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converting my top load bass to a string thru

insomniac2295

insomniac2295

Dec 12, 2007
2,515
28
Minneapolis, MN
#1
hey guys, i have a washburn bantam 6 string that i want to convert from a top load bridge to a string thru. i can see on the bridge under where the strings pass over, just before the saddles that there are some holes that look like they were meant to be used for a string thru bridge. how much would it cost to have it converted? and where should i take it to get this done?
 
#2
just curious .... why would you spend +/-$200 on a modification that will yield basically nothing to the tone and playability, and doesn't even have the benefit of being visible to the audience except for when you are playing with your teeth?

all the best,

R
 
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#4
And the added tension gets you what? Actually it's not added tension but more downward pressure on the saddle. In an acoustic perhaps some more amplitude that you can get by twisting that little knob thingy on an electric.

I am with Rodent on this one. Unless you want to spend good money to pay for the Emperors new clothes I say play it as is and then play it some more.

Greg N
 
#5
insomniac2295 said:
added tension
Click to expand...

a given string length at a given tension = a given pitch ... add tension and the pitch gets sharper, lessen the tension and it gets flatter

so you want your strings to be sharply out of tune? :confused:

all the best,

R
 
#6
You guys are tipping it bit heavy - if he wants a string through whats the problem - and who says it would cost $200? You can buy the ferrules for a few bucks apiece and the rest is just a bit of careful layout and drilling through the bridge and body.
 
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#9
pjwalsh said:
You guys are tipping it bit heavy
Click to expand...
Perhaps. Sure it would cost me very little to buy ferrules and drill it myself for my own instrument, but if someone asks me to do it for them and take on the risk of damaging their instrument I need to be compensated for that risk. I also need to feed my family and cover the cost of the next one that might go wrong.

The cost of professional repair and modifications can not be calculated just in how much electricity your drill used to make the holes and how much the ferrules cost. It is the knowledge, experience and the guts to put a drill into someones precious instrument that needs to be compensated for. Not that the sleepless one could not do it himself, but to ask someone to do something that you are not confident enough to do yourself and not pay him handsomely is just not right.

You could do your own surgery on your friends and family too. Actually not much to it if you know what you are doing. But there is the rub. You have to know what you are doing.

Greg N
 
#10
seanm said:
A heavier gauge string will give added tension since more mass = more tension.
Click to expand...

Splitting hairs here, but wanting to complete your thought.

Heavier gauge string = more mass = higher tension required to achieve a similar note.

And I agree that if it feels good do it. Belief in the effect of through body strings is more powerful than the actual results.

Greg N
 
#11
pjwalsh said:
You guys are tipping it bit heavy - if he wants a string through whats the problem - and who says it would cost $200? You can buy the ferrules for a few bucks apiece and the rest is just a bit of careful layout and drilling through the bridge and body.
Click to expand...


+1 to what Greg already said, and let me add

4ea ferrules - $5
1ea .25" drill bit - $3
1ea .5" Forstner bit to countersink ferrule lip - $12
1ea center punch to mark hole location - $7
1ea drill press to drill holes - $250

without any compensation for labor time and shop overhead expenses, I'm thinking the +/-$200 estimate is pretty fair. and let's be honest, you're not going to do this mod right without the proper shop tools ... this is absolutely NOT a job that can be correctly done with a hand drill while drinking a beer during the SuperBowl

the +/- $200 estimate becomes an even greater deal when you add in that it's a job that accomplishes absolutely nothing in exchange for many opportunities to devalue an otherwise valuable instrument. want to talk devalue opportunity - just get one of those ferrule recesses a mere 1/32" off center from the others and you'll have a HUGELY obvious hack job that screams out a warning to others that there is potential for much worse unseen modifications/maintenance to be on the lookout for

I simply refuse to do the string-thru mod to any completed instrument ... too much risk

all the best,

R
 
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#12
i'm glad to hear everyones opinions on this subject.

so one question, if most of you say that there are basically no benefits to having a string thru body, then why do so many instrument builders do it? more often lately, i've seen bridges that you can choose between string thru and top load. whats the deal?
 
#15
Won't that also limit you choice of strings as well? I am amazed by how many 5 string sets aren't long enough for 35" scale strung through the bridge I would guess the same to be true for 6 string sets? Now factor in the additional thickness of the body. I may be wrong though what do you guys think?
 
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#16
insomniac2295 said:
so one question, if most of you say that there are basically no benefits to having a string thru body, then why do so many instrument builders do it?
Click to expand...

marketing 101 ... differentiate whatever it is that you do differently as significantly better compared to other brands that don't offer the option or feature. promote it as the cats pajamas and the really significant key to having tone mojo. then find a subtle way to shift consumer thinking so that they come to see your insignificant and purely cosmetic feature as a genuinely significant requirement for products in the same genre

or more simply ... lure the masses into drinking the cool-aid and they will in turn blindly (and without compensation) market your feature for you

all the best,

R
 
#17
insomniac2295 said:
i'm glad to hear everyones opinions on this subject.

so one question, if most of you say that there are basically no benefits to having a string thru body, then why do so many instrument builders do it? more often lately, i've seen bridges that you can choose between string thru and top load. whats the deal?
Click to expand...
Don't know why builders do it, nor what the deal is. I always string through body when the option is available. I did it on my Ibanez SR500 fretless using a hand held electric drill. Press fit a set of ferrules, installed my own bridge, and I couldn't be happier.
 

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