings to fit. Even worse, this is Europe, so the only available options are a Warwick .175 F# and a Pyramid high F to go with whatever 6 string set will fit, that is if I can find the single warwick string, I only saw it in sets here.

Will the F and F# from those brands fit a 36" scale bass? Also, what 6 string set will fit the scale? What other options are there? I REALLY don't want a shorter scale, I simply hate the way my 34" basses feel, like I'm playing spaghetti.

[Bass Below]

I just measured my Warwick .175. distance from ball to the first taper is about 37.25", I'll measure my SIT/Conklin .165 for you too, since that should work out OK for an F# on a 36" scale, gimmee a minute.

[Bass Below]

The SIT .165 is even shorter, less than 37". Do you know what kind of bridge he plans to use? Ask him if the bridge will use up more than 1" of the string. If not, you should be OK, if it does, I would think that getting the scale length would take priority and you can tell him to find a bridge that will allow you to use a string that is only 37" from ball to taper.

By the way, I'm measuring from the edge of the ball closest to the string, not the distant end of the ball, so what you need to make sure of is that the distance between the point where the ball contacts the bridge and the nut is equal to or less than 37.25". In fact to play it safe I would use 37" as a reference to account for inconsistencies in the manufacturing of the string.

OR, just contact Skip at Knuckle Guitar Works. I'm sure he has or will soon have strings made for 36" scale basses

[Sandu]

He'll be using the single string/monorail type bridge, so that's about 1-1.25" of string length used there.

@Bass Below: BTW any opinions on Warwick vs. Sit/Conklin F#?

[Bass Below]

Originally Posted by Sandu

He'll be using the single string/monorail type bridge, so that's about 1-1.25" of string length used there.

@Bass Below: BTW any opinions on Warwick vs. Sit/Conklin F#?

I've tried one of each, so I'll try not to cast an absolute opinion on either, once again due to possible inconsistencies in manufacturing, that disclaimer aside....

I love the increased tension that the Warwick gave me over the .165 SIT, but judging on string construction alone, I'd say the SIT Conklin is the better string. The Warwick seemed a little unstable, sonically and visually (looking down the length of the string, I could actually see imperfections in the winding). In the end I decided to stick with the .175 because I play mostly in live situations and the playability of the string was more important to me than than the instability of the open strings resonance. If I were recording, I would go with the .165 and play with a somewhat lighter touch.

[Sandu]

Any other ideas? The clock's ticking, I don't want an unusable bass... I've got about 14 hours remaining, and I'll be sleeping through more than half of them.

[Bass Below]

Originally Posted by Sandu

Any other ideas? The clock's ticking, I don't want an unusable bass... I've got about 14 hours remaining, and I'll be sleeping through more than half of them.

Have you tried Skip at Knuckle Guitar Works?

[justinbass]

Longer strings do exist, but they are pricey and custom made. Knuckle basses are 39.5in scale for example.

[Bass Below]

Originally Posted by justinbass

Longer strings do exist, but they are pricey and custom made. Knuckle basses are 39.5in scale for example.

The Quakes are 39.5" scale, but he's also working on other stuff, so he may already have a source for 36" scale strings, and if not, he will. Any company that makes extra long scale strings would work fine on a 36" scale, but Sandu is looking for something heavier than what they currently offer.

[envika]

Custom order?

[Sandu]

Again, this is Romania, custom orders aren't available here, and getting a custom set from the US, or anything else actually is gonna be both VERY expensive and a lengthy process. That's why I'm so keen on finding regular string sets to fit the bass.

Anyway, since the Warwick Dark Lord set is made for a 35" scale (and also from Bass Below's measurements) I think it's safe to assume I have 4 strings right there, so I'll need the D, G, C and F strings. The only single strings available here with an F are Pyramid, I looked them up and came up with almost nothing, their site is dated and they didn't return my email so far...

[wiro]

Don't be so pessimistic:
You can order a custom set from Pyramid strings in Germany.
http://www.pyramidstrings.com/
Mail them and you'll probably get an answer from Max. He's a very nice guy to deal with.

I had a similar issue with my Aries Rian because of the funny wooden bridge and through body construction on my 35". They make me a 100 cm. 6 string set for only about 20 euro on top of the normal price.

[alexclaber]

Overwater may be worth contacting.

Alex

[cnltb]

Originally Posted by wiro

Don't be so pessimistic:
You can order a custom set from Pyramid strings in Germany.
http://www.pyramidstrings.com/
Mail them and you'll probably get an answer from Max. He's a very nice guy to deal with.

I had a similar issue with my Aries Rian because of the funny wooden bridge and through body construction on my 35". They make me a 100 cm. 6 string set for only about 20 euro on top of the normal price.

I agree, that Pyramid are very nice and easy to deal with.
They make very nice strings too.
They make me strings for a long 5.

Newtone strings are worth while also
Just as Max at Pyramid, Malcolm at Newtone is very nice and willing to accomodate, as well as being able to do so.

[Peter H. Boer]

I used to use GHS Bass Boomers extra long scale (38" winding) which fit all 4 of my 36" scale six strings perfectly.

The Bass Boomers in 38" are difficult to get in Europe (NL) now, so I switched to d'Addario, that also have these extra long strings.

Peter

[Sandu]

Originally Posted by wiro

Don't be so pessimistic:
You can order a custom set from Pyramid strings in Germany.
http://www.pyramidstrings.com/
Mail them and you'll probably get an answer from Max. He's a very nice guy to deal with.

I had a similar issue with my Aries Rian because of the funny wooden bridge and through body construction on my 35". They make me a 100 cm. 6 string set for only about 20 euro on top of the normal price.

THANK YOU! I got scared at the last moment and went for the 35", luckily it's just starting, I can change it. Now, I'm only a couple of months away from my dream bass. Now if only they'd return my email...

BTW: Very nice bass you've got there!

[steverosati]

Go to bass player mags web site and get the DEC 2004 edition this was the string thing, they had 142 different sets with all the lengths and thickness. This is what I used when I got My AJ model from Fodera I needed a long set and it was hard to find. This edition helped a lot.
Good luck

[jonno1707]

Fodera sells extended range string sets..
http://fodera.ssl-central.com/store/...r-strings.aspx
Just choose XL in the drop down menu..

[Roland777]

Sandu, the Warwick .175 will NOT work with a "36-scale. It's barely enough to fit the "35 Vampire Dark Lord (string starts to taper over the nut). Sure, the Warwick two-piece bridges use up a little more string-length than your standard toploading single bridge, but it's not enough to warrant a "36.
In either case, I wish you luck with Pyramid strings.

[knuckle_head]

FWIW - I do have a 36" scale prototype that is going in to production that will sport a F#/E. It would indeed be a safer bet to build out at a 35" scale length, but my needs are intended to serve several builders and I bet I can provide something viable in about 6 to 8 weeks time.