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string thru bass?

Morson93

Morson93

Jan 27, 2009
167
7
#1
is it possible to convert a standard top loaded bass to a string thru bass? What tools would i need? how would i go about this? other than a bridge, what would i need to buy? anyone seen any good guides on how to do this?

Thanks
Morson
 
#2
Plunge router or dremmil would work for the string through holes. Screws and an electric drill for the new screw holes. Wood glue & match sticks (how I filled old strap button holes), epoxy maybe to fill the old screw holes.

Many people dislike string through and will persuade you not to do this but IMO string through works and is awesome if you know how to properly restring your bass.
 
#3
Most of the folks who have basses with the option to string through the bridge or the body will tell you it makes no noticeable difference in tone. I'm one of them. It's a fairly big alteration that will drop your bass' resale value immediately and likely provide no benefit at all. I wouldn't try it unless it was on an inexpensive/beater/never-gonna-sell type of bass.
 
#4
It adds to sustain and quite honestly on my bass with it I could pluck a string. Go have breakfast, mess around on TB a bit, text some people and go back and it'd still be ringing. Only problem is people twist their strings (incorrectly restringing a bass) and doing that with string through deadens your strings.
 
#5
I'd venture a guess that most of the folks I've seen weigh in on the issue know how to string a bass- still no added sustain from all I've seen, played, and tried.
 
#7
My cheapo Toby came with a cheapo bridge that I replaced with a Hipshot B bridge with string-through option. I made a template and used a drill press to drill through the body and make new holes for the screws. Now I'm one of those who doesn't believe string-through makes any difference. It was a fun, not too difficult mod, and if you're going to change the bridge anyway it's nice to have the option to see what you like.
 
#8
I'll stay out of the "if it matters or not" debate -

If you want to drill it for string through, you'll need a drill press, the appropriate size bits, ferrules, and either a different bridge or the desire to modify the existing one.

It's easy to drill for string through - but it is hard to do it "well". Many people wind up with ferrules that aren't lined up and the work looks shoddy. Make sure that before you mod your bass, you practice quite a few times on a scrap piece of wood that is roughly the same thickness as the body.
 

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