Doing Things Wrong

Alice Bass Strings

Today I got my set of Alice bass strings, 105-85-65-45. They were packed in individual sealed plastic sleeves, similar to every other kind of string. The diameters are all within 0.001" of spec. The lengths are as follows:

  • E: 37-1/2" ball to leader, 42-1/2" overall
  • A: 37-1/8" ball to leader, 44-1/2" overall
  • D: 46" overall
  • G: 48" overall

This should fit almost all instruments. The strings are bright and shiny. So far, so good.

The strings went on with no problems, and seem ok unplugged - no buzzing or dead ones.

To be continued ...


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I have several jigs I made to fit my full-sized DeWalt router. That machine is a beast for building furniture and stuff, but it is clumsy overkill for routing neck pockets and truss rods. So I got the idea to make a base plate that will adapt the little router to the jigs I made. Simple - just a 6" square; there it is on the left. The material is a piece of 1/4" phenolic that I had laying around for years. Phenolic resin is a plastic that is so hard and stiff it is more like metal. It is perfect for router bases and other fixtures, but somewhat hard to work. To drill the big hole in the center, I had to shift the drill press to its lowest gear, and cool the bit with water.