DIY "Jazz Bass" Headless Conversion

[Pep]

1) The Overlord string retainer requires the string to bend 90-degrees to meet the screw that it's holding it.
And it requires to go on the "cut-side" of the head. I prefer the Guyker approach.

2) The overlord was very cheap (40 Euros) and I could not resist - in the end I spent close to 60, but we know how these things work

3) It's made of metal.

Thanks much. I ordered the Guyker kit because it was about the same price as the Overlord. I decided to get the OVSAL string retainer. It looks better for my application than most of the others. Everything should be here tomorrow.

Here’s the link to the Guyker Headless Kit and the OVSALstring retainer.

Amazon.com: Guyker 4 String Headless Bass Bridge and Bridge String Lock, Slightly Adjustable String Spacing Base CNC Processing, WB004, Black : Musical Instruments

Buy Guyker 4 String Headless Bass Bridge and Bridge String Lock, Slightly Adjustable String Spacing Base CNC Processing, WB004, Black: Bridges & Bridge Parts - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

Amazon.com: OVSAL Guitar Bridge String Locks 4 String Bass String Locking Nut Headless Bass Guitar String Lock Brass String Locking for Headless Electric Bass Guitar Replacement Parts （Black) : Musical Instruments

Buy OVSAL Guitar Bridge String Locks 4 String Bass String Locking Nut Headless Bass Guitar String Lock Brass String Locking for Headless Electric Bass Guitar Replacement Parts （Black): Bridges & Bridge Parts - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

 

[N4860]

Nobody has to bring anything - all the places I play have Hercules hanging stands. Hanging stands are more stable than regular stands - you can bump into the headstock on a hanging stand, and it won’t topple over. They have become the standard stand used everywhere in my world.

Fair enough. I've never had stands provided as general backline for gigs in my world.

 

[/\/\3phist0]

Thanks for the link @Pep looks to be nice kit!
Saved into my wish list. Thanks for sharing.

I got this one, all I need at the headstock end is a claw to hold the ball end behind the nut
Which is exactly what the Hondo Alien neck that I will be using has.
So that forced me to find a bridge that included a clamping mechanism, and as a bonus, the tuners are on the top edge: so no body routing necessary.
Assembled will be either a dimensionally reduced Explorer or Thunderbird body.

 

[Pep]

Well the build is done and it turned out great. Thanks Dr.Wolf for the inspiration.

 

[skygazer]

This seems like a good place to post this.

I just finished "de-heading" a 12year old $100 Chinese eBay fretless. I figured I wouldn't loose much if it didn't turn out!

I replaced the pickups with Bartos years ago, as the stockers were pretty anemic. The strings (TI Jazz Flats) are worth more than the bass, but I wasn't using them. It was a fun project.

The "head" may look funny... I had to set the string length above the nut so the tuners only wrap silk... flats are funny that way. I filled the tuner holes with acrylic resin so old that it turned reddish brown when it cured! The shape of the head is a homage to my dear Uncle who passed away last year... he collected Packards.

The bass looks funky, but it plays great! No more neck dive, great J-bass tone, nice mwah.

 

[MrWolf14]

This seems like a good place to post this.

I just finished "de-heading" a 12year old $100 Chinese eBay fretless. I figured I wouldn't loose much if it didn't turn out!

I replaced the pickups with Bartos years ago, as the stockers were pretty anemic. The strings (TI Jazz Flats) are worth more than the bass, but I wasn't using them. It was a fun project.

The "head" may look funny... I had to set the string length above the nut so the tuners only wrap silk... flats are funny that way. I filled the tuner holes with acrylic resin so old that it turned reddish brown when it cured! The shape of the head is a homage to my dear Uncle who passed away last year... he collected Packards.

The bass looks funky, but it plays great! No more neck dive, great J-bass tone, nice mwah.

View attachment 7259714View attachment 7259715View attachment 7259716View attachment 7259717

Looks really cool

I see you went for the "rollers" at the bridge.
Would like to know your opinion on this type of bridges...

Is it doable to tune it with your "bare hands"?
Or do you always need to use the key 'hidden' in the bridge?

Any special care needed when installing strings?

Where did you source the 5 single string retainers?
I think they would also work without ball ends, wouldn't they?

Lots of questions, I know, I am a curious person
Ciao, Domenico

 

[skygazer]

Looks really cool

I see you went for the "rollers" at the bridge.
Would like to know your opinion on this type of bridges...

Is it doable to tune it with your "bare hands"?
Or do you always need to use the key 'hidden' in the bridge?

I wish they were higher ratio, or had taller knobs. I took the tuners apart, degreased them, and used some PFTE oil (for locks and clocks)... that seemed to smooth them out a little, but they are still too stiff at concert pitch for easy bare-finger adjustment. The little crank key works pretty well. The magnet storage is pretty clever, but I still worry about loosing it. This thing is also quite useful... H5mm for the tuners.
Note that I also had to use a little blue locktite on the tiny screw that holds the knob onto each tuner stem, otherwise the knob would work itself loose.

Any special care needed when installing strings?

Where did you source the 5 single string retainers?
I think they would also work without ball ends, wouldn't they?

Retainers came with the bridge. I did a little light machining to create an indentation for the ball ends, so they would fit flush and line up. They are brass, so you could do this with a rat-tail file if you wanted.

I'm sure you've noticed that the price on these bridges fluctuates widely... I recommend cross checking aliexpress, amazon, & eBay for the best deal.

I was careful to position the retainers so the tuners would only wrap the silk portion. TI & LaBella are both pretty clear that flat wounds should NOT wrap anything but the silk portion of the string on the tuners, or the strings will break. I believe them... don't ask me why

The retainers should work with cut strings, but I really wanted to avoid that... I made a separate post on cutting flat wounds for headless.

Lots of questions, I know, I am a curious person
Ciao, Domenico

No worries. I love Talkbass!

 

[skygazer]

I made a separate post on cutting flat wounds for headless.

 

[VANGELO]

Done a couple of these recently using Nova style knock-offs available from Temu or AliExpress. Advantage with these is no routing required like the Overlord, although the pegs protrude from the base. I done several guitars using the 'roller' type bridge. They are quite stiff and hard to turn without the allan key handle. I decided to avoid for the bass as the strings are much thicker. I doubt they would wind on the rollers if the strings were cut shorter than the thin silk-wound section.

The action of these 'Novas' is smooth as they use proper thrust bearings. They are robustly made & can also be mounted direct onto the body if string height is an issue.

The Chicago neck was wider than the Mikro, so I had to cut the string retainer (solid brass, btw) in half to spread the strings out. I prefer the wider neck, but the pups are awful vs the Mikro. Ordered some replacements then realised they come in different sizes

Cheers

Vic

 

[MrWolf14]

These look nice! Very well done!

One question: I see you decided to cover the access to the truss rod.
Are you still able to access from the "hole" on the top of the head?

(I think that truss rod at the heel would work better for this type of conversion, but they are so rare to find)

 

[VANGELO]

These look nice! Very well done!

One question: I see you decided to cover the access to the truss rod.
Are you still able to access from the "hole" on the top of the head?

(I think that truss rod at the heel would work better for this type of conversion, but they are so rare to find)

Actually, truss rod easily accessible.