B-E-A-Distillate...

[edwardofhuncote]

It's partly Will Gunn's fault, but I've hatched another hare-brained scheme...

So I recently came into a super-sweet old '77 Series I medium-scale and set it up with my favorite T-I Jazz Flats, and it's a perfect complement to my '81 Distillate, also a medium-scale, currently wearing T-I Jazz Rounds. But I couldn't just stop there... noooo, the madness ensued. What if I wondered, what if this Distillate were strung B-E-A-D ?!

So after talking it through with the Head Elf, Herself the other night, I've decided to give it a try. I'll save the original saddles and adjustable nut so it can be easily converted back to standard tuning in a few minutes, but I went ahead and ordered a set of new saddles and a nut blank. https://alembic.stores.yahoo.net/babrsa.html Won't be necessary for this one to be adjustable, (I can't remember ever adjusting the one that's on there now) but I'll have to be extry-careful about filing the string slots.

This is just too good of a bass to get sidelined for redundancy's sake... and I ain't much about getting rid of 'em. If the B-E-A-D experiment doesn't work out, I'll just switch it back to standard pitch and go back to T-I Jazz Rounds again. They sound fantastic on there, especially when playing with a pick. And if it does, then so much the better.

[the_home]

Greg, I am looking forward to hearing how this ends...

Having also acquired a Series bass in the last six months as you have, I too find it difficult to justify keeping the others since the Series can cover all 'basses".


I try to justify the 'extras' as one is a 5 string (high strung) which covers a range unavailable to the 4 string Series. And if course on is always necessary simply as a back-up.


Looking forward to your review of the BEAD Distillate.

[edwardofhuncote]

Thanks for the aye vote, Tim. 

It isn't as much about justification for keeping it as a genuine experiment. I've talked to Will several times about this tuning, and for what it's worth, the Encyclopedius Alembicus does have a 5-string too. (it's quite a looker, I might add!) I believe that I can do without the top string and just like when I made the transition from 4 strings to 5, then back to 4, I seem to have developed this strange immunity to the mental block I once had... now I can just play! I'm hoping for a similar result with the alternate tuning.

This Distillate though... it's really special like it is, and I didn't want to make any change too permanent. It just made sense to use it for the test. 

[pauldo]

I also am eagerly anticipating the results of this.  Gregory,thanks for taking one for the team and keeping us in the loop! 

[edwardofhuncote]

Just got a note from the charming Aunt Mary at HQ in Santa Rosa... the new brass saddles and nut blank are on the way.   

[edwardofhuncote]

Woo-hoo: new brass parts are here! Thanks Mica and Mary! Now I just need some free time to measure, fit, and file... 

[soflbass]

Gregory,
Interesting swap you're doing. Just a curious question, since the adjustable nut plate is on the neck already, would t have been easier to get an adjustable nut blank instead of the plain blank?

Ted

[edwardofhuncote]

I had that option, but I'm going to keep the original plate and nut together so this bass can easily be put back to standard tuning. I probably could actually drill and tap it myself, but for this experiment, not really worth the effort.

I plan to get some precise clearance measurements with feeler gauges from the original nut so I know exactly how deep to file the slots... most of that will be done before I fasten it to the bass. I seem to remember making a brass nut for something many years ago, but can't remember what for the life of me. (most of the time I'm making them out of ebony or rosewood for upright basses)

[sonicus]

I have tried a B E A D  on a four string before when playing a few gigs  to keep up my string tension with a guitarist who played  in a dropped down tuning  . It worked at the time . I look forward to tuning an Alembic 6 string some day that I have not yet acquired yet  to  E A D G C F    .