How would I go about making a violin bass more trebly and growly?
 

I want something hollow body and I am liking the violin style more and more.

I enjoy the rounded tone of most of the violin basses. However I enjoy the growl and treble cut of say a Danelectro.

Sticking with the humbuckers on a violin bass how would I get more of that treble out of one?

I would like to use tapewounds on one. I think that would give some nice percussive quality. How about a pot change to 500k? What about some aftermarket pickups? Maybe a different wiring setup for series/parrallel?

What could be done to acheieve what I am after?

I am thinking about the Douglas violin bass from Rondo as a platform.

If you want trebly and growly, tapewounds are a step in the completely wrong direction.

Man, that sound's not what those type of basses are about. You'll spend at least the price of the original bass modifying it to TRY to sound like what it ain't... probably won't be that successful, either.
How about just getting a different type of bass, one that sounds more like what you're wanting?

sell it and buy a jazz bass or a Rick

You haven't got a violin bass yet? Most of the violins out there have the same pickups and bridges. Epiphone and Douglass use the Vol/Tone/Vol controls. Hofner, Jay Turser and many others use the Hofner style controls, with two volume knobs and three switches, one for each pickup and one for solo/rhythm. I have a Hofner and Rogue with the switches. I think they look better. With the neck pickup on about 2/3 and and rolling on the bridge pickup volume, you can get all the treble bite you can stand. I use only round wounds as for me, they have much better clarity and bite. If you want thumpy, just turn the bridge pickup volume back and solo the neck pickup and you get all the thumpy you can stand.
If you are aiming at the Hofner look, I think the Rogue violin is the best looking and is truly hollow at $219, it's a real bargain. Some of the others are actually cut from a plywood block and the sides are about 3/4" thick. Some of the others have solid black sides as they are the edge of the plywood block. If the sides are wood grain, they are truly hollow and will have a better acoustic sound.

I was thinking outside the box a bit. I could get a knockoff violin bass for cheaper then what I want. Thinking some simple mods would get me where I would want to be.

No I don't have one yet. Been looking around at different ones. The Rogue seems like it may be up my alley. I really want to try tapewounds on one and go from there. If I can get as much treble and bite out of the controls as you say I think it may work out great. I need to do some more research on the Rogues.

I have a ten year old Rogue and one I bought in July '12. The older one was solid black on the sides, the new is hollow with kerfing around the edges like an acoustic guitar. If you look at the MF on line, the sides are flamed maple just like the top and back.
I play my Hofner and the Rogue interchangeably, they are both terrific.

Tape wounds sound terrific. I haven't used them for years and so can't tell about now, but, when I did use them, they didn't seem to last long. I just have had such good luck with nickle and stainless round wounds that I just don't use anything else.

Think of roundwounds. Hofner /Pyramid makes them in the correct length Labella might.

Diesel Kilgore
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