Quote:
Originally Posted by Steve_M
I think the theory was that through body stringing was supposed to add sustain to a vibrating string by anchoring it in a heavy mass.
However, because the string doesn't actually vibrate between the break point over the saddle and the anchor, the method of anchoring (so long as its fit for purpose) doesn't have much of a tonal impact.
Its my understanding that how much mass the saddles have and the method by which the saddles are acoustically coupled (ie. in firm contact) with the bridge plate is much more important than anchoring. I guess the idea is to have a rigid structure (ie neck) and rigid, solid anchoring at the break points at either end of a string so that the vibrations of the string are mostly isolated.
Can Ken confirm I'm on the right track?
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Hey, if I keep reading this stuff I might mess up what took me 30 years to get done..
Actually, most Basses with 3 feet of Paint as a finish needs all the help it can get to vibrate the wood buried down under somewhere. Stringing thru the body was thought by some to make the wood vibrate more. If our Bass or any other vibrates too much, the sound would be like 'mush' without definition. Think of all those old P Basses used in the 60s with ZERO sustain that sounded so good on recordings. Are we playing whole notes held out for 5 minutes at a time between notes? How much vibration do we need?
Hit a note on any Bass you have and grab the headstock. Then feel the back below the bridge. You will see that even if it's made or Rock, it will vibrate to some degree. Even a half assed bass has vibration throughout. It's just, what are you vibrating?