bea
AmBASSador of the F Clef
Blacky 1 is the 6 string, Blacky 2 is the practise bass in my workshop. A really cheap shortscale precision bass. I think i showed a picture of it in my introduction thread...
... but it still needs work. I did not like the wide fingerboard, well precision bass like, but those fingerboards were a reason why it to so long that i switched to the bass. And i did also dislike the string spacing.
That needs to be improved. I bought a Bronco bass bridge which has a slightly narrower string spacing, added a slight nut compensation to reduce the amount of compensation at the bridge and hence the error from the paired saddles. And then i took my belt sander and narrowed the neck.
Nut compensation - put the saddle 2 mm closer to the bridge, fill with contrasting wood (rests of burnt down matches):
The new bridge, 54 mm string spacing instead of 57 mm - btw, also note the strap holders, which improve the balance f the instrument. Fingerboard still wide:
Apply brute force to narrow the neck:
New finish with NC laquer. Applied with a facial cleansing tissue and dried within a few minutes:
Optically, i could have done a lot better. And should. And probably improve some time in the future. Admittedly i did not have a real idea how to design the transition from the wide neck pocket to the narrow fingerboard. Plays great, really a lot better than before. I'll do the same mod on its 6-string cousin. To my surprise the upper registers can be reached easily - that has always been difficult due to the narrow cutaway.
... but it still needs work. I did not like the wide fingerboard, well precision bass like, but those fingerboards were a reason why it to so long that i switched to the bass. And i did also dislike the string spacing.
That needs to be improved. I bought a Bronco bass bridge which has a slightly narrower string spacing, added a slight nut compensation to reduce the amount of compensation at the bridge and hence the error from the paired saddles. And then i took my belt sander and narrowed the neck.
Nut compensation - put the saddle 2 mm closer to the bridge, fill with contrasting wood (rests of burnt down matches):
The new bridge, 54 mm string spacing instead of 57 mm - btw, also note the strap holders, which improve the balance f the instrument. Fingerboard still wide:
Apply brute force to narrow the neck:
New finish with NC laquer. Applied with a facial cleansing tissue and dried within a few minutes:
Optically, i could have done a lot better. And should. And probably improve some time in the future. Admittedly i did not have a real idea how to design the transition from the wide neck pocket to the narrow fingerboard. Plays great, really a lot better than before. I'll do the same mod on its 6-string cousin. To my surprise the upper registers can be reached easily - that has always been difficult due to the narrow cutaway.
