Can someone tell me what the difference is between these scales? As far as fret placement? I have never seen a "bass" fret scale calculater, so I can only assume they are the same. I plan on trying a bass cbg soon. I am also interested in upright cbg ideas also. wray
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Eli, yes the high point of the fret is directly over the tang or slot. Don't compensate. Don't make more work for yourself. Making sure the fret is nice and rounded on each side toward the top, and as polished as you can get it will give you a nice sound. Fretting is probably one of the hardest things to get right if you are actually going to press the strings down and use them for something other than a marker, like slide guitar boxes. Make sure they are all leveled before you crown them, or all your work will be for naught. After I level my frets, and have a flat spot on top, I mark the flat spot with a medium sharpie, and file each side till the mark is just a thin line. Then I use sand paper of different grits to round the top of the fret. Hope this helps.
Wichita Sam said:
just make your cuts as perpemdicular to the fretboard as you can and everything will be OK
Eli Spiegelman said:
Stewmac is good! So is your point about the yardsticks.
On fret wire: Is it true that the high point of the fret -- where the string will start to vibrate -- is just above the saw-line, or do you have to compensate for anything when cutting the slots? (Does that make sense?)
https://www.largesound.com/buy/ These guys sell the AshboryBass, and have the tuners available for $20 for the set. They also have the active preamp/eq from the ashbory for $20. I am using that with a acoustic bass bridge with a transducer that is integrated with an acoustic bass saddle that I purchased on Ebay from a seller in Canada named bezdez.
Wichita Sam said:
David,
Looks about right.... where are you getting your tuners? There was a guy selling Ashbory parts about a year ago, but he disappeared. That was the main reason I cooled on building these. Ashbory tuners (see in my pic, the long scale bass) work great, much better than anything else I tried....
If you can let me know where you're getting your tuners, I'd appreciate it.
the best,
Wichita Sam
David West said:
My strings came from RoadToad. I emailed the owner/inventor. He set me up with custom guages and lengths to work with the 25" length. He also recommended using the tuners from the Ashbory bass. They were $20 for the set of 4. The ones from RoadToad look a little nicer, but were $80 for a set. The custom length set of strings seemed reasonable at $33. This was the setup that Owen recommended. "Assuming that you’re trying for EADG bass tuning, My best guess would be:
.187” medium - E
.156” medium - A
.125” hard - D
.095” hard - G
"
I am still waiting for a bridge and pickup to arrive that I ordered for the project.
Thanks for the reply.
Dave
Wichita Sam said:
Dave,
Yep, nuthin' new under the sun, but.... it is still a niche that someone could fill. If you think that people give you strange looks when you show them a CBG, that's nothing compared to when you pull out a PU CBBass. Strung with fat black strings on an ultra short scale. Then when you play rich low "true Low E" bass tones, the confounded look just overwhelms them....
They are fun and easy to play. As far as I know, the guy at RoadToad music and I were developing the use of PU cord at about the same time.... (he probably first, but I only found him after I had build my first)... There is a lot of techy stuff to work on still. The longer scale lengths are OK, but strings are really sensitive to over tensioning. Go past a certain point and they relax and won't hold tone...
If you want to know long term on long scale, get ahold of Ted Crocker. He had the only long scale that was ever built. It was a birthday gift, if I remember right..... For long scale, alternative string material, WW bass is a better choice... I still have some heavy gauge stuff and have made low E WWCBBasses...
Anyway, if you get hung up on something, give me a shout....
the best,
Wichita Sam
David West said:
Cool bases WichitaSam. I am setting up a 25.5" scale bass using polyurathane strings. I got the strings from the inventor of the U-bass. I thought I was the first using the polyurathane...Oh well...nothing new under the sun.
Dave
Wichita Sam said:
the only difference (typically) is length... the rules governing spaciing is the same. the stewMac fret calculator... http://www.stewmac.com/FretCalculator will produce the same fretpattern whether you calculate for an electric guitar or a bass.
Bass guitar scale lengths can be influenced by using alternative string material. a year ago I produced several ultra short scale basses (as short as 17') that were low "E" capable using polyurethane cord.
David, Looks about right.... where are you getting your tuners? There was a guy selling Ashbory parts about a year ago, but he disappeared. That was the main reason I cooled on building these. Ashbory tuners (see in my pic, the long scale bass) work great, much better than anything else I tried.... If you can let me know where you're getting your tuners, I'd appreciate it. the best, Wichita Sam
David West said:
My strings came from RoadToad. I emailed the owner/inventor. He set me up with custom guages and lengths to work with the 25" length. He also recommended using the tuners from the Ashbory bass. They were $20 for the set of 4. The ones from RoadToad look a little nicer, but were $80 for a set. The custom length set of strings seemed reasonable at $33. This was the setup that Owen recommended. "Assuming that you’re trying for EADG bass tuning, My best guess would be:
.187” medium - E
.156” medium - A
.125” hard - D
.095” hard - G
"
I am still waiting for a bridge and pickup to arrive that I ordered for the project.
Thanks for the reply.
Dave
Wichita Sam said:
Dave,
Yep, nuthin' new under the sun, but.... it is still a niche that someone could fill. If you think that people give you strange looks when you show them a CBG, that's nothing compared to when you pull out a PU CBBass. Strung with fat black strings on an ultra short scale. Then when you play rich low "true Low E" bass tones, the confounded look just overwhelms them....
They are fun and easy to play. As far as I know, the guy at RoadToad music and I were developing the use of PU cord at about the same time.... (he probably first, but I only found him after I had build my first)... There is a lot of techy stuff to work on still. The longer scale lengths are OK, but strings are really sensitive to over tensioning. Go past a certain point and they relax and won't hold tone...
If you want to know long term on long scale, get ahold of Ted Crocker. He had the only long scale that was ever built. It was a birthday gift, if I remember right..... For long scale, alternative string material, WW bass is a better choice... I still have some heavy gauge stuff and have made low E WWCBBasses...
Anyway, if you get hung up on something, give me a shout....
the best,
Wichita Sam
David West said:
Cool bases WichitaSam. I am setting up a 25.5" scale bass using polyurathane strings. I got the strings from the inventor of the U-bass. I thought I was the first using the polyurathane...Oh well...nothing new under the sun.
Dave
Wichita Sam said:
the only difference (typically) is length... the rules governing spaciing is the same. the stewMac fret calculator... http://www.stewmac.com/FretCalculator will produce the same fretpattern whether you calculate for an electric guitar or a bass.
Bass guitar scale lengths can be influenced by using alternative string material. a year ago I produced several ultra short scale basses (as short as 17') that were low "E" capable using polyurethane cord.
My strings came from RoadToad. I emailed the owner/inventor. He set me up with custom guages and lengths to work with the 25" length. He also recommended using the tuners from the Ashbory bass. They were $20 for the set of 4. The ones from RoadToad look a little nicer, but were $80 for a set. The custom length set of strings seemed reasonable at $33. This was the setup that Owen recommended. "Assuming that you’re trying for EADG bass tuning, My best guess would be: .187” medium - E .156” medium - A .125” hard - D .095” hard - G " I am still waiting for a bridge and pickup to arrive that I ordered for the project. Thanks for the reply. Dave
Wichita Sam said:
Dave,
Yep, nuthin' new under the sun, but.... it is still a niche that someone could fill. If you think that people give you strange looks when you show them a CBG, that's nothing compared to when you pull out a PU CBBass. Strung with fat black strings on an ultra short scale. Then when you play rich low "true Low E" bass tones, the confounded look just overwhelms them....
They are fun and easy to play. As far as I know, the guy at RoadToad music and I were developing the use of PU cord at about the same time.... (he probably first, but I only found him after I had build my first)... There is a lot of techy stuff to work on still. The longer scale lengths are OK, but strings are really sensitive to over tensioning. Go past a certain point and they relax and won't hold tone...
If you want to know long term on long scale, get ahold of Ted Crocker. He had the only long scale that was ever built. It was a birthday gift, if I remember right..... For long scale, alternative string material, WW bass is a better choice... I still have some heavy gauge stuff and have made low E WWCBBasses...
Anyway, if you get hung up on something, give me a shout....
the best,
Wichita Sam
David West said:
Cool bases WichitaSam. I am setting up a 25.5" scale bass using polyurathane strings. I got the strings from the inventor of the U-bass. I thought I was the first using the polyurathane...Oh well...nothing new under the sun.
Dave
Wichita Sam said:
the only difference (typically) is length... the rules governing spaciing is the same. the stewMac fret calculator... http://www.stewmac.com/FretCalculator will produce the same fretpattern whether you calculate for an electric guitar or a bass.
Bass guitar scale lengths can be influenced by using alternative string material. a year ago I produced several ultra short scale basses (as short as 17') that were low "E" capable using polyurethane cord.
Dave, Yep, nuthin' new under the sun, but.... it is still a niche that someone could fill. If you think that people give you strange looks when you show them a CBG, that's nothing compared to when you pull out a PU CBBass. Strung with fat black strings on an ultra short scale. Then when you play rich low "true Low E" bass tones, the confounded look just overwhelms them.... They are fun and easy to play. As far as I know, the guy at RoadToad music and I were developing the use of PU cord at about the same time.... (he probably first, but I only found him after I had build my first)... There is a lot of techy stuff to work on still. The longer scale lengths are OK, but strings are really sensitive to over tensioning. Go past a certain point and they relax and won't hold tone... If you want to know long term on long scale, get ahold of Ted Crocker. He had the only long scale that was ever built. It was a birthday gift, if I remember right..... For long scale, alternative string material, WW bass is a better choice... I still have some heavy gauge stuff and have made low E WWCBBasses... Anyway, if you get hung up on something, give me a shout.... the best, Wichita Sam
David West said:
Cool bases WichitaSam. I am setting up a 25.5" scale bass using polyurathane strings. I got the strings from the inventor of the U-bass. I thought I was the first using the polyurathane...Oh well...nothing new under the sun.
Dave
Wichita Sam said:
the only difference (typically) is length... the rules governing spaciing is the same. the stewMac fret calculator... http://www.stewmac.com/FretCalculator will produce the same fretpattern whether you calculate for an electric guitar or a bass.
Bass guitar scale lengths can be influenced by using alternative string material. a year ago I produced several ultra short scale basses (as short as 17') that were low "E" capable using polyurethane cord.
Good morning Jeff, The only retail source I know of is www.roadtoadmusic.com They make them for a line of bass ukuleles that they sell. They sell sets for short scale lengths 18-21". They will produce custom sets for longer scale instruments.... When I was actively building these PU Basses, I did get some samples from manufacturers, but couldn't find any that would sell small quantities. The tension on the neck/bridge etc. is less than steel.... in fact, if you over tension them, they will loose strength and just relax totally. If you work with the right dia for the note range, they will hold tune well. I have one short scale PU bass CBG that I've kept for about a year and a half. It still is playing fine. The others are to the four winds.... They produce a nice mellow "upright bass" sound when amped. Because of the relatively low tension they are very quiet acoustically, so the only "successful" ones I've made have been equipped with piezo pups... This material likes to be played fretless better, but can be played fretted. Fretless you can do slides and some "slap bass" nicely. It was interesting material to work with. let me know how things go.... thebest, Wichita Sam
Jef Long said:
Wow!!
thats awesome..
where can you get these cords??
how would you rate the tension on the neck/bridge/box etc?
i assume they're still holding up ok??
and the tone / volume they produce??
sorry to grill u so, but this is pretty exciting..
Wichita Sam said:
the only difference (typically) is length... the rules governing spaciing is the same. the stewMac fret calculator... http://www.stewmac.com/FretCalculator will produce the same fretpattern whether you calculate for an electric guitar or a bass.
Bass guitar scale lengths can be influenced by using alternative string material. a year ago I produced several ultra short scale basses (as short as 17') that were low "E" capable using polyurethane cord.
Wow!! thats awesome.. where can you get these cords?? how would you rate the tension on the neck/bridge/box etc? i assume they're still holding up ok?? and the tone / volume they produce?? sorry to grill u so, but this is pretty exciting..
Wichita Sam said:
the only difference (typically) is length... the rules governing spaciing is the same. the stewMac fret calculator... http://www.stewmac.com/FretCalculator will produce the same fretpattern whether you calculate for an electric guitar or a bass.
Bass guitar scale lengths can be influenced by using alternative string material. a year ago I produced several ultra short scale basses (as short as 17') that were low "E" capable using polyurethane cord.
Cool bases WichitaSam. I am setting up a 25.5" scale bass using polyurathane strings. I got the strings from the inventor of the U-bass. I thought I was the first using the polyurathane...Oh well...nothing new under the sun. Dave
Wichita Sam said:
the only difference (typically) is length... the rules governing spaciing is the same. the stewMac fret calculator... http://www.stewmac.com/FretCalculator will produce the same fretpattern whether you calculate for an electric guitar or a bass.
Bass guitar scale lengths can be influenced by using alternative string material. a year ago I produced several ultra short scale basses (as short as 17') that were low "E" capable using polyurethane cord.
Bass guitars have been from 27" to 35" banjo, mando bass, and string bass, 41"-43" usually balalaika, as long as 59". If you don't use a really big box or drum, you will want a pickup. I have found 38" possible with Bass guitar strings. Bass Fiddle strings will work up to about 50" depending on the wrap. If you want phosphor bronze or copper wrap, look for "contra Bass Mando" strings. Remember that you need interior air volume to push that low 88Hz E acoustically.
just make your cuts as perpemdicular to the fretboard as you can and everything will be OK
Eli Spiegelman said:
Stewmac is good! So is your point about the yardsticks.
On fret wire: Is it true that the high point of the fret -- where the string will start to vibrate -- is just above the saw-line, or do you have to compensate for anything when cutting the slots? (Does that make sense?)
Replies
Wichita Sam said:
Wichita Sam said:
David West said:
Wichita Sam said:
David West said:
www.roadtoadmusic.com They make them for a line of bass ukuleles that they sell. They sell sets for short scale lengths 18-21". They will produce custom sets for longer scale instruments.... When I was actively building these PU Basses, I did get some samples from manufacturers, but couldn't find any that would sell small quantities. The tension on the neck/bridge etc. is less than steel.... in fact, if you over tension them, they will loose strength and just relax totally. If you work with the right dia for the note range, they will hold tune well. I have one short scale PU bass CBG that I've kept for about a year and a half. It still is playing fine. The others are to the four winds.... They produce a nice mellow "upright bass" sound when amped. Because of the relatively low tension they are very quiet acoustically, so the only "successful" ones I've made have been equipped with piezo pups... This material likes to be played fretless better, but can be played fretted. Fretless you can do slides and some "slap bass" nicely. It was interesting material to work with. let me know how things go.... thebest, Wichita Sam
Jef Long said:
Wichita Sam said:
Wichita Sam said:
Eli Spiegelman said:
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