IMO, another BS feature on some basses...

[Spidey2112]

Perhaps because personal anecdotal evidence is all most understand in todays narcissistic cultural bent. If they can get their nose outta their phones.

I did a double blind, once... I realized, 'Hey, I can see, after all!'.

 

[Axstar]

"If one is not feeling song, stand closer to amp."

If one is not feeling the song, fire the drummer. Then punch the singer, record the rehearsals covertly to prove that the keys player is playing all over your patch, turn up the mids on the guitarist's amp without his consent, delete your Facebook account, hit the gym, hire a lawyer....

 

[MultiScaleMale]

It definitely gives more downward force on the saddle. Whether the additional downward force makes a difference or the downward force while string through bridge only is sufficient is debateable. But saying that through body is BS is incorrect. It's simply different. It's like saying VVT is BS compared to VBT. It's simply different.

 

[Stewie]

my drummer hits so hard that it doesn't even matter if I'm in tune, much less if my strings are through the bridge or the body..

I'll betcha a cup of coffee he doesn't ever use his brushes, and another that he says "This snare head is too smooth for brushes"

 

[Deleted member 165050]

Guys, am I missing something? How would an extra inch of string on the other side of the witness point cause an increase in the tension of the string between the nut and bridge? I think some of you really need to read a science book.

This would make an interesting thread in its own right. So perhaps someone can provide the math and/or science to demonstrate that with the same playing scale and same string gauge raised to the same pitch it makes no difference if the string length and anchor points are 1 inch either side of the bridge and nut, or 10 feet either side.

Re through body stringing, I think it would make a big and audible difference on my Guild which has the Gibson-style 3-point bridge.

 

[eyeballkid]

How can it not, it's science and science is absolute. A stronger connection and the instrument acts more as one.

Thats some pretty esoteric science.

OMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM

 

[Thir13teen]

Perhaps a better test would be to hear the same bass strung through the body and through the bridge. I mean who's to tell what a through-body sounds like if you only hear it through the bridge?

Still the question remains - is there an audible difference? Or is it all in the feel? Or in your head? Is it perceptible to the audience? Is the music better with thru-body stringing?

That's what I'm talking about.

 

[Thir13teen]

Let's take it a bit further.

I'd like to see a sound test where someone has to identify the bass being played behind a wall.
How well it "sits in the mix"
So that they cannot judge the bass by it's appearance.
Or the name on the headstock.

Agreed. Especially after going through something like this (see below). I mean, what's the point in picking out a specific bass? Once your signal goes through all this crap, it doesn't matter if you're playing a Yamaha, Musicman or Zon (as far as tone);

 

[zortation]

In my opinion once the string passes the saddle it doesn't really matter where it's attached to, because there's nothing happening there. Look at violins, and other stringed instruments through history...if there was a sonic benefit we would see it everywhere.

 

[Deleted member 165050]

In my opinion once the string passes the saddle it doesn't really matter where it's attached to, because there's nothing happening there. Look at violins, and other stringed instruments through history...if there was a sonic benefit we would see it everywhere.

As a cellist I can tell you it's a very important factor - on a cello the string length between bridge and tailpiece/anchor point resonates and if it isn't tuned properly it produces discordant wolf notes. Which is why you see a lot of cellos with little weights or dampers on that very string length. Incidentally on a full size cello these wolf notes almost always come out when you play F or F# in concert pitch so probably an inherent design issue, but it's still that string after-length that is the problem.

 

[Watchootognbout]

Agreed. Especially after going through something like this (see below). I mean, what's the point in picking out a specific bass? Once your signal goes through all this crap, it doesn't matter if you're playing a Yamaha, Musicman or Zon (as far as tone);

Exactly!
Whether highly processed or flat,most wouldn't be able to say "That IS a ************"

 

[orange joe]

I did a similar test a few years ago and found that stringing through the body puts more tension on the strings. I prefer to string it through the bridge.

 

[Clouz]

i always liked through body stringing because i believe it puts less pressure on the bridge and pulls the bridge against the body instead of prying up on it. what difference in tone it makes is insignificant.

 

[zortation]

As a cellist I can tell you it's a very important factor - on a cello the string length between bridge and tailpiece/anchor point resonates and if it isn't tuned properly it produces discordant wolf notes. Which is why you see a lot of cellos with little weights or dampers on that very string length. Incidentally on a full size cello these wolf notes almost always come out when you play F or F# in concert pitch so probably an inherent design issue, but it's still that string after-length that is the problem.

Understood.

But I still think that no stringed instrument would get any benefit at all from strings mounted thru-body.

 

[Joybass]

There is a difference in pressure on the saddles and in the way the entire instrument vibrates. I once modified a bass into a string through body. I experienced less notable dead spots and a more solid 'feel' of the bass in my hands while playing. Maybe not audible, but still different. And better, to my taste. But, as the saying goes, YMMV.

 

[tsheldon]

Fact: if the string gauge and the scale length stay the same, the tension will be exactly the same when tuned to the identical pitch.

Adding distance beyond the nut/bridge witness points can affect the elasticity of the string. Theoretically this could affect our perceived "tension" but what we're actually feeling (if it is felt at all) would be a change in elasticity. I'm skeptical that an extra inch of string would make any real difference.

This is not to say it can't sound different when strung through body. I'm not wading into that hornet's nest.

 

[birminghambass]

I ALWAYS string thru body! Those of you saying it makes no difference are WRONG! It makes a big difference because it keeps those metal ferules from falling out of the back of the bass. Ever had one fall out and roll off stage during a song? I have. Still looking for it ten years later.

 

[Deak]

There's a lot more things at play than simply whether or not Vibrations are happening behind the bridge and/or saddles. There's also the potential fact that now a significantly thicker (and more even from saddle to nut) part of the string is vibrating. There's also the fact that there is more tension across the string when strung thru, according to some. I'm sure there are lots of others that the more scientific among us could mention but none of that matters a whit, as far as I, or my post are concerned.

I'm talking about how perception changes reality. If I BELIEVE that running my bass string thru is gonna make it sound and feel better, then I will FEEL and PLAY better each and every time I pick that instrument up, and THAT is what is quantifiable, as captured on a recording. That is where a double blind test would need to be done to settle this once and for all but frankly, almost nobody outside of talkbass gives a poop about this stuff, so it'll almost certainly never happen.

This debate will likely continue thru the ages, or until a DJ comes and takes all of our jobs away while we were all busy not practicing. Lol

DJ Youngpunk: Laaaaaddieeees and Gentlemen! (and you TB'ers up in the nose bleed section we had to let in because you are hosting tonights fights).

Welcome to tonights battle! In this corner we have . . .
René Descartes "The Mind Bender"!
Bill Nye "The Science Guy"!

DJ Youngpunk: "I want a fair fight and no hitting below the bridge!" HIT IT!

Bill: "You don't stand a chance Mind Blender, I got all of these "charts" with lines and dots and science stuff.

René: "Pppffttt! Are you sure? Maybe you just "Think" you have those.
Besides, my mind is creating this super 84 string bass to play one simple verse of "Feelings" as a bass solo! The matrix was MY invention. You're goin'down, hack!"

Bill: "Not a chance Dreamboat! I got nodes! And I know how to measure'em!"

René: "You got nuthin' pencilneck! Hey! Hands off the nut!"

Bill: "I didn't touch you, you just think I did, creep! And remember no politics or sexual inuendos allowed here!"

René': "This is goin' nowhere, we'll be workin' this gig all night with no end in sight. Who would do such a thing. I'm lookin' at you guys up in the nosebleed section!"
"Dude, lets bust a move and a get a few beers at the consessions stand."

Bill: "WORD! I can hang!"

DJ Youngpunk: "Wow! That was some short fight! The Judges have called a mismatch and decided to split half the purse between you and let you out early.
There will be social workers at the consession stands for all of you traumatized TB'er's if you feel the need."

"On behalf of all of us here at the LowDown in the words of our Entertainment CEO BassClif, Thank you for your indulgence."

 

[Joybass]

Ok, now it's time to shut down your browser and start practicing your bass skills.

 

[ofajen]

I can tell you why. The same reason why people want and builders use multi laminate necks. When everything is one piece, like so many people think they want, there often exists dead spots. When instruments have more parts, like bolt on, multi laminate necks and multipiece bodies, they come together as one and, a much more useable resonance is created, instead of having all your "eggs in one basket". Dead spots and "sonically poor" parts of the wood become less of a factor.

I personally have found all of the neck thru basses that I've ever played to be somewhat dull.

I don't think that generalization works either way. I started with a glued neck Ripper and never really knew what a dead spot was. It's simply an amazing sounding bass.

Then (25 years later), I got the neck thru Wishbass which has amazing natural tone and feel. It took years to realize that it does have a dead spot an octave above the norm (17th fret on G string.). But not the slightest hint of resonance below that.

It wasn't until the last couple of years when I got the P-style bass and import Sterling (both bolt on) that I knew what a dead spot was. They are much more obvious on my bolt on necks and less obvious on the other basses.

So I think it is very particular to each bass and hard to make any generalization.

Otto