Double Bass Palatino Megathread part I

[Nohandles]

I think the Eminence bridge is an NS design bridge. You may be able to get one from NS also.

 

[tomersg]

but are they the only ones that equivalent to the measure of the Palatino bridge?
is this can match? 1/2 size bass bridge? or smaller?

 

[bassbob]

I think a 1/4 size may be the best fit but you will have to do some trimming one way or another. The Eminence bridge also needs to be fitted to the body and cut for the curve of the fingerboard.

 

[Nohandles]

Any bridge you use will have to be fitted. With an acoustic bridge watch to make sure that the top width of the bridge is at least a 1/4 wide. If it will finish up to the desired width of an acoustic 1/8 it will not sound as nice as a wider bridge. I did a lot of expermenting and found wide works the best.

 

[spoonido]

Well, I've had my Pally for a week now, and I am enjoying it more and more every time I pick it up. (It helps that the band got a really good jazz drummer the same week!) BassBob is right. It's best to see how I like it "as is" before modifying. All the information I've gotten points to the action being set way too high at the factory. But it isn't supposed to be as low as an electric bass guitar, is it? Seems that if I file down the nut, I'd need to sand down the factory bridge as well, because I've got the bridge set as low as I can get it. I summon forth the wisdom of The Forum, thank you!

P.S. The same week I got the bass, I bought a vacuum online. The photo shows how THAT went!

 

[Jim Mass]

Hi Everybody,

Well, yesterday I read through the many pages of this thread - great stuff, really helps a Palatino newcomer!

I'm considering getting one of these, the main reason being the need for silent practice (mostly arco practice). Money's pretty tight right now, so a Palatino looks good from that angle too.

I'm an upright bass player (~7 years, learned the traditional way - teacher, Simandl, classical, etc.). I'm also a BG'r, about 30 years.

So, a few questions about the Palatinos...

1. (somebody posted this question earlier, didn't see a reply) How is a Palatino for arco playing, assuming you put a decent set of arco strings on it? Anybody play arco on one of these regularly?

2. What are the neck / fingerboard specs? After 30 some pages of thread I'm surprised I didn't see these (...even more surprised they're not on the Palatino wesite ). I'm trying to get something close to my doghouses.
An example of how the specs might read are...
- Overall instrument length (not including endpin): XX"
- WEIGHT (without case): XX lbs
- SCALE LENGTH (nut to bridge): XX"
- FINGERBOARD: XX" wide at nut; XX" max. width
- BRIDGE: radius XX" (might be a bit tough to measure)
- STRING SPACING AT BRIDGE (distance from centerline of E string to centerline of G string, measure along the arc of the bridge, not straight line): XX"
- STRING SPACING AT NUT (distance from centerline of E string to centerline of G string): XX"

3. I'm in the Cleveland/Akron, OH area. If there's anyone in this area who owns one of these and is willing to let me try it, I'd pay you something for your time & trouble. Please PM me on this. None of the stores in the area stock these, and only one store was willing to order one as long as they had a committment to buy. Also, with ~$50 shipping each way, it's an expensive trial going the eBay route even if they say returns are OK.

Thanks,
Jim

 

[Nohandles]

Hi Everybody,

Well, yesterday I read through the many pages of this thread - great stuff, really helps a Palatino newcomer!

I'm considering getting one of these, the main reason being the need for silent practice (mostly arco practice). Money's pretty tight right now, so a Palatino looks good from that angle too.

I'm an upright bass player (~7 years, learned the traditional way - teacher, Simandl, classical, etc.). I'm also a BG'r, about 30 years.

So, a few questions about the Palatinos...

1. (somebody posted this question earlier, didn't see a reply) How is a Palatino for arco playing, assuming you put a decent set of arco strings on it? Anybody play arco on one of these regularly?

2. What are the neck / fingerboard specs? After 30 some pages of thread I'm surprised I didn't see these (...even more surprised they're not on the Palatino wesite ). I'm trying to get something close to my doghouses.
An example of how the specs might read are...
- Overall instrument length (not including endpin): XX"
- WEIGHT (without case): XX lbs
- SCALE LENGTH (nut to bridge): XX"
- FINGERBOARD: XX" wide at nut; XX" max. width
- BRIDGE: radius XX" (might be a bit tough to measure)
- STRING SPACING AT BRIDGE (distance from centerline of E string to centerline of G string, measure along the arc of the bridge, not straight line): XX"
- STRING SPACING AT NUT (distance from centerline of E string to centerline of G string): XX"

3. I'm in the Cleveland/Akron, OH area. If there's anyone in this area who owns one of these and is willing to let me try it, I'd pay you something for your time & trouble. Please PM me on this. None of the stores in the area stock these, and only one store was willing to order one as long as they had a committment to buy. Also, with ~$50 shipping each way, it's an expensive trial going the eBay route even if they say returns are OK.

Thanks,
Jim

Jim I PMed you and have one for sale. You are also welcome to just try it out.

 

[RBrownBass]

Hello! I'm a newbie to EUB (but I've played URB for about ten years), and am very interested in the Palatino. Got some questions.

I've read some (but not all) of the posts about strings, and it appears that there should be no problem with using a standard DB string such as the Helicore Orchestral (my URB string) or Hybrid. But I'm still wondering just how the thickness and tension of the stock strings compares to a typical medium (and light, for those of you who can provide this info) URB string. Also- are the stock strings flatwound or round?

 

[Nohandles]

Hello! I'm a newbie to EUB (but I've played URB for about ten years), and am very interested in the Palatino. Got some questions.

I've read some (but not all) of the posts about strings, and it appears that there should be no problem with using a standard DB string such as the Helicore Orchestral (my URB string) or Hybrid. But I'm still wondering just how the thickness and tension of the stock strings compares to a typical medium (and light, for those of you who can provide this info) URB string. Also- are the stock strings flatwound or round?

I'm pretty sure the stock strings are heavy strings and flat wound. It has been a long time since I have seen them. They went ringt in the trash as soon as I took them off. Light and mediun are the same tension but since they are lighter they will feel like they have less tension. I prefure a heavy string but many others are using the mediums and lights

 

[spoonido]

Speaking of strings, the stock strings on mine all speak a different language. The E is dark and warm. The A delivers a terrific thump with solid follow through. (Delicious!) The D is possessed with an almost uncontrollable twang between the 5th and 9th positions. The G is has a pleasant lightness with good balance.

I wonder (aloud) if a different bridge is the answer to getting them all on the same page, consistency wise, or is it the strings themselves? Volume is about the same, except for the twang, which I am mindful of controlling. If they all sounded like my A string, I'd be very happy.

A second issue is the truss rod - I only just found it has what looks to be an adjustable truss rod! It's amazing to think such a big neck is adjustable! Anyone here ever adjust theirs? The neck on mine is so straight; might it be the reason why the D twangs? But then, why only the D, especially with the action so high?

Always open to speculation here on the forum. Everybody's two cents are welcome.

BTW - I'll be visiting Upton Bass in Mystic, Connecticut later this month for some shopping, I think! Any opinions on the Thomastik Spirocore Double Bass Strings S42 (Jazz)?

 

[ole Jason]

Hi Everybody,
I'm an upright bass player (~7 years, learned the traditional way - teacher, Simandl, classical, etc.). I'm also a BG'r, about 30 years.

So, a few questions about the Palatinos...

1. (somebody posted this question earlier, didn't see a reply) How is a Palatino for arco playing, assuming you put a decent set of arco strings on it? Anybody play arco on one of these regularly?

I'm in the same boat as you. If you do get to try one out let me know what you think

 

[Yvarg]

I have been very busy recently with school and working on a separate project for a friend. But with the spare time I have had I did another bridge experiment with some wood I found in my garage. I made a bridge with the same design as my plexiglass ones only with a piece of what I believe is wenge. How is the sound you ask? It has a very warm sound to it with much more sustain than the plexiglass; much more like a bass guitar rather than an upright bass. My conclusion is that the wenge bridge has a lovely sound to it, but for those striving to get as close as possible to an upright's sound it will not do the trick.

PS: I'll take pictures of it soon and I may try out some leftover zebrano from my bass guitar build.

 

[spoonido]

Hi Everybody,

Well, yesterday I read through the many pages of this thread - great stuff, really helps a Palatino newcomer!

I'm considering getting one of these. Money's pretty tight right now, so a Palatino looks good from that angle too.

Thanks,
Jim

okay, jim - here's my findings after 4 fun filled weeks...

weight: 16.5 pounds
scale: 40.5 inches
neck width at nut: 1 5/8 inches
neck width at bridge end: 3 5/8 inches
string spacing at nut: 30mm
string spacing at bridge: 72mm

paid $370 for the blem sale on ebay. the "blemish" is a laugh. i was trying to point it out to a bunch of critical musicians in direct sun and no one could see it.
took it to its first gig at a ukulele festival and i was an instant celebrity. folks assumed i spent four times the amount on it.

so here's a treat - i made a sound sample of it - a full recording, actually, so you can hear what it sounds like with a couple of ukuleles and vocal. the recording was made using a zoom h4 recorder and cubase se software. the bass was plugged directly into the zoom. the tone setting was placed in the middle. no coloring of sound was added. no compression, no reverb, no rehearsal!

the link is here on my myspace:

Link Removed

the song is "the frim fram sauce." listen with good speakers if you can, because if you want to know what the bass sounds like, your 2" computer speakers aren't going to tell you.:scowl:

oh, and most importantly, this is a 100% total STOCK instrument right out of the box. no modifications at all, no pro set-up.

 

[Yvarg]

Cool clip, spoonido; especially for stock settings.

PS: You're located in Sierra Madre? I was just there this weekend (and every other weekend before that XP).

 

[spoonido]

yes, sierra madre... and my sweetie moved here from alta loma! anyway, i should have practiced the song before posting it. apparently people are listening to it! maybe i'll do another one with a bit more bass in it.

 

[spoonido]

Hey, folks, it's open mic night at the forum! If you've got a recording of yourself or someone you love playing a Palatino EUB, audio or video, here's the place to post the link. You can post music on your myspace, youtube, or personal website.

When posting your links, remember it's of interest to mention any equipment or modifications you've done to your bass to give it the quality of sound that we're hearing.

To start things off, I've recorded yet another "raw" recording of my "dead stock no set-up" Pally. It's "The Glory of Love" done with two baritone ukuleles and the bass recorded directly into a Zoom H-4 recorder. No alterations of the sound were done. It's exactly as if you were there. I tried to feature the bass more on this recording than the previous one, "The Frim Fram Sauce."

The link will take you to my myspace website. Enjoy!

Link Removed

 

[spoonido]

I've posted a new thread exclusively for Palatino Audio/Video links so we can easily find ways to see and hear our performances and compare styles and modifications. If you've got a link, post it there and it'll be like open mic night at the forum! Try it! Thanks!

 

[mrbahr]

Hi All,

This is a great thread! Thanks for all who participate.

I received my Palatino yesterday and am excited to get it adjusted. All of the mods suggested here are great. I am going to start with the innertube mode and work from there.

When I unpacked the box, I unpacked the bridge and the legs fell off. So, if there is a specific way they go back on, I'm not sure. I tried adjusting the action and seem to have some issues. So, any help on adjusting the action with the stock bridge would be helpful.

The treble side is adjusted slightly up and the bass side is all the way down. Unfortunately, no matter what I do, I can't get all the strings equidistant from the fret board. Are they supposed to be. I play strictly pizzicato and now the A is hitting the end of the fret board. So here are my specific questions:

1) I think I have the bridge facing the right way. There was a previous post indicating the direction of the "S". I also looked at the "slots" for the strings and have the smaller slot under the "G" string. Any other hints? Does it matter which adjustable foot is on which side of the bridge?

2) For a medium low action, how far off the fret board should EACH of the strings be?

3) Is there anything else affecting the action other than the height of the bridge? I know folks talk about the height of the nut, but most are not replacing it.

4) To find the sweet spot, it is suggested to tune the instrument and then move the bridge back and forth. Am I just asking for disaster to try and move the bridge with that much tension? Sounds a little scary.

Any help (or pictures) anybody would like to share would be great. Yvarg, if I decide to replace the bridge, how much are you charging for a plexiglass one? Are you noticing any dramatic differences between the plexiglass and wooden bridges?

Thanks all for such a great thread. I am looking forward to playing this bass!!!

Thanks,
Tom

 

[mrbahr]

Hey All,

Just another quickie. I purchased one of the blemished basses from a guy on eBay. It came the next day! I couldn't tell where the blemishes were until I tilted the instrument under bright light. All I can say is that for the price, you cannot beat it! In most settings, you won't be able to see the blemishes. Save your money and get a blemished bass.



Tom

 

[bassbob]

Check the grain of the bridge and that should give some clue about lining up the feet. The adjustment screws are not really good to start with and the bridge tends to fall over anyway so the sooner you replace it the better. I mark T and B for the treble and bass sides of the bridge for reference. I also make a pencil mark connecting the feet and the side of the bridge to keep the right and left foot on the right sides. ( i.e. one side has one pencil mark and the other has two.

Depending on where you live, you may have trouble getting a luthier to do anything to your bass so use this board for a reference it may all you've got.

I got my VE from a damaged freight warehouse so I knew I'd have some work to do. The string height shoud be high enough for you to get part or all of your finger underneath each string by the end of the fingerboard. ( Everyone has their own preference so the above is a rough guide. ) Good Luck.