Teh Fretless

[Jublian]

Okay, so i'm either going to build this one day or get it made up for me.

5 string
fretless
Ash body
maple top (possibly bookmatched)
ebony fretboard
Passive
Jazz Pickups (SD or barts)



heres the design

http://i81.photobucket.com/albums/j227/jublian/Body0001.jpg

[ebe9]

Looks interesting, only broblem I can forsee is that you will have quite a bit of neck dive due to the fact that you have no real top horn for balance.

[Amit]

what is neck dine

[ebe9]

what is neck dine

Meant to say neck dive.

[Amit]

what is a neck dive

[Jublian]

it's not really to scale, but i've loved that body shape since i sketched it back in year 10 (now an undergrad, 1st year).

the body will be a bit bigger and i'm kinda hoping to get it carved a bit like a les paul is carved

[ebe9]

what is a neck dive

Neck dive is when the body of the bass and the neck are not efficiently balanced.

What esentially happens in the case of neck dive is the central balance point is more biases towards the neck so that when the bass hangs on your body and you do not hold it, the headstock and neck area will tilt towards the ground.

The problem with this is that you are not just using your fretting hand to fret but also to hold up the neck.

[ebe9]

it's not really to scale, but i've loved that body shape since i sketched it back in year 10 (now an undergrad, 1st year).

the body will be a bit bigger and i'm kinda hoping to get it carved a bit like a les paul is carved



In order to increase the body weight you might want to consider doing a sandwich effect with the woods you use and maybe introduce a heavier wood into the mix, like bubinga.

[Jublian]

nah, i live the sound of ash too much.

also i'm not really a fan of multi laminate bodies. they become more a work of art and less a bass, although arguably they could be both, just not a fan myself

[Amit]

Neck dive is when the body of the bass and the neck are not efficiently balanced.

What esentially happens in the case of neck dive is the central balance point is more biases towards the neck so that when the bass hangs on your body and you do not hold it, the headstock and neck area will tilt towards the ground.

The problem with this is that you are not just using your fretting hand to fret but also to hold up the neck.

ah i see

very interesting (i am taking a mechanical engineering+musicology class so that's really cool)

[ebe9]

ah i see

very interesting (i am taking a mechanical engineering+musicology class so that's really cool)

Lucky for you then that I teach "Neck-Diveology" and "Smartassism"


:p

[HELLonWHEELS]

+1 to what shawn said. You will get tones of neck dive, unless you do what Entwistle does with his basses. He makes the back really big and uses it as an arm rest to counter neck dive.


Look carefully where his elbow is. If you play like that then the neck dive might not be so much of an issue.
http://www.thewho.net/whotabs/images/bass/20000825.jpg

Bass he is playing
http://www.buzzardbass.com/buzz1sid.jpg

[Jublian]

i think with well placed strap buttons i could avoid that to be honest

[Patrick O)))]

You'd have thought Entwistle and others would have looked into that if it were the case

If it's poorly balanced it's poorly balanced.

Mahogany bodies ftw