• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

the beheading project - turn a standard bass into a headless one

ialma

ialma

Jul 1, 2006
1,158
301
South Italy
#1
Problem : I'm travelling pretty much these times, and I'd love to bring with me an headless not-so-heavy bass.
I own a hohner b2b but I don't like the sound, that's quite dead when played acoustically (No chance to bring an amp with me)
I was considering the idea of removing the HW from my hohner, buying something like an old Aria/ibanez/yamaha and making it headless (maybe after slimming somehow the body)
I've been looking through the forum without finding many results.
I remember having seen a beheaded rickenbacker and transformed in a weird rickenberger but haven't found much more on the subject.
has anybody ever tried anything like this ?

p.s. : I am not interested in traveller bass or miniamps. I also know almost all the headless basses available commercially.
I was just wondering about the headstock operation

to give you an idea, this genius modified (at least virtually) a thumb bass to make it headless.
I like it so much, but I hate the tuners and I imagine such operation with ABM hardware
Invalid Link Removed
or a steinberger bridge
4fa5_1.jpg
. It should smoke!

2n1xafo.jpg
 
#2
It looks like the strings are coming out of the holes in the back of the bridge, to the tuners? (My instinct says these have a name that I should know but I can't think of it) If so, then you would probably see some binding there, creating string wear and possibly (probably) tuning issues. That's an obstacle that can be overcome, but its something to think about.
 
#5
Hi.

Excuse me asking this, but what sort of answers You imagine getting that weren't given in your previous thread about the subject?


The procedure itself is a no-brainer IMHO.

Get the hardware, take the necessary measurements, cut/route accordingly, refinish and assemble.

Many of the instrument builders here can/could do it, but as there's little point in the conversion versus building one from the ground up, I'd make a bet that no-one bothers to even try.

This is definately not to discourage You from trying, but rather to encourage you to do a some sort of a feasibility study about it first.

The best option IMHO would be to find an instrument that already has a snapped headstock and go from there.

Regards
Sam
 
#6
Have a look at Alembicplyr's thread on his headless fretless 5-string Bass. From what I remember, you could replace the bridge with one that includes tuners, and then all you'd need to do is cut off the headstock, finding some way to anchor the strings at that end.

How much you cut off depends on which end the truss rod appears as well, and whether the head of the rod protrudes from an 'end point', such as the nut.
 
#7
What about the price ?
take a quality used 300$ bass -seen many great instruments for that price-, put steinberger tuners (200$) and you have a good quality headless for 700$ let's say ?
Building the bass from the ground would take a couple grands at least...
Or maybe I'm missing something ?


The procedure itself is a no-brainer IMHO.
there's little point in the conversion versus building one from the ground up, I'd make a bet that no-one bothers to even try.
Click to expand...
 
#8
Hi.

You're not missing anything, we are just viewing the project from different perspectives.
Neither one is no more correct or incorret than the other.

Building a headless bass IME takes only about 5 or so times more time than retrofitting a regular one with headless hardware. Also some of the tools needed for such conversion can only be found on someone who could build the whole bass in the first place if they wanted to. The ABM doesn't seem to require any routing so it could theoretically be done without any special tools.

I'd say that I'd charge €300 for such a conversion. Cash ;).

Go ahead and do the conversion, the only way to really know.

Like I said earlier, I'm not writing these replies to discourage You, but to make you to view the other (better IMHO) options.

Regards
Sam
 
#9
ialma, the only way to know is to try. I'm a firm believer that almost anything is possible, if you throw enough time and money at it, so T-Bird is right - just do it. You'll have to cross some bridges when you get to them (pardon the pun)...

A few things that I would consider in the process:
Buy the headless bridge/hardware first. It will be much easier to match a bass to the hardware rather than the other way around.
Select a bass that has a trussrod adjustment at the heel, not the neck.
Select a shorter scale bass (this one's personal preference of course).
 
#10
Hello,
I received the Spirit bass which I have the best intentions to gut to go on with the beheading project.
There is a little problem. The headpiece follows the shape of the neck.
So I must find a way to shim it to an asymmetrical shape (yeah, I also wanted to reduce neck profile :) ) or find a cheap way to build another one.
Do you think an aluminium headpiece would sustain the stress ?
Going to the machine shop tomorrow!
Thank you!
 
#11
DanSwain said:
Have a look at Alembicplyr's thread on his headless fretless 5-string Bass. From what I remember, you could replace the bridge with one that includes tuners, and then all you'd need to do is cut off the headstock, finding some way to anchor the strings at that end.
Click to expand...

Link is in my sig. I got mine through "dguitarparts.com" The cheapest place to get one, believe me, I've scoured the interwebs till my eyes burned. I believe a 5 string ABM bridge ran me $280 at the time I bought it, they also sell 4's and 6's too.

How much you cut off depends on which end the truss rod appears as well, and whether the head of the rod protrudes from an 'end point', such as the nut.[/QUOTE]

+1,

ialma said:
What about the price ?
take a quality used 300$ bass -seen many great instruments for that price-, put steinberger tuners (200$) and you have a good quality headless for 700$ let's say ?
Building the bass from the ground would take a couple grands at least...
Or maybe I'm missing something ?
Click to expand...

Even if you had just the bridge, you'll still need to lock the strings down at the head. Like I said above, the ABM that I bought has a "lock down" headpiece included and can be used with single ball strings too.

Beej said:
ialma, the only way to know is to try. I'm a firm believer that almost anything is possible, if you throw enough time and money at it, so T-Bird is right - just do it. You'll have to cross some bridges when you get to them (pardon the pun)...
Click to expand...

+1

Beej said:
A few things that I would consider in the process:
Buy the headless bridge/hardware first. It will be much easier to match a bass to the hardware rather than the other way around.
Select a bass that has a trussrod adjustment at the heel, not the neck.
Select a shorter scale bass (this one's personal preference of course).
Click to expand...

+1, Unless you really know what you're doing, you could have the adjustment @ the head, but only if you know what you're doing.

I've done a convert for a friend, where the the truss rod was @ the head, I would not suggest it for a first timer.
 
#12
ialma said:
Hello,
I received the Spirit bass which I have the best intentions to gut to go on with the beheading project.
There is a little problem. The headpiece follows the shape of the neck.
So I must find a way to shim it to an asymmetrical shape (yeah, I also wanted to reduce neck profile :) ) or find a cheap way to build another one.
Do you think an aluminium headpiece would sustain the stress ?
Going to the machine shop tomorrow!
Thank you!
Click to expand...

Be very careful how much you take off the neck, I wouldn't suggest reducing the neck profile itself, but for fitting the headpiece sure. Aluminum will work, ABM has used brass, which also David King uses as well. David King is the Man!!, the head I have on mine is titanium, which David sort of envied, Titanium is a bitch to machine, unless you've got the "big dog" equipment, which I happen to know a machinist, but It was his first and last time he decided to make for me. He told me it took him almost 20 hours to finish.

Another guy on TB to talk to is "Dirk Diggler", he's another avid headless guy too.
 
#13
just by the way, the headless rickenbacker you saw was a custom made for rick derringer. It was a custom lsr guitar by ed roman, and it resembles a 360V64, and rickenbacker had a fit about the guitar that he made for rick, but they had no problem with the one for leslie west...
 
#14
Something I was always wondering about- to convert a headed to a headless, why not just drill holes through the head as you would do to a body on a body-through bass? If you drill those holes pretty near the nut, and cut away the rest of the head, that'll give you a pretty small head. You can slide in little metal inserts into the holes to protect them from the strings cutting in. I'm planning to try this for a travel guitar build for my band's guitarist.
 
#20
Ah yup exactly! Or like the one at the top of this thread.

Was that the bubinga build? I remember seeing it in a thread some time back. It's one of the nicest headless I've seen around.

Hmm why not deep ferrules? I would have thought having a metal tubing all the way in would help to protect the wood from wear and tear from the strings...


I've got a very fancy design that I'm doing for my band's guitarist and I'll be chopping up an innocent tele neck I'm picking up for cheap next weekend. I'll be drilling the holes first and testing to see how it works, then if it seems to be fine then I'll chop off the rest of the headstock.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back