PROBABLE-SYNTH
I've been curious about a trapezoidal microphone looking thing attached below the bridge on many of Bo Diddley's guitars. Last week through some extremely random image searching I think I've figured it out. Roland makes a midi pickup kit for guitars, the newest model is the GK-3. So the black trapezoidal piece affixed below the bridge is a control unit which connects to a very slim pickup that sits (under the strings) just above the bridge. It allows you to turn your guitar into a synth which you can take to the extreme or use more subtly. Now we can all rest easy.
__
PURPLEHEART HEADSTOCK
It ain't all Bo Diddley and Gretsch guitars… My favorite part—the kind-of-crown of the guitar—the headstock has been first on my mind. The rough-shaped neck I have has an Ibanez-looking headstock (you can see in the pencil outline above). The plan at the moment is to make it symmetrical, then use mahogany and purpleheart veneers over the maple with the purpleheart becoming the truss rod cover. I'm really intrigued by purpleheart wood, but I can't decide if I think it's pretty or ugly. As T says, it's all dependent on how you use it—which sounds about right.
__
Scale is one of these things that bass players get pretty machismo about. Scale-elitism is all a bunch of horse-pucky, but scale does have a pretty big impact on sound which is definitely worth talking about. Short-scale bass guitars are typically 30 1/2." There is less tension on the strings which means the sound they produce is a bit thumpier—less exact. The most common scale is the 34" long-scale. This longer scale means there is more tension on the strings and a bit more clarity. Harder to find, is the 32" medium scale, which falls between the two sonically. Many extended range basses (5+ strings) get into extra-long-scale (35" and over) because the higher string tension helps with the lower notes. Carl Thompson makes some of the prettiest guitars and basses I've ever seen. (Unless I'm not remembering correctly) I came across an interview or watched one of his videos in which he suggests that any serious bass player should be playing at least a 35" scale bass extended range or not. I believe he was discussing building a 38" scale fretless for himself.
__
MATHY-MATHSo jeez… I guess I better build an extra-long-scale bass so people don't make fun of me and I sound like a professional. Well, maybe not. I decided it would be a good idea to really hone in on the sound I was looking for, the players with that sound, and the basses they play. That sound: which at the moment I will describe as throaty-growl and nasally-snarl (My favorite bass sounds are either warm acoustic tone more common on an upright or this math-post-rock snarl). What I noticed: 1/8 play customized short-scale basses, 3/8 play P-Basses, 1/2 play Rickenbackers, and most use a pick, all are using roundwound strings.
This week I learned that Rickenbackers are built at 33 1/4" scale. I didn't know that, but find it interesting. It means that most of the players with the sound I'm looking for are playing medium or short scale bass guitars.
To break it down to gear: Throaty growl seems aided by a high-output humbucker in the P-Bass "sweet spot" and nasally snarl seems aided by a high-output humbucker in the bridge position.
Comments