32 inch string length

[flaxattack]

well i hope i dont have that problem on my mk5- coco bolo body and  ebony/purple heart lams in the neck

[flaxattack]

i too liked the ibanez neck that i had on my edb605- i used that as a model for my mk5- the important thing is not necessarily the width adn scale of the neck, but the shape. my custom is going to be 1.75 nut .182 edges(std is.150) and 2.45 at the 24th fret- app .470 spacing but i might increas to .500 shortly
BUT- per advice of my dealer steve at superbass- i am having the neck shaved which should reduce that neck thickness by about 1/8th inch. of course the other problem i had with the ibazed neck? it moved if i sneezed on it

[bassman10096]

That's funny.  My Soundgear neck was like a rock.  Had it moved around a lot I wouldn't have considered it as a model for other projects.  Glad I heard that, though...

[dnburgess]

Brett - totally off the subject - I see you are in Australia. Are you on the Green Square Music mailing list? (www.greensquare.net) We have ocasional Alembic specials and promotions, as well as passing on the Alembic monthly specials.
 
David B.

[bsee]

I played the soundgear 1300/1500 model for a while and the neck was very flexible, but I don't remember having to tweak the action all that often.  I think that a small neck will be just fine with the right amount of ebony or purpleheart there to keep it stiff.  The shorter the scale, the easier it will be to keep it straight, though maybe the 2-3 difference between short and long scale isn't enough to really matter.
 
-Bob

[malthumb]

I had a 32 scale Series II 4 string a while back.  Wonderful instrument.  It would have been my main bass if I didn't have a real need for a 5 string in my church band.  That's why I ordered my 5 string with Series II electronics.  I was a little nervous about the idea of a 32 scale with a B string, so I ordered my 5er with 34.
 
If you're getting a 4 string, go for the 32 and you'll be fine.  If you're looking for a 5, hopefully someone else on the board has experience with a 32 B string.
 
Peace,
 
James

[bkbass]

I have two very hot rodded spoilers in 32medium scales.The fretless one is a five string.Both have very narrow string spacing.Both are strung with very light gauge strings(.30-.90)on the four string and (.30-.105)on the five string the lighter gauge B-string experiences none of the typical problems associated with tension/length issues.In fact I don't have to adjust my attack at all on the B-string no flatulence whatsoever.However,the bass is made out of solid Purple Heart top,body and neck with Paduk neck stringers(3 on a 7 piece neck)and a Paduk accent stripe on the body.I believe the B-string behaves so well because of the overall mass of the instrument it's heavy but balances ok when strapped lower(not up around one's neck)oh yes,and the body shape is modeled after an Oasis shape which has the same hips and waist of a Stanley Clarke model but with a slightly larger upper and lower horns.Originally the strap button was positioned on the upper horn but I put a second one approx.1 in from the neck heel proper and it balances much,much better.All of the older model shapes where intentionally made to balance at the 3 o'clock position and these are no exception.Also it's been my observation that when comparing a 4 string to a 5&6 string of similar models the E-string always sounds a little sweeter on the 4 than on the 5 or 6 strings(34scale)that same sweetness overall exists on a 32compared to a 34regardless of which string it is.Any one else have similar experience with that sweetness difference between a 32 and a 34?

[somatic]

Brett - totally off the subject - I see you are in Australia. Are you on the Green Square Music mailing list?
 
I am now. Cheers.
 
However,the bass is made out of solid Purple Heart top,body and neck with Paduk neck stringers(3 on a 7 piece neck)and a Paduk accent stripe on the body.I believe the B-string behaves so well because of the overall mass of the instrument
 
Wow!. Do you have any pix?
I'm having a custom made down here, and I'm discussing with the luthier which woods I'll have it made from. Most of my selections so far have been from the heavier types such as wenge and purpleheart for exactly that reason. The first will be a 30.75 4, but I'd like a low B 5 and this has given me some confidence to try it.

[mikedm]

Jimmy,
 
If indeed you are planning on a custom order from Alembic and depending on the peghead selected, (especially with the 'crown'), you could order the peghead reversed: 2 on top, three on bottom and get a little more pull on the 32 B. just a thought...

[811952]

The tension of the B string is the same regardless of the distance from tailpiece to peg.  The tension is determined by the tuning as it relates to the speaking length of the string.  A longer distance from tail to peg gives the string more stretch (a given elasticity over greater distance) and conceiveably more energy loss.  I've played a TON of basses over the years, and I don't think the length of the string tailpiece to peg really matters, but that the angle of the strings over the bridge does sometimes make a difference.  Neck and body wood(s), on the other hand, are everything.  I would imagine a beefy neck with ebony lams and the right gauge of strings would yield an imminently useable (and relatively tight-sounding) B.  So, I personally wouldn't be inclined to lose any sleep over which side of the head the tuners are located, except for aesthetics.  One thing you might experiment with is stringing up a 32 BEAD and seeing what that feels like, keeping in mind that the tension of a 5th string will make the whole apparatus feel a bit tighter and the B sound a bit better...
 
John

[bkbass]

No pix of any of the family just yet.I figured I'd wait till this next one is done.