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Double Bass position markers on neck

D

DalmerM

Oct 15, 2002
27
0
North Carolina
www.myspace.com
#1
I know a good bass man (person) does not need a position marker on the neck to help him find the correct notes, but I do. I play bluegrass and country and often I loan my stand up to others to play who have played electric bass or guitar and need the crutch of knowing where the frets should be located at. (like me)

I measured the scale (wrote it down for future reference) and marked mine at what would be the 2nd, 4th, 5th and 7th frets if it had frets. I marked the 4th fret postition because in bluegrass the key of B (played on the bass's G string) is a common key. I figure to play the 1st, 3rd or 6th fret position, I mearly play halfway between the marks. I haven't progress far enough to go past the 7th fret position much yet.

I've seen some basses marked with carved notches in the side of the fingerboard, masking tape, thumbtacks, paint and inlayed pearl dots. I helped a friend mark his neck and we cut small triangles of adhesive reflective tape about the size of a thumbtack on the side of the fingerboard. This way he could remove the markers later when he learned the fingerboard. They'be been on there for about 6 months now and haven't come off yet.

I was wondering what fret positions and technique others use to mark their necks? (The ones like me, that need to that is)
 
#3
I got a chance to see CSO bassist Brad Opland's beautiful Bernadel (sp?) up close, and he had dots inlaid on the fingerboard. They marked the positions of the harmonics, though, rather than the stopped notes.

I understand Edgar Meyer has this feature on his bass as well.
 
#5
reminds me of a story I saw on the net not long ago (possibly here!, and possibly apochryphal) of a principal cellist who was disliked and not respected by his section-mates. He had been given a solo passage in one work they were performing and his first note was way up the fingerboard. When his devious colleagues discovered a discrete pencil-mark, apparently intended as a crutch to help hit this opening note, they serruptitiously moved it before a performance. Nasty !
 
#6
Several of my classical clients have requested dots in the last few years (Thanks, Edgar). I cut face-grain maple plugs and install them between the d and a strings. Everyone seems to have their own layout scheme. The most important thing for me is to work with the player, marking and then tweaking the actual positions using a white marker before installing the permanent dots...the spots have to look right to the player. Forget about measuring--we use an electronic tuner.
 
#9
I have a friend who builds original instruments (Mark Richard) who once made a stand up bass in the shape of a giant squash. Beautiful! If that was not radical enough he put frets in the neck made of coconut shells. As well as little wooden inlayed position makers in the shape of squash. The neck ran between the crook of the squash neck. He even invented his own manchanical wooden tuning keys. It sounded great, but someone stoled it in the early 1980's and it has never been seen since. It was not hard to spot in a crowd either. He never made another one like it.
 
#11
Originally posted by myrick
reminds me of a story I saw on the net not long ago (possibly here!, and possibly apochryphal) of a principal cellist who was disliked and not respected by his section-mates. He had been given a solo passage in one work they were performing and his first note was way up the fingerboard. When his devious colleagues discovered a discrete pencil-mark, apparently intended as a crutch to help hit this opening note, they serruptitiously moved it before a performance. Nasty !
Click to expand...


This has happened to a principal bassist in a major orchestra, and the story has been confirmed.
 
#12
I posted the story about the 'cellist on another of these boards. It was an anecdote in a hilarious unpublished novel by a former roommate who is now a very successful symphonic string player in Europe. His novel does for professional orchestras roughly what "Semi-Tough" did for the NFL.

In the story, the other musicians not only erased the surreptitious pencil mark -- they moved it!

I've never asked the author if this particular story was drawn from something he saw in real life, but I know from shared experiences that other anecdotes in the novel were, so I wouldn't be surprised.
 
#14
I did most of my initial learning on an old King that had three tiny edge markers. When I bought my next bass I thought I might put three subtle markers on the edge, but interestingly I found that *not* having the markers forced me to pay more attention to the muscular cues needed to find positions. Now I don't have to look at the bass to see where I am. I'm still shakey on thumb positions, but then I nnever liked the sound of bass played up there anyway ;-)
 
#18
I have mine marked up the side with straight pins. Select a good quality stainless steel pin, so they won't rust. Cut them app 3/16-1/4" long, use a tiny drill bit for a starter and just tap them in. We used a tuner and a pencil mark to lay out the positions. These work great, easily seen and felt by the player, but not as obvious as other marks I have seen. This is a matter of preference and playing style, but, I have 1 thru 5 marked.
 
#19
I have mine marked up the side with straight pins. Select a good quality stainless steel pin, so they won't rust. Cut them app 3/16-1/4" long, use a tiny drill bit for a starter and just tap them in. We used a tuner and a pencil mark to lay out the positions. These work great, easily seen and felt by the player, but not as obvious as other marks I have seen. This is a matter of preference and playing style, but, I have 1 thru 5 marked.
 
#20
I'm about to shrivel up and die because all of a sudden I can't hit notes for s***. The horn player sitting in front of me in the pit has been making faces at the drummer every time I hit a clinker and the more I worry about it, the worse it gets. I feel like every night is an audition! In utter humiliation I have marked the fingerboard with black tape and feel like a beginner, but it fixed 95% of the clinkers.

I feel so much better finding this post and knowing that it's not totally frowned on to have inlaid markers. I laid down DB for several years and had a custom-built fretless EB with inlaid lines that always worked out great for me. I'm still having a tough time getting my Db technique back after 2 years of practicing VERY consistently (I swear!) and gigging. Ah need all the help ah can get!
 

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