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Club Clement (Part 7: Post your basses here)
- Thread starter Bryan R. Tyler
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Haha, well then there's no trouble with matching or complimenting colors on your basses 
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When Tom made the bass, it did come with plain black metal knobs to match the hardware. They looked fine, but he also sent me the leftover wood scraps from the body sandwich, so since I had the matching woods, I made the knobs to hopefully compliment it. I can't quite decide of I like the plain knobs or the top hat style yet. Just tinkering with the wood is fun for me though
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I'm also in the process of making a fingerboard ramp. It'll be of matching woods too if I can manage it. It'll essentially be a box, with a thin top of mesquite that will fit over the pickups and be radiused to match the fingerboard , and sides being made from the same leftover body sandwich woods as the knobs (I should have just barely enough left at this point). Hopefully the knobs will blend a little better with that combo too. Not sure how well it will work out, especially figuring out the best way to radius the ramp since it will be so wide, but it'll be a fun little project.
. When Tom made the bass, it did come with plain black metal knobs to match the hardware. They looked fine, but he also sent me the leftover wood scraps from the body sandwich, so since I had the matching woods, I made the knobs to hopefully compliment it. I can't quite decide of I like the plain knobs or the top hat style yet. Just tinkering with the wood is fun for me though
.I'm also in the process of making a fingerboard ramp. It'll be of matching woods too if I can manage it. It'll essentially be a box, with a thin top of mesquite that will fit over the pickups and be radiused to match the fingerboard , and sides being made from the same leftover body sandwich woods as the knobs (I should have just barely enough left at this point). Hopefully the knobs will blend a little better with that combo too. Not sure how well it will work out, especially figuring out the best way to radius the ramp since it will be so wide, but it'll be a fun little project.
My Darlene has satin hardware, 1/4" jack, and birdseye maple fret board and only 35" scale.
How do those two beauties compare to each other sound wise? Obviously different pickups, I assume with no tone adjustments, so your getting the pure passive sound of each instrument?
I only wish I had access to an Anthony Jackson to compare...but I find #327 (the one on the left) to be very responsive to any strings be they flats, nickle, steel, tape as they may be and makes a voice based on the ones selected.
I EQ my basses at the amp and 327 speaks musically across the control sweep deep to high even when rolling off the bass and maxing the mids and/or treble frequencies. The only change I made electronically was installing a .01 cap across the jack to tame / mellow the highs on the C string without sacrificing clarity of all the strings. Clean and clear and able to utter 60's low end if EQ'd that way without being at all muddy. A volume pedal is used between the bass and the amp; that's it. I use a Fender pro 800 and a Mesa Boogie powerhouse 1000 cabinet to let her voice be heard.
I EQ my basses at the amp and 327 speaks musically across the control sweep deep to high even when rolling off the bass and maxing the mids and/or treble frequencies. The only change I made electronically was installing a .01 cap across the jack to tame / mellow the highs on the C string without sacrificing clarity of all the strings. Clean and clear and able to utter 60's low end if EQ'd that way without being at all muddy. A volume pedal is used between the bass and the amp; that's it. I use a Fender pro 800 and a Mesa Boogie powerhouse 1000 cabinet to let her voice be heard.
Maybe some of you (or maybe even Tom himself) could answer this one.
Background: I've played fretless for a couple of years and love it. Fretted for many, many years. My fretless has an epoxy coating over the board. My next addition will be a fretless with a bare wood board (and a split pu, maybe with a J style single coil at the bridge). Anyway, I really am quite sure my ears would want roundwounds.
Question - what about the board holding up to the friction of rounds? Over time how much does the board degrade? Over time is planing the board necessary?
Overall, talk to me about playing rounds on a Clement (no lines, no dots) fretless.
THANKS IN ADVANCE, EVERYONE.
Background: I've played fretless for a couple of years and love it. Fretted for many, many years. My fretless has an epoxy coating over the board. My next addition will be a fretless with a bare wood board (and a split pu, maybe with a J style single coil at the bridge). Anyway, I really am quite sure my ears would want roundwounds.
Question - what about the board holding up to the friction of rounds? Over time how much does the board degrade? Over time is planing the board necessary?
Overall, talk to me about playing rounds on a Clement (no lines, no dots) fretless.
THANKS IN ADVANCE, EVERYONE.
Hi there! 
I have played unfinished fretless basses since 1984. The first one, a heavily modified Fender Precision bass, had an ebony fingerboard put on, and I played it exclusively from 1984 to 1996, through my most active years. I have used DR Hi Beams, which are roundwounds. I never had a trouble with string wear on this bass. Although you could see the "string paths", it was never a problem with grooving or anything else.
In 1996 I purchased a custom built fretless, also with an ebony fingerboard. I've had this bass ever since, and it's been played quite extensively. Again, DR Hi Beams, and again, no real string wear to talk about. Nothing that's ever required a fingerboard levelling in the nearly 20 years I've owned this bass.
I believe both of these basses have African ebony fingerboards (Gaboon Ebony), they are totally black, and given that I'm right about the origin, they have a Janka hardness index of around 3000.
I've got three fretless basses built by Tom, two of them have bloodwood fingerboards and one has a pale moon ebony fingerboard. Pale moon is a black and white ebony species from Asia, and it's not quite as hard as African ebony, with a Janka index of about 1800. This bass was equipped with flats for a bit, but I never got used to the sound so I swapped to rounds on it. It's not been played quite as much as the others, but there's no sign of wear on it so far. Bloodwood is a South American hardwood with a Janka index of around 2900, so just slightly softer than Ebony. Again, round wounds and no serious string wear, neither on the 4 or 6 string bass.
Tom has built a few fretless basses with dymondwood, which is a laminated and resin treated fingerboard wood, and it's ultra hard as well. I would expect no wear on this. There's something called ebonol out there, which is jet black and glossy, and which is also a resin of some type. I've played a fretless with a fingerboard like that as well, and again, no real wear to be noticed, just "string paths".
I play with a fairly light touch, using a technique that resembles Gary Willis' technique. I think that's one of the key factors. A "hard-hitting" bass player may produce a lot more wear on the fingerboards than I do.
But to sum it up, playing rounds on my Clement fretless basses and also on all other fretless basses I've ever owned, has proven to be without any problem of any kind.
I have played unfinished fretless basses since 1984. The first one, a heavily modified Fender Precision bass, had an ebony fingerboard put on, and I played it exclusively from 1984 to 1996, through my most active years. I have used DR Hi Beams, which are roundwounds. I never had a trouble with string wear on this bass. Although you could see the "string paths", it was never a problem with grooving or anything else.
In 1996 I purchased a custom built fretless, also with an ebony fingerboard. I've had this bass ever since, and it's been played quite extensively. Again, DR Hi Beams, and again, no real string wear to talk about. Nothing that's ever required a fingerboard levelling in the nearly 20 years I've owned this bass.
I believe both of these basses have African ebony fingerboards (Gaboon Ebony), they are totally black, and given that I'm right about the origin, they have a Janka hardness index of around 3000.
I've got three fretless basses built by Tom, two of them have bloodwood fingerboards and one has a pale moon ebony fingerboard. Pale moon is a black and white ebony species from Asia, and it's not quite as hard as African ebony, with a Janka index of about 1800. This bass was equipped with flats for a bit, but I never got used to the sound so I swapped to rounds on it. It's not been played quite as much as the others, but there's no sign of wear on it so far. Bloodwood is a South American hardwood with a Janka index of around 2900, so just slightly softer than Ebony. Again, round wounds and no serious string wear, neither on the 4 or 6 string bass.
Tom has built a few fretless basses with dymondwood, which is a laminated and resin treated fingerboard wood, and it's ultra hard as well. I would expect no wear on this. There's something called ebonol out there, which is jet black and glossy, and which is also a resin of some type. I've played a fretless with a fingerboard like that as well, and again, no real wear to be noticed, just "string paths".
I play with a fairly light touch, using a technique that resembles Gary Willis' technique. I think that's one of the key factors. A "hard-hitting" bass player may produce a lot more wear on the fingerboards than I do.
But to sum it up, playing rounds on my Clement fretless basses and also on all other fretless basses I've ever owned, has proven to be without any problem of any kind.
i'll chime in here. i think the answer to your question rests in a few key aspects:
1) quality wood - i have owned 4 of tom's build with 3 being unlined fretless (2 macassar ebony and 1 olivewood). each fingerboard was thick, solid and made of a tough wood. if i'm not mistaken those two woods are fairly high on the hardness scale.
i'm pretty sure tom would try to steer a fretless towards some of his harder stock such as bloodwood, ebony, dymond, or the occasional epoxy infused stuff he gets his hands on. all are solid woods for fretless as are some others you may find interest in depending upon aesthetics, feel, etc.
2) fingers - like mr. walker mentioned, i too use a light touch. although i have seen fretless players grind fairly deep trenches into hard wood. wood is wood and metal will win... always.
personally i think one would have to play a single instrument for quite a while with steel rounds but it can and will happen given time and pressure! all it means is you have the boards redressed as part of your intstruments maintenance and upkeep.
3) strings - i only use rounds on my basses. depending on build factors and "base level" tone, attack, decay, etc. i use ti jazz rounds on 1 bass (to get a bit more "bite") and ti super alloy on the other (to warm things up). your fingers, ears and gear may steer you to other brands and string materials but in general rounds will wear a finger board out faster than flats.
your milage may vary but unless you have a gorilla grip and play for hours every day you will be fine. even if you do, just chalk it up to regular maintenance and get your board dressed every now and then
also, unless i missed it, i have yet to see a clement with a maple fretless. so to add some comparison consider this. i completed restoration of a '75 fretless jazz with a one piece maple (soft compared to ebony, olive, etc)neck about 6 years ago and have played it regularly. i can see the "string abrasions" in the untreated wood but there are no gouges of any nature. again, i only use rounds
1) quality wood - i have owned 4 of tom's build with 3 being unlined fretless (2 macassar ebony and 1 olivewood). each fingerboard was thick, solid and made of a tough wood. if i'm not mistaken those two woods are fairly high on the hardness scale.
i'm pretty sure tom would try to steer a fretless towards some of his harder stock such as bloodwood, ebony, dymond, or the occasional epoxy infused stuff he gets his hands on. all are solid woods for fretless as are some others you may find interest in depending upon aesthetics, feel, etc.
2) fingers - like mr. walker mentioned, i too use a light touch. although i have seen fretless players grind fairly deep trenches into hard wood. wood is wood and metal will win... always.
personally i think one would have to play a single instrument for quite a while with steel rounds but it can and will happen given time and pressure! all it means is you have the boards redressed as part of your intstruments maintenance and upkeep.
3) strings - i only use rounds on my basses. depending on build factors and "base level" tone, attack, decay, etc. i use ti jazz rounds on 1 bass (to get a bit more "bite") and ti super alloy on the other (to warm things up). your fingers, ears and gear may steer you to other brands and string materials but in general rounds will wear a finger board out faster than flats.
your milage may vary but unless you have a gorilla grip and play for hours every day you will be fine. even if you do, just chalk it up to regular maintenance and get your board dressed every now and then
also, unless i missed it, i have yet to see a clement with a maple fretless. so to add some comparison consider this. i completed restoration of a '75 fretless jazz with a one piece maple (soft compared to ebony, olive, etc)neck about 6 years ago and have played it regularly. i can see the "string abrasions" in the untreated wood but there are no gouges of any nature. again, i only use rounds
I agree all the way
Macassar ebony has a Janka index of 3200 and olive 2700. Hard Maple is at 1400, so there is a pretty huge difference. But again, it's usable if you play light enough
On Tom's basses, the fingerboard is usually pretty thick and it will take quite a few dressings to wear that down
I don't see any reason to go with epoxy unless you really want it... Which is a good reason in itself. But I expect an epoxied surface to also require maintenance if you're a hard hitter
My conclusion is to get something that's hard and durable. If it requires some maintenance down the road, so be it. You may have to overhaul the electronics too, but you wouldn't go without those either
Bad point, lol
But you get my point? :-D
Macassar ebony has a Janka index of 3200 and olive 2700. Hard Maple is at 1400, so there is a pretty huge difference. But again, it's usable if you play light enough
On Tom's basses, the fingerboard is usually pretty thick and it will take quite a few dressings to wear that down
I don't see any reason to go with epoxy unless you really want it... Which is a good reason in itself. But I expect an epoxied surface to also require maintenance if you're a hard hitter
My conclusion is to get something that's hard and durable. If it requires some maintenance down the road, so be it. You may have to overhaul the electronics too, but you wouldn't go without those either
Bad point, lol
But you get my point? :-D
I'll just pretty much mirror what has already been said:
With a quality fingerboard (or sufficiently hardened or epoxied board), unless you are using a fingering technique with a lot of vibrato perpendicular to the fingerboard, then roundwounds on a fretless fingerboard won't be a problem.
Tom makes fingerboards with sufficient hardness for fretless, and will steer you clear of something that is not.
With a quality fingerboard (or sufficiently hardened or epoxied board), unless you are using a fingering technique with a lot of vibrato perpendicular to the fingerboard, then roundwounds on a fretless fingerboard won't be a problem.
Tom makes fingerboards with sufficient hardness for fretless, and will steer you clear of something that is not.
One thing I've noticed about my Dymondwood fretless from Tom, this thing is bright! The fingerboard takes a pounding and doesn't form any grooves at all. Have been using D'Addario Flexsteels on it, which are not a 'smooth' string by any means and it sounds incredible. Turning the tweeter off on my amp really brought out the character in a fretless I like. Tonally, I think I prefer ebony.
- Jun 6, 2004
- 6,353
- 544
- 66
- Disclosures
- Owner and builder Clementbass
I think the closest thing I have to an epoxy coated board is the Dymondwood. to me that makes sense because it is part epoxy. So if somebody wants that "Jaco " sound that is what I point them too. Brightness can always be toned down but if it isn't there to start it can't be added.
Man, making me want to try a 4 string Dymondwood board with some single coils to see what I can get out of it!
I am not a Jaco expert(IANAJE), but I don't think Jaco's rig used tweeters, even though it was quite a bright sound.
- Jun 6, 2004
- 6,353
- 544
- 66
- Disclosures
- Owner and builder Clementbass
Short and sweet: I vote fretless board to be wenge which is what #256 7 string is. HARD like iron.
- Jun 6, 2004
- 6,353
- 544
- 66
- Disclosures
- Owner and builder Clementbass
"I see", said the blind man. I learn more everyday that I know less than I thought I do.
PS: Nice chart, Tom.
PS: Nice chart, Tom.
