Jakester

T'aint fretless though?

I have successfully sold a bass on Gumtree fairly recently. I thought it was an out and out scam to begin with, as the buyer's emails looked so much like the usual scam wording. English wasn't his first language, which explained that. I asked for bank transfer, which was paid without fuss, got the address for delivery (which wasn't his home address), did a little light sleuthing to find he did actually work there, money landed, sent with a courier with full tracking and proof of delivery and went like a dream. So it does happen.

The replacement hoop and head arrived this morning so while I waited for my work computer to boot up I thought I’d chuck it on. Thankfully it was the previous hoop and not the shell which was out of shape. However, when I went to turn it over, there was a funny klonking noise. “Odd,” I thought. In my obvious haste I had left the drum key drill bit attachments inside. Sigh. The irony that it was the labour saving device I would need to get it out was not lost on me... “Bloody good job you’re not a surgeon,” said my wife, unimpressed, and on this evidence I have to agree with her.

After a while of sitting, staring at the bits everyday, I levelled with myself that I was never going to get round to ordering some fancy veneers so plumped instead for a quick and dirty rewrap. Found some gold sparkle on eBay and ordered, then lobbed it all together. I am most pleased that the tool I bought 15+ years ago to replace drum badge grommets but never successfully used finally worked! Annoyingly it seems that the lower hoop is warped/out of round, so I couldn’t get the resonant head to sit properly. As they’re die cast hoops, that means £50+ on a replacement, so I have compromised on an s-hoop, which is a pressed hoop like a ‘normal’ one but with an extra fold to stiffen it up like die cast. Anyway, a quick couple of pics:

👍

Isopropyl alcohol? Assuming it’s poly lacquer on the headstock, that should do it.

When I was starting out playing bass, that was one of the first tunes I had to play And I found it really hard - if only I’d have known all it took was sanding down the back of the neck I’d have been all over it!!

I have Sunbeams and love them, but my absolute fave are Lo-Rider nickels - I keep returning to them time and time again.

Pah, I don’t believe any of you - married, with children, and we’re expected to believe you still have time to knock boots? Calumny and lies, I say...

That last pic looks good enough to eat! (Though it is lunchtime so maybe I’m projecting a tad)

Yarp