G5 bass body specs?

[scobass]

Hello all,
I'm in the process of building a G5 Warmoth bass. There is one very important spec to me that I can't find info on - How far from the BODY do the strings rest? (on average, as the setup will affect string height obviously). Or perhaps a more exact spec would be how much taller the neck sits above the body in these basses?

I'm asking because I am planning to make a custom slap ramp/pick guard, and the height from the strings is vital for my technique. I want to order sheets of wood for it before the rest of my bass arrives in the mail (though I suppose if I can't find an answer to this I'll just be patient and measure later).

Thanks in advance for any help!

 

[Logrinn]

I gotta ask - what’s a slap ramp?
Is it like a pickguard that’s thinner at one end (which?) and thicker St another end?
How does it affect your technique?

 

[scobass]

I gotta ask - what’s a slap ramp?
Is it like a pickguard that’s thinner at one end (which?) and thicker St another end?
How does it affect your technique?

So it's a bit hard for me to explain without directly showing you or making a video about it. The thickness is uniform. It is just a pick guard, but with a different purpose for slap bass. Basically, the ramp places your fingers at exactly the level you want them for a perfect pop. You can't go any lower. So you can remove a lot of tension while playing, just let your fingers drop. Without any ramp, your fingers have a lot of space to completely slide under all the strings, and you need to change your technique and apply more tension in your fingers to keep them on the appropriate height.

I hope that makes sense. I'm already using a custom slap ramp on my current jazz bass which is slightly higher than a standard fender bass pick guard. Hoping to match it exactly in my new bass

 

[scobass]

Also just wanted to mention that this is a little known secret in the bass world... Not many talk about it but a few key players such as Marcus Miller and Henrik Linder mentioned it in passing which turned me on to the idea. Now I can never go back haha. My slap technique literally falls apart without one of these (and is pretty good otherwise, not to brag haha). Lots of people are used to not having one and do fine without it.

 

[Cagey]

Interesting. Never heard of such a thing, but then I'm not a bass player. The way you describe it makes sense to me. I wonder how long it'll be (if it hasn't happened already) before somebody puts a piezo sensor underneath it so you can do a bit of "percussion" along with your playing, sorta like these things...

That particular unit is designed to replicate a bass drum you can keep time with using your foot. All it does is let you thump it, and it turns that into something an amp can make bigger. Must be super simple - they cost very little.

 

[scobass]

Interesting. Never heard of such a thing, but then I'm not a bass player. The way you describe it makes sense to me. I wonder how long it'll be (if it hasn't happened already) before somebody puts a piezo sensor underneath it so you can do a bit of "percussion" along with your playing, sorta like these things...

I love that idea haha. Though the ramp isn't usually struck very hard normally--if anything your fingers kinda just rest, scratch (if you have the slightest fingernails), and glide across it. Though if you had one, I'm sure you could find techniques to add percussive elements. Very creative idea for sure

 

[stratamania]

Interestingly Floyd Rose has a new guitar out with something called a Speed Guide, which seems a similar idea.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmCLWitfWx8[/youtube]

 

[Cagey]

It could probably be fashioned in such a way as to only be sensitive or convenient to thumb hits, in order to make it more autonomous to the actual playing. Maybe a little switch to turn it on/off. Maybe get crazy with the electronics so it's a MIDI out so you could choose your percussion device. I mean, bass and percussion go together like chocolate and peanut butter, so...

 

[Fat Pete]

This is not the first appearance of a 'ramp' here - Klangster's guitar of the month back in March 2013 had one.

That didn't take much finding at all  :doh:

 

[scobass]

Right, and that's actually a ramp used for a specific type of finger style. Some basses will have both a slap ramp and a finger style ramp. Personally I just like the slap ramp.

Also - for future reference for anyone else seeking the answer to this question - A Warmoth rep got back to me and said he personally measured a bass in their shop. The distance from the face of the body to the face of the fretboard is about 0.4 inches, obviously with other factors affecting that such as finish.

Personally I think 0.4" is quite a lot and may not be fully accurate. My fender jazz bass is about half that distance. I'll probably just wait until I actually get the bass in the mail and then order the wood for the slap ramp. I'll probably also order wenge so I don't need to finish it (and it will match the neck of the bass).

This is the site I'm ordering wood from (they have EXACTLY the options I need for this specific build, check them out, would be useful for any custom pick guards or whatever) http://ocoochhardwoods.com/scroll-saw-lumber/

 

[Fat Pete]

A standard Fender spec neck is 1" thick and the pocket is 5/8" deep. That leaves 3/8" ~ 0.375" (plus the frets of course). I don't think Warmoth offers their 0.720" mod on basses, but it might be worth asking them.

 

[scobass]

Yes, interesting. I was going by my Mexican fender deluxe series 5 string jazz bass (shown in the pic). I also have an older 4 string Mexican fender jazz bass (which clearly has a superior build quality over my 5) and the height on that one is closer to the figure Warmoth gave me.

I should probably just trust the 0.4" figure, as a Warmoth rep for sure has a much more accurate way of measuring than I do (I'm using a freakin' yard stick atm, need to get a ruler haha)

At the end of the day, having the bass in front of me will be the only real way to get this perfect, but this does help me order some wood planks (which are like $4-10 each with a $15+ shipping fee so no big loss to order a few different sizes and ship them all together).