Leaderboard

And to the second - and most important - neck socket carve. First, I had to line up the top and know that it wouldn't move around and that I would be able to replicate that position when I glued it finally to the back. I lined up everything from the top and from the back and put a couple of woodscrews in places that will be under the bridge and in the pickup chamber. I will use the same screws to stop the top sliding around on the wood glue when I come to glue it: This is broadly the shape: Started with chisels to hog it out: Then moved onto goose-neck scraper and files: And finally 'crept up on it' with sandpaper wrapped round a circular stick. I have to just do some fine-sanding so it sits fully seated and in place by itself, but it's pretty much there: And - admittedly to my surprise - it looks like the back stripe might even line up with the skunk stripe of the neck! Still a lot to do - but starting to look like a bass!

you say that now, wait until you see the faces

Not a chance , fellas. I'm having the bass built for me, not you bunch of scrag ends

Careful...

So let's bump this topic for a surprise twist to this story. I restored it in the past week so I could put it up for sale, which I did yesterday. Within a few hours, I got a message: "I saw your ad for the G&L and I think I recognise it as the former bass from [Dutch bass player], which was stolen a few years ago. The bass has a huge sentimental value for him (if this is it). Could you please get in touch with him before you sell it?" So I got in touch with the guy and there's no doubt about it: it's his bass. The stickers check out, the damage, the story, everything. It's his. So he's getting it back from me next Wednesday, and I hope the stupid pawn shop will give me my money back, for selling a stolen bass.

♖rook to bishop ♝ 4 ...

Contact me when your subs are due and I’ll give you a free pass, my man. Good on you 👍🏼

Oh, I have loads of material! You know they say that the Queen thinks the world smells of paint? Because wherever she visits, there's a team of decorators 30 feet in front of her, giving the place a freshen-up... Well the police (the band), think the world has dysentery. Bear with me on this - One afternoon, the police arrive at a venue ready for soundcheck before a gig that night. A member of the venue staff happens to be outside having a smoke, so he calls towards the doors "Ayup, the police have arrived!" Cue a stampede into the ladies and gents toilets, with much door slamming and flushing going on... the "boys in blanc" stride in, to witness the whole staff filling out of the toilets, looking pale and ashen... Next day, the three lads have won an auction for a bicycle on eBay. It's "collection only", so they plan to call by and collect it from a woman's house on the way to some media commitment... the band find the house, and while Sting is getting the rear doors open on the van, Andy and Stuart go up to the door, with a knock, and call out "Hi, it's the police!". There's a muffled scream from inside, followed by 'thump thump thump' (stairs). 'slam' (bathroom door) 'flush' (toilet) - then a distant voice calls out "Hold on, I'll be down in a minute"... Door finally opens, and Stuart says "Hello! We're the police! - do you want a selfie? We've won the auction for your bike!" Woman: Jesus Christ. Stuart: Are you OK, love? You don't look well? Woman mutters: No, I just lost about 60 pound as it goes... the bike is round by the back door - help yourselves... So now it's the following day, and our intrepid band have to visit the big smoke for a management meeting... they set off early, and on the way, they realise that they have to travel fairly close to the elderly Mrs Summers' house (Andy's mum's), so they reckon they can make a short surprise visit on the way through... they pull up on the driveway, and while Andy is making a fuss of the family's golden retriever outside, Sting joggs up to the front door, and for a laugh, he goes *knock knock knock* "Open up Mrs Summers, it's the police". *muffled squeak from inside* - 'thump thump thump' (stairs) - 'slam' (bathroom door) - etc etc....

Slightly unusual - my birthday blues jam! Lovely tiny local venue which was packed with 25 people. My son and grandson came from Nashville to be there. All my favourite om regulars played, including the mighty Victor Brox, and the singer and drummer from my band. Mostly blues, but some beautiful traditional English folk music too. I'm in awe that so many fine musicians would come out to celebrate with me 🙂

I’ve had a couple of people ask me about 5 string version so I just ordered a headless system. Something a little different- I’ll post more when it arrives.....

Dammit

OK. Done

I personally can't see the problem with the headstock maybe shave a little bit off?? But if Fleabag is happy then that's all that matters!! 😁

It arrived about 2 hours ago, I thought I'd just plug it in quickly to check it was working before having a proper play with it tomorrow. 2 hours later and I'm only a fraction of the way through the presets and I've started the process of putting together my own effects chains. I'm definitely going to have the read the online manual, (the 'cheat sheet' instructions it comes with are pretty basic) but so far, so fantastic.

I can’t inderstand cheating. If you don’t want to be with someone, leave them. Why live with someone and live a double life.? I couldn’t cheat even if I wanted. Mrs Ubit and I do everything together. ( to a point )

So - all bass guitars are therefore Tutmarc Audiovox copies, and there's nothing else. Not only the first fretted electric bass, but also had a neck-through construction. Q, E, and a smugly pedantic D.

Indeed the bed would be too big without them, and too small with them of course

Dear Born Yesterday I’ve worked with Guns N Roses/Kady Ga Ga etc, never heard your band but offering you a European tour. From A Scheister

While it is astonishing that red isn't the runaway winner, with gold a close second, what is truly astounding is that green should have as many votes as red. Green. I mean, come on. But even the green debacle fades into insignificance when one considers that in a poll dedicated to favourite bass colours, white, black and 'natural' garner together over 70% of the popular vote. None of these can even be considered colours. And we all thought the ..... .... was the single most muddle headed, irrational and inexplicable consensus ever reached. This even makes the ... ... result appear reasonable by comparison

Big band do at a rugby club Valentine's ball. I am depping for the regular guy, who it turns out has been poached by another big band. One of the sax players describes my playing as 'solid', which I take 100% as a compliment. The band leader asks me whether I would consider joining them permanently, which for various reasons I decline. In truth, I have little problem with the pop, soul, and disco material, but I really do struggle with a lot of the the more traditional big band jazz stuff. These people have been playing from dots since they were kids, whereas I came the self-taught route. I enjoyed the gig, I relish the challenge, and I have another one coming up next month.

Pete, you slaaaaaaaaaaag, give it a rest or face the bluddy stairs

Oh dear cliff. Torn in both directions .. what to do ? Well - i'll tell yez... NOTHING ! You reprobates ...leave me alone 🤓

Like I said, I like headless basses too 👍

Shame Andy has lobbed it off

Well, I think the head-stock complements the body shape to absolute perfection (and I like headless basses btw 😉)

Did i stutter ?

When I grow up I hope to be able to do this kind of stuff with wood. Sadly I am 53 and have no more growing up left.

Erm.

Got to do some shaping on this today. I really enjoy doing this shape, it just appeals to the engineer in me!! First bit of rough shaping of the first half of the neck: Shaping done with the Shinto rasp, a smaller rasp and a round file: Into the vice for the second half that can't be reached with the body in place: And the neck ready to round the fretboard and install the frets:

Here it is... ... Still a chance I might exchange it for one in white 🤣🙄🤦‍♂️

I'm cutting the headstock off, because someone doesnt like it

I'm shaving nothing nor shaping. Hear me peoples, i'm shaving nothing nor shaping. It's my bass. Mine - comprehende , kemosabi's ? Ta

This should be a regular feature called ‘gimme 2’

Of course it is - like this:

After a few stupidly busy weeks at work I finally got some time to do some more! I've done the matching headstock now and got a few coats of wipe in satin poly........... Control cavity is all routed out just got to make the cover and the electrics have arrived so I'll fit them in the next few days then its finishing time!!........ I'm considering getting some block inlay decals for the neck which I think will finish it off nicely 😀

Disappointed not to see Threatin on the list 🙂

Been & gawn & done it, ain't I? Trigger pulled. Quite excited now...

Call me "Fricky" if you like. 👍 I'm sure I could spare you the history lesson - but I'm not going to 😁 ... The year was nineteen hundred and whatever, Rickenbacker had produced the first electric guitar, and were busy designing and refining their instruments... then Leo F. designed the first electric bass guitar, and began selling it through Mr Hall's company... Leo's excellent bolt-on neck design was cheap and easy to manufacture, and players liked it because they could swap necks at home, or change it if it got damaged. Mr Hall decided that his electric bass would stick with their tried and tested neck through body construction design. It was an excellent decision. Rickenbacker's neck-through was more expensive, but offered improved sound and sustain over a bolt-on design. And rather than directly competing with the Fender, the two philosophies could sell alongside each other, and offer the customer more choice. So, 70 years later - what's changed? There are bolt-ons (Fender), and neck-throughs (Ric), and not much else. Popular colours are wood (natural or burst), black, or white-ish. HTH. 😁

See my previous post, and also:

Are you trying to suggest this isn't a naturally occurring tonal variation? I could be pedantic and point out that black & white are not in fact colours, they are the absence of colour - but y'know - that's just not my style at all.

Don’t fret! More pictures. Of the frets mostly being installed. Poor pun I know.

PAT testing. Would anyone would like their amp and kettle lead PAT tested and labelled for £5, if so I will bring my tester to the Bash?

Starting to get a bit 1970’s maybe Sting, Andy and Stewart could live together and sleep in the same bed like Eric and Ernie?

Hadn't noticed before you said so, but they did indeed. As a result, I think it's safe to assume that: 1 - "Costumer Assistant" is correct too. IOW this is a luxury scheme that nobody should not apply for. 2 - They're not on BC. 😉

Compare our "hive mind" to Fender's top selling colours: https://shop.fender.com/en-GB/best-selling-finishes/?rl=en_US Just goes to show that "we" are such a conservative world (with a small "c"). I'll have a deluxe Jazz bass in the natural finish, with the black scratchplate, please Mr Fender. Unless you do it in beige, maybe...? :: rollseyes :: No freakin' way, you stuffed suits! - I'll take a purple (or paisley) '70s P bass with Bootsy style star fret markers fitted instead of dots. Then I'll fit a big Parliament/Funkadelic sticker on the front.... the one with the chick wearing a big afro and her knees yay far apart. ✌️ And that funky brown '70s Jazz from up this thread... I'd just have to add a tiger stripe scratchplate, and maybe some fur trim... 👊 I could ride to gigs on a Raleigh Chopper MK1. 👍

Can thoroughly recommend the Xotic XJ Pro 1 - have got one, and absolutely love it:

No. But I never said it was. And indeed, that's not what the topic is about, nor what I was replying to - MoJo said "it's hard to hate a Precision", and I was citing a Precision that I found it remarkably easy to hate. I will freely admit that I didn't own it though. And on the whole I don't hate Precisions, I just consider them as the grey porridge of the bass world, the equivalent of the BSA C11 in the 1940s in motorcycling terms.

Well. In light of the fact I was “giving up” last year - and some of the tits I’ve been in bands with... my current band mates are ace. Love them all dearly - good people.

I'm not that happy with all this impersonating myself and the lads. Some of you are going dahn, you slags

Can you imagine if The Police had their van nicked? *Ring Ring* Hello, police. Hi there, this is Gordon from the police. Our van's been nicked. Jeeze, a police van? Boy you're in trouble. No... well, yes, I suppose you could say its a police van... it's certainly the police van. What? Look, I'm in the police. OK. And our van's been nicked. Right. Well can you like, find it? You're in the police. Yes. Find your own ****ing van before your Sgt finds out. No... I'm not in the police! You said you were! Well in one way I am. I'm recording this, you know. Oh, that's ironic. What? Etc...