I have to be very careful about that. I can't afford to be arrested again naked in the street.
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Winter Build Off 2022 - Explorer Bass
- Thread starter Flamingo21
- Start date
Aha! Now it's 1-1/8"x2-1/2".Slidlow said:
The Protrusion Thickens... (bad pun)
I'd rather have the neck dead straight. Or is there a reason for putting it at an angle?
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Neck angle and deck height - the height of the fretboard above the body - are determined by the height and adjustment range of the bridge saddles. You need the neck to set at and angle and height that allow for proper action based on how tall the bridge is. Angle and deck height are interactive, if you need X height at the bridge, you can get there with angle and/or height. Conventionally, Fender basses are built with a 3/8" height and zero angle. That works fine for Fender style bridges. Some other brands use a smaller height and a slight angle to get to the same Fender bridge requirement. Some other brands use a taller bridge and even more angle to work things out.
It's really up to you to decide how to proceed. The simplest thing is to copy whatever bass your bridge would normally go on. Or if you don't want to do that or don't know, deteremine the min and max height adjustment for the bridge, and draw it all out on paper as a side view of the body. Make a line for the top surface of the body. Mark the bridge position and the saddle adjustment range. Then you can draw in different deck heights and neck angles to see if a line projected out from your fretboard puts you in range of the bridge or not.
When it comes to neck angles, a very little angle goes a very long way. Half a degree at the neck pocket can translate to nearly 1/8" difference at the bridge.
Actually yes, proportionally to the length of your screen name.
I'm instrumentalist for a reason.
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Thanks @dwizum for the explanation. It makes complete sense to me.
I keep learning tons of stuff here.
I keep learning tons of stuff here.
My only preference for the bridge against the edge of the body is that “whatever so slight weight balance” change
There's that, too.
This bass will be neckdivey no matter what. It comes with the shape. FWIW I have a slim headstock and light tuners. Doesn't count for much, does it?
I'm not worried though, I always have a firm grip on my neck.
Where are you putting the strap pins? When I had the Epi Korina Explorer it was a bit of a submarine but I reckon if I'd moved the pins to alternative locations I could have made it better. I didn't because it was absolutely perfect and I knew I didn't love it enough to keep it and drill holes. As yours is custom, that may not matter a damn.
My two location suggestions based upon 15yo memories post head trauma, were that when I tried with duct tape I came up with these. First was in the neck plate area (I know it was set neck) and on the back top of the body in a direct vertical line from the rear of the bridge. A flushmount straplock would work well here, and a conventional on the other end. This angled it up about 45* which is my preferred and the bridge end straplock I didn't think would have bothered me, but I'm used to a Steinberger pivotplate/Boomerang. Takes some duct tape and time to try.
I've wondered about doing a V bass later and they'd need to be in about the same places, or so my marsupial brain says.
If it were me, I'd snap a line between the points on the neck end of the body and put the end fret there. Almost between the two pictures.
I'm not sure what points you mean. Do you mean the points where the curved edge gives way to a straight edge?
Anyway I will reshape that part of the body, to a more conventional Explorer shape. Not because it's conventional, but because I feel it'll improve the overall shape.
Sort of like this:
Excuse the crappy phone sketch, but a straight edge along that blue line should get you close.
Typically you should just reach over the edge of the body to get to those top frets.
Attachments
Aha! So the point here is keeping the top frets within reach. Now I see where you're coming from.
I'll keep it in mind, but let me say that I'm not hugely concerned about those top frets. I rarely use them. (I'm fond of saying that a bass needs four frets, because the next note can be played on the next string.)
By the way, doesn't Nebraska have Mountain Time? By my reckoning it was 4:12 AM there, when you posted that.
Try before you drill. It only costs a small amount of time, some duct tape and do it standing over something soft like the couch in case it falls.
Could be sleep posting.
I do it all the time.
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I now want to see an instrument with shoelaces for edge binding.
With enough epoxy, all things are possible!
