- Aug 1, 2005
- 3,546
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- Private Inventor - Bass Capos
Yes, swaging is excellent. No adjustments though, the tool is expensive, and the 133 strand SS wire I use is also pricey!
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Double Bass Changing the tailwire
- Thread starter Bill Fatty
- Start date
Yes, swaging is excellent. No adjustments though, the tool is expensive, and the 133 strand SS wire I use is also pricey!
Well again I took the bull by the horns, took everything off and shortened the tailwire. I put heat shrink tubing on, also where the wire passes through the tail piece, I cleaned up the wire ends, cut off the bolt ends and faced it into the body. Now the full string length is 41 1/2" and the after length is 6 7/8" which is as close to 1/6th as I think im going to get. Looks pretty good to me!!
Now im going to ask advice on the bridge. I made decently wide grooves and put graphite in there. But the strings are quite deep in there. Should I carve off the top bits?
AND I tried to get a pic of the bump made by the tight sound post but I don't think it shows.
Now im going to ask advice on the bridge. I made decently wide grooves and put graphite in there. But the strings are quite deep in there. Should I carve off the top bits?
AND I tried to get a pic of the bump made by the tight sound post but I don't think it shows.
Attachments
Looking at what I just posted... my saddle looks pretty rough yes? Should I think about doing summat about it?
Yeah, that's a bit deep...looks like your bass was set up for weedwacker strings at some point in the past. I'm generally opposed to power tools in lutheirie but I'm not above using a belt sander to thin and re-crown a bridge once I have the string slots where I want them.
I can see the soundpost bulge clearly now. You could also use a belt sander to very slowly and carefully trim the soundpost by 1-2mm, then live with it a while and see what it does. Pay attention to which end of the post is fitted to the top plate and which one is fitted to the back, and try to preserve any angles the luthier who did the setup put into the ends of the post. The more flush it makes contact with the plates, the better.
I can see the soundpost bulge clearly now. You could also use a belt sander to very slowly and carefully trim the soundpost by 1-2mm, then live with it a while and see what it does. Pay attention to which end of the post is fitted to the top plate and which one is fitted to the back, and try to preserve any angles the luthier who did the setup put into the ends of the post. The more flush it makes contact with the plates, the better.
The question is if the top has been deformed over the years with that much pressure from the soundpost. In that case shortening the soundpost might make it unusable.
Only checking the pressure by removing it can give a answer to it. Removing very little might not hurt, but removing a millimeter might be a bit much in that case.
Doesn't look nice, indeed, but trying to shorten the soundpost yourself and repositioning it can be deasastrous.
I would start with removing and setting it as it is until you can handle that more or less well and then you can decide if you want to shorten it or not. There should be a bit of pressure on the soundpost without the string pressure to (hopefully) hold it in place, but not more than that.
And even a shortened soundpost can be put in with too much pressure on top and back, it's just a bit closer to the ribs in a non-optimal position then.
Only checking the pressure by removing it can give a answer to it. Removing very little might not hurt, but removing a millimeter might be a bit much in that case.
Doesn't look nice, indeed, but trying to shorten the soundpost yourself and repositioning it can be deasastrous.
I would start with removing and setting it as it is until you can handle that more or less well and then you can decide if you want to shorten it or not. There should be a bit of pressure on the soundpost without the string pressure to (hopefully) hold it in place, but not more than that.
And even a shortened soundpost can be put in with too much pressure on top and back, it's just a bit closer to the ribs in a non-optimal position then.
My first bass, a burly plywood Hofner, had a nasty soundpost bulge in the back. I had it professionally set up including trimming the post, and never had a problem with it.
Many laminated basses do not have any reinforcement in the soundpost area. Regardless of how to tight or loose the soundpost is, these basses will tend to deform easily in the soundpost region. Often times, once the initial bulging occurs, they will stay fairly stable. Sometimes they can start to crack though, especially if the post is too tight. I would certainly recommend having the soundpost looked at and having a new bridge fitted where the feet fit the deformation nicely. This will help ensure the top stays stable. Unfortunately, sound post bulges are inevitable with a lot of laminated basses.
Well! An abundance of sage advice. You guys are obviously well experienced in this sort of stuff and I'm well chuffed to have learned so much in such a short time!
Ssoo...
Having considered all the responses I think that these things are probably true:
The deformation of the top is permanent and stable, because its a plywood bass and unlikely to crack and it has been that way for 30 odd years.
That if I remove and shorten the sound post it will be loose and the top will not regain its original shape and the sound post will be looser.
That despite my apparent success at the tailwire operation, removing the sound post and GETTING IT BACK IN may be beyond my powers.
so I'm going to leave it alone.
I'm probably going to chew a few more fibres off the bridge though.
Ssoo...
Having considered all the responses I think that these things are probably true:
The deformation of the top is permanent and stable, because its a plywood bass and unlikely to crack and it has been that way for 30 odd years.
That if I remove and shorten the sound post it will be loose and the top will not regain its original shape and the sound post will be looser.
That despite my apparent success at the tailwire operation, removing the sound post and GETTING IT BACK IN may be beyond my powers.
so I'm going to leave it alone.
I'm probably going to chew a few more fibres off the bridge though.
I posted a similar post on Quora and one of the responses was that I may either be a burgeoning luthier or a buffoon. And I tend to agree.
so until I see which side of that coin ends up facing upwards I'm going to limit my luthiery outings to minor buffoonery like the tail wire and bridge work.
I've coloured in some scratches with a felt pen too, and covered them over with clear nail varnish. As a buffoon would do....
so until I see which side of that coin ends up facing upwards I'm going to limit my luthiery outings to minor buffoonery like the tail wire and bridge work.
I've coloured in some scratches with a felt pen too, and covered them over with clear nail varnish. As a buffoon would do....
Ok that's gonna do it for now. I've whacked on a new set of strings and the whole thing sounds and plays loads better.
Thanks to all the clever blokes for your help!
Thanks to all the clever blokes for your help!
