Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by eK on September 14, 2013 at 12:02pm

I'd suggest keeping the scale length to 35" or less. Anything over that is impractical for the average human hand.

Most basses either use 34" or 30" - which are considered the "standard" bass scale lengths. Some 5-string basses will go with 35" to add a little additional tension to accommodate the low-B string. And Rickenbacker is a bit of a maverick because they use a 33" (which they call "medium") scale length.

34" is probably your best bet for a first try.

:-))

Permalink Reply by billykissell on December 9, 2013 at 9:15am

heat the line to tie the knot. you can heat a pan of sand and dip the line in the sand to transfer the heat without burning the string. that's how they bend eyeglass temples. i have an old set of weedwacker strings from my upright. they are tempered to reduce/eliminate stretching. they have no sustain and very little tone. i very much prefer my tapewounds. light action, rich tone, nice sustain without over-ringing and super easy on the fingers..

Permalink Reply by billykissell on December 9, 2013 at 9:17am

I find the peizo to be very "tinny" for a bass. i use a combo of piezo and mic to mix string and body sound.