Bozo Destructo

Also realize that the frets on guitars aren't the word of God. They're not the only notes in existence. That's like saying there's only one shade of green. We see one octave of color and look at the variation, it's infinite. Imagine what's been hidden behind the frets. Probably most of the cooler noises.

It's not too hard to imagine, really - a lot of music east of the Prime Meridian (okay, from Turkey onward) uses quarter-steps and actually REQUIRES fretless instruments. Well, the sitar (from India) is fretted, but they can be moved.

I've been reading that interview for the past three years (the time I've been researching my project), and I'm not sure I agree with him anymore. In that time, I bought a six-string bass. It has a wider neck, so I'm not sure NOT having them is such a good idea.

Is it pointless in some applications? I say it is - I honestly don't know if my ES-335 needs carbon rods, but I can see them in a bass.

Though I will probably use 1, I must point out that 2 is perfectly acceptable. Ken Smith, a reknowned luthier (specializes in top-shelf basses), will ONLY use 2. After a steam pipe broke one afternoon, he found (after the weekend) that all of the joints using 1 were ruined beyond repair, and the ones with 2 were perfectly fine.

As for 3, well, I might just use 3 as an experiment - I have a bottle of that, too.

There are a few varietys of Elm(some are a little stiffer and denser than others). Generally it is a medium density wood, with med/low stiffness. It's stability is similar to many commonly used woods (Maples, Ash, Alder). It should work fine for a body. I would expect it to not be radically bright, or especially bassy. I don't think it would be my first choice for a neck because I look for a little better weight to stiffness from a neck wood (I doubt it would break though if you used it).

Peace,Rich

I also wouldn't use it, unless there's some species in Australia that DIDN'T get Dutch Elm's Disease.

How about using a left-handed Explorer (photos of which are currently available on eBay, as there is an auction for one right now)?

I was wondering if anyone here builds/built/are building their own headless bass tremolo units. They don't even have to be for bass; I can always adapt (it's really not that difficult). If so, are there any pointers you'd be willing to share?

Thank you.