marek Posted May 30, 2005 Report Share Posted May 30, 2005 Hey guys, I'm building a fretless bass (pics to come when I find the pesky lead that connects my camera to my computer). I've got to the point of marking out the neck laminates after gluing planing and sanding. I've cut the slots for the fretlines on the fingerboard already, but left some wood before the zeroth fret. Thing is I don't know how much space I should leave, i.e. how much space there should be between the nut and the zeroth fret, if any. I read a book, and it said that about 3mm is normal, but I don't know. Any advice? Cheers, Marek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedoctor Posted May 30, 2005 Report Share Posted May 30, 2005 3mm sounds a bit smal but I don't see how it will affect your compensation. I must preface this next statement with "I never get the comp. length right the first time". The only variable I have seen between a fretted and non-fretted bass is the actual scale length from zero fret to bridge ends up slightly shorter on a non-fretted. The distance between your nut and your zero fret shouldn't change any of this. Now, watch me be corrected! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marek Posted May 30, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2005 (edited) cheers, I'm a bit stupid when it comes to the measurement part. I've got a few things to work out and I don't know where to start. I made a guitar before, and it had none of this compensation thing. The zeroth fret was the nut. Also it had no neck angle - just flat. Saying all that, it was a great guitar (here). I don't use anything else now, my old strat is now redundant. However, this bass, as far as I can tell, must have some space between the nut and the zeroth fret, something I have no idea how to work out. I was thinking just to leave an arbitary few mm and hope for the best, but that may not be a good idea. Also, it's going to need a neck angle, but how much? I don't know how to work out these things. I've tried drawing diagrams to make sense of this stuff, but I can't see where to start. Edited May 30, 2005 by marek Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclej Posted May 30, 2005 Report Share Posted May 30, 2005 since the zero fret becomes the start of your scale length and the nut just a string spacer the exact space between the nut and the fret shouldn't matter too much. 3mm seems sufficient but i couldn't say for sure. if no one gives you a definitive answer by tomorrow i'll check when i go to the shop and let you know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted May 30, 2005 Report Share Posted May 30, 2005 - Compensation is a separate issue. You are not using it, so don't worry about it. - As long as you know where you're putting your zero fret, the extra wood between the "guide nut" and the zero fret is irrelevant. Use whatever amount you need to feel that it looks good and seems stable Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marek Posted May 30, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 30, 2005 Thanks for the replies. Sorry, when I meant zero fret, I actually just meant the line where the zero fret is, I wasn't planning on installing an actual fret there though. Is it a good idea to have a zero fret on a fretless bass? basically what I meant was, do you need to lengthen the distance between where the string comes out of the nut and the first fret to compensate for the fact that you're pressing it down a fair distance? I hope that makes sense Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GregP Posted May 30, 2005 Report Share Posted May 30, 2005 That's normally what compensation is for, yes, but you're playing fretless. You should be using your ear to guide your intonation, which is really one of the main benefits (and also difficulties) of a fretless instrument. If you are using an ACTUAL nut, and not a zero fret, I'm not sure that I'd bother compensating (see above short paragraph), but I can understand why you might want to. It seems to me that I've seen some fretless bass guitars lately that use zero fret... as people here know ( ) I'm a big fan of the zero fret anyhow, regardless of whether the instrument is fretless or fretted. But, I'm also a rank amateur, so my opinion doesn't count for a whole lot. Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marek Posted May 31, 2005 Author Report Share Posted May 31, 2005 Thanks. I think that's pretty much sorted it now, I'm going to leave out this compensation business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.