Gold Tone MicroBass Talk

[robassable]

"It's so lightweight and fun to play; will feel right at home in acoustic/bluegrass settings; looks cool; sounds fantastic; and the 23" scale length is, as many have pointed out, so much more serviceable than anything shorter.[/QUOTE]


Ditto, all of the above and add great thoompy sound for latin and some jazz styles.

I am still curious about tapewounds and would like to hear any input from others when they get to use them on their microbass. Problematic as the thunderguts are, I am reluctant to invest in anything else as I believe they play a major role in the huge sound these little basses produce.

 

[selowitch]

One notable thing about the LaBellas is that, being metal strings, you won't have to take them out of the saddles in order to tune them. That's a big deal to me; I hate the awkward tuning method required for the Aquila Thunderguts, although I do like their feel and sound, which I think is kind of fun. The Thunderguts sound really nice when doing such techniques as slide and vibrato; I wonder if a similar effect would be possible with the LaBellas.

 

[selowitch]

BTW, has anyone tried attaching a strap near the nut (like many do with acoustic guitars) instead of the strap button at the heel of the neck?

 

[selowitch]

My third GT MicroBass arrived just now.

Like the other two, the (pseudo-)fret ends (this is a fretless bass with little strips of maple that mark where the frets would be if it were a fretted model) are quite rough. I imagine they are all that way at least in part because it's wintertime and the dry, cold air causes the wood of the fingerboards to shrink a bit, but I do wish I didn't have to fix this on a new instrument.

Oh, well. I like it enough that I'm willing to get out the painter's tape and emery boards tonight for some fret-smoothing. I have fret files, too, that I might try.

 

[Orangeclawhammr]

Mine arrived this PM.

I have no idea why this pic is so distorted.

 

[selowitch]

We need a club.

 

[Gorn]

I think this is the club.

 

[selowitch]

I think this is the club.

Okay, someone's gotta start giving out numbers, then.

 

[selowitch]

Started going at the "fret" ends after masking them off with painter's tape. The emery boards are not quite bringing the "fret" ends flush with the fingerboard; I think I may drop by the hardware store tomorrow for a 220-grit sanding block, which Wayne Rogers at GoldTone recommended.

 

[SBassman]

Yeah - the emery board thing is a bit of a hack.

Get a sanding block, and a coupla strokes later, this will all be
in your rear view mirror.

 

[selowitch]

I don't suppose there's anything out there thinner than painter's tape?

 

[SBassman]

I don't suppose there's anything out there thinner than painter's tape?

This all gets down to what you want, at what cost.

Frankly, for my own personal instruments, I don't bother with tape. When a bass has sharp fret ends, I get out a 3M sanding pad, and I run it up and down the side of the neck, without tape.
With ease and speed, I get a neck side that feels like buttuh.

I personally don't worry about treating an instrument like a fine piece of furniture. I treat it like an instrument to be played, adjusted, and played some more.

Everyone's mileage may vary.

 

[selowitch]

I see where you're coming from; I want to try the conservative approach first.

This all gets down to what you want, at what cost.

Frankly, for my own personal instruments, I don't bother with tape. When a bass has sharp fret ends, I get out a 3M sanding pad, and I run it up and down the side of the neck, without tape.
With ease and speed, I get a neck side that feels like buttuh.

I personally don't worry about treating an instrument like a fine piece of furniture. I treat it like an instrument to be played, adjusted, and played some more.

Everyone's mileage may vary.

 

[macmanlou]

Frankly, for my own personal instruments, I don't bother with tape. When a bass has sharp fret ends, I get out a 3M sanding pad, and I run it up and down the side of the neck, without tape.

Which 3M pad do you use?

 

[SBassman]

Which 3M pad do you use?

They have these thick foam pads in coarse and fine.
They have worked really well for me on a several instruments.

 

[bluebird28]

I felt, when I did the 3 fretline wood on my MicroBass finger board, that if I sanded from nut towards the bridge that I would break the fretline wood. Therefore I sanded with 1/2 the emeryboard from top of fingerboard to bottom of neck. Then I went back with 2000 sand paper from nut to bridge to clean up. Emeryboards come in various grits and if you look on Stew Mac they sell something similar called a fret dressing stick but for considerably more money than an emeryboard. Here is the link to a Fret Dressing Stick.
Invalid Link Removed

 

[bluebird28]

By the way Scotch tape is .002 of an inch thick which is much thinner than painters tape but not as tough. Just sayin.

 

[selowitch]

By the way Scotch tape is .002 of an inch thick which is much thinner than painters tape but not as tough. Just sayin.

But isn't the stickiness of it a problem? I don't want to risk marring the finish when I remove the tape, nor do I wish to struggle with it.

 

[bluebird28]

Try it on something and see for yourself, try it on something you don not care about, try it on formica, just try it. Remember to fold one end over on itself so you have something to pull with. The glue on scotch tape cleans up with alcohol very easily. The finish on the Micro Bass is oil and wax.

 

[SBassman]

Good stuff.