backwater

Just taken delivery of a part-reel of multicore from Jake - excellent guy to deal with. Andy

A few weeks ago I bought a 1978 Fender precision bass from Volume on the board here as a project. As it arrived it looked like this : I started by stripping the bass down to see what was there. S/N on the head is S87xxxx which would date it to 1978. Pickups are dated 10/08/78 and 17/10/78 Pots are dated 1377808 which decodes to Week8, 1978 Neck stamp is very faded but appears to read 01032485 which is Week 24, day 5, 1978 All of the body markings are missing except for some stamps in the pickup cavity which are the same as the stamps on the neck (round stamp which I assume is quality control. Neck is straight and cleaned up nicely with just a few minor dings here and there. All the hardware looks right although the thumbrest and pickup/bridge covers are missing (I'll use reissue ones for these). The body is another matter : Originally Sunburst, it has been partially stripped and resprayed blue, the partially stripped again and a very thin clear coat put on. Basically my project is to sand the body back down to bare (except the pickup cavity which I will preserve to keep the stamps intact) and respray the body. For 1978, authentic colours would be Black, White, Sunburst, Natural or transparent Red. Depending on how well the wood cleans up I am planning to go for either Natural or the much rarer transparent red. I'll update as I make progress - I suspect that stripping the various layers of paint off may take a while! Andy

I decided to spend some time fiddling with the software (version 1.40) - I fiddled with the compatibility modes (right click on the application > settings > compatability) and when I changed it from win98 to windows 2000 and restarted the editor it worked! I hate it when it is something that simple! Andy

[quote name='tauzero' post='219666' date='Jun 16 2008, 10:00 AM']Ashdown do [url="http://www.ashdownmusic.com/bass/detail.asp?ID=156"]here[/url] (pointing to [url="http://www.ashdownmusic.com/bass/software/SuperFly1.31.zip"]this download file[/url]). Was it the laptop you connected to before? You're not going via any hubs or switches are you? And, er, you have got the MIDI/USB switch switched to USB, haven't you?[/quote] I tried the Ashdown site already and the link comes up "page cannot be found" - I emailed Ashdown and they say that version 1.31 is no longer available and to use version 1.40 which should work! The superfly is plugged straight into the laptop - the laptop sees the superfly but the editor software won't connect to it. I've tried using the compatability mode (telling the application it's running in windows 98) but that hasn't helped either. Andy

Often on boards I hear that 70s Fender Precisions (and Jazz) are heavier than 60s or 80s ones. I understand that Fender was less picky about the wood they used in the 70s but what is defined as light and/or heavy? (Embarassingly - I'm asking this now having been a guitar tech for the last 10 years!) Thanks Andy

Hi Folks, I am trying to connect my superfly to my xp laptop and am struggling. I previously had it working with version 1.31 of the software but that isn't available anymore and I can't get version 1.40 to work. Does anyone have a copy of version 1.31 that I can try to see if it works? Thanks Andy

Hi Folks, Having a bit of a clear out and taking advantage of fleabays 5p listing day. I am selling a flightcase for stands/lighting equipment, a heavy duty 4U rack case and one of my 2 Yamaha BBT210s cabs. Listings are here : [url="http://search.ebay.co.uk/_W0QQsassZbackwaterscotlandQQfrppZ50QQfsopZ1QQfsooZ1QQrdZ0"]Ebay[/url] Thanks Andy Update 17-06 : The 4U case and the stands case are now sold.

I know a few people here like the Squier Musicmasters and the seem pretty rare so here's a heads up : [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=300231639284&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=020"]Musicmaster Bass[/url] Not my auction and I daren't bid on it having bought two basses this year already! Andy

[quote name='Exile252' post='214336' date='Jun 7 2008, 01:46 PM']They all have rosewood fretboards, infact I've never owned an instrument with-out a rosewood fretboard. Just found this slightly odd hehe. Anyone else done this type of thing without thinking?[/quote] I have almost the opposite problem - I prefer Fender-type instruments with rosewood fretboards yet my 78 Precision, Squier VM Precision and Telecaster copy are all maple boards! Not a conscious decision on my part but just the way things go. Andy

Have you tried Status Graphite's Double Ball Strings? [url="http://www.status-graphite.com/"]Status Graphite[/url] D'Addario also do a double ball nickel set (the ESXL I think) Andy

I've been using an M-Audio Fast Track USB which seems to do the trick. Cost about £60 to buy and gives you an XLR in and a guitar in. Sounds good and works straight off with garage band. Details are here : [url="http://www.m-audio.com/products/en_us/FastTrackUSB-main.html"]M-Audio[/url] Andy

Here we have a Fender Bridge Cover for a Precision Bass : [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=250248690095"]Bridge Cover[/url] End price £30 + P&P. The seller has sold quite a few of these at £19.50, £31 and £41 each (see their feedback). I gave up at £12 and ordered one from Allparts (a Fender one) for £16.21 plus post : [url="http://www.allparts.uk.com/bridge-parts-metal-bridge-pickup-covers-c-277_296_319_320_395.html"]Allparts UK[/url] In stock - so why the huge ebay prices? I know I bought one of the Pickup covers (at a few pounds over normal retail) as they seem to be like Hens Teeth in the UK but the bridge cover is easily available! Even on ebay there is another seller selling the bridge cover at £15 Buy-it-now! Madness!!!! Andy

This week I received a 1978 Precision from Rich (the one here : [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=11865"]78 Precision[/url]). Excellent guy - happy to answer all my picky questions and deliver it to a friend for me. Very happy with my buy! Andy

There may be more Runrig fans on the board than you think! Another one here - I actually own Donnie Munro's old 12-string Moon acoustic. Andy

[quote name='Macko1968' post='198213' date='May 13 2008, 07:55 PM'][url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fender-Precision-Bass-Guitar-1971-plus-case_W0QQitemZ180242539572QQihZ008QQcategoryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fender-Precision-Bas...1QQcmdZViewItem[/url] So much changed here I wonder how much (if any) of the original bass is left, is that logo right?[/quote] I spotted that one - I would have said late-80s not 1971, if Fender at all. No screwholes for the scratchplate, 80s fender logo with 70s Precision Bass lettering.? Control plate looks home made though. Not what it's being described as! Andy

[quote name='Doc B' post='197905' date='May 13 2008, 12:52 PM']My new bass was in being upgraded at Strung Out Guitars in Glasgow but the string spacing grooves on the used Bad Ass 2 I bought are misaligned on my bass. So does anyone know if it is possible to buy replacement saddles for these bridges? I've emailed via Leo Quan's website but had no reply - I also didn't see any separate saddles. Any ideas where else to try?[/quote] Allparts do a set of 4 replacement chrome saddles for the Badass II and III [url="http://www.allparts.uk.com/bridge-parts-bass-saddles-c-277_1_25_31.html"]Allparts[/url] Andy

Looks like a nice, blonde 1973 Telecaster bass. Might be of interest to someone looking for a vintage bass that's a little more unusual : [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=140232212060&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=004"]1973 Telecaster Bass[/url] Andy

Hi Folks, I just bought a 1978 Precision from Volume here on Basschat and one interesting feature is the squint logo. The right hand end of the logo seems to be in the right place but the left end seems to be way too high (actually ending up under the strings!). [attachment=8581:p_head.JPG] Has anyone seen this before on a Fender where the factory logo is miss-fitted? Looks like a friday afternoon job to me! Thanks Andy

Should this not have a matching scratchplate? Andy

Found this one : [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Vintage-1962-Fender-Jazz-Bass-Guitar-76182_W0QQitemZ200220276306QQihZ010QQcategoryZ4713QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem"]62 Jazz[/url] Big question is - why all the extra holes (are they holes)? Andy