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Club Clement (Part 4: Post your basses here)

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About fretwire size, this is a tricky question. Do you like wide and flat frets, smaller and narrower ones... it all boils down to personal experience and preference. If you're not certain, then usually the standard option (not to wide, not too high) usually is a good option. :)

Personally, I prefer a lil smaller frets. I think Lee Sklar uses mandoline fretwire. But frets usually aren't a big issue for me, as long as they aren't too high. The smaller distance between the fingerboard and the fret height, the better, in my opinion.

I like the feeling of my fingerboard under my fingertips. But larger and taller frets give longer fret life, less pressure needed to get clean notes and hence.... easier to *get* clean notes.

I'd probably say that if you don't really have any strong opinion about it, go with jumbo frets. That's the traditional and "standard" option for most people.
 
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less pressure needed to get clean notes and hence.... easier to *get* clean notes.

I'd probably say that if you don't really have any strong opinion about it, go with jumbo frets. That's the traditional and "standard" option for most people.

Thank you MrWalker for another great reply to my many questions, and with the above reasoning, to get clean notes, should help me at my level of ability;)
 
OK guys

Another question

Flats or round wound strings? :confused:


Depends on what kind of sound you want. If you want more "thud" than "zing" in your sound (yeah, I know, highly technical terms here! :)), then flats would be better. They're also easier on your fingers.

But, like Wavey Davey, I'm a rounds-all-the-way kind of guy. I like the extra top end and I can always roll off some treble if things get too zingy.
 
90% of modern bass is played on rounds. if not 99. the old school thump is flats, and upright-like fretless is flats. I'm a rounds man with the others. again, if not don't know, you probably want rounds. :-)

there is also the option of using coated strings. these will last a little longer than ordinary rounds, and sound a little less crisp.

I'll go ahead and recommend DR High Beams or Sun Beams. those are my very favourite strings, they are wound on a sound core and are flexible and sound awesome. the run beans being nickel wound as opposed to the highs being steel. nickels will be a little warmer sounding.

the difference between sound and flat wound you probably know, but in case not... the outer windings on a round wound are round, while flat wounds are wound with a flat winding giving a smooth surface.
 
Depends on what kind of sound you want. If you want more "thud" than "zing" in your sound (yeah, I know, highly technical terms here! :)), then flats would be better. They're also easier on your fingers.

But, like Wavey Davey, I'm a rounds-all-the-way kind of guy. I like the extra top end and I can always roll off some treble if things get too zingy.

+1 Well said! I am a SS rounds guy all the way, but flats work well for lots of other players. This is a very subjective call, and it's all about your preferences (and what kinds of tones you are trying to cop).
 
OK guys

Another question

Flats or round wound strings? :confused:

Preferences for my gear
Flat nylon tapewound or 1/4 round steel on fretless.
Round or 1/4 round on fretted.
The 1/4 rounds cut down on the finger - slide noise found with rounds (could be my poor technique).
Nickel plated strings may last longer but are a bit "sticky" and muted in my opinion.
Bottom line, try various brands and types until you find what works for you.
 
+1 Well said! I am a SS rounds guy all the way, but flats work well for lots of other players. This is a very subjective call, and it's all about your preferences (and what kinds of tones you are trying to cop).

Thanks Tom! I was hoping I wasnt TOO technical in my description!:cool:

Both for me. I change my strings constantly depending on the gig or the sound I want to hear in the mix. I will go round steel and nickle, TI flats and even nylon tapewounds. They all have their own distinct characters.


David, what are the TI flats made from? They seem to get good reviews around here.
 
Lots of great looking Clements in all these threads. I have attached a pic of my one and only Clement (#78), on the day I rec'd it (February of 2008). I, too, had a fantastic experience in working with Tom, and have nothing but good things to say about him. My bass was built with a eye to being long on function, with less of a nod to aesthetic form. None the less, in my eyes, it is superb, and it has been a go-to bass for over 2 years now. Recently, I moved half-way across the country and the Clement is in storage, a few thousand miles away. I hope to retrieve it as soon as I can. In the interim, I'll continue to enjoy looking at all these other fine basses that Tom is creating.
 

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