I put on the CB40 set today, they are less bright, just what I was looking for. The E string bridge pin isn’t in all the way, not sure if that will be a problem in the future.
Here it is.
Here it is.
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Guitar Scale Acoustic Basses
- Thread starter SBassman
- Start date
You can grind a bigger notch in the pin itself with a file if you want it to sit flat, but if it's holding the string in now, it will likely continue to do so. I also had to grind the bridge down a bunch on mine to accommodate the action I wanted on the flats I put on it.
Mine is tuned like a cello CGDA, with the D and G from a flatwound bass set and the D and G from a flatwound guitar set. I also had it tuned a fourth down from that GDAE with a flatwound E string on the G, which also worked fine, but I play my electric bass in fifths tuning and I liked having this one a full octave up from that. The tension is quite high doing it like this, so lowering the action a lot was necessary.
Thanks.
I may try that and was also curious about sanding the saddle for just a bit lower action.
Bigrock Power pins was asking for enough people to prebuy to make a 4 bass set like their acoustic guitars. I have considered buying an acoustic guitar set and it occurs to me that some of these short scale bass guitar ball sized string sets might work and help with intonation issues from break angle
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I have a Guild Jumbo Jr and while I love the bass the strings just didn't feel right so I started trying different strings, eventually installing uke bass tuners so that I could try out Kala's Pahoehoe strings which are my favorite on my uke bass.
The Pahoehoe's were cool but it was not that different than the uke bass (obviously) and not the sound or feel I was looking for, then I remembered that I had a set of Kala metal u bass strings on a Hadean solid body uke bass (24" scale) Kala Metal Round Wound U•Bass Strings - Kala Brand Music Co..
I put them on my Guild and the clouds parted, rays of sunshine shown down and the angels sang!
Seriously, the acoustic volume increased, the amplified sound is killer (I installed a Fishman Presys pickup/preamp that mounts into the bass side) and the larger diameter strings feel right. I like the tension as well.
In hindsight, I didn't even have to install the u bass tuners; I had to modify the headstock to fit the u bass tuners, at some point I will install a set of Hipshot ultralite tuners.
The Pahoehoe's were cool but it was not that different than the uke bass (obviously) and not the sound or feel I was looking for, then I remembered that I had a set of Kala metal u bass strings on a Hadean solid body uke bass (24" scale) Kala Metal Round Wound U•Bass Strings - Kala Brand Music Co..
I put them on my Guild and the clouds parted, rays of sunshine shown down and the angels sang!
Seriously, the acoustic volume increased, the amplified sound is killer (I installed a Fishman Presys pickup/preamp that mounts into the bass side) and the larger diameter strings feel right. I like the tension as well.
In hindsight, I didn't even have to install the u bass tuners; I had to modify the headstock to fit the u bass tuners, at some point I will install a set of Hipshot ultralite tuners.
Update- the E string snapped at the tuner post this morning while tuning up.
Email in to LaBella...
Bummer.
Email in to LaBella...
Bummer.
Update- LaBella won’t issue a new set or even just an E. After a long back and forth with a myriad of excuses given for failure, finally the rep said that the set wasn’t designed to be used on instruments with a truss rod!!!!!
Even if the scale is nearly 5 inches shorter?
I’m so disappointed in LaBella. That information is not on any packaging or the website. Had I known that I would not have purchased the set.
I am holding back what I really want to say, fyi.
I hope this information gets to the people who need it, guitar scale acoustic bassers.
So. Disappointed.
Even if the scale is nearly 5 inches shorter?
I’m so disappointed in LaBella. That information is not on any packaging or the website. Had I known that I would not have purchased the set.
I am holding back what I really want to say, fyi.
I hope this information gets to the people who need it, guitar scale acoustic bassers.
So. Disappointed.
That is too bad. However a contrabass is part of the classical family of instruments. So this group is slightly out of its wheelhouse. However, i would argue that your bass was designed for non steel strings too. I perhaps would try to talk to someone else.
I can’t talk to anyone else because the person I was talking to has gone radio silent and didn’t write their name on ANY of the emails. C’mon man!
Oh,...The GAS....Ten percent more interior volume in the body than the 23".
I bought one directly from Gold Tone with the LaBella flatwounds and set up by them. You have to correct for intonation a bit with your ears and fingers (it is fretless, after all), but I really like the sound and playability.
Your strings broke because of the cut. Nothing to do with the truss rod.
If you do some reading online, you will find a Ton of dialog about Cutting strings. It's not the best approach - the best is for the string to be properly sized to the scale, with a proper taper for the tuner post. But, LaBella chooses not to create other lengths of this very nice string, opting to keep the string design exclusive to a contrabass scale not in production in the U.S. anymore.
You will find people suggesting techniques for How to cut the string. The other part, which I said in the other thread is, after cutting a string like this, you really can't take it off and put it on many times. That will definitely eventually trigger a string implosion for the E. I experienced it once. But, with care, these strings Can be cut down to size and used very successfully on these basses.
Obligatory pic of my Guild Jumbo Jr. With Kala metal strings.
Wow, what an amazing thread this has been! I just joined to give a big thank you to the many contributors here. Because of you, I ended up ordering an Ibanez PNB14E without even trying one out. This is a first for me. Actually, your posts were so juicily detailed and gushy, I was able to visualize very clearly what to expect without ever putting my hands on a guitar-scale acoustic bass: your posts allowed me to play it vicariously!
I also appreciate the various experimentation of strings, as well as the detailed technical explanations of string compostion, including tension and intonation. A big shout out to SBassman, MakoMan, tymbrewolf, hushnel, skycruiser, and steve-rolfeca! You guys in particular have given me so much to work with. I don't often join forums, but after reading through this whole thread several times over, I feel almost like I know you guys. And I thought I should really register and show my gratitude.
My PNB14E was delivered yesterday from Sweetwater. I'll post some pics and audio files in the days to come. My first impression matched your descriptions exactly. The wood finish is very nice. The build is CNC design perfection. Nice tuners and hardware; great balance in my hands; decent action and the form is pleasant. I agree with your assessment that this is an under-priced instrument.
However, I plugged it in to my mixer late last night, and with headphones on, the difference in volume between the E string the others is extreme (as many of you have already mentioned.) I'm going to follow your lead and sand down the saddle, and perhaps even layer in a piece of tinfoil - the method husnel used. But the tone was excellent! I used some eq tweaks right on the preamp to take the zing out. Tried boosting the signal of just the E string, but I think only a graphic equalizer could make a dent in that. I'll see what I can do with some saddle/tranducer adjustments.
I like the stock strings! At the moment, I'm not interested in trying other strings. After reading steve-rolfeca's experiences, I think steel-core strings (flatwound included) are a definite bad idea for this guitar - bridge and wood-top damage over time, plus poor intonation are things I would be concerned about. The nylon core is different - they do roll under the fingers a bit. Not bad, I think.
Thanks again!
I also appreciate the various experimentation of strings, as well as the detailed technical explanations of string compostion, including tension and intonation. A big shout out to SBassman, MakoMan, tymbrewolf, hushnel, skycruiser, and steve-rolfeca! You guys in particular have given me so much to work with. I don't often join forums, but after reading through this whole thread several times over, I feel almost like I know you guys. And I thought I should really register and show my gratitude.
My PNB14E was delivered yesterday from Sweetwater. I'll post some pics and audio files in the days to come. My first impression matched your descriptions exactly. The wood finish is very nice. The build is CNC design perfection. Nice tuners and hardware; great balance in my hands; decent action and the form is pleasant. I agree with your assessment that this is an under-priced instrument.
However, I plugged it in to my mixer late last night, and with headphones on, the difference in volume between the E string the others is extreme (as many of you have already mentioned.) I'm going to follow your lead and sand down the saddle, and perhaps even layer in a piece of tinfoil - the method husnel used. But the tone was excellent! I used some eq tweaks right on the preamp to take the zing out. Tried boosting the signal of just the E string, but I think only a graphic equalizer could make a dent in that. I'll see what I can do with some saddle/tranducer adjustments.
I like the stock strings! At the moment, I'm not interested in trying other strings. After reading steve-rolfeca's experiences, I think steel-core strings (flatwound included) are a definite bad idea for this guitar - bridge and wood-top damage over time, plus poor intonation are things I would be concerned about. The nylon core is different - they do roll under the fingers a bit. Not bad, I think.
Thanks again!
Wow, what an amazing thread this has been! I just joined to give a big thank you to the many contributors here. Because of you, I ended up ordering an Ibanez PNB14E without even trying one out. This is a first for me. Actually, your posts were so juicily detailed and gushy, I was able to visualize very clearly what to expect without ever putting my hands on a guitar-scale acoustic bass: your posts allowed me to play it vicariously!
I also appreciate the various experimentation of strings, as well as the detailed technical explanations of string compostion, including tension and intonation. A big shout out to SBassman, MakoMan, tymbrewolf, hushnel, skycruiser, and steve-rolfeca! You guys in particular have given me so much to work with. I don't often join forums, but after reading through this whole thread several times over, I feel almost like I know you guys. And I thought I should really register and show my gratitude.
My PNB14E was delivered yesterday from Sweetwater. I'll post some pics and audio files in the days to come. My first impression matched your descriptions exactly. The wood finish is very nice. The build is CNC design perfection. Nice tuners and hardware; great balance in my hands; decent action and the form is pleasant. I agree with your assessment that this is an under-priced instrument.
However, I plugged it in to my mixer late last night, and with headphones on, the difference in volume between the E string the others is extreme (as many of you have already mentioned.) I'm going to follow your lead and sand down the saddle, and perhaps even layer in a piece of tinfoil - the method husnel used. But the tone was excellent! I used some eq tweaks right on the preamp to take the zing out. Tried boosting the signal of just the E string, but I think only a graphic equalizer could make a dent in that. I'll see what I can do with some saddle/tranducer adjustments.
I like the stock strings! At the moment, I'm not interested in trying other strings. After reading steve-rolfeca's experiences, I think steel-core strings (flatwound included) are a definite bad idea for this guitar - bridge and wood-top damage over time, plus poor intonation are things I would be concerned about. The nylon core is different - they do roll under the fingers a bit. Not bad, I think.
Thanks again!
Welcome to TB and to our little thread on Guitar Scale Acoustics! Sorry to hear about the volume imbalance on your bass but looks like you have plans to fix it. My PNB has pretty good volume across the string but my previous AVN did not (as documented somewhere in this thread). In any case - looking forward to the pictures and sound samples. I would like to hear more recordings with these short-scale acoustics. I posted a couple of really bad ones and I'm sure some of the more experienced bassists are doing much better things with these basses.
Anyone using these short scales for studio-quality tracks and compositions? Please post here! Acoustic basses are already mocked and derided enough on TB, and these extreme short scales probably more so. Let's hear what they can do!
