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snoopcat
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I don't know but I am looking forward to seeing the results if someone does such a mod.
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Picco Micro Scale Bass Thread
- Thread starter macmanlou
- Start date
I don't know but I am looking forward to seeing the results if someone does such a mod.
Would you change out the bridge for a string thru bridge or just run the string thru the, string thur, then the thru bottom of the bridge and over the barrel adjustments, and then on to the tuners?
This.
I would rather have the proper length strings, but I do have access to a drill press if and when I run out of patience. The roundwounds have great tone, but I need smooth strings on my fretless.
I'm thinking of putting flatwound or tapewound guitar strings on it, and using it as sort of a fretless piccolo bass in the meantime.
Later today, I will be testing a PiccoBass with an upgrade kit: U.S. built wiring harness and Seymour Duncan soapbars.
If we succeed, I will publish to all customers the part numbers so that they could do the upgrade as well, if they chose.
Will be able to report on this tonight, as long as nothing unexpected happens.
If we succeed, I will publish to all customers the part numbers so that they could do the upgrade as well, if they chose.
Will be able to report on this tonight, as long as nothing unexpected happens.
I have been away from my beloved PiccoBass for some time.
I had taken all the electronics apart and had decided to re-do them.
I'm now playing it after quite an absence. It just confirms for me how happy I am with how the design came out.
This really is my favorite bass.
I think the necks on these are really, really good.
I had a pro player - who plays with national acts and is the tech for a few you would know - take it on a gig last night.
He was really knocked out by the bass. I felt bad taking it from him today - he really, really loved it.
Very happy to have this bass in my hands again.
I had taken all the electronics apart and had decided to re-do them.
I'm now playing it after quite an absence. It just confirms for me how happy I am with how the design came out.
This really is my favorite bass.
I think the necks on these are really, really good.
I had a pro player - who plays with national acts and is the tech for a few you would know - take it on a gig last night.
He was really knocked out by the bass. I felt bad taking it from him today - he really, really loved it.
Very happy to have this bass in my hands again.
The testing of the wiring harness and Seymour Duncans went very well.
The bass sounds great. Just need to wrap up a couple of things, and then later in the week
we will publish some info on how you could do a wiring and pickup upgrade, if you choose.
There will also be announcements about obtaining strings, and about Picco Music.
The bass sounds great. Just need to wrap up a couple of things, and then later in the week
we will publish some info on how you could do a wiring and pickup upgrade, if you choose.
There will also be announcements about obtaining strings, and about Picco Music.
Here’s the information on the upgrade kit. Parts were purchased from Best Bass Gear:
1. Prewired Passive Harness - Volume-Volume-Tone-Tone
2. Seymour Duncan SSB-5 5-String Pickup Set
Results were excellent. The bass sounds better than ever.
Coupla caveats:
- The pickups are a hair smaller than the pickup cavities. I think it looks fine, but if you are super fussy about aesthetics, you might have a different opinion.
- The portion of the electronics cavity that holds the pots isn’t necessarily perfectly uniform from the inside. You may or may not have to shave a bit of wood inside the cavity to have the pots fit perfectly.
I recommend Best Bass Gear. They were very helpful throughout.
1. Prewired Passive Harness - Volume-Volume-Tone-Tone
2. Seymour Duncan SSB-5 5-String Pickup Set
Results were excellent. The bass sounds better than ever.
Coupla caveats:
- The pickups are a hair smaller than the pickup cavities. I think it looks fine, but if you are super fussy about aesthetics, you might have a different opinion.
- The portion of the electronics cavity that holds the pots isn’t necessarily perfectly uniform from the inside. You may or may not have to shave a bit of wood inside the cavity to have the pots fit perfectly.
I recommend Best Bass Gear. They were very helpful throughout.
Ok, time for the string announcement. I wanted to wait until the details on this were done, but I really want to move along, so I'll announce what I have.
The strings for the PiccoBass were custom made by - Mangan Strings / Curt Mangan: http://curtmangan.com/
Those are some of the finest strings you will ever find, made with materials a cut above the typical mass produced string.
Curt Mangan has agreed to establish a process where PiccoBass customers can order replacements direct from his factory.
I wish I had all the details at this time, but they are still working through them. But, there it is - you'll have a way to get replacements direct.
The strings for the PiccoBass were custom made by - Mangan Strings / Curt Mangan: http://curtmangan.com/
Those are some of the finest strings you will ever find, made with materials a cut above the typical mass produced string.
Curt Mangan has agreed to establish a process where PiccoBass customers can order replacements direct from his factory.
I wish I had all the details at this time, but they are still working through them. But, there it is - you'll have a way to get replacements direct.
And ... the final announcement:
We are ceasing taking orders for the PiccoBass. This could possibly resume sometime down the road - after a Lotto win - but for the foreseeable future, we will no longer proceed.
It was a fun journey. We had an amazing time designing the bass and getting it built. All customers who bought the bass enjoyed it a great deal. But, we were unable to take it from a labor of love to something that wouldn't lose money.
So, a bunch of people in the U.S. have a PiccoBass, we have one, too, and we wrap up with no regrets but with the satisfaction of bringing to life something we really believed in, and still believe in.
Peace, love, and lots of music.
We are ceasing taking orders for the PiccoBass. This could possibly resume sometime down the road - after a Lotto win - but for the foreseeable future, we will no longer proceed.
It was a fun journey. We had an amazing time designing the bass and getting it built. All customers who bought the bass enjoyed it a great deal. But, we were unable to take it from a labor of love to something that wouldn't lose money.
So, a bunch of people in the U.S. have a PiccoBass, we have one, too, and we wrap up with no regrets but with the satisfaction of bringing to life something we really believed in, and still believe in.
Peace, love, and lots of music.
Bummer! It seemed to be a more interesting alternative for a solid body sub-short scale bass than the Gold Tome ME. Maybe you could license the design? Then again, what do I know about business? Thanks for the effort, even though I wasn't able to buy one. If someone were to attempt to make a sub short scale bass out of an electric guitar, would the Curt Magnan strings work on it?
I agree that a magnetic pickup guitar-scale bass is the most interesting flavor of micro basses.
That's just my own humble opinion, but that's what I believe.
While the piezo bridge, synthetic string instruments yield monstrous upright tone, that's just one tone option.
When people return to reality and are playing out, I think magnetic pickups are the most desirable, yielding tighter tone suitable for a wide variety of applications.
Would the Mangan strings work on an electric guitar conversion? Very possible. Every design will ultimately have a unique ball end to nut length, with taper needed after that, but, yeah, most likely those strings Will work on the conversion of a 25 inch scale guitar. The 22 inch scale conversions - probably not.
Advice please on choice of strings for the Gold Tone M-Bass 25" acoustic fretless which I intend to buy soon?
I've decided that the short scale acoustic bass probably suits my hands and the style of music I mostly play (big unamplified UK/Euro/Irish folk bands) better than say 32" scale acoustics or short electrics, and I know I'll need a small amp even for that. I have a 23 3/4" Guild Jumbo Junior Bass fretted acoustic, and I'd like a similar scale fretless. The only affordable fretless acoustic 24/25" I know of in UK is the Gold Tone (are there others?). At this price point it's probably at least 50% cheaper to buy a new fretless Gold Tone than buy a used fretted Guild and have it 'fretlessed'.
However, having tried them, I don't care for the feel of the fat Aquila polymer strings the G.T. comes with here in UK. My Guild has wound over polymer core Aquila Round Spirals on, which I do like. So:
* Do you think Aquila Flat Spirals or Round Spirals would suit a fretless 25" M-Bass?
* How do those compare to 'Silverbacks'? , and
* Will it need a setup whichever I choose?
Thanks, Max
I've decided that the short scale acoustic bass probably suits my hands and the style of music I mostly play (big unamplified UK/Euro/Irish folk bands) better than say 32" scale acoustics or short electrics, and I know I'll need a small amp even for that. I have a 23 3/4" Guild Jumbo Junior Bass fretted acoustic, and I'd like a similar scale fretless. The only affordable fretless acoustic 24/25" I know of in UK is the Gold Tone (are there others?). At this price point it's probably at least 50% cheaper to buy a new fretless Gold Tone than buy a used fretted Guild and have it 'fretlessed'.
However, having tried them, I don't care for the feel of the fat Aquila polymer strings the G.T. comes with here in UK. My Guild has wound over polymer core Aquila Round Spirals on, which I do like. So:
* Do you think Aquila Flat Spirals or Round Spirals would suit a fretless 25" M-Bass?
* How do those compare to 'Silverbacks'? , and
* Will it need a setup whichever I choose?
Thanks, Max
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* I believe both the Flat Spirals and the Round Spirals would sound good on a fretless Gold Tone M-Bass 25. The former would probably maintain at least a hint of the thumpy associated with the polymeric uke-bass strings you want to move away from because of feel reasons; the latter - or similar nyloncore roundwounds - would, as I suggested you here, take you closer into the classic, electric-fretless mwaah tone territory.
Now, would they (the aforementioned Aquila 210U and 310U sets) physically *fit* on the GT MicroBass? Aquila mentions 25" scale as an upper limit, so the answer would seem to be 'yes, if barely'.
Could you measure the full-gauge winding length of the Round Spiral low E currently on your Guild?
I've been wondering about it ever since this post. Please and thank you.
* The Flats have a synthetic monofilament core; they're, well, flatwound; and their gauges (57-72-87-110) are comparable to those of the La Bella -made Gold Tone MBLNS Silverbacks (049 065 090 115). They'll probably both pull and feel just as tight, or more.
The Rounds have, if I understand correctly, a more conventional (for the type) construction, with a multifilament nylon silk core, and their gauges - 042 052 068 079 - are a lot thinner than the Silverbacks. I think it's a safe bet they'll be lower-tension.
* Seriously hard to tell if a setup will be necessary. The Rounds might or might not be close enough in tension to the Thunderguts. Then again, you may need a new nut, or some job done to it to narrow the slots.
Thanks very much HaphAsSard. The Guild is 23 3/4" scale compared to the G.T. 25", so a bit shorter. I installed the Aquila Round Spiral strings using the Aquila recommended 'string end through the centre slot then trap the end under the windings' technique, rather than the standard 'poke the end down the tuner centre hole and rely on friction' method. I cut a bit off the end before I did so and I don't remember how much, so unfortunately I don't have the full E string length. What I do know is that the tension on Round Spirals is low enough that the Guild truss rod is backed all the way off then tightened only enough to stop it rattling - must be a lot lower than the standard D'Addario synthetic cores. I just get away with fb relief on the Guild - the lower frets on the E would rattle if you picked it hard near the fb, but medium pressure picking or fingers nearer the bridge is fine.
Hmm - G.T.'s site says the Silverbacks are loud enough for quiet acoustic session without amplification. That would be useful, but I assume that's on a fretted M-bass and a fretless would be quieter. I guess try Silverbacks vs Aquila Flats and see is the only way, there's another $100 gone
Hmm - G.T.'s site says the Silverbacks are loud enough for quiet acoustic session without amplification. That would be useful, but I assume that's on a fretted M-bass and a fretless would be quieter. I guess try Silverbacks vs Aquila Flats and see is the only way, there's another $100 gone
My question is whether you can see a point (be it ahead of, or directly on, the tuning post) where the low E string becomes thinner;
(if you can't, and it is somewhere in the wound-on-post section of the string; or if there is none, meaning the string is the same gauge through out its whole length, that'll be in itself an affirmative answer to the question if the string fits on a 25" scale platform)
and, if so, how far it is, approximately, from its ball end, back at the bridge.
I wouldn't be surprised to learn the Round Spirals, including the low E, have no taper. (I would still be curious about the Flat Spiral measurement, though: if you do get around to trying them, please consider looking into it. If you end up picking a different set, I'll totally pester someone else.
)Thanks very much HaphAsSard. The Guild is 23 3/4" scale compared to the G.T. 25", so a bit shorter. I installed the Aquila Round Spiral strings using the Aquila recommended 'string end through the centre slot then trap the end under the windings' technique, rather than the standard 'poke the end down the tuner centre hole and rely on friction' method. I cut a bit off the end before I did so and I don't remember how much, so unfortunately I don't have the full E string length. What I do know is that the tension on Round Spirals is low enough that the Guild truss rod is backed all the way off then tightened only enough to stop it rattling - must be a lot lower than the standard D'Addario synthetic cores. I just get away with fb relief on the Guild - the lower frets on the E would rattle if you picked it hard near the fb, but medium pressure picking or fingers nearer the bridge is fine.
Hmm - G.T.'s site says the Silverbacks are up to a quiet acoustic session without amplification. That would be useful, but I assume that's on a fretted M-bass, I guess try it and see is the only way...
Hmm - G.T.'s site says the Silverbacks are up to a quiet acoustic session without amplification. That would be useful, but I assume that's on a fretted M-bass, I guess try it and see is the only way...
The Round Spiral E string appears to have no taper, and I suspect the gauge may not be greatly different from the OE D'Addarios, even though the sound is. Perhaps because of the suggested Aquila locking turn, the E appears to have only maybe 1.5 turns round the tuner post. According to my steel tape, the South side of the standard style string locator peg at the bridge is about 690mm from the middle of the tuner post on the E. Hope that helps!
