Re-defret of a frankenfretless

[Shardik]

Got a string set in the mail today. Result: Too short strings! My bass has a 34 inch scale.
http://www.daddario.com/DADProductDe...__Medium_Scale

Fits medium scale basses with a string scale length of up to 34 inches.

They are too short and probably suitable for 32 "basses ...

[neebs]

Ah, I guess I got totally distracted by the pictures and skipped the 'flatwound' strings in the beginning post. I love chromes, they're awesome. I tried some new fender flats.. and they sounded too... lack of better term.. undefined.

I have my bass tuned up to A standard with chromes. Man.. my c string sings like crazy.
I want to try some ti flats one day.. but chromes give me the tone I want about 90% of the time. I could never be happy with rounds, I tried.

edit: Ah, I just barely seen the picture of your bass. It has a pretty finish. Have you tried chromes before?

[Shardik]

Originally Posted by neebs

edit: Ah, I just barely seen the picture of your bass. It has a pretty finish. Have you tried chromes before?

Thanks.

No, I didn't try Chromes before. This is my first fretless. I use roundwounds on my fretted bass, and like it the way it is. For me flatwounds are for fretless. YMMV, of course.

[Shardik]

I could not control myself anymore: I chose to put it all back together with the old roundwound bass strings today. It sounds great. Sliding to and from the notes are such a lot smoother. I look forward to getting flatwounds on. Wear on the fretboard does not seem to be an immediate concern, so the finish seems solid enough.

I'll post pictures later of the completed bass when the flatwound strings have arrived and been put to the test.

[Shardik]

A bit on the side of the topic: While waiting for strings, I fixed a faulty treble control in the bass.

I had long thought that the potentiometer needed a cleaning because it did not work at all, but when I took a closer look at the cable nest in the bass, I found two loose wires and two terminals on the treble potentiometer without any connection. I soldered the wires back on (slightly educated guess on which one was which), and voila (!), I had a fully functioning treble control as well.

[Shardik]

Here are some pictures of the finished neck:








Here I tried to use reflections to show the even surface of the neck:


The complete bass:

[neebs]

Are they fender flats on em?

[Shardik]

Originally Posted by neebs

Are they fender flats on em?

Yes, Fender 9050CL. I find them very well suited for this bass.

[Shardik]

I recently bought a Boss RC-30 LoopStation, and here is a simple demo sound clip, featuring this bass:

http://soundcloud.com/sarges-bootcamp/loopertest01

[neebs]

I tried those exact strings. I absolutely loved them brand new up to about a month and a half of play time. After that.. soso.

[Shardik]

Originally Posted by neebs

I tried those exact strings. I absolutely loved them brand new up to about a month and a half of play time. After that.. soso.

What changed? Did you use them on a fretted or a fretless bass?

It is normal that bass strings lose some of the sparkle after they are broken in. To me that is not a problem. I like the somewhat duller thump of a broken in string.

[neebs]

Indeed it is normal! And you will get a duller thump sound from this string. It doesn't sound band, not at all! But, you will only be able to get that one sound from it pretty much. So if you're after that old school sound, you'll get it with Fender flats. I just preferred a tad bit more treble in the string. Chromes gave me that. Not even as bright as rounds, but a quite a bit more sparkle than fender flats.

I'd compare Chromes to about my 3-4 week broken fender flats, I loved them! And if I roll off the tone knobs, they sound just like well broken in Fender flats.

Oh btw, I played the Fender flats on a fretted neck. I'd imagine they sound even more subdued on your fretless neck.. in an awesome way. Post another soundclip when they're broke in. I'd love to hear 'em.

[Shardik]

Well, when they were brand new, I actually had to turn the treble down a bit, but as the Fender strings are settling in, I think they will balance out well.

I am currently hunting for a fitting case for this bass. Being about 122-123cm long, this bass is a challenge.
In the meantime I tuned it down from EADG to DGCF. It sounds just cool, powerful and deep. I was afraid the strings would get too flabby, but that was no problem at all. I think DGCF will be my new standard bass tuning, at least on this bass.

[neebs]

I also turned the treble down when they were new.

I tried dgcf for about 2 days. I liked the low d, but wasn't ready for a commitment to that tuning. They're definitely high tension, and can support drop tuning.

[Meatsim009]

Great job bro. Glad to see that you learned a bit by trial and error. My project (you can see the album below) was as much about me seeing a project through to completion as it was to learn new skills. Never would've thought I'd ever do this, but I've done it, and I'm starting to toy with project number 2 now!!!

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...1&l=ceb87e44fa

[Shardik]

Nice! I like the way you match the fret slot lines with the body coloring.

You should really start a build thread for your next project here on talkbass. I know many people love to admire and learn from build threads.

[Meatsim009]

Originally Posted by Shardik

Nice! I like the way you match the fret slot lines with the body coloring.

You should really start a build thread for your next project here on talkbass. I know many people love to admire and learn from build threads.

Fave colour is green. The maple veneer was a perfect match for the fretslots (WIN)

I could start a thread for the old one, I spose... cheers man