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Double Bass Palatino Megathread part II

#41
mdiddium said:
Hi everyone,

Lots of great info and wisdom here. I'm hoping that someone can help me with a small issue I'm having...

I really like my Palatino but have recently run into problems with the bowed sound. When I bow and mute a string, there are some very high frequency overtones (they almost sound like feedback) that continue to ring out. I'm not the greatest arco player in the world, but even when I'm playing cleanly, this problem still occurs.

I'm wondering if maybe a standard string bass mute would help? Or, as others have mentioned, could there be an issue with the tailpiece?

On a separate issue, has anyone experimented with achieving a more pleasant arco tone? I know that this bass will not sound like a real bowed string bass, but I was just curious if there are any mods that specifically help the arco tone. Like I said, I'm happy with the plucked sound (which is the majority of my use anyway).

Any and all opinions are welcomed.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Try sticking foam or a sock between the tailpiece and the body that should fix your problems. The tailpiece resonates pretty bad if not muted a little with something.
 
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#43
So what's that rattling sound every time I hit a note on the E string? :eyebrow: Oh, of course, it's the bottom of the loosey-goosey fingerboard against the neck. :rolleyes:

So as soon as the new year comes I'm going to take her in for a fingerboard reglue and a setup to take care of that 11mm action.

Just in case I get the balls to tackle the fingerboard myself, can anyone lend a word of experience as far as type of glue or any other materials needed? Thanks.

Or better yet, it's still under warranty. Should I get her replaced with another one?
 
#45
Scott McArron said:
So what's that rattling sound every time I hit a note on the E string? :eyebrow: Oh, of course, it's the bottom of the loosey-goosey fingerboard against the neck. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...


I too was having a rattling on my lowest string, but mine was coming from the nut. I tried pushing down on the string (just holding it tighter to the nut) and that stopped the buzz. So I took a strip of velcro and put it around the neck and across the nut.

Oh what we Palatino-ers will do to save a buck. :o
 
#46
I can deal with the rattling bits. If it rattles it can be dampened or glued. But I can't deal with the 11mm action and a bowed neck with a worthless trussrod for playing jazz. And unfortunately, I can't afford a real URB or a better EUB and can't really even afford the Pal, to be honest. only reason I can even do this is b/c MF had a Black Friday sale and I get 15 months with no interest payments + 15% off and a 3yr no questions asked warranty.

So you Pally owners out there, should I keep this one and just get a decent setup or should I send her back for another one or what?
 
#47
I' m thinking you should send it back based on what you are telling us. Some of the VE 500's are straight out POS some are better.

You're other option is to try a Stagg EUB. They are usually ready to play right out of the box and the quality control is better based on what I've seen in the last year. The down side for the Stagg is the plastic bridge.
 
#48
Okay, well, i've made my decision. I'm sending her back. I found a decent rent-to-own deal around the area for an acoustic upright and I think I'm going to do that instead. Normally, I wouldn't be able to afford it, but this place has a really good deal that works great for me and gets me the real deal (going for either the Chris Ply or the Shen SB80 or 100, and they come with a pro setup and bow).

Thanks for all the help!
 
#50
Francois Blais said:
Great decision!
Congrats!
;)
Click to expand...

Thanks!

Just got my new Shen SB80 home (rent-to-own thing. Pretty good deal considering the pro setup, gig bag and bow). After coming from the Palatino with the nasty high action and rattling fingerboard, this puppy plays like a dream! :hyper: The action is pretty darn low, but there's absolutely no buzz. It's so much easier to get my intonation correct, I was really suprised by this.

It's funny how I could just pick up this bass and play it like I was still back in college jazz band. The harmonics ring out nice and clear, whereas with the Pal I couldn't muster out anything audible from the 3rd position (5th fret for the EBer) harmonic. I was wondering there for a while with the Pally if I just forgot how to play and if I really had the will to battle through this and learn the upright again. That's now behind me and I'm very pleased with my decision. :)

Thanks for the help this past week on my upright journey, however short. It's been a pleasure and a great learning experience!;)
 
#51
Just to say I followed a mod that was mentioned earlier that seems to have gone largely ignored, which is to swap out the metal 'spike' and replace it with an oak dowel. It has improved the sound a lot, and managed to remove any of the metallic zing I was getting, especially from the E string. the bass sounds a lot more wooden now. There is an additional upside too, as the dowel is longer than the metal and as I am quite tall (6'2) I can extend the dowel slightly further and the bass is now much more comfortable to play. The only downside is the dowel wobbles a bit as it is not as stiff as the metal, but if it should break then it's cheap enough to replace (£3 a pop). I am extremely happy with this. Next I need to change strings and swap out the electronics with a home made preamp and replace the bridge.
 
#52
abuwan said:
Hi everyone. I'm doing all i can to research this situation. I just got a reasonably good deal on a ve500 on ebay. I like it. but there is a situation, and any info will help. I'm glad this post is here and I've really gotten a lot out of reading.

The problem is that it was damaged in shipping. it may have been on the truck upside down because there are marks under the tailpiece where apparently it was rubbing against the body (i suppose upside down with the weight bearing down on the face rather than the back). It was shipped detuned in the orig box and packaging. That was tollerable.

The baffling thing is that the truss rod (and metal housing) were out of the neck...meaning the end where the allen key goes for adjusting was touching the curved part of the headstock.

What i am wondering is, was this made possible because it is a removable truss rod or is it supposed to be anchored in the neck, like i assumed a truss rod would be, and is actually flat out broken.

I need to know what to tell ups when they inspect it for the damage claim (it was insured).

Any info is appreciated.

Glenn
Click to expand...

I just got a Pal myself. I'm an electric bass player who hasn't played an upright in over 10 years. The truss rod in mine was also loose. I noticed a rattling sound up in the headstock area. When I looked around to see what was rattling, I noticed the truss rod was sticking out of the neck. So I just quickly pushed it back into the neck, and the rattling stopped.

I don't know if the truss rod is supposed to be loose like that, or if mine is defective. I'm going to call the shop where we got it from and let them know about it, and see what they have to say. Also, I don't even know if the truss rod has any effect on such a thick neck anyway. There doesn't appear to be any problem with neck that I can see/feel.

I'm very happy with the bass so far. So far, I don't see any need to replace the bridge or any of the electronics. It's working out for me just fine as is. I do think I'll put on a set of new strings though. Then again, I haven't played an upright in over 10 years and I don't really know what I should be looking for in an EUB.
 
#53
Has anyone here attempted to thin out the neck on their Palatinos?

They are quite thick IMO. It almost feels like I'm holding onto the fat end of a baseball bat and my hands get tired fairly quickly (And my hands are fairly large and strong). I took mine to a local luthier to have him take a look at it and he suggested that I get the neck thinned out.

If anyone has done this to their Pals, I'd like to know how it turned out for them. Thanks.
 
#55
hey everyone i'm having a problem with my palatino and need some advice. (i was contemplating making a new thread but i thought this would be the place to start)

i bought the bass new a couple years ago and it worked great, then maybe a year ago this problem occurred so i haven't been playing it, but it's really about time i got it working again.

so anyways here's what's happening...
if i plug headphones into the headphone jack i can hear the bass through the headphones as always.

BUT when i plug into an amp there is NO SOUND from ANY of the strings (i've checked the volumes, amps, cables etc).

what's even weirder to me is that if i tap on the piezo with the bass plugged into an amp, it makes a thumping sound like i would expect; there's just NO sound from the strings.

i was under the impression that a piezo uses a crystal to take the vibration from the strings through the bridge and amplify it (correct me if i'm wrong). so if it amplifies the tap of my finger, why not the vibration of the strings???

ANY help would be greatly appreciated.

thanks,
Luke
 
#57
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#58
hello to all! i just signed up on the forums and here i am seeking advice already LOL!!!

i just got a new palatino ve-500 bass along with a new SWR WorkingPro 10 amp. i hooked it up, and am experiencing EXTREMELY bad roars, almost like microphone feedback, whenever playing any "G" note. i've messed with the e.q.'s on the amp and tone controls on the bass, and regardless of how you have them set, it still roars and hums! has anyone else experienced any problems such as this? any advice would be greatly appreciated!

thanks,
spencer strickland
 

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