Rayman

I bought this last week, and I just got around to cleaning it and setting it up… ’90s Korean Aria GTB II J. Pretty tatty on collection, but the seller assured me it sounded amazing, and all was well with the neck etc…. he was correct Having just spent an hour working on it, new (old but newish) strings (yes they need trimming down a bit) put on it, cleaned and oiled etc, it’s a belter. Fantastic pickups, very jazz like, but very bright and punchy. I really do love these 90s Aria pickups, they’re very potent and very clear as they are on all my old Aria basses. My Integra 4 string, very similar to this, is also a beast. Not light, but not heavy, just a sold piece(s) of wood. I saw it on Gumtree and knowing what I know, I had to add it to the stable, I beat a lot of folks to it apparently, there was a bit of a queue by all accounts. It was £50. 👍🏻

WOW...... that's absolutely fantastic, thanks so much for that. I would never have thought of trying something like that, but I'm absolutely going to have a go. Thank you.

It’s satisfactory I guess in terms of the fretboard. It plays fine but looks patchy close up. I’d thought about removing the frets, lightly sanding it back and replacing the frets, but that’s a bridge too far for me. The error I made was using a stripper that was way too aggressive and lifted the grain. Because the fretboard is bound, I have no clue how thick the rosewood is, so sanding isn’t something I fancy doing at all. Any suggestions for how to make this thing even better are very much welcomed.

Absolutely. Matt is a fan of all things retro, and if it’s worth bringing back to life, he’ll do it for you.

So the whole assembly has gone in to House of Tone. After pulling everything apart, one pickup looks great, one needs starting again with a new bobbin and rewind. New pots etc will also be installed. Yes, I know…. more money than it’s worth, but I’m all in now. Matt is fully booked till January, so the next update will be in 2024.

1979, I was 14 and I was the singer in a band of slightly older friends, who did a few short gigs as a covers band. First song I ever played (sang) live was “Purple Haze”…. Which was also the name of the band. It’d be another year or so before I discovered the bass.

Ordinarily yes… but my painkiller of choice, for a knackered knee, Codeine, dries my mouth out…. so I can’t have it for singing.

Oooh… yes

The bass that you would love to own from the year of your birth…. 1965 Fender Jazz for me. @mamayo had one, absolutely bloody lovely.

It’s a case of striking a balance I suppose, between the music and the showmanship…. I still struggle with it after all these years.

I have to admit, that live, I really struggle to stay calm and focused with my bass playing. Yes, I’m the singer/frontman, but, in rehearsals I’m calm and enjoy my playing a lot more than during a gig, where the adrenaline kicks in and frankly my technique goes to s***. How do the rest of you control your live playing?

“Redstar”? Was the brand on the head…. literally never heard of it. *edit “Redsub” ….. still never heard of it

Buxton “Old Clubhouse” , actually a nice little venue, I honestly cannot remember what the amp was, I’ll try and find a photo. It was a head and 4x12 DI’d into the PA, so out front it was ok, but onstage it was really quiet. We were support, so I didn’t want to start changing the settings on it, but I did turn up the master, which made no real difference to me. I really missed my Ashdown, but of course it makes life easier at the end to pack up and leave. The band, “Crisis’, we’re celebrating our 40th year this year, original heavy rock, 3pce, I’m the singer too. Three old men masquerading as relevant 40 years later.

Good one last night, although it was a shocking on stage bass tone via a house rig, but apparently it sounded fine out front.

Ahh well, we like talking amongst ourselves

Ok, I’m in contact with House Of Tone, who tell me they can absolutely fix the pickups and wiring. So, I’ll make the decision after the quote.

I travel all over the country for work, so nowhere is out of the question, unless it’s Cornwall or Aberdeen …. Y’know. So any suggestions are welcome

Stunning bass

Macclesfield, Cheshire

This is a Tokai….it cost me £150 (originally). Original pickups but I added a James’ Home Of Tone EQ, Gotoh tuners and bridge. The build diary is on here somewhere. It plays and sounds absolutely amazing. The band love it. I have never found a better example made by anyone else. I couldn’t justify a Gibson at all.

Thanks very much for all that, it gives me hope 👍🏻

Yeah, that’s an option, I need to take some measurements, I also might get a quote for the repair of the original ones, but I fear the worst.

Mudbuckers…… 🤔 …… I hadn’t thought of that, nice idea, I love the sidewinder in my Epiphone Newport. Shame though, I really like the look of the original pickups. I just think getting those up and running will be way more than the bass is worth.