Jimothey Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 (edited) I don’t know if anyone will be interested but I decided to make a bass ramp just to try them out and see if I like them so I thought I’d do a little thread for anyone else thinking of doing it?? Firstly I made a template for the ramp Using the the edge of the pickups I marked out the size of the pickups and the gap between them Then cut the template to size and started marking out for the pickup lugs Next you need to cut out the semi circles for the lugs and check that your template fits nice and snug Next you need to get the radius of you fretboard so you can shape the top of the ramp so it sits nicely up against your strings Now it’s tome to transfer the template on to the material your going to use, because I’ve never used one before I didn’t want to shell out for a nice lump of ebony so I’m using 12mm ply I find it easier to drill the holes first before you cut the ply to the correct width but remember not to drill all the way through as it just needs to be slightly deeper than the height of the pickup lugs and screws Then I cut the ramp out and marked out the radius of the fret board I used a upside belt sander to sand the radius on the top I sanded the edges slightly more than the radius just to give it a smoother edge Then I used a permanent marker to blacken off the two edges that butt up against the pickups Next I cut some Matt Black vinyl to cover it with I cut the vinyl back at a slight angle so it makes it easier to wrap round the edges then trimmed the width Once you’ve wrapped it here’s the finished ramp, all in all I think it took about 15mins to make When I get home from work later I’ll check it fit’s and the post an update........... 😀 Edited July 19, 2019 by Jimothey 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimothey Posted July 19, 2019 Author Share Posted July 19, 2019 Just a quick update it’s all done and it’s a nice and snug fit! I had a very quick noodle it feels really strange but I’ll persevere with it...........😀 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reggaebass Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 Mine felt really strange at first but I like the feel of it under my fingers now, I mainly play close to the neck for a deeper tone but I’ve been moving along just to try the difference , it’s all good fun 🙂 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 I have no idea what that is, educate me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 What does it do? Do you slap against it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Si600 Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 Is this the part where we make snide comments about research and forum searches and then rubbing our superiority in by posting a link to the thread in question? 😜🙂 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Si600 Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 (edited) If you made a big enough one out of lead, or gold of course, would it counter neck dive? 🤔 Now, where would you measure the turning moment from, with it on the strap on a peg on the wall, but that would have a different radius and co-efficient of friction than a shoulder. Hmm, I may actually think about this properly. 🤔🤪 Edited July 19, 2019 by Si600 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimothey Posted July 19, 2019 Author Share Posted July 19, 2019 7 minutes ago, Si600 said: Is this the part where we make snide comments about research and forum searches and then rubbing our superiority in by posting a link to the thread in question? You must have already read the thread then!!😆 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimothey Posted July 19, 2019 Author Share Posted July 19, 2019 (edited) 45 minutes ago, Christine said: I have no idea what that is, educate me 26 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said: What does it do? Do you slap against it? I’m not entirely sure myself yet but from what I’ve read and the comments on the thread linked it has something to do with making you have a lighter touch by stopping you digging in to much and can help with playing faster with more accuracy????? I think you may be able to slap against it but it will make the pops very difficult tho.......🤔 Edited July 19, 2019 by Jimothey 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christine Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 Gosh, that's what I need, I'm way too aggressive with my strings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Si600 Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 32 minutes ago, Jimothey said: I’m not entirely sure myself yet but from what I’ve read and the comments on the thread linked it has something to do with making you have a lighter touch by stopping you digging in to much and can help with playing faster with more accuracy????? I think you may be able to slap against it but it will make the pops very difficult tho.......🤔 I imagine that it stops you sticking your fingers too far into the strings by accident so that you just clip them with the fingertips. I should learn fingerstyle at some point for that inevitable moment when drop the pick mid song 😂 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricky 4000 Posted July 19, 2019 Share Posted July 19, 2019 30 minutes ago, Jimothey said: I’m not entirely sure myself yet but from what I’ve read and the comments on the thread linked it has something to do with making you have a lighter touch by stopping you digging in to much and can help with playing faster with more accuracy????? I think you may be able to slap against it but it will make the pops very difficult tho.......🤔 That's ^^^^^ exactly what I was thinking. I have one bass that I tend to play in a rather 'spunky' fashion, and for popping, just the pickguard on or off makes quite a difference for getting under the strings. So a ramp near the neck wouldn't work... Though I definitely do plan to try a ramp on another bass. Thanks for putting this thread up. 👍 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted July 20, 2019 Share Posted July 20, 2019 I can understand the logic of something that you use as a support, like extra thumb rests, but I can't see why you would want to put something that gets in your way? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleabag Posted July 20, 2019 Share Posted July 20, 2019 Only used as thumb rests for me, nothing more. Both built from solid Purpleheart, and yup, i went a smidge overboard on the first Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted July 20, 2019 Share Posted July 20, 2019 All it does is raise the surface of the bass closer to the strings. It’s all about feel. If you’ve played neck thru basses all your life going to a bolt on you can feel like the strings are miles away from the body, for example. For most of us we already use the pickups as a kind of ramp - and thumbrest. It doesn’t interfere with pooping as you’ll probably pop near the neck and the ramp tends to be further back between the pickups although some fret less basses have them at the neck too to give you more of a double bass feel. The benefit will vary from player to player - it might help you play more quickly or it could have the opposite effect depending on the player. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted July 20, 2019 Share Posted July 20, 2019 I suppose a good analogy would be to say it’s like writing - you can write without your hand touching the page at all but you have more fine control when you rest the side of your hand on the page. Kind of feels like that. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted July 20, 2019 Share Posted July 20, 2019 I guess it's very much down to the player. I generally keep my thumb muting the next string down, but where it goes when I play the E varies a LOT, depending on the bass I'm playing. Thinking about it, I'd say it's a major part of why each bass I have feels different. I can see more benefit in something fairly wide set parallel to the e-string than something under them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cLepto-bass Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 Out of interest, how do you stick the ramp to the body? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reggaebass Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 3 minutes ago, cLepto-bass said: Out of interest, how do you stick the ramp to the body? I made my one to fit quite snug but I also used a few small bits of double sided tape . Some ramps are fitted using the existing pickup screws 🙂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cLepto-bass Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 8 minutes ago, Reggaebass said: I made my one to fit quite snug but I also used a few small bits of double sided tape . Some ramps are fitted using the existing pickup screws 🙂 Ah ha. Makes total sense. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimothey Posted July 22, 2019 Author Share Posted July 22, 2019 8 minutes ago, Reggaebass said: I made my one to fit quite snug but I also used a few small bits of double sided tape . Some ramps are fitted using the existing pickup screws 🙂 I did the same I’ve just stuck it on with double sided tape and if it’s a snug fit it won’t move anywhere..........😀 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fleabag Posted July 22, 2019 Share Posted July 22, 2019 Same for me. Tape Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted July 23, 2019 Share Posted July 23, 2019 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glassmoon Posted December 31, 2020 Share Posted December 31, 2020 (edited) Hi @Jimothey What vinyl did you use? That's given me an idea... Many thanks in advance...Julian Edited January 7, 2021 by Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimothey Posted December 31, 2020 Author Share Posted December 31, 2020 28 minutes ago, glassmoon said: Hi @Jimothey What vinyl did you use? That's given me an idea... Many thanks in advance...Julian I just used DC-fix matt black self adhesive vinyl from B & Q 👍🏻 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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