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Double Bass Palatino Megathread part I

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#621
That's MY choice NOW too!!!!! Yeah- strangely enough, I checked the Bass B4 I packed it into my car-all was well, strings all fine & so-obviously-string retainer/tailpiece was still holding & A-OK. Then when I opened the bag at the gig it was 'trouble at mill' -tailpiece broke strings all over place!!! BUT I DIDN'T HEAR ANYTHING!!!!! Unless it happened during one of the times where I was taking gear either into the car or into the gig????!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?
AGAIN- I'M LUCKY it didn't happen while I was playing it & that it was in it's gig-bag! Haven't had a thorough check of gigbag yet-to see ANY impact marks et al..........
Now---to order a DBL BASS tail piece!
 
#623
Funny, that was how I broke the set of strings that came with the bass. I put the bass in the gigbag and set it in the car, then when I opened it, the bridge had been shoved to the left and a string had broken. Good thing they were the factory strings (having a solid bridge like I do now has seemed to stopped this problem).
 
#626
I am planning to eventually get around to building a reinforced plywood hard case for my bass. It's going to be in a coffin shape when I do it, I just have so many projects I'm working on right now that I have no time to do it.

PS: Is it bad to have a thicker bridge than most? Anyone know how that would affect one's sound?
 
#627
Hello,

My name is Clinton and I'm Koolhand's son.
Dad is currently on tour but he asked me to keep an eye on this thread in case there were any new developments or problems with regards to his suggestions.
I've been in touch with him and he sent me this message to forward on to you.

[ Hi Folks,

Sorry to hear about the dramas being experienced with the mod.
I'm currently on tour and have performed 10 concerts with the Palatino and all has been first class. The sound engineers are full of praise of this bass as there has been no feed backs, and are able to dial in a very full acoustic bass sound.
I have been very pleased!

Okay now, before I left I had done a slight change to the original set up by filing the metal bracket edges, so that they were rounded off, as they seemed a little sharp and as the cord comes of at right angles may eventually cut into it. I also had some small diameter plastic tubing like that used for the air filters in aquarium tanks, and just sliced it through the middle, length ways, and cut a piece so there is about a 1/4" overhang at each end of the bracket, then placed the cord over the tubing and retuned.

I undid the bass last night after ten gigs and although the shape of the cord shows right angle bends there appears to be no signs of damage occurring to the cord!
When I get back home I may experiment with a thin pulley wheel, like those found in mechano sets, and as long as the groove of the pulley is deep enough,cut a quarter moon shape piece and screw it into the bracket so to eliminate any right angle bends, to the cord. Note:..... The Mechano pulley is only for a VISUAL example and should not be used as they are made of flimsy material not suitable for use under these conditions!!!!!
If I can find a proper endpin holder off an acoustic bass during my travels, I'll get one of those and bolt it in the middle of the bottom of the bass, as that is what the cord is designed to use. So if any of you have a spare disused bass lying around I would suggest you use that type of setup!!!
I also believe the Bass version of the cord is thicker and being longer has more flex than the shorter Cello cord which would be much more taut.

When modifying the Bass you need to take care that if something may cause a problem then work around it for safety as for example sharp edges, then file them down etc..

Okay, Hope the suggestions help.
Best wishes, Luke]
 
#628
Hi CLINTON & thanx for yr input-thanx to Koolhand for asking U 2 keep in touch also!!!!!!
Yeah I thought re the metal edges of the tailpiece holder-as thats where the nylon cello one that I had broke!!! So I might try rounding 'em off a bit-poss cover with some plastic or similar. Damnitt- I 4got all about it & I might have to put the AWFUL metal orig. tailpiece back on for this weekend's gigs. -Am off to try & get a DBL bass nylon tailpiece.... Get back 2 y'all!
Happy dbl bassing!!!
 
#629
The weedwackers sound great on a palatino !!
one thing you have to watch is your bridge though, there isn't as much tension there to hold it in place as well (i keep a steel E string on for extra tension)


on another note !!
I will be selling a palatino shortly i think, If anyone is interested send me an email and i'll tell y'all about it and send some pics
[email protected]
cheers
GT
 
#630
Call me mr. unmod for now. After reading the last few posts I decided to re-install the metal tailpiece for now. I noticed the right angle bends in the tailgut I don't know if that would have been a probvem down the road or not. Two things happen when the stock tailpiece is on: the bass stays in tune better and the bump at the foot of the bass acts as tail block to lessen the tension. Otherwise the tailpiece is not that good unless you use the tennis balls or foam to damp out the ringing.
I like the idea of using an endpin like you'd find on a regular upright but that might interfere with any electronics left inside the "sound cavity" ( not a problem for me right now. )
The other thing that comes to mind is the tapered wood cylinder that uprights come with is usually a friction fit and the tool that is used for the tapering costs about $200 USD. I think Luke is on the right track with the round pulley wheel ( A strong one for sure ) I wonder if it would work to get a nice hardwood dowel and drill 2 or 3 inches into the bottom of the VE500 and then bolt and glue everything together.

As far as the case goes, I know it could be better and I have a heck of a time getting the bass back into the case somedays. I think the case is a tad too small. I have some 1/4 or 3/16's sheets of plywood out in the garage and a hard case may be the next weekend project.
 
#631
Could someone PM me some makers of hard-cases fitted for the Palatino. I've been using the gig bag, but I just have this fear that one day, something bad will happen to the bass. I'd love to have a list of possible companies, so I can browse prices. Thanks friends!
 
#632
Well,

I checked out the supply of plywood in the garage and I have enough to make at least two cases. The rough dimensions for the case will about 62 ti 65 inches long, 10 to 12 inches deep and 16 to 18" wide. I will try to go with a piano style hinge for added strength. I need to find the harder foam they use in anvil style cases to make a form for the bass to fit in. That's my idea for today.

Bob

I'm thinking a custom case from some company may cost more than the bass.
 
#633
That's the general idea I had considered doing, only I thought a coffin shaped case would be cooler. I was thinking that some casters, heavy duty handles, and those steel corners would be great on it. Heck, glue on some thin ABS sheet on top of the plywood and you're good to go!
 
#634
Hi all, i bought my Palatino a month ago, and there's nothing wrong with it. sounds fine, but i wanna make it sounds more "double bass", any idea ? i heard that there's a pickup that can be installed on the neck of our EUB/DB ? will that be a solution ?? please give me a recommendation of what improve first, the string? bridge? Pickup ? this forum is great, knowing maybe i'm only the 3rd person that use palatino in Jakarta ! :smug:, please keep this forum/megathread alive ;)

Regards,

Dimaz Soegiharto
 
#635
So far, it seems that changing the strings, putting bike tire innertube rubber under the bridge, and dampening the tailpiece are the most popular changes to get a better sound. You might try changing out the tail piece like some have been doing for actual double bass tailpiece cord. Changing the pickup may or may not improve your sound, it sounds to me like you are talking about a magnetic pickup. I could be wrong, but from what I've gathered, a magnetic pickup will make your bass sound like a fretless bass guitar. Best thing to do is to try out the options and see what you like.
 
#636
DIMAZ- try the free mods 1st- rubber under bridge feet, foam under tailpiece/new gut/nylon tailpiece.

I went to get a new nylon tailpiece & they only had steel rope ones... bought one-real cheap- -was so badly made it wouldn't handle the string tension..... So I tried summink.....duh huh!!! Tied-firmly a knot in the thickest 'weedwacker' brushcutter cord-nylon -thicker than the cello one that broke, fed the other end thru the string retainer & tied another knot.....worked OK last nights gig- took a cuppla days b4 it'd stay in tune for more than 1/2 hr at a time tho... seems to be OK 4 now- but I'm ordering a DBL bass nylon one in. Let U know!
 
#638
Hi all.. Just wanted to say thanks for all your impartial reviews and information on modifications you've made and how they work out. I have purchased a Palatino and I'm just awaiting it's arrival (hopefully this week as I have a perfect gig for it). I play in a band that mixes up our repertoir with son, salsa, rumba-flamenca, reggae, funk and even some hip-hop. I've been rolling with my Mooradian-modified fretless pretty exclusively on this gig and I'm hoping the Palatino will end up being my 1st go-to bass once I get it going.. Thanks again for all the great suggestions. I'll be starting with the rubber under the bridge & pickup and dampening the tailpiece with something before I check the other mods..

Peace, Mik
 
#639
Hi MIK, yep-those two mods are the 1st to get U going in the right direction. The rubber under bridge feet-I put 3 layers of bicycle inner tube under treble side & 2 layers under bass side= an even response for me- makes a LOT of difference-far smoother & less "metallic" sounding. The foam under wire tailpiece stops any vibrations from the wire-get a nylon or gut one eventually-MAKES A HEAP of diff. far more acoustic uprite sounding. I bought D'addario hybrid lights- strings too-They helped a lot also! Good luck with it!!! I'm sure it'll make the music U R doing sound MUCH better!
Rod.
 
#640
Thanks Rod, that's great info.. I plan on doing the tailpiece switch eventually but figured I'd roll with the felt for a few gigs and take it from there.. just hope it comes soon... I've got a duo gig Thursday and would love to be back on UB for it.

Hey, just wondering if anyone has been running their Palatino thru a BassPod? I was thinking of running it as an external preamp plus I have some tonal variations due to the different styles of music we play. It's worked great with my fretless and other BGs but I'm wondering if it might thin out the sound of the Palatino. I suppose it's just a matter of experimentation but if someone has used it an found a preset that works well for the long-scale sound, i'd be grateful.
 
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