"Tweaking" your setup

[anonymous0726]

Maybe come with a way to affix some weight to the scroll, like FarmerDude points out that Edgar was fooling with (above).

[farmerdude]

Thanks for the info Bob. (looks like your drawing is in proportion to my bass ) I bought this bass before I knew any better and hate to get rid of it sound wise. I have already moved the bridge up somewhat which left me 43 ¼”. Has anyone heard of trimming the neck where it joins the body?

[farmerdude]

Edger said that he used the weight to get rid of a buzz that he couldn't locate...he didn't mention any tone difference....I just thought it would be a cheap and quick way for you to experiment....

[anonymous0726]

I haven't heard of that, and I'm guessing that it wouldn't be recommended as it would weaken the neck considerably. The right way to do it ($$!) is to have the neck cut and grafted.

[farmerdude]

Originally posted by Ray Parker
have the neck cut and grafted.

Sorry for my ignorance but could you explain that to me?

[anonymous0726]

Sure.

What they do is carefully cut the pegbox and scroll from the end of the neck, cut some length off the neck, and then rejoin the pegbox and reshape the neck. Unless you have a LOT of money in the bass and really, REALLY love, it wouldn't be worth the cost. This type of thing is done in the high-end violin world a lot -- at great cost...

After having serious, near career-changing hand problems from playing a bass that I loved that was too long in the string for me, I beg bass players, as much as I can without being annoying, to get out of a bass that doesn't fit. Picture having to wear a velcro mit on your left hand to be able to pick up your beer.

[Don Higdon]

Originally posted by farmerdude


Sorry for my ignorance but could you explain that to me?

I'll try to scan in a picture of my neck graft. Remember, I'm low-tech.

[Don Higdon]

Actually, I've seen a very different neck graft by Lou DeLeone, wherein he simply took an inch out from the midpoint on the neck. His method of rejoining was a work of art. If you couldn't see the grain, you wouldn't believe it. I might be able to get a picture of that, too

[farmerdude]

Great, thanks...

[anonymous0726]

As I understand it, when they graft violin necks they cut at the pegbox and, if necessary to lengthen the neck, above the heel and put a whole new section in. I would guess that his technique would have been similar to the heel-cut.

[Sam Sherry]

Historically, violin necks were shorter two hundred years ago (and more). Most fine old violins have had the neck-graft thang: The neck is removed, the scroll is super-carefully sawn off the neck, the short neck is trashed, a new neck is made, and the scroll is reattached.

Try it with your Ibanez Soundgear -- made of Genuine "Luthite" -- before you make the effort on your Testore bass.

[Don Higdon]

I'm happy with the necks on all my Testore basses.

[sean p]

getting back to what ray wrote about the scroll having a significant effect on tone, i wonder what effect, if any, the addition of a c-extension would have on the tone of an instrument?

sean p

[Bob Branstetter]

When one asks if the addition of a C extension will change the tone of the instrument, the answer has to be a definite "it depends".

Several years ago, researchers in the Catgut Acoustical Society reported that matching the resonance frequency of the neck/fingerboard (B0) with the resonance frequency of the air volume of the body of the instrument (A0) can greatly improve the sound, response and feel of violin family instruments. Any additional weight added to the neck/fingerboard assembly will change the B0 frequency. If that additional weight happens to move the B0 frequency closer to the A0 frequency, you are likely to have a better playing instrument. If the additional weight from the C extension moves the B0 further from the A0, some very unpredictable things may occur.

I added a very light (maple with thin ebony finger board) C extension to one of my basses that changed the B0 frequency by just 2 cycles per second. The result in this bass was a change from a very well balanced responce to a bottom heavy response. I would hate to think what a solid ebony extension would have done to it. The good news is that it's not that difficult for a good luthier to re-tune the neck/fingerboard to re-establish matching A0 and B0 frequencies if the luthier has good sine wave generator and a few other necessary instruments and tools.

If there are any luthiers in this forum that are not familiar with this kind of tuning, please send me your email address. I wrote an article of the Michigan Violin Makers Assn. that appeared in their July 1997 newsletter that details how to go about matching A0 and B0 in basses. I will be glad to send an Adobe Acrobat copy of it to any luthier that is interested.