ok how wide of a neck is average for 4 strings ? how long of a neck is too long ? any other pointer would be helpful . thanks guys .
You need to be a member of Cigar Box Nation to add comments!
This reply was deleted.
ok how wide of a neck is average for 4 strings ? how long of a neck is too long ? any other pointer would be helpful . thanks guys .
You need to be a member of Cigar Box Nation to add comments!
Replies
Another consideration...
I bought some weedwacker strings a few months ago planning on a homemade upright bass build (I'll get round to it someday honey, I swear!) and those are at a much lower tension than standard steel strings.
25$ off ebay and you're set. Bass strings are expensive anyway...
yeah they are . i trust the neck im 240lbs and my usual neck i can balance it between two bricks and bounce on it . lol i want to use a mag pup so weed wacker strings are out on this one but not out for good .
Roger. I am assuming you're doing this fretless?
yeah fretless .
Longer scale lengths = Less tension which means less bowing in the neck. Fretless you really want as constant action as possible and on basses lower actions have a nice 'snap', especially for a nice upright bass tone. Higher action strings combined with an imprecise fretting will be difficult to play in key. Finding the note may involve a little hunting on the fret board.
In fact that's the name sake of the Fender Precision Bass: "Precision" because it was fretted. At the time when it was introduced most basses were the double bass and unfretted.
Here's a little information on the tension in pounds for a particular brand of strings: http://www.elixirstrings.com/stringtension/stringtensionbass.html
As you can see it's quite a bit of tension. Marcus Darrell suggestion a laminated neck which is an excellent way to good to keep the bowing down. You could even try a threaded stock truss rod.
What are you using for a fret board? I am going to finish my upright bass next week and I am going to try and use some nice walnut for my fret board and I am making the bridge with a peizo today.
Keep us up to date, I'd love to see what you come up with!!
"Longer scale lengths = Less tension" ??
Don't think this can be right - making a string longer lowers its pitch, so you have to increase the tension to bring the pitch back to what it should be.
Correct, Gwil. One reason that Gibson's are easier to do string bends than a Fender. Gibson scale length is 24.75" and Fender is 25.5".
What do you have on the back of the wooden tail piece to keep the string ball ends from digging in?
That's a little bit complicated, but I like challenges! I made a grooved tail piece that the strings could wrap right over. That got attached to a block directly inside the box. Then I attached a "cross piece" directly over it, holding the ball ends down tight. I also included a very clear "warning" about not removing that with the strings under tension! :-)
-
1
-
2
-
3
of 3 Next