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Double Bass Palatino Megathread part I

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#661
Wow, sounds like you've got a great idea there. Out of curiousity, how much do those mics run? If they're cheap I'll add them onto the to-do list of mods for my bass.

Lately I've been thinking about that gut tailpiece modification, and I have this idea (spurred by Bassbob(?)'s idea of using a real double bass endpin on the Palatino), but as always I don't know if it will work. Here's a diagram:
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It is the same idea as Koolhand's original mod (sorry for borrowing the picture without permission, Koolhand :ninja: ) only instead of relocating the tailpiece holder, I'd remove it all together and add a pulley to the bottom of the bass. I'd be using one of these for the pulley (The same kind I used on my C extension) :
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My only concern is how to connect the pulley to the bass. My best idea yet (but also the hardest to perform) is to take a tee nut and somehow hammer it into a hole in the bottom of the bass from the inside so that the prongs would be in the wood pointing towards the bearing (but not actually going through the wood) so that a machine screw could simply threaded through the pulley and into the nut. But I have no idea how to push the nut into place once it's inside the Palatino's body. :( Anyone think it would be safe to put the tee nut on the outside in the same place? Any thoughts at all on how this might or might now work would be greatly appreciated.
 
#662
So, I'm pretty happy with my Palatino but I've noticed that I get a better tone direct into a PA than I do thru my bass amp.. Anyone else have that experience? Any tips on how to improve the amp sound to have some more clarity... My main rig is an SWR head with Hartke 2x12 cab...
 
#663
You know I like the idea from Koolhand and Yvarg for a different style tailpiece.

Koolhand is on the right track using the " saddle " and drilling the angled holes for the tailgut. Yvarg deftly adds to this with the revised diagram and of course, the Home Depot connection.

So the problem is how to get the T nut into the bass. Now I have not been shy about drilling holes into the bass so far. I think a good strong pulley wheel and a strong machine screw would work better than trying to drill a big hole for a regular endpin especially after taking into account the taper on the regular style endpin.

The main reason I changed back to the stock bridge was largely due to tuning stability at gigs. Since the VE is largely solid wood at the bottom the question is where to drill and how to get the T nut into place. I'd go with drilling through from the outside and get some kind of flexible thing to get the T nut into the hole. Tightening up the screw should tighten up the T nut and that should be great.

The mic idea is intriguing also. The golden trinity system from K and K would be good to try. The AT mic may also be cool. I wonder if a mic in the "sound chamber " would work.

To How Low I'd say remember the preamp should almost always improve the sound of any amp you use. I use a K and K preamp and the sound is greatly improved so far.

More mods coming soon..........................
 
#664
Well, I threw caution to the wind and drilled a hole in the bottom of my Palatino just barely big enough for a t nut to fit into and hammered it in. It has a very tight fit, which pleases me and seems to be plenty sturdy for the job. I was worried however with the gut popping off the track of the pulley, so I added a large washer over the top of it to secure it down. So, enough chatter here's a few pictures:

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^should the string holder thing be at that angle? Perhaps a byproduct of my C extension (Whoo! First moron to put an extension on the Palatino!! =p)? Also, is there anything I need to be looking for that could go terribly wrong with this new tailpiece besides it snapping?
 
#665
My hat is to you Yvarg.

So you drilled from the outside in and the T-nut is screwed in from the outside going in instead of inside going out, right?

The angle of the bridge looks off but that could be from the tailgut stretching out. That may affect the intonation of the bass or maybe not. You and Koolhand have both put the strings in from the top of the bridge instead of the bottom. I wonder if that had any effect on things.

The groove on the pulley thing may not be that deep so the washer may help. The groove on a regular endpin is not that deep but the length of the endpin more than makes up for that.
 
#667
HowLow said:
So, I'm pretty happy with my Palatino but I've noticed that I get a better tone direct into a PA than I do thru my bass amp.. Anyone else have that experience? Any tips on how to improve the amp sound to have some more clarity... My main rig is an SWR head with Hartke 2x12 cab...
Click to expand...
I don't use a bass amp. As noted above I use use keyboard amp - Behringer Ultratone 1800 which is essentially a small PA with 4 channels including a mic pre. The advantage of this is that it is full range with both a woofer and small horn. With mic input I can get into miking the bass as well. To my ears this is better than a bass amp- at least in the $200 -$400 price range. I thought that true bass amps exagerated the lows which are very solid with Palotino. I would strongly recommend this for anyone seeking a full range sound and it is essential for miking.
 
#668
bassbob said:
My hat is to you Yvarg.

So you drilled from the outside in and the T-nut is screwed in from the outside going in instead of inside going out, right?

The angle of the bridge looks off but that could be from the tailgut stretching out. That may affect the intonation of the bass or maybe not. You and Koolhand have both put the strings in from the top of the bridge instead of the bottom. I wonder if that had any effect on things.

The groove on the pulley thing may not be that deep so the washer may help. The groove on a regular endpin is not that deep but the length of the endpin more than makes up for that.
Click to expand...

Thank you. :smug: Correct, the T nut is on the outside. And the reason I put the strings in from the outside is that I looked at Koolhand's pictures and saw that was how he did it, then I stopped to think about it and it made perfect sense. The strings now want to pull that piece up from the underside but the gut holds it down so it does not flip, yet had they been fed through the normal way they would be applying more pressure down towards the body and be more likely to cause the to bridge fall over. At least that is how I perceived it.
 
#670
Okay, I know I've been replying quite a bit here, but bear with me. The tail gut mod on my bass keeps getting better and better. At first I couldn't hear THAT much of a difference, but the string tension was much better. Now after only a day and a half, the string holder has begun to correct itself angle wise and I can hear a big difference in my pizzicato sound. Now before I had done this I always disliked playing with a bow because the sound was always very thin and the notes just did not speak easily (and I'm using d'addario orchestrals), but I picked up my bow for the heck of it and tried it out just now. WOW, what a difference! The notes feel so much easier to play and they sound pretty good for an EUB too! The arco treble I had particularly been disgusted with beforehand but now I can play up around the octave G with a clear, flowing sound and the low C even has a nice rumble to it. I thought that all the hype I'd been hearing about this mod was overdone, but now I see that it really was not. I seriously think that this is the best for the Palatino yet.

PS: I did a comparison between my bass' sound and the sound of the acoustic upright that was recorded on Trio da Paz's Somewhere album (which you should totally get if you like jazz) and they pretty similar. :D
 
#671
Great stuff YVARG! I've got a similar thing goin on w/ mine. Only I've got the gut(NYLON) simply going thru the tailpiece holder at the bottom of the bass. BUT I think yr Idea is the best for me in the near future! As I said B4- I got sick of cr*ppy quality things being offered 2 me from my local shop, so I ended up using the thickest piece od whipper-snipper/brushcutter cord I could find & simply TIED that into position as my tail piece!!!! Sounds as good as the GUT cello one I 1st had-but broke!!! As you, Yvarg, now I can play in the UPPER register of the bass & it sounds smooth & nice, where as B4-w/ the wire tailpiece- it sounded harsh & nasty! Sure mine took a week to "stretch" to STAY in tune, but now IS FINE! Thanx to all suggestions....what a great forum, thread & BASS!
 
#672
Hello, my fellow bassists and bassettes!

I just got my palation yesterday, and ive been playing on it all since. Today i decided to buy a cymbal stand to make it stand by it self,which is great, but after awhile of adjusting i got scared that the bolt inside the bass might get torn out by the basses weight. That would break my heart! (and my bass :( )
Does anyone have any experience with this happening, or not?

Thanks a lot in advance
Ipso

PS. I'm sorry if I repeat a question that has already been answered in this thread, but i just started reading two days ago, and there is so much new information here. Ive never played the Double bass before, so this is all new to me.
 
#673
Wait, you mean you are not using the endpin at all with the cymbal stand? I don't know about how well it would balance on the stand, but I'm pretty sure the bolt in the bass would hold its weight securely. I have tried putting both ends of a guitar strap through the bolt and that holds it securely around my shoulder (although VERY top heavy), and after feeling how that all works I think your stand should be fine. I would keep an eye on it all the same; it would be terrible to lose a perfectly fine instrument to carelessness.
 
#676
I had someone build a support for me. It's piece of wood about the size of a hockey puck with a hole drilled thru the center. I slip it over the threaded part of the cymbal stand before it's screwed into the back of the bass. I figured it would give some support to the screw and maybe not snap off as not as much of the screw is exposed. It replaced the felt rings that came with the stand......so far, so good!!!
 
#678
Update:
I went to the hardware store and got:
1x wing nut
1x spacer (the biggest I could find with the right hole in it)

I then removed all the garbage that came with the cymbal stand (felt and plastic). I screwd on the wing nut with the wings facing away from the bass, added the spacer, and screwd the top piece of the stand into the bass. When the top piece was almost entirely in, i fixed it in the right position with the wing nut, and its as steady as the jeans of chuck Norris :D Total cost: 2€
Next im going to place the whole contraption on one of those rubber mats that you are supposed to put washing machines on. That way it should be completely quiet when played with headphones.
I am a night owl, and I have neighbours under me :(
I will also make a hole in the mat for the spike, so that I can remove the stupid dumbell.

Get ready to rumble!
:bassist:
 
#679
Hey folks. First post so 'hi all!'

I've been following this thread with interest and have decided to invest in a Palatino and carry out a few of the mods listed here

I was having a scan for a Palantino through UK eBay and stumbled on this bass - A&F Electric Upright Bass - which appears to be a Palatino with a black paint job and different branding. I quite like the black colour, but I think it looks a bit too hi-tech for my needs

The A&F bass costs £333 on eBay, whereas the Palatino costs £399.

Does anyone have any info on the A&F?

Is the Palatino worth the extra £66?
 
#680
I bought a black easton and fraklin bass, and I think that the only difference is the black paintjob. Personally I dont like sunburst, so im happy that mine is black. As I understand, Palatino paints and names their basses as you wish if you buy enough of them. I bought mine from a german shop, and I think it was slightly cheaper than a palatino.
 
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