neepheid

[quote name='Toasted' timestamp='1377117478' post='2183683'] Did you decide on natural in the end? [/quote] No, that's just a base coat of sanding sealer in preparation for the translucent cherry red. I want that deep, dark red like on EB basses. All the way up the back of the neck too. Usual black headstock with the appropriate gold Gibson logo.

[quote name='Lowender' timestamp='1377032635' post='2182595'] Just thought I'd pass along a tip to anyone who has a string through body design. I have a J with that type of bridge and I always felt as if it didn't have a great slap sound. It didn't matter much, since a J isn't really a slap bass and I have others that work in that regard very well. But... I found that as the strings got deader, the sound became very choked and the feel very..."spongy." Very dull. So I changed the strings and it was better, but I felt the bass should really "snap" more. Then by observing the "through the body" design, I noticed it's a drastic downward bend -- causing the string to flex over the bridge saddle. So I removed the strings and strung them straight through to the hole in the back. BINGO! The bass now sings with more tone, more brightness and a snappier feel. The slap sound is sharp and twangy. WHO WOUDDA KNOWN? I never really bought into the notion that a thru the body design was an improvment, but it does look kinda cool. But now I realize, it's an unnatural and flawed design and the regular old fashioned way is better. If any one else has been experiencing lack of tone with a thru body string design I recommend going straight. It may solve a big problem. [/quote] Didn't work on one bass, so the whole idea is invalid? Not buying that, sorry. Also, the "old fashioned way" is through body - RE: the 1951 P bass.

I used to bugger about with these sorts of things but apart from extreme mods like gutting an Epi Les Paul Standard and decking it out in EMG-HB pickups (split P in a guitar humbucker sized enclosure) and an EMG-BQC 3 band EQ which obviously completely change the sound of a bass from the original passive humbuckers, the only one which made any pleasing difference was the single coil mod on my G&L Tribute L-2000 - a really nice tone that isn't normally available. Other mods have made pleasing functional differences like the Hipshot Supertone bridge on my RD Artist - big improvement in adjustability, but whether or not it made any difference to the tone is debatable (and the RD is a bad example, its character comes from the bonkers Moog circuit) or the Ultralites on my Jack Casady (just helps with the balance a bit) Replaced the mudbucker in my first bass with a DiMarzio Model One. Can't even remember what the difference/point was. All my current basses have the pickups they were born with, and I have no desire to mess about with them.

[quote name='Low End Bee' timestamp='1376995812' post='2181896'] Kicking myself that I was too lazy to get my Shergold Marathon pickup to him for the re-wind we discussed. The Thumper in my Precision is still the best for me of all the many pups I tried. [/quote] You could always try Aaron Armstrong for your rewind. I'm going to ask him to clone my Ripper pickup - cheaper than getting a Seymour Duncan replacement over from the States. [url="http://www.armstrongpickups.co.uk/repairs-rewind-services/"]http://www.armstrongpickups.co.uk/repairs-rewind-services/[/url]

I imported a Guild B402-A in from the States, one of only 335 made (assuming all serial numbers were issued and started from 1 - and that number is shared between the B402 and the single pickup B401), I guess that counts as pretty rare. Here's a picture of me playing it, wearing a silly hat. Funnily enough I traded it for another lesser spotted beast, a G&L El Toro. One could argue that my G&L Tribute M-2000 is very rare indeed - one of a batch of 24-36 where the factory made a mistake - they were supposed to be the GTB model (white carved top body, black body binding, matching headstock) but instead they came out regular white body with matching headstock with vintage tint on the back of the neck, a combination not normally available in a Tribute. It won't make a bean of difference to its value, but it's got an interesting back story if nothing else

[quote name='tommorichards' timestamp='1376934292' post='2181177'] could you send me a few pictures of the string retainer on the rear of the bass? [/quote] I'd love to oblige but I don't have the bass in my possession at the moment. There is no single string retainer, this is a pre-1977 Ripper with individual holes and some sort of recessed metal insert (a bit like a boot eyelet?) in each of the holes instead of the single recessed metal plate of post-1976 models. The differences are detailed here: [url="http://www.flyguitars.com/gibson/bass/Ripper_variations.php"]http://www.flyguitars.com/gibson/bass/Ripper_variations.php[/url] - This is the best picture of the individual holes I can find online:

Bet you weren't expecting to see your lunch again so soon, xilddx. Enjoy

Some more pics I found on Fender's flickr:

[quote name='Si600' timestamp='1376912925' post='2180656'] Is the neck glued on? [/quote] Yup, Ripper has a set neck.

Between those three? The Schaller (specifically the 3D). I have one on my Gibson IV. Adjustment every which way you want and not obtrusive in design with nicely rounded off edges.

Is this still rumbling along? I can't abide threads like this. Apart from the irrelevance (only vaguely aware of the brand and the guy and will never buy one of his basses so basically I don't care) it's 17 pages (and counting) of cyclic argument and reminds me of just about every thread on TB. Too long and too full of puffed up opinionated antagonism.

And as if his ears were burning, Rich sent me some pics He'll have made it much smoother, and sprayed some sealer on it. Grain's popping out nicely

I don't know the answer to your question but I can help narrow it down. It isn't in Aberdeen.

[quote name='Andyjr1515' timestamp='1376811684' post='2179266'] I don't know this switch, but I think the normal config would have the bridge hot at 3 and bridge ground at 4. This should avoid the bridge signal cancelling out the neck signal in the middle switch position. [/quote] It's the way round for my pickups that avoids phase cancellation. It works in my bass. I had it round the way you describe and the sound was fine on each pickup individually but thin and weedy together. Of course this is based on me assuming that the ground wires in my bass are the braid in the case of the neck pickup and black (as opposed to red) in the case of the bridge. Fair assumptions, I'm sure you'll agree, but maybe I got that wrong. If my terminology is wrong as a consequence of this assumption based upon wire colours then I apologise. Your situation may differ but it's a 50/50 shot and not difficult to remedy. You wire them up the way you think they should be. If it's thin and weedy sounding with both pickups engaged but fine individually, swap one of 'em. The OP's issue of no sound when the switch is centred is a different issue altogether. Even wired up out of phase there would be something.

[quote name='Greggo' timestamp='1376780599' post='2179155'] Managed to wire this in as per diagram and both pickups work individually but silent on middle position any ideas? Have reverses wires of one of the pickups but no joy still. Don't know if it makes a difference but on mine there is a wire coming from top of volume pot (assume this is a ground) which I've wired to the position 4 on diagram. Thanks [/quote] Extra ground wire shouldn't matter. I guess I've been a bit lax in not earthing my pickups but it works for me without it - maybe I got lucky. Maybe I'll put that wire in now Check the switch in each position with a multimeter to see if you get the results you expect. Can't think of any other reason why the pickups would work individually but not collectively off the top of my head.

[quote name='Toasted' timestamp='1376405160' post='2173456'] We need progress. [/quote] I need funds. Got a pickup to get cloned. Plus the body/neck is away getting refinished. You'll get news about that when I get news about that, promise I suppose I could decide how I'm mounting this choke.

Gah, that's annoying. Axesrus have the physical size of pot you require, but don't do a 10K lin, 25K is the lowest they go. You could ask them where they get theirs, or if they could obtain a 10K one?

Sunburst is OK. I don't have any strong preference either way for it. When it's done right on the right instrument it looks great - difficult to put my finger on it. I don't own any sunburst instruments, but that's just the way it's gone down. Got a G&L Tribute L-2000 in Blueburst, that's nice. Time for an audit - 3 black, 2 gold (or at least gold top), 1 CAR, 1 white, 2 natural, 1 blueburst, and one soon to be cherry red translucent. I guess I have pretty simple tastes. Black, gold, red, white, blue and natural. No purple frosts, Inverness greens or shell pinks here, sorry.

I tried one in a shop a few weeks back. Not impressed. Anything above about the 15th fret is completely off limits (some might say that's a good point ) - there's no attempt to contour the cutaway - it is literally an upside down body, so your hand is presented with a wall of wood beyond which you can't even stretch over. Even on the Thunderbird the wings are thinner than the central block of the body so there's a bit less wood to get your hand to stretch/lean over. Sound was meh, heard it before, it was merely perfunctory, didn't grab me at all. I wasn't put through the best of amps to be fair, but when the input signal is good, the character will show through. My Gibson Victory Artist managed to sound authoritative and meaty through my old 30W Laney practice amp, so there you go. I thought the reverse Jag sounded ordinary, very little character to the sound. Basically, it's a lefty Jaguar bass ruined as far as I'm concerned. The Cabronita P I bought later that day absolutely destroyed it for sound and playability.

It's 11 o' clock...

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1376512431' post='2175380'] Oof, that's your cover blown, old chap. How does it feel knowing that one in 11 people walk past you muttering to anyone who'll listen, 'look at that muppet, he should have got an Alleva Coppolo'? [/quote] Bzzt, wrong, I'm a bass player - no-one notices me unless they need a 9V battery or a tool kit

I only have rational dislikes.

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1376511307' post='2175334'] All music company merchandise, caps, t-shirts, polo shirts god forbid. All that horrible wearable sh*t. I mean WHO the f*** would be seen in a Warwick baseball cap? (I have one somewhere) A Hartke tee-shirt? An Alleva-Coppolo skirt? [/quote] I regularly go about in a Gibson T-shirt. Why? Up yours, that's why

[quote name='munkonthehill' timestamp='1376482205' post='2174507'] CNC?? [/quote] Computer Numerical Control - the clever machines that roughly cut out the body instead of humans. Rich was probably referring specifically to the oversized hole for the neck pickup and the little round hole for stashing your stash under the pickguard

[quote name='BurritoBass' timestamp='1374487210' post='2149156'] I kept my original amp out in the garage for years with no problem - it electrocuted the guy I sold it too but certainly no problem for me! [/quote] So, he's dead then?