Author Topic: My first fretless (Read 614 times)

adriaan · « **Reply #15 on:** July 07, 2005, 04:49:56 AM »

The guy who defretted my Epic returned it to me with the strings touching the fingerboard at the nut end, and I had tremendous intonation problems on the lowest 'frets'. Only remedy was to raise the nut so the strings were just above the fingerboard. (Reminder to oneself: I still need to file down the nut, so I can replace the nut base underneath.)

slapbass · « **Reply #16 on:** July 07, 2005, 05:42:32 AM »

The setup on my Eden Wt-800 is pretty much dead flat the lowest bass is boosted about half a tick mark and the highest treble is just barely boosted off the 0 mark. The preamp on the bass has the bass boosted about halfway and the treble is flat. The pick up pan is more towards the bridge pick up ( the pickups are p-j config) this seems to get me more of the waahh sound.

The TI strings really mellow out after about four hours of playing. They are really good sounding except for the low B. I believe it needs a little more tension. But E-G are GREAT!!! vibratos really come out with little effort not as hard as the Chromes. These strings are amazing it is more of an upright sound now in the low end and very Baldwin like in the upper registers. I never heard the Plinky sound but I play with the bass very high and my hand rolled towards the bridge plucking the strings with my first three fingers in between the 24th fret and the neck pick up. This position has always given me a vary full sound.

After the strings settled in a bit they intonated so easily compared to the Chromes. I don't know if I even should try the LaBella's or not. But probably will try them out on Saturday and see what kind of tone I get. No rock unturned and no string un-tensioned.

The nut on the Pedulla is REALLY low. The B is about .005 off of the finger board and the G is actually about .010 below the finger board. The G string is actually eating into the finish on the finger board on the G. Another nut problem is it came unglued last night not a big deal but on a bass that is over $3000.00 this should not happed. I re-glued the nut and dropped an e-mail to Pedulla about the problem this morning.

Thanks for all of the help guys!!

Dale

tbrannon · « **Reply #17 on:** July 07, 2005, 12:48:02 PM »

This seems a good place to ask a question that will potentially reveal my ignorance.

I love the tone of my fretless, but also play music where some slapping is nice every once in a while. Just an idea, but if I were to throw a single fret down at the bridge end of the neck, could I have the best of both worlds? Fretless mwahhh with a slap tone similar to what I get on my fretted basses? I'd probably have to experiment with the action and setup, but theoretically, would it work?

The fretless I play is a late 70's Peavey T-20, so even if I were to give it a shot and not like it, I'd only have a single pulled fret at the end of my fretboard as a testimony to my stupidity. Any thoughts from those MUCH more experienced than myself?

jagerphan84 · « **Reply #18 on:** July 07, 2005, 12:56:07 PM »

Hi Tobin,

I'm sure some of the wiser club members will chime in soon, but here's my thoughts:

A fret at the high end of a fretless would most likely make contact with the strings when you are playing lower on the neck. That would likely cause significant buzz, if not stopping the string entirely. Maybe it would be possible to set up the relief in such a way that there is suitable clearance, but I can't picture the neck being very playable with that amount of relief.

A possible alternative could be a small metal plate at the end of the fingerboard, mounted flush with the board. This should bring the slap tone somewhat closer to that of a fretted, without getting in the way of the strings when you're playing fingerstyle.

Just my $.02!

Adam

tbrannon · « **Reply #19 on:** July 07, 2005, 01:01:34 PM »

Adam,
Thanks for that...I've considered something similar in the past. Perhaps I'll give it a go!
-Toby

811952 · « **Reply #20 on:** July 07, 2005, 01:18:13 PM »

Wayne Kamp in Indy used to install a slap plate at the end of his fretless fingerboards. They were brass, and mounted as Adam describes. By all accounts they work well.
John

palembic · « **Reply #21 on:** July 07, 2005, 01:56:01 PM »

Hi Tobin,

it has been done with a fretless Alembic before. I'm bad in reseaching this club but my ol'friend and Moder Dave will do his magic and I am pretty sure he will come up with that picture that I'm referring to: it was a maple-ish bass, fretless with a narrow brass slap plate.

Paul the old bad one

tbrannon · « **Reply #22 on:** July 07, 2005, 02:01:00 PM »

Paul & John,
Thanks for the help. I think I'm gonna give her a go.

jagerphan84 · « **Reply #23 on:** July 07, 2005, 02:16:36 PM »

I dug these pics out of the BunnyBass archive (which I HIGHLY recommend that you join, it's free if you email bunnies@bassbunny.com). I hope I'm not stepping on any copyright-toes here, but again all photo credit to www.bunnybass.com.

Really beautiful! Makes me wish I had ordered one on my custom... but there's always the next one!

Adam

David Houck · « **Reply #24 on:** July 07, 2005, 02:24:12 PM »

Paul; the picture was at Bunny Bass, and you now have to be a member to access the archive there. Here is the previous thread that talks about this subject. In that thread, our fellow club member Karl posted a link to his fretless P-bass with a brass plate at the end of the neck.

bassplayer2106 · « **Reply #25 on:** July 07, 2005, 02:27:18 PM »

There was a British company back in the 80's called Wilkes.They brought out a fretless bass with I think slap plates and I think that they had piezos underneath to add to the percussive attack.They didn't last long and didn't look anywhere near as good as that above.

tbrannon · « **Reply #26 on:** July 07, 2005, 03:39:52 PM »

Thanks Dave! I did a search of my own before posting, but apparently didn't enter the magic combination of words.

811952 · « **Reply #27 on:** July 08, 2005, 06:44:50 AM »

Now I'm curious about the one-piece walnut-necked SI. I've never seen one before.
John

David Houck · « **Reply #28 on:** July 08, 2005, 07:19:24 AM »

John; it's a graphite neck bass. Where the neck passes through the body, it's covered with a layer of wood. See for instance, this bass in the Showcase.

811952 · « **Reply #29 on:** July 08, 2005, 07:52:19 AM »

That was my first thought, but I don't think I've ever seen a graphite necked bass with a wood fingerboard. I thought all the Alembics with graphite necks had phenolic fingerboards? I learn something new every day (if I'm paying attention!). Thanks.
John