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24 Fret basses...

#43
I've had 2 different 24 fret basses (a BC Rich Bich and my current MTD Kingston Heir). I like having the 2 octave range mainly because it's fun to play riffs/fills way up the neck as opposed to a lower position like I have to do with my Precision bass.

Plus I think it just looks cooler! (maybe I'm a wanna-be guitard?) :D
 
#44
First of all, the RBX 170, though cheap, can be a good bass if you know how to set it up. I've been using mine for years, though it's had problems, all were moderately easy to fix. Nothing I hadn't seen happen to basses 3x its value.
Now to the fret issue...
For me, 24 frets is just what I feel comfortable looking at. It makes sense symmetrically. Also, being a double bass player primarily, I'm use to having a lot of fingerboard to work with (my fingerboard extends to what would be the 31st fret). And that's been standard for decades. I feel ripped off, honestly, on basses that get cut off on the 20th fret. I don't need all that empty space between the neck and the pickups :eyebrow: I never understood that one :confused:
 
#45
patRICK4003 said:
I've noticed that my Fender Jazz has considerably less fret buzz, even when I dig my fingers in. This could just be due to its better truss rod/ action adjustability, but it also seems that having 24 frets (like on my Yamaha) contributed to its fret buzz, even with a pathetically high action.
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Fretbuzz is caused by the string hitting the frets, and this occurs usually at the midpoint (think about how a string vibrates). For the 22+ fret to actually be the cause of string buzz, you need to be playing way up at the 11th fret or so - and everyone obviously knows bassists should stick to the first 5 frets anyway.

Serious answer: Get your bass setup properly. ALL basses, regardless of the number of frets can buzz if setup badly. Yamaha necks are quite thin and hence will need seasonal adjustment, it's the reason they build trussrods into the things.

Secondly, open your mind to more music :rollno:
 
#46
These were one of the first twenty four fretters , I suppose we can blame the whole thing on those folks from Neptune NJ .

dan.jpg
 
#47
Bryan R. Tyler said:
Fret count has nothing to do with how far the reach to the first fret is. On a given scale length, additional frets are added going towards the bridge- they do not add any length to the neck.
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The way the cutouts and contours are laid out, they definitely feel different to me. I miss my mark a lot on 24-fret basses when I'm not looking. Again, I'm sure I'd get used to it.
 
#50
patRICK4003 said:
Yeah, basically it adds 3 or 4 high notes that your average bassist would never consider going near.
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I'll be the first to admit there is nothing "average" about me, but, for example, I use the 24th fret on an old blues tune, doing a two octave slide down to the open E. I don't go past the third fret on the rest of that tune.

polyrhythmia said:
One thing about 24 frets is that it reduces the area available for plucking and picking. I would be fine with 20 frets or even 0 frets.
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You can pick or pluck over the fretboard. Well, at least I can, and occasionally do. :)

patRICK4003 said:
Apparently you didn't read my original post, it was a Yahama RBX170. Yahama makes basses. Unfortunately.
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Yamaha makes some great basses. Sorry you didn't like your's.


patRICK4003 said:
What is it with this forum and condescending sarcasm?
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Well, Patrick, this is likely the 100th thread about 24 fret basses, many of them putting down 24 frets as being more than a "real" bassist would use. Maybe we're a little tired of it.

Your Yamaha didn't have fret buzz because of 24 frets. It was set up wrong, had uneven frets or a bad neck. There is nothing wrong with the tone of notes in the upper register. There are many "real" bassists who play instruments with 24 frets, and even use them all at times.

Look, man, I see that you just joined Talk Bass, so maybe hang back, read a bunch of the old threads, and get a feel for things first. We really aren't normally a sarcastic or mean-spirited group. Honest! :)
 
#51
WoodyG3 said:
Well, Patrick, this is likely the 100th thread about 24 fret basses, many of them putting down 24 frets as being more than a "real" bassist would use. Maybe we're a little tired of it.

Your Yamaha didn't have fret buzz because of 24 frets. It was set up wrong, had uneven frets or a bad neck. There is nothing wrong with the tone of notes in the upper register. There are many "real" bassists who play instruments with 24 frets, and even use them all at times.

Look, man, I see that you just joined Talk Bass, so maybe hang back, read a bunch of the old threads, and get a feel for things first. We really aren't normally a sarcastic or mean-spirited group. Honest! :)
Click to expand...

+1
 
#52
The 24 fret Fender "Jazz Bass'' that is made in Korea, and looks nothing like a Jazz Bass, is the best sounding Bass I have, that was before the Duncan Designed pre-amp fried. I'm working on replacing the electronics.

If it sounds good, then it's a good bass.
 
#55
My first bass was an Rbx 260. I used the gc return policy to trade it for a 760a. I have since moved to Fenders because of the sound I'm after and the feel of a really thin j neck. I still love the body shape of my yam though. Also the quality for the money you pay is huge compared to fenders. Abalone dots, contoured heel, angled head, awesome tuners, highmass bridge, trans finish, matching headstock all under $500 new... They sell for half that used.

I have played a couple of 170's and didnt like them, maybe I'm just used to my 760. One was a guy who I know didn't set it up. The other one was at gc, so same but neither seemed to have the heavy body of mine which im picky about.

That said, I recently set mine up and had to shim the neck at the front of the pocket due to the neck being kinda bent - I bottomed out the truss rod and still can't get it straight. Didn't solve it but made it better. May get a j neck for it since I'm in love with them. That would make it a 32" scale though. Maybe a fretless.
 

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