I remember them! They weren't bad. You did the right thing with the pickups. I would have done it if I weren't so cheap. The repair guy I take my basses to had an old set of Model J's he let me have for $40.
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Headless?
- Thread starter eno50
- Start date
Still playing a Steinberger L2, jonesing for a Radius 5. I don't care about the headless aspect that much, the Bergers just sound and play great.
I have an 86 xp2 Steinberger with the original composite neck, made a new mahogany body for it. As others have said, the straight line pull of the bridge tuners, like drawing a bowstring, is much more stable than traditional tuners, and the graphite neck is nearly impervious to climate or temperature change. It feels and plays exactly the same every time I pick it up.
I am toying with the idea of having a custom rail made from scratch in ether a Chestnut or KOA short scale and a plain ebony fretless board
Wow! That simultaneously looks awesome and bizarre (in a good way). What is that instrument?
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
Every time I played one, the lack of headstock screwed up my perception of where I was. I assume you get used to it, just like playing a 5.
Im playing a fretted NS radius cr5 that I got a couple of months ago. It's my first headless, first 35in scale, first piezo equipped bass, first (to me) boutique-level bass.... a lot of firsts. so far I'm loving it. it has a nice bump out on the back of the neck to give an idea of where the headstock should be so I never feel lost. BONUS: it can handle any normal long-scale string - no need for double ball strings!
IMHO headless simply makes more sense. There are fewer balance issues since the center of gravity is not "pulled" distally by the tuners and extra wood of a headstock, and my Michel Fournel 5 easily fits in the standard overhead bin when I fly, a huge plus for me. Since most modern headless basses no longer require double ball strings, the only potential downside is the lack of a "classic" look, which doesn't matter to me.
I've been playing headless since the late 80's with Status basses. The weight distribution is perfect, with the added bonus of giving you more LH freedom, as you're not supporting the weight of a diving neck (in some badly designed instances!) But at the end of the day, it's all down to personal preferences. Yes, I own headed basses too, but headless is just perfect for me. It's not about trends or aesthetics, but practicality and playability. Here's one of my main players...
I've built my first headless not too long ago. I think it's nice to have a shorter instrument but the feel is different. I think one of the reasons of the pretty narrow choice is that ABM and ETS charge a small fortune for their headless units. Next time I'm going to make it by myself but I wanted to have something for future comparison.
Just for grins and giggles you might want to go to Travler Guitars web site and look at the Scratch and Dent page.
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They even have a 5 string ultra light Bass Guitar.
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They even have a 5 string ultra light Bass Guitar.
This is the one I let go. Twice. And now I'd love to get ahold of another, this time not let it go. Westone Super Headless. Took regular strings, no double ball necessary. Bought the first one off my aunt in 95 for $250, she bought it new for $1000 in 87. Sold it in 2001 or 2002. Wanted another, bought the same thing off ebay in 2004. Sold it in 2007, and want another, again.
That will be on my wish list. I know MPG had made one of his basses in a headless and had a pic of it on his site but kept it as his personal player. My dream bass would be a headless Warrior.
Drdav14,
Could u post a pic of ur wilkat as I think that's the name of a custom maker I was considering for a 5 headless Thnx
Could u post a pic of ur wilkat as I think that's the name of a custom maker I was considering for a 5 headless Thnx
Still loving my 92 XL2A fretless n my 96 XL25W lefties, along with my Hohner 5 but wish I hadn't sold my XZ Spirit 5 as that was a really nice bass to play, especially with the real EMG pups n the EMG BT2 preamp I put in it aftermarket. Ultra rare in lefty these days since they canned production, hence the Wilkat interest.
