Angel Posted November 5 Share Posted November 5 I quite fancy making a headless bass, just wondering if anyone else here has already done one? Also wondering if anyone has hardware recommendations? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted November 5 Share Posted November 5 @SamIAm has. I'm in the very early stages, if it starts looking successful then I'll give more details. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mediocre Polymath Posted November 5 Share Posted November 5 I've made one and have been vaguely thinking about making another. I posted a build diary here, and I'd be happy to answer any questions you have. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Si600 Posted November 5 Share Posted November 5 Gibson make a range of transforming headless instruments if you need any inspiration. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamIAm Posted November 5 Share Posted November 5 (edited) 6 hours ago, Angel said: I quite fancy making a headless bass, just wondering if anyone else here has already done one? Also wondering if anyone has hardware recommendations? I built a very very DIY one a while back. I've got most of the bits for a more 'proper' attempt. I really didn't want to take on the challenge of building a fretted neck so I bought one (Which was more difficult then you might imagine as I want a 5 string shortscale) which I will mod from head tuning to headless ... I bought a set of Nova Tuners for this purpose. Sam x Edited November 5 by SamIAm 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mediocre Polymath Posted November 5 Share Posted November 5 On my build I used ABM tuners, but I recently came across this company, Riviera Gear, which have headless bridge units with a really interesting design. The tuning thumbwheel is on the top, so you don't need to have them on the edge of the body or over a recess. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kodiakblair Posted November 5 Share Posted November 5 I've only built the one. Used the Overlord of Music system. It was a doddle to fit and set up, just think about the part you are fitting and how it interacts with others. Simple stuff like the distance your fretboard is proud of the body affects how deep a rebate the bridge needs. Course if you use mono saddles like ABM or similar there's no rebates to cut, just position for scale length and pole pieces. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mottlefeeder Posted November 5 Share Posted November 5 I built a kit which used 'Overlord of Music' hardware. It was fine for EADG, but useless for BEAD tuning as the string clamp bends the string through 90 degrees, and the B string would not take that. I ended up making an in-line clamp to get round the problem David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alittlebitrobot Posted November 6 Share Posted November 6 Not exactly. Aesthetically, I like headstocks, but not tuning keys, so I made one using a headless bridge and some DIY string clamps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted November 6 Share Posted November 6 Not on purpose. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted November 7 Author Share Posted November 7 On 05/11/2024 at 15:19, Mediocre Polymath said: I've made one and have been vaguely thinking about making another. I posted a build diary here, and I'd be happy to answer any questions you have. Thanks for flagging up, good to see! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted November 7 Author Share Posted November 7 On 05/11/2024 at 18:30, SamIAm said: I built a very very DIY one a while back. I've got most of the bits for a more 'proper' attempt. I really didn't want to take on the challenge of building a fretted neck so I bought one (Which was more difficult then you might imagine as I want a 5 string shortscale) which I will mod from head tuning to headless ... I bought a set of Nova Tuners for this purpose. Sam x Thanks, a long and intriguing thread! It will take a while to get through it all, but interesting so far - and those mini basses - fascinating! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted November 7 Author Share Posted November 7 On 05/11/2024 at 18:31, Mediocre Polymath said: On my build I used ABM tuners, but I recently came across this company, Riviera Gear, which have headless bridge units with a really interesting design. The tuning thumbwheel is on the top, so you don't need to have them on the edge of the body or over a recess. Intriguing but very expensive. Their video is pretty useless - it takes forever going through everything for virtually every string, and it doesn't even explain how they work. I would have liked to actually hear the string/note as the wheel was turned to get an idea of how well it works, what the turning to tuning ratio is etc. rather than plus pointless music all through. Do these people want to sell their product? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted November 7 Author Share Posted November 7 On 06/11/2024 at 13:08, alittlebitrobot said: Not exactly. Aesthetically, I like headstocks, but not tuning keys, so I made one using a headless bridge and some DIY string clamps. Thanks for the link, I can't believe you got plug parts in there! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamIAm Posted November 7 Share Posted November 7 (edited) 28 minutes ago, Angel said: Thanks for the link, I can't believe you got plug parts in there! I used similar idea with wiring block inserts for my head end string clamps, I just replaced the screws. Sam x Edited November 7 by SamIAm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mediocre Polymath Posted November 7 Share Posted November 7 32 minutes ago, Angel said: Intriguing but very expensive. Their video is pretty useless - it takes forever going through everything for virtually every string, and it doesn't even explain how they work. I would have liked to actually hear the string/note as the wheel was turned to get an idea of how well it works, what the turning to tuning ratio is etc. rather than plus pointless music all through. Do these people want to sell their product? Yeah, I ended up downloading the technical drawings and working out how they work from that. The cost of these systems is a tough one. It feels excessive (I got my ABM tuners second-hand) but on the other hand the design of these things puts a lot more stress on individual components than conventional tuners. The entire force of the tensioned string is generally borne by the threading of a single bolt. It makes the quality of the metallurgy a much bigger deal. I ended up using the ABM tuners because I knew I would be designing the whole instrument around whatever bridge I chose. If I picked a design that failed after a year or two, and I couldn't source an exact, like-for-like, replacement, then that would be a lot of nice wood and 40-50 hours of my life down the drain. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prowla Posted November 7 Share Posted November 7 (edited) Headless hardware can be very expensive, but don't be tempted to go for the Chinese "Overlord of Music" kit because it is utterly awful. Also two "ick"s for me are: Headless basses with normal tuners at the other end (eg. the Kramer one) - what's the point of that then? Headless bases with a headstock anyway - you might as well just have the normal tuners in the first place. I've done two headless projects from parts: The Rickenberger (based on a Steinberger Spirit) - yep, those are real Ric pickups, Treble surround, and knobs; I made the pickguard. A doubleneck whose hardware had failed and electrics were rubbish, so I replaced them (guitar pickups still pending fitting). The guitar's bridge is from a chap in Ireland called Matthew James Bean; it cost more than the entire rest of the instrument. Edited November 7 by prowla 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted November 7 Share Posted November 7 I've gone for yet another bridge unit which is quite cheap. The guitar equivalent is used on the Jamstik Studio MIDI guitar. 4 and 5 string variants are available. This is the one I bought: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007488329170.html If you look at the photos in the body of the posting rather than the ones at the top, there's a diagram showing all the dimensions. 16mm string spacing on the 5-string but I don't know what the 4-string spacing is as there doesn't seem to be an equivalent diagram for that. With the Riviera one, you need to drill potholes into the bass body to accommodate the mechanism. The ALP travel bridge just sits on top of the body, only holes for fixing screws needed. String height adjustment seems simple - I think there's one grub screw to alter the height and a second one to lock it. Intonation is a bit annoying as you need to get the string out of the way to loosen and tighten the anchor screw. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted November 8 Author Share Posted November 8 15 hours ago, tauzero said: I've gone for yet another bridge unit which is quite cheap. The guitar equivalent is used on the Jamstik Studio MIDI guitar. 4 and 5 string variants are available. This is the one I bought: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007488329170.html If you look at the photos in the body of the posting rather than the ones at the top, there's a diagram showing all the dimensions. 16mm string spacing on the 5-string but I don't know what the 4-string spacing is as there doesn't seem to be an equivalent diagram for that. With the Riviera one, you need to drill potholes into the bass body to accommodate the mechanism. The ALP travel bridge just sits on top of the body, only holes for fixing screws needed. String height adjustment seems simple - I think there's one grub screw to alter the height and a second one to lock it. Intonation is a bit annoying as you need to get the string out of the way to loosen and tighten the anchor screw. I'd be put off by Ali express! Not exactly quality merchants! But hey, it could be brilliant. Let us know how it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Angel Posted November 8 Author Share Posted November 8 @prowla I love the look of the twin neck! I'm not sure I'd have a use for it but it looks so cool to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prowla Posted November 8 Share Posted November 8 2 minutes ago, Angel said: @prowla I love the look of the twin neck! I'm not sure I'd have a use for it but it looks so cool to me. Cheers - it's a Chinese something like a 'berger. I acquired it off someone who had lost patience and given up trying to repair the hardware. It's surprisingly nice to play and doesn't sound bad either. I've got to do a little more setup and get round to replacing the guitar pickups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted November 8 Share Posted November 8 Here's one I made earlier: Not sure why the preview's showing a sparkly pink Retrovibe - if that's become headless since last time I picked it up, I'll be upset! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chopthebass Posted November 24 Share Posted November 24 I just picked up headless hardware by Riviera. Great quality, and doesn’t mean you have to compromise your body shape at the back. Good for retrofitting too. Here’s my test bass. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mediocre Polymath Posted November 24 Share Posted November 24 (edited) Ooh, that's a nice thing. How's the stringing/tuning process? The major downside I'm seeing is that every time you played a gig with one of these, you'd have a bunch of curious nerds down at the front trying to figure out how it works. EDIT: I've also just noticed that there's a routed-in plug of wood under the bridge – did you have difficulty routing the (square?) through holes for the mechanism, or is that just an in-fill for the bridge that was there before Edited November 24 by Mediocre Polymath Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chopthebass Posted November 24 Share Posted November 24 (edited) 4 hours ago, Mediocre Polymath said: Ooh, that's a nice thing. How's the stringing/tuning process? The major downside I'm seeing is that every time you played a gig with one of these, you'd have a bunch of curious nerds down at the front trying to figure out how it works. EDIT: I've also just noticed that there's a routed-in plug of wood under the bridge – did you have difficulty routing the (square?) through holes for the mechanism, or is that just an in-fill for the bridge that was there before Haha I’ve had my share of bass nerds at gigs! The wood plugs front and back are just to repair wood defects. It’s meant to be experimental so I didn’t want to risk messing up fancy wood. With the Riviera you can only tune through the body. There’s an anchor inside that rides up or down with the tuning knob on the front. I made a template for the mechanism. Edited November 24 by Chopthebass Typo 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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