- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
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10 string bass build
- Thread starter Ric5
- Start date
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
I think of you move the bridge pickup back towards the bridge a tiny bit more you could fit a single coil in between them.
Make the front of the bass “all pickups all the time!”
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
I think of you move the bridge pickup back towards the bridge a tiny bit more you could fit a single coil in between them.
I think I am just going with 2 pickups on this build now
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
I made more progress on the bridge. I still have to cut slots on the bridge.
Interesting. I take it the forward saddle (closest to the nut) is for the octave string, and rear saddle for the bass string? And the idea is to file down the opposite side of either saddle from the string so that other string can pass right over? It's a pretty smart way to get around the complete lack of OTS hardware. I bet you could have the saddles drawn up in a CAD program and then laser cut, too.
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
HMMM ... I hadn't thought about the cad laser angle.
I generally take parts and modify them to meet my needs.
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
wow I found this on the internet ... 15 string bass
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- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
"How I spent my Summer Vacation" haha
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
A note about intonation adjustment on 10-strings:
On the 10-strings that Keith and I built, I put 10 individual saddles in the bridge. But when it was all built and set up, I was surprised to find that there was very little difference in intonation position between each pair. The B string was about 0.060", but the other four were 0.020"-0.040". Barely noticeable. And the amounts were predictable.
So, I don't see any problem with using a 5-saddle bridge to build a 10-string bass. If the saddles have 0.060" of thickness, so you can file a small angle correction, you could pre-set the intonation difference between each octave.
The intonation adjustment needed for each octave pair was typical for a 5-string bass: About 0.060" on the G down to about 0.350" on the B.
You can see what I mean here. All that work to make the paired saddles, and there's hardly any difference between the root and octave of each pair. The octaves are back slightly farther.
On the 10-strings that Keith and I built, I put 10 individual saddles in the bridge. But when it was all built and set up, I was surprised to find that there was very little difference in intonation position between each pair. The B string was about 0.060", but the other four were 0.020"-0.040". Barely noticeable. And the amounts were predictable.
So, I don't see any problem with using a 5-saddle bridge to build a 10-string bass. If the saddles have 0.060" of thickness, so you can file a small angle correction, you could pre-set the intonation difference between each octave.
The intonation adjustment needed for each octave pair was typical for a 5-string bass: About 0.060" on the G down to about 0.350" on the B.
You can see what I mean here. All that work to make the paired saddles, and there's hardly any difference between the root and octave of each pair. The octaves are back slightly farther.
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
The 8 string bass I built came together pretty easy ... but simply making it a 10 string introduced many more problems to solve ... even one of the volume pots was bad on installation
- Jan 29, 2008
- 29,772
- 30,452
- Disclosures
- I like 5, 8, 10, and 12 string basses
I took a perfectly good Schaller 5 string bridge and frankensteined it into a 10 string bridge I used the 8 string as a go by as to the saddle spacing. I had to drill 5 new hole for octave strings and make my own saddles and machine them to size. Also the string extender behind the bridge give the string enough length to keep the wound part of the string out of the tuner at the headstock .... remember this is a 30" scale bass with long scale strings.
I am not happy with the neck pickup and that will get replaced, and the intonation at the 24th fret will probably be off, I am only really concerned about the intonation up to the 14th fret
and currently the nut is too high and needs to be modified.
and funny ... the truss rod has not yet been adjusted. Also 24 frets on a 10 string bass is insane, but it helps me seat the neck into the body with 6 screws
