Dodgy dots on a fretless

[lownote]

Setting the intonation on an unlined fretless is easy enough, I have found. But if your dots are in the wrong place it can throw you. Here's my experience:

1/ Measure back half your scale length from the inside face of the nut.  E.g. 17 inches on a 34 inch scale bass. Mark the fingerboard with a  pencil.

2/ With a good tuner, check this point offers the same harmonic/ open note as the fretted note on the E string. Use a sharp but not cutting edge to 'finger' the notes precisely - fingers are too squishy

3/ Discover your pencil mark is at least a centimetre away from the 12th fret marker side dots. 

4/ With the tuner check the positioning of all the side dots and confirm only the 12th is out.

5/ Assume you've done it wrong.

6/ Take the bass to Martin at London's Bass Gallery.

7/ Get told that a/ no actually, you were right all along and b/ the side dots are often put in the wrong place on cheaper basses.

8/ Pay Martin a very reasonable sum to drill out and hide the old dots and put lovely new ones in the right place.

PS It's funny how quickly muscle memory kicks in.  I've been playing some while compensating for the wrong position of the 12th marker, and now have difficulty playing on the new correct markers. 

 

Edited September 6, 2019 by lownote12

[edwn]

Great story, thanks for sharing.