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Double Bass Palatino Megathread part I

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#241
:hmm: Yeah I know!!! But at least -if U wipe'em down after each use the Dbl bass strings can last for years. Some ppl like to change 'em every few months, but I'll see how mine go, I've only had my Riley/Palatino for a couple of months, & I put the new strings on after abot 3 weeks(:eek: Dang- did they make a HUGE difference!!!!!! It went from sounding like an OK EUB to sounding like a GOOD amplified Acoustc Dbl bass, ) I've found the "D'addario Helicore Hybrids lights" good for me as they are a bit "darker" sounding than the Pizz. D'addario's & being Hybrids- the're OK to BOW- which I'm just getting into-after buying a bow & rosin last week. I'm playin in a small 3/4 piece "cocktail" jazz band w/ my wife singing-doing Billie Holiday, Bacharach, Norah Jones etc....... & the bass - with the thin "inner tube" rubber under the pick up & a piece under the Bass side foot of the bridge- works a treat. With a LOT of ppl asking me about it & complimenting me on it's sound & tone:D Proves U DON'T HAVE to spend $7000 AUS to get a decent sounding EUB Not that I've even heard a decent sounding one here- the last one I heard was a NS one( about 8 yrs ago) & it sounded trebley, thin & like a weak horrible elec bass_NOT a stand up bass--- but come 2 think of it- that guy ALWAYS seemed to have that sorta' tone- even with his( also very expensive) elec. basses--- He is referred to as a BASS GENIUS--by HIMSELF-no less!!!!! Dunno 'bout others, but he seems to get a lot of "sub" work.---sorry enough blurting
Back 2 the Palatino- I've been doing 2 gigs a week w/ it & as I said it sounds great, plays nicely, FITS IN THE CAR!!!!!- along with my bass amp & spkr box, lead bags, & our small 12" + horn PA system!!!! ALL this for under $1400 !! :spit: to all who say "NAY" to the Palatino! I say! :rollno: Sorry 4 blah-ing on! Cheers & happy bottoming. Rod.
 
#242
I got to audition a Palatino today with a rather generic amp at a local music dealer. My $.02: After playing a very few notes I turned the tone control all the way down and got a very nice sound. I tried opening the tone control back up and using the EQ on the amp and that worked well too. I would rather try to EQ the extra treble out of the sound than try to manufacture it if it wasn't there in the first place. The neck was a little thick for my taste. I think I could adjust to it with practice. If I had to play a gig on it tonight I could do that. I think it is a steal for anything less than $1K. I know where there are two if anyone needs one in a hurry...
 
#243
Ultimate!....... I played in Marietta Ohio on the 4th of july and got a call to play tomorrow night and Saturday night because they enjoyed to power of the bass. I think I may of had a little to do with it but the Palatino can ( deliver the goods).
They tell me they heard it 3 miles away. WOW! Now realize we are on the Muskinghum and Ohio river but this bass has BACK! I wanted a Eminance but since this summer with the Palatino I don't think I will get one. I hope Palatino reads this thread! This bass has Balls, like a Bramma Bull. And So? You have to do a little tweaking. Big Deal!. Mine has only a new bridge,90 derimeter rubber under the E&A top and bottom and 90 der under the D&G BUT only under the pickup. The bridge foot makes direct contact with the pickup and Hybrided heavy's. So my conclusion is this bass is an A#$##^^#^s Kicker. Don't be afraid of the price. JUST BUY IT. We are here to help. Until Monday See ya gang!
 
#244
Nohandles said:
Ultimate!....... I played in Marietta Ohio on the 4th of july and got a call to play tomorrow night and Saturday night because they enjoyed to power of the bass. I think I may of had a little to do with it but the Palatino can ( deliver the goods).
They tell me they heard it 3 miles away. WOW! Now realize we are on the Muskinghum and Ohio river but this bass has BACK! I wanted a Eminance but since this summer with the Palatino I don't think I will get one. I hope Palatino reads this thread! This bass has Balls, like a Bramma Bull. And So? You have to do a little tweaking. Big Deal!. Mine has only a new bridge,90 derimeter rubber under the E&A top and bottom and 90 der under the D&G BUT only under the pickup. The bridge foot makes direct contact with the pickup and Hybrided heavy's. So my conclusion is this bass is an A#$##^^#^s Kicker. Don't be afraid of the price. JUST BUY IT. We are here to help. Until Monday See ya gang!
Click to expand...

+100 Rod.;)
 
#245
My only major reservations about these basses are durability and repairability and only time will tell, I guess. I have been considering a solid stick type bass made by a local maker because I know he uses good quality woods and has been recommended by some local players I respect. I have a chance to pick one up used at about the same price as the Palatino but it will need a new pickup @ 100-200 dollars additional.

I will probably sit on the fence for a little bit but I wish I could find a place to try a Palatino in Massachusetts. I seriously doubt that anyone who sells these mail order does any sort of setup on them. I'm guessing you get what you get, which may not be bad since a lot of you guys seem pretty happy for the price.

Mostly Babbling,
S
 
#247
These basses are OK. I have one, and its got some decent things going for it...the cost, the fingerboard is decent, the cost...
It also has some infuriatingly cheap stuff. ..the tailpiece, which I changed for a custom homemade ebony one, the pickup system is ok for some things, but nothing to write home about, the bridge is total junk.. I carved a new one from a 1/8 size blank which I chopped down the legs on ...overall the bass feels a little cheaply made, but it's not bad for the money if you can do the mods yourself. Oh, and I suspect that the thick poly finish is masking some shoddy woodworking underneath, but that just my suspicious mind.

That said, I know a bunch of guys that have expensive eub's and never use them because when it comes right down to it, it's no substitute for the DB (if you have one). So this ends up being a cheap eub that I never use (or at least only as a last resort). So I guess I saved some money there. You gotta put the right strings on em...I have a mix of old animas and solo dominants. The synthetic gut core strings seem to give it a bit more spring to the feel than the straight steel strings do.

Suzie..your going to have to buy new strings for this thing at around $100+, so the price is the same as the eub your talking about. Plus the bridge replacement seems pretty neccesary to me. A new pickup for the palatino wouldn't hurt either.
All in all, the palatino is just ok, but can be useful for some applications. I basically use it in my art studio to practice scales while I'm killing time, or occasional loudish rock/pop things because I don't have a bass guitar. I don't regret buying it because I like have something portable around, and I'm glad I didn't spend 2 grand on one that serves the same function,
but you do have to tweak it.
 
#248
philip sirois said:
It also has some infuriatingly cheap stuff. ..the tailpiece, which I changed for a custom homemade ebony one, the pickup system is ok for some things, but nothing to write home about, the bridge is total junk.. I carved a new one from a 1/8 size blank which I chopped down the legs on...
Click to expand...

On an upright, what mades things like a tailpiece and bridge junk? They seem like such basic things that I never quite understood what makes a good or a band tailpiece or bridge.

Doesn't the bridge even have wheels for height adjustment?

Thanks.
 
#249
well, i would say that because they are such basic things, they have to at least be adequate. The bridge that comes on it is soft maple of some kind, with crappy little adjusters that are next to useless when the strings are under tension. A decent bridge is of harder, quarter sawn maple which has much better tonal qualities. It would seem that the more natural tonal qualities you can add, the less this thing is an EBG standing on end, although it's always going to be a little bit like that no matter what you do. This is especially important since the bridge tranfers the energy to the pickup, which sits directly underneath it.

The tailpiece is total junk...bent wire, spot welded here and there with an ebony saddle. I just don't like to look down and see such a thing on an istrument I'm working so hard on playing. It also has a tendency to buzz, although others have stuffed stuff in there to kill that.

I'll admit to not want to show up with a cheap looking instrument, so I did what I could to make it look more like a real one Although some of these mods change the nature of the instrument somewhat , there is an asthetic component as well.
 
#250
philip sirois said:
well, i would say that because they are such basic things, they have to at least be adequate. The bridge that comes on it is soft maple of some kind, with crappy little adjusters that are next to useless when the strings are under tension. A decent bridge is of harder, quarter sawn maple which has much better tonal qualities. It would seem that the more natural tonal qualities you can add, the less this thing is an EBG standing on end, although it's always going to be a little bit like that no matter what you do. This is especially important since the bridge tranfers the energy to the pickup, which sits directly underneath it.

The tailpiece is total junk...bent wire, spot welded here and there with an ebony saddle. I just don't like to look down and see such a thing on an istrument I'm working so hard on playing. It also has a tendency to buzz, although others have stuffed stuff in there to kill that.

I'll admit to not want to show up with a cheap looking instrument, so I did what I could to make it look more like a real one Although some of these mods change the nature of the instrument somewhat , there is an asthetic component as well.
Click to expand...

That helps. Thanks.

I certainly understand the aesthetic component of it all.
And, if that bridge is made with soft wood, I can't imagine that can be a good thing. :)
Thanks.

It's a shame when companies do dumb things like that.
They apparently have a design they can make at an affordable cost. You would think that then taking care of some of the details for a few more bucks would lead to a much better received - and purchased - instrument.

It certainly seems at TB that there is a Big demand for electric players looking to explore the upright world without hugging/carting-around a house or emptying their bank account.
 
#251
Just picked up mine today after a conversion to lefty!!
Some small issues: The nut was never finished (stained to match) it looks like they started and ran out of stain! The back of the neck has stain running down it where it dried! And there seems to be some gunk dried on the side of the fingerboard....all is being taken care of by my guitar tech as part of the deal. But I thought that was a pretty lousy way to ship it!
Other than that, it's seems great so far (just got a half hour at lunch to look it over)!
The E string seems to not be as loud as the other 3.....maybe because they are reversed??? Will have to see.
Going to try to hook up that cymbal stand contraption tonight to use to as a stand!!:hyper:
 
#252
philip sirois said:
the bridge is total junk.. I carved a new one from a 1/8 size blank which I chopped down the legs on ...

Hi again. U say U carved a new one from a 1/8 size blank -- Does this mean a 1/8 size from an acoustic type of bridge- & if so / or not could U explain this to me PM me if need be, I wouldn't mind changing the cr@ppy :eyebrow: stock bridge & I know NUTHINK about Acoustic uprites. :crying: Thanx, Rod.
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#254
Hi rod,

I bought a blank 1/8 size double bass bridge, which is the right width, but much too tall. I chopped an inch or so out of the legs leaving the top and the feet intact. I then screwed them back together, countersinking brass screws through the bottom of the feet, being careful to fit the two surfaces exactly. I then fit the feet to the little ebony box by sanding them flat, then cut the top of the bridge to match the arch of the fingerboard, fine tuning the string hight with needle files. Thats the short anwer. More details if you need them. It worked out quite nicely.

Suzie,

I know what you mean about the finish. I was tempted to strip it down and stain and varnish it, but I'm suspicious about the quality of the woodwork underneath that thick finish. Don't want to open a can of worms just yet.

phil
 
#255
I brought home a cymbal stand last night to use as bass stand. But the threaded part that would screw into the back of the bass was too small in diameter.......does anyone know which brand of stand works/has the correct diameter threading?

Thanks!!!
 
#257
I brought home a cymbal stand last night to use as bass stand. But the threaded part that would screw into the back of the bass was too small in diameter.......does anyone know which brand of stand works/has the correct diameter threading? It looks like it needs a 1/4" thread.....

Thanks!!!__________________
 
#258
DaBassman said:
I brought home a cymbal stand last night to use as bass stand. But the threaded part that would screw into the back of the bass was too small in diameter.......does anyone know which brand of stand works/has the correct diameter threading? It looks like it needs a 1/4" thread.....

Thanks!!!__________________
Click to expand...

Why not take the bass with you to the music store? I'm sure they would help to find the right one. I'm sure if you go back in this posting we discussed the stand that will fit the Palatino. I don't use one and other than setup changes I still use the metal bar just like it came from the box. Its hard to dance around with the bass fixed so I have learned to use it as is.
 
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