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Show Us Your Rob Allen Basses Part IV

#342
Baird6869 said:
Does anyone out there play a fretless RA at acoustic gigs?

My acoustic gig is with 2 guitarists and we play everything including alternative, reggae, country, blues and classic rock.

I will bring the RA to my next patio gig in a week or so, but thought I would ask for opinions/thoughts.

Thanks!
Click to expand...
It'll be fine. I run my Mouse thru a Fishmam plat Pro DI right beside me. Its a preamp, EQ, comp, HPF, DI all in one.

Set tone for finger style playing.

Use side of thumb for deep thump.

Use a pick + OD for more bite.

Roll off bottom end with the HPF to emphasise the fretless 'mwah' playing.

Pick + OD + HPF + mid boost gets into Hofner hollow body territory.



PA mix wise:

deep sounding acoustic guitars need the lows cut a little to balance properly with the RA.

I leave the Mouse at 80-100% and trim at the preamp. Gives a slightly fuller sound.

I keep the Mouse's tone open (max treble) and EQ from amp or DI/pre. Easier to adjust on the fly.

Sometimes I run the Fishman into FX return to bypass the amps tonal colouring or second channel when doubling.
 
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#351
I don't think you'll be able to get there with shimming. You'll need to shave the bridge. Rob doesn't like to go very low action with his instruments as he thinks it tends to choke the tone. I had him build my Deep 4 with "as low as you'll go" and I'd consider it med to med/low action. The right way to do it would be to pull the bridge "nut" piece and shave some off the bottom. Then you'll need to make sure you seat it properly as that's where the piezo is. Best done by Rob or something who knows acoustic guitars with piezos.
 
#352
Disagree. The RA Deep 4 fretless I bought used had super high action. My luthier dropped a shim in the neck and it solved the problem by lowering the action. Now it's super comfortable to play. I was going to have the bridged shaved but this was a far less invasive (and less expensive) action that is reversible if so required down the road.
 
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#353
I've shimmed two MB2 necks and sanded down the bridge saddle on a third MB2. The first two went quickly and played great, the third was difficult, was non- reversible, and was really hard to get the string balance right once it was reinstalled. I'll try shims first from now on.
 
#354
It certainly is the easier way to go - basically a 5-minute job max to shim. But while I've done it with success on various Fenders I've had, not sure it would have worked with the RAs I've had but depends on how low you want to go and how hard you play, etc.
 
#355
bdgotoh said:
I've shimmed two MB2 necks and sanded down the bridge saddle on a third MB2. The first two went quickly and played great, the third was difficult, was non- reversible, and was really hard to get the string balance right once it was reinstalled. I'll try shims first from now on.
Click to expand...

I had to replace a bridge on a Mouse bass. Bought the replacement from Rob, put it in and didn't have to sand it. So, somethings are reversable. YMMV.
 
#356
Thanks guys!

The wife is away for the week on training (I prefer reprogramming at the mothership) for the week in the lovely (not really) Sunnyvale, CA, the baby just went to bed... and my only stress tonight is if the shim will be a guitar pick, business card or a sheet of paper or two.

BTW, my wife and work friends need to occupy their nights until Sat morning. Anyone know of any good bands playing in that area this week?

Cheers!
 
#357
My order of approach:

1. Shim yourself (free, reversible)
2. Professional help to shim/relief
3. Make a mock-up bridge saddle replacement to
a) see if it works
b) see if you like it better
c) get exact heights perfect
4. Sand down original saddle or (my preference) get a replacement saddle made to your specs.

OR...... Perhaps a different brand of Tapes with lower tension/ different feel might give you what you're after. Just make sure string tension for each string is fairly equal.
 
#358
Baird6869 said:
Thanks guys!

The wife is away for the week on training (I prefer reprogramming at the mothership) for the week in the lovely (not really) Sunnyvale, CA, the baby just went to bed... and my only stress tonight is if the shim will be a guitar pick, business card or a sheet of paper or two.

BTW, my wife and work friends need to occupy their nights until Sat morning. Anyone know of any good bands playing in that area this week?

Cheers!
Click to expand...

So the baby woke up on Mondsy just after I posted and I just got around to shimming my MB-5 tonight.

I used 2 of my (pretty thin) business cards and cut them to size and placed them against the neck side of the neck pocket.

It is a different bass. Playability is incredibly better. It plays effortlessly.

I hear a tiny bit too much string noise on the G past the 14th fret but I will let it settle overnight.

Haven't had a chance to really play it amplified yet, but I am glad I didn't sell it a few weeks ago.

I will have a chance to rehearse with it tomorrow....
 
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#360
Groove Doctor said:
Did you shim just the heel end (ie tilt)? Or the ENTIRE surface of the neck pocket (ie. riser)?
Maybe a combination of the two will eliminate that buzz.
Let us know how you go. :)
Click to expand...

That's a good point. On my Deep 4 fretless, the height of the E string was particularly high. The luthier placed the very thin shim under the G string side of the neck mount area, which raised that side of the neck and lowered the E string side. I originally asked him to look into shaving the bridge to accomplish the same thing. Glad I went with his advice and did the shim route. That tiny adjustment made a world of difference in playability. Like a completely different instrument and is now much more comfortable to play.
 

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