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Full-Time Piccolo ideas

B

Bass of Galt

Mar 25, 2004
101
1
Scrotillia Falls
#1
Hey T-B'rs - I'm ready to add a full time Piccolo bass to the arsenal - (I'm tired of changing strings and set-up every few weeks) and I'm looking for opinions about middle of the road basses that have nice high-end response and great playability. I already have Carvins and am looking for something different.

Thanking you in advance! :D
 
#5
I agree about the SDGR's, I had an older 1306 neck-thru, and just had to brainstorm the string sizes but it is great! What sustain! I didn't have to change either the nut or intonation.
Nothing better than a piccalo 6 string. :)
The other cool thing is I always thought the spacing was a little close with regular strings, once the pic was strung, the spacing is perfect.
Good Luck,
Dirk
 
#9
The best one I've heard was a Yamaha TRB6P. It's my main player (strung up standard), but the guy I bought it from used it as a piccalo. The piezo saddles made for an killer sounding pic. You can pick up used ones on ebay for just over a grand. Last one I saw went for like $1200. Yamaha has the TRB6PII that has replaced the original, but they get silly prices for those new ones.

I liked the previous posters idea about using a short scale bass like the Bronco...sounds interesting. It would certainly make the string buying process a whole lot easier. ;)
 
#11
Stingus said:
Being a fender fan, I went with the Squier Bronco. 30" scale, maple fretboard...ahhh. strung it with .018 GHS strings, annoys the HELL out of guitar players at jams...

L
Click to expand...

HA!! of course karma would simply send us a heavy lefty keyboard player to level the playing field! :eek:

I've been just popping the D'Addario pic set on my Carvin LB75 and adjusting the set-up - so I'm pretty sure I want to keep my full time pic a full scale bass.

The added problem with my requirement is that I'm a lefty. Soundgears do come in a lefty model - the 300 I think. I've also thought of picking up a used lefty Musicman - 3 times the price as the Soundgear.

3 times better bass though?? Hmmmm :confused:
 
#12
Great thread!!

I *think* that Jim Laughlin (percussionist from moe. who plays God knows how many instruments, including piccolo) uses a SDGR for his piccolo, at least that's what it looks like to me.

Question: What sort of nut adjustements need to be made to accomodate piccolo strings?
 
#13
Planet Boulder said:
Question: What sort of nut adjustements need to be made to accomodate piccolo strings?
Click to expand...

More than likely, you'd need smaller nut slots to hold the smaller strings. Probably a little deeper cut slots as well.

But, it seems like most people in this thread have gotten away with not having to do it though /shrug
 
#16
viper jazz said:
So is everyone using the same piccolo tuning here? And what about 4 strings vs. 6 strings?
Click to expand...
Want a six string piccolo? Buy a guitar :p

I use EADG an octave up on my Pics. Light gauges and high pitches often cause debates among other musicians. I like telling people that guitar solo was really a bass solo :)
 
#17
I actually use the piccolo set-up tuned down a 4th and also for altered tunings (usually lower as well) - because it keeps the integrity of the "bass" sound intact. I actually use piccolo much more like manring does - it still sounds like a bass - only more melodic and yet not quite guitar-ish. ;)

I also kept the regular E string on the low end (cuz it's a 5'r) and tuned that down as well so I still had the typical bass sound in there. It's weird - but I really dig it. Kinda makes me wanna go with another 5 string for the pic.
 
#18
I was surprised as much as anyone that the nut needed no changing.
And the tuning I use on my 6 is BEADGC octave up. And it's nothing like a guitar, the sustain and large scale make it perfect, well at least for me. :) And of course no half step guitar "b" thing to mess things up.
The reason I built it was to have a doubled bass part simulating a 12 string paired bass, pan left and right and what a cool sound. Someday I actually want to really to really do it as pairs in a 6 string layout.
Good luck,
Dirk
 
#19
Yesterday I tried out a piccolo string set on my Rickenbacker, and it definitely needs a new nut for it to work right. The A and D strings are fine, but the E and G string sit too low and lay across the first fret. To get those two off the fret I have to raise the action and in the process raising the middle two strings to Guitar-Center-neglected-instrument action (you know, 3 miles off the fretboard ;) ) (and curse the Rickenbacker bridge and its no-individual-string-saddle-height-adjustment-design.)

Unless anyone has some secret tips they wish to share that I may be overlooking!
 

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