Double Bass Palatino Megathread part I

[Yvarg]

Okay, as requested by Cokeman I have made a short tutorial with pictures on how I make my bridges for those do-it-yourselfers out there.

First, I get a sheet of acrylite (3/4" or 1" thick) from the local plastic supply store and trace out my design onto it.
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Then I cut it out using this router-like tool leaving at least a quarter inch around my traced design on all sides.
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Next I pull off the adhesive paper sides so it doesn't clog up my sandpaper and retrace the design straight onto the plexiglass using a permanent marker. To get the outline trimmed down to actual size I prefer to use my oscillating spindle sander, which doesn't so much sand down the sides as it does melt away the plastic.
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Once you have the bridge shaped the way you want it it's time to taper the face of it. (sorry guys, phone wouldn't download anymore of the pictures from here on )
Ideally, one would use a stationary belt sander with a coarse grit belt (60 grit is what I use), but I don't have a stationary belt sander so I take my handheld beltsander and lock it in the "on" position (on the highest RPM setting) then clamp it face up in a vise. I recommend drawing a line down the side of the bridge that marks the thickness you want it to end up at so you know where to sand to. There are a number of ways you could grip the bridge during this portion and none of them really matter so long as you can press the face of it at an angle into the belt and keep it steady. Make sure that you sand along the top edge where the strings run over evenly (and round the top over as well). When the bridge is the shape you want, start sanding down all the faces of it (except the flat backside if that is still smooth) with 100 grit sandpaper working your way up to 600 grit. The goal is to get rid of all the large scratches in the plexiglass. It helps to wash off the bridge and while it's still wet look at where there are white patches on it; those are the enemy and you must sand them out. That step will more than likely take the longest amount of time out of all of them. Now is also a good time to put the stock bridge in front of or behind your one in progress and mark where the strings will go on the plexiglass bridge. I start the grooves with the edge of a small, half-round file to get the correct depth then round them out with tiny, round needle files. This requires checking the grooves on the strings to make sure they won't accidentally pop out. When all the deep scratches are out of the surfaces of the bridge and the hole slots are filed it's time to finish it. This can be a little tricky if you aren't careful, so practice on some scrap first. Take a small or medium sized torch (I use a propane one, and I do NOT recommend oxyacetylene) and move it back and forth across the plexiglass keeping it about four or five inches away from the actual piece. What you're trying to do here is to melt the surface of the plexiglass just enough so that it fills in all those tiny scratches that you would never be able to sand out. It should be noted that if you leave the flame in one spot too long the plexiglass will catch fire and you will have to blow it out quick or else you end up with a brown patch. After a few minutes of moving the torch back and forth you should see that it is getting less and less cloudy, just keep doing this until it looks nice and glassy on all sides (you will have to move the torch to get the other areas). When it does look glassy I slowly poor cool water over it until I can touch it with my bare hands. Now dry it off and examine the bridge. If you see lots of scratches still you either didn't melt it enough or you need to sand better. When you think the finish is good enough try the strings in their respective grooves again; often times the melting stage requires you to go back with a file afterwards and clean them up a tiny bit, but be careful not to scratch your lovely finish! That's exactly how I make my bridges, so now you know. The final product looks something like this (click the thumbnails, you know you want to!):
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[jamiefoxer]

If anybody has one of the stock bridges with the adjusters and everything that they don't want, could someone ship it to me? My stock bridge is not as good as it used to be (tried modifying it but screwed it up) and I'm left without a bridge to use.

Please PM if you can send me yours so I can send address. Take care all!

 

[Yvarg]

Sorry about flooding the thread with bridge posts, but I have been doing some experimentation with a more traditional looking design:

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Enjoy.

 

[rodl2005]

HI Yvarg & all,
The Bridge Yvarg made for me arrived this morn & BOY he's done himself proud!!! Such a smooooooth job!! U must have far more patience than I Yvarg! Dunno HOW long U sanded & smoothed this thing but you've made a mighty fine looking bridge! THANKS!!!!!
Mine is in the original design-not the trad design shown by Yvarg above. Haven't had time to install yet-am @ work now ..... But looked at it alongside the bass' p-up holder & looks as tho it'll fit perfectly!!! Can't wait to fit it & hear the bass.
I'll post my reviews on it & the differences/sounds etc. asap.
Highly recommend anyone asking Yvarg to make one for them if, like I, you.... 1. aint got time, 2. aint got the patience, or -like me probly 3. aint got the skill
I can't wait to be rid of the POS stock bridge - mine- the adjusters NEVER worked & it falls into 3 pieces whenever I remove the strings- so I need 3 or 4 hands to hold the bridge together & the string & tuner when putting on a string etc

Thanks again Yvarg- GREAT JOB & GREAT LOOKING BRIDGE!!!

Cheers,
Rod.
ps...been gigging HEAPS lately-in both my bands-one band I use the Palatino 90% of the time- ppl 've been saying to me how good the Palatino sounds... should souund even nicer soon!

 

[bassbob]

Jamie,

If you really want another one of the stock bridges you can have the left over one I have. I'd seriously ask you to consider getting the Eminence bridge or one of Yvarg types bridges avaiable. You can't do much with the stock bridge and you trade one problems for another. I figure shipping is about $5 if you want it PM me. Dude, it's time to move on to better bridges.

Bob

 

[Chipper Gore]

G'day all,

Just wanted to say thanks. I have been reading this thread for months before committing to buying a Palatino (dubbed Riley in Aus) as I didnt want to waste money. I felt well informed and confident to buy the beast and I must say that I have not been dissapointed. While it has some small foibles as others have pointed out, I take them with a grain of salt.
As for mods I have been somewhat hesitant given my partners frown at the notion of tampering with something which was comparitively expensive to our budget. The two main things that I have done is:
1 - obtained a piece of 3/8 size black foam rubber airconditioning pipe insulation tube. I found it at work after they had some renovation done to the air con. This tubing is about 1 1/2 cm thick and I have slid it over the leaning bar that attaches to the bass. I have noted some other more impressive changes to this bar but this one is nice and easy.
2 - I have been playing slap bass. To get that percussive sound I picked up an el cheapo 'violin pickup' from ebay for about five bucks Aus, pulled it apart and gaffed it under the bridge. It works great. It has a short lead which i ran to the rear of the bass and plugged into a 6.5 mil female to female adaptor which is gaff taped and sits just behind the main jack.

Changing the bridge is something I am looking at down the track and I must say that Yvarg has hit gravY with that bridge design =fantastic.
The stock one doesnt allow for the strings to be raised high enough for slap before the whole thing gives. I have one tiny ding from colapsing bridge.

Again I must say thanks for the info.

 

[Cokeman170]

Just a quick check in. My palatino is sounding better than ever. i have used rine glue toglue the 3 peices of bridge together because they kept messing up. it sounds pretty good still. i have been using an AC adapter cord as my nylon gut peice and it works AMAZING! the bass is worth the money once you get it going.

 

[BigWookie]

I am a newbee on this thread but have played bass for many years. I have my old 1960 Fender P-Bass, a 1981 Guild fretless EABG, an Epiphone ElCapitan 5 string fretless EABG, and an older East German laminated 3/4 upright bass and use either Fishman or DeArmand pickups on that.

I couldn't resist the price and won a Palatino blem for $399 +$50 S&H. It arrived last Tuesday and the blemish is with the clear coat finish. No neck or fingerboard problems.

The finish problem is so light that it is unnoticeable except when looking at it very closely at an angle. I could probably sand or compound it out but probably not worth the effort.

I immediately put thin foam under the piezo pickup and bridge feet and squeezed a hand therapy squeeze ball (size of tennis ball but much softer) under the tailpiece. Played it that night at church rehearsal and is sounded pretty good.

The endpin grips were very hard to tighten down enough to keep the bass from slipping down. Next day I took it all apart and with a toothbrush size metal brush I cleaned out the threads from both sides of the tighteners. Then I coated the threads with a little white lithium grease (vaseline would probably work, too), cleaned everything and put it back together. The endpin grips tightened much easier and I was able to get it nice and tight and now it doesn't slip down at all.

I had to scrap the black endpin foot as it was marking up carpets wherever I was playing. I went to the hardware store and bought the beige or white rubber (not vinyl) 3/4" chair or crutch foot and it fit perfectly without sliding or putting black marks everywhere.

I want to replace the bridge and am interested in the postings showing the fabricated plexiglass bridge. Would sure like to get one as I have found it difficult to locate a 1/8 acoustic upright bass bridge.

Although others comment on the shape and sunburst, I still prefer it having some resemblance to a full standup than a stick with strings.

All in all, I am pleased with the bass considering the low price and the fact that the problems mentioned in all the messages here can all be dealt with.

Regards, [email protected]

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To all,

Most of us have noted the guy selling a batch of cosmetically blemmed Ve's on Ebay in the last week or so. Has anyone gotten one of these yet.

I saw another guy selling one with the cosmetic problem and a hump or warp in the fingerboard. This may be a caveat emptor situation to watch out for.

We gotta look out for each other lllllllllllllllllllllllllll

 

[tomersg]

I took advantage of this nice holiday afternoon here and took some top model book photos of my beautiful Palatino and couldn't resist to put some of the pics here for you

The sky is the limit!

more pics here.

 

[Nohandles]

Hi All,

Well it's been real fun since I first posted about my Palatino in January of 2006. Had a blast with this bass but my original intention was to see if I liked EUB's an could understand the electronic part. "Electronically challenged" I have scored an Eminence #68 and acoustic Image amp for a bargain and have played it exclusively since getting it last February. I just listed the Palatino here for sale. Hope I'm doing the right thing? I think and will always believe this bass is exceptional for the price. Thanks for all the help and answering all the dump questions I had. Doug
By the way part of the reason I'm selling is I'm running out of room with 5 basses and all the other things I play.

 

[rodl2005]

Hi all again,
This is a review of my Plexi glass bridge I bought of Yvarg.
ALL that follows is ALL IMHO
Put the bridge on pretty soon after it arrived-packed well etc-see above post on my initial thoughts on the bridge-& it fit snugly-better than original one- & LOOKED superb!!
I've used it now on about 6 gigs & each time I think I'm being able to "fine tune" the bass to sound better than it has ever B4 !!! The better bridge enables the string's sound to be passed thru to the body of the bass & the p-up FAR better than before. The sound is sharper-not in a bad way-but as in more clarity & a cleaner sound! I adjusted the bridge slightly back & forth( tilting it) to get it in the "sweet spot", & when it was in "the" position the bass seemed to "sing" far more than before. I'm NOT gonna go averboard here & say the bridge has made the bass 100% better, or the sound is magical blah blah........
but it has definately solidified the sound, made it more defined, punchy & has better clarity- all which adds up to being able to get a more "wholesome" sound... In MY view- a more "uprite" sound- as I seem to get a bit of resonance from the hollow part of the bass body & the string sound is passed on thru the bridge to the p-up more cleanly & solidly!!!
All in all- I LOVE the bridge (also it doesn't fall to bits every time U slacken off the strings-as the original one did!!! )
& THANK Yvarg for making it for me, doing such a LOVELY job on it( Lord knows I wouldn't've made it nearly as good!!)
for getting it to me safely & quickly & for doing it all -basically- for the love of it!
Thanx again Yvarg.
I reccomend anyone w/ a Palatino to get a better bridge-Yvargs or another kind- but at least one that is SOLID & gets the sound thru to the p-up better than the original one!!
Cheers,
Rod.

 

[Yvarg]

Ah wonderful; I'm very relieved to hear that the bridge is working well for you and hope it lasts you as long as the bass!

Changing the bridge is something I am looking at down the track and I must say that Yvarg has hit gravY with that bridge design =fantastic.

Why thank you!

 

[tomersg]

is there other any after market bridges, except that plexi glass bridge , that are match to the Palatino and can replace the stock bridge and make better sound? any recommendation? is the stock bride is match to 1/2 size upright bass bridge?

 

[rodl2005]

I think the Eminence EUB bridge fits

 

[spoonido]

Hey, Palatino VE-500 Club members - Mine arrived today from the eBay blem sale. I gotta say that the looks are great! The only "blem" is on the sides, and you have to hold it in bright light to find it. As for my initial findings, the pick-up is a little noisy in the upper frequencies, the action compares favorably to my friend's wonderful old german bass if lowered all the way, sound is vaguely acoustic. So what is it about these modifications i read about (strings, pick-up, and bridge) that brings out the acoustic sound? right now out of the box i could be happy, but what makes an $80 set of strings so good? i need hard evidence before laying out hard cash! thanks for being there.

 

[Cokeman170]

Hey Rod,
any chances you could post a pic of your bass with Yvarg's bridge on it? Thanks.

 

[bassbob]

Spoonido,

Congrats on the ve500. Try the bass the way it is for now and get used to the scale and action. The bridge will eventually fail or fall over and the strings will wear out. I am in the radical group of VE500 owners who start from scratch with mods on the bass. You could save yourself some time and improve the sound exponentially by getting rid of the bridge and getting one of the Eminence or Yvarg's bridges. As for strings, $80 is a low estimate on good strings. Think in the range $120 to 150 for a good set.

Remember, you got a deal on the bass to start with so live a little. Also, think about a good pickup/preamp like a rev solo or K and K bass max and a K and k preamp. Good luck.

Bob

 

[spoonido]

Thanks, BassBob. Right you are about saving $$ on the initial purchase. I like that "wait and see" attitude. So far so good for the past 24 hours! Ultimately, I'll be looking for the most acoustic sound that I can get from the VE-500. The amp I'm playing through is a Mesa Walkabout 15" combo. Very nice sounding amp for electric anything! On the bass I play standards and swing with ukuleles, acoustic guitars and other acoustic instruments. There's no room in my 900 square feet cabin for a full sized bass!

 

[tomersg]

Is it possible to get anywhere that Eminence bridge? for outside U.S resident? are they sold separately anywhere?
what is the size of the bridge? is it equivalent to 1/2 size bridge? to 1/4??

 

[bassbob]

I may be one of the few people who got through to Gary Bartig and finally got a bridge from him. No knock on Gary, he is particular about basses and Palatino's do not rank up there with Eminences. Check back on some of the old posts regarding mods and you'll see the contact info for Gary. I'm guesing with shipping etc. You'd need about $80or 90 USD by the time it got to you. You'd also need to shape the feet due to flat body on the VE500. ( The Eminence top has has an arch like regular uprights. )

Good Luck.

Bob