Slipperydick

[quote name='Dave Vader' timestamp='1319119570' post='1410173'] Not that I know of. I assumed it had been sanded off (like so many of my old japcraps were) to lose it's provenance. Replacement neck? It could well have been bitsa'd at some point (like so many of my old japcraps were). A lot of old 70s factories had a lot of different wholesalers names, so your shipping without decal theory holds water. Maybe this one was waylaid on the way in by some helpful official looking for a cheap bass? [/quote] I still have the original neck from mine - I bought the Bass as a bag of bits - theres no sign of a decal, and as said, the laquer doesnt look like its been sanded. Different pups, but they might not have been the original ones, and different machine heads as the screw holes match the ones that came with it. So maybe a different year. mighty mite Jazz neck was almost a direct fit, but somebody had butchered the pocket at back.

[quote name='merello' timestamp='1319052208' post='1409432'] Mine refused to tell my wife! [/quote] One of mine insisted on it !

[quote name='Ou7shined' timestamp='1319041197' post='1409260'] Yeah I think the Gibbo knobs were an add-on. Not now though as this is how she looks today... Mine has the vintage style huge plate tuners which are 100% original as there are no other screw holes in the back of the head. Not that I would mind some Schallers on there like, but these are working perfectly, if a little pitted, which I can put up with considering her age. I doubt very much that's she's a Marlin as any I've seen have been a little thin, Blondie is big and chunky. Note how the lower horn and p/g don't quite match up. Is yours the same? [/quote] No mine fit about right. Are the pups original ? the ones that came with mine were rubbish, So I put Kent Armstrong 10Kohm vintage ones on it.

Somebody suggested it might be a Marlin. But I'm not so sure myself. Looks nice, and if I'd spotted it on ebay I might have been tempted. mine looks like somebody tried to relic it - with a cheese grater. It came with a set of machine heads that look like Schallers ( big nuts on the front, smaller back plates ) and Precision type knobs. And yep, old type Fender bridge fitted straight on, so did a Fender thumb rest which I had so I stuck it on but tbh dunno why, never use it. Wonder why yours has what look like Gibson knobs.

[quote name='Ou7shined' timestamp='1318965082' post='1408403'] Anyone have any ideas about [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160662447838&ssPageName=ADME:X:RTQ:GB:1123"]this[/url] one? [/quote] I'd be interested to know what it is. I made a bitsa using what looks like the same body, - extra screw in the scrathplate and neck end truss rod - Never managed to find out who made it though I still have the neck which feels nice, kinda like a bassball bat.

[quote name='MarkBassChat' timestamp='1318523380' post='1403321'] Yes, it is. The reverb spring alone is worth £22. So you have the rest of the amp for free. The only problem is that most probably you cannot fix it on your own. So you have to find out how to do it cheap. Check the output transistors as advised and then decide what to do later. Doesn't any of your friends know anything about electronics? I could guide him what to do. You could also start from providing the symbol of the amp and also looking for the schematic of the amp. You can also ask for advise (and the schematic) on this forum: [url="http://music-electronics-forum.com/f22/"]http://music-electro...-forum.com/f22/[/url] Mark [/quote] Could you replace it for £22. Whats it worh when its repaired compared to what its worth now & would you enjoy doing it ? btw, which model is it, if its an old one, I might have a schematic if its any use to you. Prhaps its just me, but I hate to see anything scrapped when its still got some usful life in it.

Easy way to check if the O/P Transistors are shorted. Remove the screws, and measure between the case and the 2 soldered pins on the bottom of them using a digital multimeter on a low ohms range -not diode test- if you can read anything at all, theyre duff. Again cheap - usually, especially if theyre just 2N3055s but stands a good chance the drivers are also duff.

Just had a look at my Kickback12, Its the same, saye 8 Ohms on the amp, and 6 Ohms on the label.

I think of a tuner as being a tight fitting tapered tuning peg, as opposed to a machine head, which has gears. And I refer to practicing as 'Having a burst on me Banjo' Comes from Ken Dodd probably...(by jove I needed that) yeah, you probably need to be 50 odd to understand it - a bit like 'Wheres me shert'

[quote name='dave_bass5' timestamp='1318422282' post='1401892'] Dont forget Craftsman. my first "real" guitar was a Craftsman Less Paul. All this also bring back memories, all those great shops in Denmark st and Shaftesbury Avenue. The good old days. [/quote] If we're really scraping the barrel, my first one ( other than the Hofner which I swapped for an air rifle) was a Top Twenty. real class. I took the logo off cos Top Twenty sounded naff !

[quote name='thepurpleblob' timestamp='1318356341' post='1401113'] Well, ok, you'll excuse me for ignoring your string remarks because I simply can't see any parallels at all. Not unless your strings have negative feedback, of course Yes - I am well aware of the mythology surrounding valve replacement and the bizarre effects that are attributed to a simple (and pretty much technically obsolete) amplifier component (e.g. the ability to add bass or treble). However, I don't want to get into some flame argument at all. So, I'll just leave it like this. I spent a lot of years servicing amplifiers - mostly transistor based, admittedly, but I'm far from unfamiliar with valve equipment. All I can say is that - when correctly set up and all else being equal - I have never been able to detect the slightest difference. If you can and that gives you a result that you are happy with then that's great. [/quote] I think your right, I spent years working with Valve kit, A lot of, but not just amps, and to be honest the difference between makes was rarely noticeable even back the, when there were loads of different manufactures, or at least distributors. Many valves were imported and then printed with whatever logo that was ordered by the distributor. These days there are far less factories around the world actually manufacturibg them, But they will be graded (or at least thats what we are told by the people who sell the expensive ones) So how different are they likely to be ? If you want less gain without altering the circuitry, try using ECC81/12AT7 or 82/12AU7, or there are always industrial equivalents around. Have a look at the british valve museums site. Only my opinion based on experience mind.

Doobie Bros, Bass Player round about the time of the Tolouse St & Long Train Running album - Dave Shogrun ? Nothing too flashy, but just it fit the feel of the songs so well.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1318158384' post='1398574'] That's inflation for you. [/quote] In my local Gas Station, you have to put 50p in the machine to blow up your tyres, then it runs out after about 2 minutes, so you put in another 50p. THATS inflation for you......Sorry

[quote name='Jean-Luc Pickguard' timestamp='1318093542' post='1398072'] That's not my recollection of 70s copies. [/quote] I didnt say ALL of them, you got what you paid for. . Some of the Antorias for example, were excellent, I stll have an old Eros Jazz copy from 72 ( cost me £65 new, that was about 3 weeks wages to most people then ) that still plays really well, even some of the Jedsons played OK if set up well. There was rubbish about though, and by the end of the 70s build quality had gone down the drain and there was a LOT of rubbish about.

Late 70s really heavy, cheapo copies iirc. Having said that, a lot of 70s copies were better than present day copies, so might not be all that bad, might be good as a project, They [i]really[/i] fetching £1100 ?

Nice to see I'm not alone.

Get shot of him, or leave. Lifes too short, and you end up regretting what you didnt do / change more than what you did. Take it from an old fogey who had similar problems years ago.

Have'nt bothered to wade all through the thread, its gettin long now. Anybody else mentioned Andy Pyle. Apart from the Gary Moore stuff like Still Got The Blues etc. he's one of those players that just seems turn up an so many classic tracks. Just wish I had a laid back 'feel' like that.

Yeah deffo Larry Taylor, was doing session work for 50s big names like Neil Sedaka while he was still at school, played with Jerry Lee as well I think. Thats who I listened to when I started playing, Plus; Trevor Burton, Rod Clements, John Ford And Graham Maby, Johnny B Sparkes, Much better than most people realise till they try and get the same feel...

[quote name='jakesbass' timestamp='1222973071' post='297917'] Save packing space by [b]stuffing socks into your undies[/b] [b]- the ones you wear on stage - .[/b] get pissed, shag birds (or blokes if you like) [/quote] Thought every touring muso did that, or is that just for flashy guitards and songists. ! Oh yeah - Eat bananas, energy, fibre, and you can pack one with the socks.

[quote name='geoffbyrne' timestamp='1317114770' post='1386782'] No idea about the chockie-block thingie - it's as it was when I got it - as I said, it all worked fine for a while. @Slipperydick: they're blackened when they blow & it's not quite instantaneous. G. [/quote] Both fuses instanly blackened ( not the mains fuse) probably means a dead short, so the bridge rec is favourite I reckon. its the black square thing on the heatsink in your photos. If you have a multimeter take the fuses out and measure it on the low ohms range across the two diagonally opposite terminals marked with a sort of an S. If its a short, its duff. couple of quids from somewhere like Maplins should sort you out. Depends on whether you feel up to changing it yourself. Leave the PCB fuses out, and and try powering it up, if the mains fuse fails your transformer is probably knackered. Dont try any of the above if you dont feel confident enough with electrickery stuff though.

You describe him as a kid. Is he much younger than you ? If so the easy and kind way would be to tell him he just wont fit in with the image your after surely. Or tell him an old close mate has turned up and wants the gig. If he's a young kid I think its better to try not to embarass him with his obesession with a woman. Just my 2 bobs worth anyway.

Couple of points. 1, do the fuses blow instantly, or after a second or so. and 2, are they blackened when they do blow, or do they just blow softly ??

Just re-discovered Joe Jacksons Look Sharp album, on Vynil of course.

Just curious really, when you buy something thats being sold for someone else, how do you know that they have the owners permission ? For example. If you buy a car thats still on HP from a finance company, the finance company can reposess it from you. If you buy a ringer, that doesnt really belong to the seller, the police will return it to the owner / owners insurance dompany. OK this is a knackered crate, worth not a lot. But what if it was a 1962 Precision worth a lot / Priciples the same surely.