30” Scale Compact Semi-acoustic Fretless Bass Build

[rudy4444]

sound files!!! beautiful instrument

Thanks kindly. I'll get to posting sound files and/or video clips soon.

I'm getting to know her, but it's a very fluid bass to play and I'm really liking the bridge pickup. It has an instantly likable timbre and I could be totally satisfied with only the bridge pickup. The MM-style magnetic retains the typical electric bass sound and it's great to have it available, but the bridge pickup just sounds so full...

 

[JLW]

Do you have the option to blend both magnetic and piezo? That has potential to sound cool too. I would be curious to hear whether the piezo can cut through in a band setting.

 

[rudy4444]

Do you have the option to blend both magnetic and piezo? That has potential to sound cool too. I would be curious to hear whether the piezo can cut through in a band setting.

Do you have the option to blend both magnetic and piezo? That has potential to sound cool too. I would be curious to hear whether the piezo can cut through in a band setting.

I have the option to do it externally (I'll demonstrate that in a video when I get time to do some demo stuff), but no internal blending included. (See photo#107 and accompanying text).
My intention wasn't to make them internally bendable but it could certainly be done with a buffering pre-amp having a standard and high impedance input capability. Either of the pickups could be used effectively in a band situation, and my last bass had only the single MM style magnetic and worked fine as a gigging bass. It saw a lot of bar time and this one wouldn't be any different in that respect.

 

[Will1717]

I have the option to do it externally (I'll demonstrate that in a video when I get time to do some demo stuff), but no internal blending included. (See photo#107 and accompanying text).
My intention wasn't to make them internally bendable but it could certainly be done with a buffering pre-amp having a standard and high impedance input capability. Either of the pickups could be used effectively in a band situation, and my last bass had only the single MM style magnetic and worked fine as a gigging bass. It saw a lot of bar time and this one wouldn't be any different in that respect.

Rudy:
Bill Rickard here from the Banjo Hangout. And I thought you just focused on banjo building! This is one beautiful bass to say the least. I've been toying with the idea to build a bass that I can play tap style, so I can get back into making some music again. For those who don't know me, I lost my left arm at the shoulder and left leg as the result of a bad road accident awhile back. This definitely put a dent in my playing days, but I'm starting to think that a tap style instrument just may help fill the gap. What's your thoughts on this particular bass Rudy? Can you get anything out of it playing it tap style like a Chapman Stick?
Thanks for the inspiration Rudy. Your talents as a builder of stringed instruments and your willingness to share that knowledge never ceases to amaze me!

 

[rudy4444]

Rudy:
Bill Rickard here from the Banjo Hangout. And I thought you just focused on banjo building! This is one beautiful bass to say the least. I've been toying with the idea to build a bass that I can play tap style, so I can get back into making some music again. For those who don't know me, I lost my left arm at the shoulder and left leg as the result of a bad road accident awhile back. This definitely put a dent in my playing days, but I'm starting to think that a tap style instrument just may help fill the gap. What's your thoughts on this particular bass Rudy? Can you get anything out of it playing it tap style like a Chapman Stick?
Thanks for the inspiration Rudy. Your talents as a builder of stringed instruments and your willingness to share that knowledge never ceases to amaze me!

Hi Bill,
I'd recognize that Will1717 signature anywhere!
Banjos are certainly a big portion of what I do, but I've played with musical instrument construction for so long I've literally built from A to Z. (I have 3 cajun single row diatonic Accordions and have done a few bar Zylophones...)
My playing time is split between guitar, banjo, and mandolin family instruments, and a bit of various bass forays; upright and electric.

The holidays have me sidetracked from getting a video clip posted, but things are slowing down a bit where I'll be able to get that done.

The concept of tapping is interesting; I'll play around a bit with that and post a bit about it. Tapping might be an option for this type of instrument as the piezo bridge pickup doesn't need near as much string energy as the magnetic for great tone and good output. Thanks for weighing in, your comments certainly give me pause to consider that there is a need for instruments that might be more fullfilling for someone with a physical disability.

On a totally related note, it was you I thought about when I recently stumbled upon "Harpejji", a tapped instrument that is picking up steam. You can while away a lot of time watching Youtube videos, but this one is particularly of interest to players with a disability:



DO understand that your contribution as a maker and supplier of banjo components has had a HUGE impact on the banjo building community, and for that I give you a sincere vote of gratitude. I would think that a "side project" for you in the realm of electric bass component or two would be most welcome in the bass world. Perhaps something like a high mass machined brass bridge available in various string configurations might be the type of thing that might be an easy task for that Swiss machinery? (...Just thinking out loud...)

 

[SLivinghouse]

Sir, I've always loved "Nice Stuff".....

Your bass is as nice a bit of "Stuff" as I've ever seen ....

The Bee's knees! Beautiful work. There is a bee keeper around the corner from my home. I might stop by and get some wax and give it a shot.

 

[moonshinegtrs]

I just finished reading the entire thread and Wow... That is one beautiful bass!

As others have stated,

Thanks for documenting your work, I really enjoyed seeing it and I learned some new things too.


Moonshine

 

[rudy4444]

Here's a really quick n' dirty Youtube to demonstrate this sweet lil' bass. I'll do something more detailed later, but I wanted to at least get something posted for those who are interested. There are three short passages played, (1) magnetic pickup only, (2) L.R. Baggs Element under-saddle bridge pickup only (3) both pickups combined. The small mixer serves as a way to easily select or blend the pickups and also to level match them. The Baggs under-saddle Baggs is much hotter than the magnetic so it was nice to be able to attenuate it. All amp / mixer settings were adjusted flat so as not to influence the sound; obviously adjusting EQ has a huge effect on what's being produced.
As I've previously stated, my preference is the Baggs under-saddle only. It is nice to have the totally isolated magnetic output in the event that the battery was depleted accidentally. The MM style magnetic sounds pretty fair if you brighten it up a bit.

 

[rwkeating]

They all sound good, but the Baggs alone realllllly sounds good!

 

[rudy4444]

They all sound good, but the Baggs alone realllllly sounds good!

Thanks, that's my preference, too. I've got a little Street Cube that I've been playing through a bit and it sounds really good with a splash of reverb and stereo chorus added. The Baggs has a lot more clarity and presence that really comes through with the Street Cube. I do have to admit the bridge piezo sounds a lot better than I suspected it would; perhaps it's the 30" scale, but it's just pleasant to listen to. I'd have no problem gigging with it, even using the Workingman's 12 that I'm using here.

 

[JLW]

Thanks, that's my preference, too. I've got a little Street Cube that I've been playing through a bit and it sounds really good with a splash of reverb and stereo chorus added. The Baggs has a lot more clarity and presence that really comes through with the Street Cube. I do have to admit the bridge piezo sounds a lot better than I suspected it would; perhaps it's the 30" scale, but it's just pleasant to listen to. I'd have no problem gigging with it, even using the Workingman's 12 that I'm using here.

The bass sounds really great. Just curious, what style of music do you play? I've heard reports of piezos sometimes getting lost in the mix on some kinds of basses in some styles of music. I would imagine it would sound great in a jazz or blues context, though.

 

[Ortsom]

Sounds great!
The piezo does not sound impeded by the angle issue.
Indeed, as you say maybe the 30" scale contributes to the good performance of the piezo. Short scale comes with low string tensions (for instance just 114lbs total for the ETB92S), hence low load on the piezo.
At any rate, it works.

 

[rudy4444]

The bass sounds really great. Just curious, what style of music do you play? I've heard reports of piezos sometimes getting lost in the mix on some kinds of basses in some styles of music. I would imagine it would sound great in a jazz or blues context, though.

In the last 30 years I've played a variety of styles of music, working in bands doing everything from bar gigs to corporate gigs. Styles have been rock, blues, Cajun / Zydeco, Old Time, Bluegrass, Early Country, and Alt Country / Americana. I've played bass in many of those, as well as guitar, lap steel, mandolin, and banjo. I gave up playing a couple years back due to shoulder and hearing problems. I don't miss schlocking around equipment, though.

I currently play mostly acoustic music, usually in jam situations with friends.

This bass is a direct result of dealing with a bit of discomfort from the residual of my collarbone injury and it's feels GREAT. I've gravitated to shorter necked and smaller bodied instruments, so this design was an easy decision. I'm very pleased with having a bass that I can play an occasional fill-in gig with if I desire to.

I've never been particular with what bass I've used (with the exception of using a Englehardt upright to fit the band I was in), and I've been able to adapt whatever bass I have to the situation. I'm not a jazz player at all, but I think this one would be adaptable to pretty much anything with a bit of EQ considerations.

Public performance often entails a bit of "image", so I'm thinking it might not work well for a metal bassist!

 

[rudy4444]

Sounds great!
The piezo does not sound impeded by the angle issue.
Indeed, as you say maybe the 30" scale contributes to the good performance of the piezo. Short scale comes with low string tensions (for instance just 114lbs total for the ETB92S), hence low load on the piezo.
At any rate, it works.

Yup, low tension is most definitely in the description of this bass. I think the 30" scale pushes the limit of the E string and I can't imagine you could go any lower with it. It's adaquate, but I think a bit more tension would improve the string balance; the E is a bit lower in volume than the other 3 strings but it's not enough to really say it's a problem. It would be easy enough to fatten up the E string guage to raise the tension. I suspect that's what happens in some of those specialized sets made for short scale basses.

What surprised me most about the Baggs Element bridge pickup is how much low end there is. I anticipated there not being enough bottom with a need to add the magnetic in to make up for that, but it wasn't needed. The bridge pickup alone is my preference with lots of presence and a very fat bottom tone. The output is also HOT, it's necessary to cut the amp volume a bunch when going from the magnetic to the active piezo pickup.

 

[robgator]

I have to add my 2 cents to this thread. I played this beauty yesterday and it is awesome. Lightweight, very nicely balanced, a nice fretless neck that is easy to play, tapewound strings, and a terrific sound. I loved getting the chance to play this finely crafted short-scale bass.

 

[rudy4444]

I have to add my 2 cents to this thread. I played this beauty yesterday and it is awesome. Lightweight, very nicely balanced, a nice fretless neck that is easy to play, tapewound strings, and a terrific sound. I loved getting the chance to play this finely crafted short-scale bass.

Thanks for the shout out, Rob. As you've certainly seen your fair share of road touring, your opinion is much appreciated!

 

[navijaz]

Fantastic thread!! That bass looks and sounds beautiful!

 

[rudy4444]

Fantastic thread!! That bass looks and sounds beautiful!

Glad you liked it. Coincidentally there's another one on my bench right now. The garland is done, the plates carved and ready to glue up to make the body. This one will be pretty much the same, but won't have the magnetic pickup, only the Baggs Element under saddle transducer and active preamp, as it sounds so good the magnetic really isn't needed.

 

[navijaz]

Glad you liked it. Coincidentally there's another one on my bench right now. The garland is done, the plates carved and ready to glue up to make the body. This one will be pretty much the same, but won't have the magnetic pickup, only the Baggs Element under saddle transducer and active preamp, as it sounds so good the magnetic really isn't needed.

That would warrant another thread!

 

[rudy4444]

Another one done "in the white" and ready for disassembly and finishing. These sound so good that there's just no need for that magnetic pickup!