LukeFRC

[quote name='Shockwave' timestamp='1350236957' post='1836147'] I have had a 5 String thumb very briefly, Fantastic sound, one of my faves. However I didnt like the ergonomics or the neck. Maybe a streamer will be a little different. But at this moment I am thinking of going custom more and more to get something that really fits me. [/quote] streamer= very different to thumb - ergonomically utterly, sound wise lots, and neck depends on when it was built...

[quote name='lettsguitars' timestamp='1350239054' post='1836208'] Pear drops=nitrocellulose. You can get cellulose thinners from halfords. You just wash it off. Nitromors should work too. A cabinet scraper and washing with thinners would be my way. [/quote] that's what I thought! I thought that the whole thing wasn't really behaving like it should- the pear drop smell, and the way it was coming off.... seems to be fairly thick nitro though, you sand it and you can see the layers and pale bands seperating them.... and and ..... who on earth makes nitro covered bodies these days? This is supposed to be a cheap body??

[quote name='Shockwave' timestamp='1350216790' post='1835820'] I guess I should now bring up the point is that I don't drive and don't intend to! So, lightweight is key, a limitation, but essential none the less. [/quote] I know you've said you don't like them, but wouldn't a 5 string (and early) streamer stage one do you?

Quick question - I have a body I started stripping - the finish is very very thick and very very hard. I tried chemicals on a previous body years back and know stripper does or doesn't work depending on the type of poly finish used. Mine smells of pear drops when sanded - any suggestions of what will get it off - hand sanding will take about a month I think!

[quote name='urb' timestamp='1350157913' post='1835363'] but very simply put a classic and guaranteed recipe for a punchy tone is a maple neck, maple fingerboard, ash body - bolt on - with a poky pre installed and a couple of kick ass pups, get those basics right - wrapped up with a neck that plays beautifully and a comfortable body shape and you have a bass that can should be able to do anything. [/quote] hmmmm to the OP .... go find a good two year fixed rate ISA - stick your money in there. Take £300 or so and buy that Peavey T40 in the sale pages. If you find a blade pup one all the better. Play it exclusively for the next two years...

[quote name='TRBboy' timestamp='1350160392' post='1835398'] Good news! Glad your enjoying your bass more, I'm always of the opinion that the feel/playability of a bass is paramount. Don't know if they still do, but I think they used to use bell brass for frets on Warwicks (very very hard!)? As an aside, would it be possible for you to just wire in a passive wiring circuit? Seems to make sense if you loved the sound straight from the pickups so much (and a lot cheaper and easier too!). I guess if you've got holes for 4 pots, you could just go for volume and tone for each pup, or do volume, blend, tone and then maybe a toggle switch to bypass the controls and go straight to the jack. Just a thought! [/quote]well i can turn off the preamp by pulling the volume pot up - it's more the pickup loading that changes the sound in ways I like- it opens up the top end - a good preamp with a high imediance input and active blend should do it. yeah, it's bell brass - but apparently harder than newer stuff.

So years back I picked up my streamer - and anyone who's seem me on these boards for a while know it's taken a while for us to grow close.... On the plus it is superlight, amazingly made bass - on the negative I couldn't stand the tone. A few times I tried to sell it but (thankfully) no one bit. Trying a few highend basses and I realsied that the playability of these basses was far higher than my warwick- mainly because the set up was set up to compensate for some fairly major fret wear. New frets was always something that was going to happen.... Fast forward to the start of this year and the MEC pups and MEC pre were swapped out for Bartolini pups (awesome) and Glockenklang pre (awful for this bass) the pups were great and stayed while the pre was sold. For most this year the bridge pup was wired straight to jack with no controls- and it sounded great! I was saving up for a new pre and twice got the money and then spent it on something else- one of these was an engagement ring so in the great battle of future wife vs. bass guitars... well I love one more than the other! Eventually I stuck the original preamp back in there (sounds good, I preferred the sound straight to jack though, saving for the ACG again!) Anyway while saving I decided that I should get something done about the frets.... problem is I have met guitar tech's in shops who are amazing, and ones who are not. And I've not paid for a set up in about 8 years... I didn't really know any of the local tech's or know if I could trust them with my bass. Well when CHRISDABASS stuck up a thread here showing off the first bass he had made I started to take note, firstly he was local, he was building his own basses, and was friends with a funkyspuke who I had sold a bass too years back- and figured funkyspuke was a decent guy, so his mates probably were too... So last weekend took my bass along to Saltaire to give to Chris at Alpher Guitar and Basses - a cup of tea, a tour of their workshop and shown their own basses they made, and a week later go back to pick up... well it looks like my bass but feels so good - the whole thing's been cleaned (unexpectedly) the frets levelled and polished and neatened up to perfection. I can get really picky about my necks and his work is flawless! He also discovered that early warwick frets are/seem harder than current warwick frets; sorry about that! So I'm pretty chuffed with the work and my bass and wanted to stick up a thread recomending Alpher as techs for any you within a train ride or drive of leeds/bradford! thanks Chris

you can get wider radius than 11 inch too. They do feel very very different IMO - and for different basses one is better than another...

it this bass a spector bass in somerset per chance?

[quote name='mikegatward' timestamp='1349779476' post='1830317'] Here's a link to the piccies of the interiors. I unplugged to pcb to get better shots There's nothing obviously loose in there. Interestingly, the foam around the pcb has completely disintegrated and left a stick residue when gently brushed away - i wonder if thats affected some of the connections on the pcb ? The Aguilar 3 band is looking like a good option if this is not repairable [url="http://s1126.photobucket.com/albums/l614/mikegatward/ibanez/"]http://s1126.photobucket.com/albums/l614/mikegatward/ibanez/[/url] [/quote] try it with it open like that, could the old foam have served to insulate the board from the metal walls of the cavity?

[quote name='razze06' timestamp='1349666895' post='1828863'] Did you not think it as too heavy, and you loved your warwick and squire sound better? [/quote] well yes, but apart from the weight it was great. But it went and became someone else's main bass so that's good! Don't be so logical!

I miss my T40. why did I sell it?

that should be fixable I would have thought. They are supposed to be reasonably well made- turn up your amp, turn it to active and play with the knobs (esp the treble) is there any difference in the amount of hiss you are getting? It's one of those things I want to open up and fix! I like fixing things!

raise your action a bit. set your volume to play along with something. turn the amp down a bit so it's not quite loud enough for you. compensate with your fingers so you can hear yourself. Strings, bass and Eq play a part too.

[quote name='Prosebass' timestamp='1349551730' post='1827732'] Here are a couple I built about 3 years ago. Does anyone know where they are ? I would love to have either (or both) of them back. Paul [/quote] why not just make yourself another?