Alembic Guitars Club
Alembic products => Alembic Basses & Guitars => Topic started by: Mlazarus on September 16, 2023, 09:30:39 PM
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I noticed some series 1 players in the past would put foam or stuff cloth under the strings on the back of the bridge. Why and when would they do that?
is it for recording purposes?
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It's kind of like palm-muting, but you can pluck the strings closer to the neck for a fatter sound. The problem with foam is that you can't switch between muted & un-muted without moving the foam, so within a certain song you're kind of stuck with the foam.
I just learned that Rocco Prestia of Tower of Power would mute with his left hand! He'd hold down the string with one finger, then use other fingers to gently mute, kind of like the foam.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/PSoq2V-eWcU (https://www.youtube.com/shorts/PSoq2V-eWcU)
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A foam mute can get you that nice Jamerson Motown thump.
Another application can be for balancing the string tones. For instance, the G string on the strings I like to use tends to be noticeably brighter than the other strings in the set, so I put a little foam under it to balance the tone with the other strings. Works well.
Those are a couple of applications.
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I just learned that Rocco Prestia of Tower of Power would mute with his left hand! He'd hold down the string with one finger, then use other fingers to gently mute, kind of like the foam.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/PSoq2V-eWcU (https://www.youtube.com/shorts/PSoq2V-eWcU)
…Rocco was awesome :)
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At risk of being pedantic, putting a foam block behind the bridge of a Series bass will have very little, if any muting effect. Putting it between the bridge and bridge pickup will getcha' there, but that afterlength from the bridge to tailpiece is so short that any overtone there is probably going to be vastly overrun by the fundamentals and harmonics of the scale length between the saddle and yon...
FWIW, that afterlength is often tuned on a better upright bass. Ideally, it's 1/6 of the scale length... about 7" on a 42" scale bass.
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Pardon the CRS.
In high school jazz band Mr. Huenfeld had a pre-CBS p-bass, I thought there was a built in mute on the bridge cover???
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FWIW, that afterlength is often tuned on a better upright bass. Ideally, it's 1/6 of the scale length... about 7" on a 42" scale bass.
Well there is some new knowledge for me today. I will check my classico and see if that is set up that way.
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Jazzyvee, let me know what your Classico scale and bridge-to-tailpiece lengths are, please. I was meaning to ask you about the time you went on tour, but obviously needed to wait until your return. I've been working on the setup on mine and can't seem to find the sweet spot. Alembic doesn't seem to list the nominal scale length anywhere on the site. Thanks.
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"Pardon the CRS.
In high school jazz band Mr. Huenfeld had a pre-CBS p-bass, I thought there was a built in mute on the bridge cover???"
There was a foam block on the bridge cover of my Jazz Bass when I bought it new. It wasn't long before I ripped it out.
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Quite curious about the scale length of the Classico as well, since I seem to be generally headed in the EUB direction. I always assumed it was something close to a standard used for double-bass, if for no reason other than ease of string selection.
I am also curious about the afterlength... the Classico tailpiece is custom-made for the smaller stature of the body, and it must account for the proportion somehow. I don't think it would make nearly as much difference on an electric upright, where a resonant soundbox isn't in play, for mostly the same reason; you're amplifying the strings between the witness point of the bridge and nut, or wherever you note the string. If anything, that short run might produce a harmonic that got picked up, especially when bowing a section. If it was a problem, you'd have to decide whether to put a weighted suppressor on it. Guaranteed it happens a LOT less than on an upright. Everything on those things want to hum at some frequency.
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Classico is 40 1/2" from end of the nut to centre of bridge and 9 1/2" from the centre of the bridge to the upper edge of the tailpiece.
I have no idea if that is the correct setup though but at this stage in my learning i'm pretty reluctant to change the position of the bridge.
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I wouldn't change it if you are comfortable with it, Jazzy... won't make a farthing-worth of difference unless you acquire an upright bass with a longer scale. (moving its bridge this far upward could be detrimental to an upright bass) As for the Classico, I bet it was intended to be ~42" scale, with a ~7" afterlength; this would be a standard proportion, and would allow commercially available double-bass strings to be used. Would also be a natural switchover for a double-bassist, used to that scale.
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Somewhere along its journeys, my Classico lost its Alembic bridge, replaced with an adjustable bridge. I asked Mica if they could make a replacement but it would require the bass in the shop for fitting. So, I'm never quite sure what the correct setup should be (scale, afterlength, bridge height). Right now, it's set up with a reasonably low action on the fretboard and the bridge in its lowest position, 41 1/4" scale, 8 7/8" afterlength (bridge center to string holes on the tailpiece).
Greg, my assumption has been it is supposed to have a 42" scale length but I haven't seen anything to confirm it. I should probably just move the bridge and try it.
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There was a foam block on the bridge cover of my Jazz Bass when I bought it new. It wasn't long before I ripped it out.
Thanks for the affirmation Keith. As I was just using his bass ‘for jazz band’, when I would take it home to ‘practice jazz band songs’ I would remove the bridge cover and foam pad that was afixed to it.
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My Classico was set up by James at the factory in 2019.
42” and 9” respectively.
Classicos are set up to match Stanley’s upright scale length.
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I see, maybe i should change mine to standard.
That said, if i move the bridge to the 'correct' scale length to 42, won't that affect the string height also?
Do i need to take it to a double bass specialist to get it done?
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I remember yours has some shims under the bridge feet Jazzy, so you'll need to slide them too. Moving the bridge toward the tailpiece will change the action, but this small change would likely be geometrically insignificant. If you want to move it, slack the strings (5-7 turns on each key is probably good) and slip it southward to the desired location, then tighten the keys those turns. Retune accurately. This is easier to do with the bass resting on it's back.
*keep the bridge vertical, as close to 90° as possible.
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Thanks Gary.
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I remember yours has some shims under the bridge feet Jazzy, so you'll need to slide them too. Moving the bridge toward the tailpiece will change the action, but this small change would likely be geometrically insignificant. If you want to move it, slack the strings (5-7 turns on each key is probably good) and slip it southward to the desired location, then tighten the keys those turns. Retune accurately. This is easier to do with the bass resting on it's back.
*keep the bridge vertical, as close to 90° as possible.
There were some shims but they were not fitted they were just loose in the case pocket. they would have made the strings much higher than they are now. I will moving the bridge then when I get some time but that means back to the woodshedding to get my fingers used to the note spacing.
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Jazzy, I will email you some instructions for temporarily marking the intervals of your Classico. I have several printed out in my shop. All you need is a measuring tape with small increments, and something to mark the points with. I do this as a service for quite a few customers.
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Jazzy, I will email you some instructions for temporarily marking the intervals of your Classico. I have several printed out in my shop. All you need is a measuring tape with small increments, and something to mark the points with. I do this as a service for quite a few customers.
When my baby sister took violin lessons as a child, the teacher marked hers with masking tape; I assume your solution is a tad more elegant?
Peter
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It can be as simple as a few little stickers at the intervals, or as elegant as inlaying aluminum wire at every 'fret'...
I have this chart handy for Kay 3/4-size basses, which are a 41.75" scale. I sent Jazzy a 42" scale chart, (converted to millimeters) for each fret.
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I used black pin striping tape on my upright. Just on the side of the finger board, 3rd, 5th, 7th, etc.
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Greg, I'd be happy to have one of those 42" charts if you don't mind...
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Sent to you in a message, Jon. (Club message system)
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Thanks, Got it.
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OK, i have adjusted my bridge to a scale length of 42" from edge of nut to centre of the bridge. I had to put in a two of the thinnest bridge spacers (7.6mm) to stop the strings choking on the pickup housing. Brought it back up to pitch and with less tension in the strings it feels better to play, more woody bass content in the sound it seems. The notes feel noticeably more spread out at 1/2 and 1st positions but i think i will adjust to the set up fine. thanks guys.
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I after a few weeks i am finding the increase in string height challenging but there does not seem to be much scope to lower it without the strings choking on the pickup housing. Any suggestions for setting this up Mica?
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The strings would also contact the end of the fingerboard just after hitting the top of the pickup mount. They are meant to barely clear when you are near the end of the fingerboard. If you need to make the housing shorter for your customization, I'd suggest taking height off the bottom of the legs on the pickup mount.