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Build 4 - headless fretless chambered 6 string

#241
Spent the afternoon with my twin bro yesterday. He's a pretty great guitar player. We were jamming on some tunes. He had a few interesting insights into small, but significant improvements on the bass. The 2 I think I'll try and run with are the following...

1. Some dot markers. I realized yesterday I'm just making life hard for myself in that regard. I've got some tiny plastic rod I'll use. So it'll be really subtle, but help me to get in the right place faster. It'll also help others who want to try the bass not feel so at sea.
2. A push/switch pot to disengage the piezo from the mag PUs. There's some weird cancellation going on their with them that wasn't there with them on their own. So I've just got figure out where to buy of the said pots.
 
#245
ctmullins said:
What's your cavity depth again? CTS makes some push/pull pots that only require 1" of depth.
Click to expand...

I'd say 17mm at best. It's not going to work. I'll have to try something else.

@franksidebottom - your biggest challenge now is going to be strings. There's just not very many options for long scale instruments of this length. You could go to an upright string, but that would be extra complex due to much higher string tension.
 
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#247
Hmm - I thought BSO had a page where actual ball to winding lengths were listed, which I was looking at when I was spitballing my still half-formed nutty ABG idea, but I'm not able to find it now. A different site, or my poor searching skills? I would certainly approach this by working back from strings you can get in the style that you want, rather than pick a scale length and then try to find a string, if pushing the long limits.

Wait - here we go:

Invalid Link Removed

Then just make sure you can actually still buy the strings that look like they will do what you want... i.e. TI super long scale looks kinda good, but it looked like they might not actually have any on hand? A few others have an extra long that's over 40", if actually available, and if offered in the construction (flat/round/tape/ etc.) you want to use.
 
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#250
Just pulled the cover off and switched the buffering circuit around. The piezo is now blended with the bridge mag PU. I think it's a lot better. I can use the mag PU blend to blend it with the neck PU without weird cancellation going on. Much happier. I'm also in the throws of measure up the spots for the dot markers... I may even install them when I can find them. :rollno:
 
#251
Regarding the issue of left hand reach to low notes - might want to try lengthening your strap so the body can hang a little lower and positioning the bass more vertically, like half or three quarters of the way to double bass positioning. Traditional DB positioning specifies the nut should be a little above your ear, but you may not want to go quite that far ;) It would help with the reach, but also let you use some DB style left hand technique (elbow higher, wrist straighter, etc.). You don't want that long reach to end up giving you wrist problems, and this is how the DB guys prevent that.
 
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#252
BruceWane said:
Regarding the issue of left hand reach to low notes - might want to try lengthening your strap so the body can hang a little lower and positioning the bass more vertically, like half or three quarters of the way to double bass positioning. Traditional DB positioning specifies the nut should be a little above your ear, but you may not want to go quite that far ;) It would help with the reach, but also let you use some DB style left hand technique (elbow higher, wrist straighter, etc.). You don't want that long reach to end up giving you wrist problems, and this is how the DB guys prevent that.
Click to expand...

Thanks batman... I mean, @BruceWane (you secret's safe with me ;) )

My background is in upright bass actually. Did a degree on upright a few years back. And yes, I've been trying to approach playing this thing like an upright too. Same 1-2-4 technique. Does help.
 
#253
Finished up the dot markers today. Sanded em down and wiped on some poly. DAMN! I love wipe on poly. :)

BTW, was lying in bed braindead this morning thinking, "I wonder what completely ridiculous thing I can design next?" .... oh... no.

Speaking of which, I see a wild 30" shortscale in my future for my son. Hmm... he better do some practice before I start on that. I'm going to get him to help me, so there maybe some 12yo fingers needing to be sewed back on. :eek:
 
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#256
I'd guess (since it's not strung up) the smart money would be on two wind clockwise, two wind counterclockwise, and suddenly the angles are not so bad.

ADEG going from nut to the free end, to my eyeball. Have to be careful of habits when tuning, but it's doable (I have my URB strung - to the tuning posts - GDAE, just gotta THINK when tuning since A is the only tuner that's the same as it was.) Strings on the neck in the normal places.
 
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#258
But we support crazy here.... :thumbsup: Note the slight side to side offset when plotting your idea. And if you can possibly stand to, draw it out full-size before building, to include drawing in the strings, at full size. Then you can make any tiny adjustments needed before drilling holes.
 
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