neepheid

[quote name='Beedster' post='346130' date='Dec 5 2008, 09:17 AM']Not sure how we'd know if that's a replacement pickup (or perhaps your screen's better than mine) and that does seem to be where a lot of players place their thumb rest! Chris[/quote] I only see 4 pole pieces and some sort of logo printed in white underneath them which probably means that it could be a Seymour Duncan SCPB or it could be a Vista-tone one out of the short lived Squier Musicmaster reissue. If it was an original pickup with the cover missing then it would have 6, as they used a guitar pickup on Musicmasters. Sensible place for a thumbrest or not (I wasn't disputing that) - drilling holes in a vintage bass reduces its value, hence my point about the price being optimistic.

You'd be much better trading your bass for one the colour you want. Refinishing only makes sense when the original finish is so badly worn that there's more wood showing than finish. I am refinishing this because it's the only way forward (practically none of the original finish remains and you can't get these basses any more) : I would not refinish a bass just because you're bored of the colour. If you're bored of the bass, trade it or sell it and buy a new one.

Did you even get Musicmaster basses in 1964? In any case, they would have a different headstock logo and different tuners. Although the finish looks in good nick, it's had a replacement pickup and a thumbrest fitted in a rather unusual place which will have made holes where they can't be covered. Price is maybe a little optimistic.

I've had no problems with them but I've not used them in ages. Prices aren't as good as I remember though, probably as much the fault of the ailing pound as much as anything.

Play more, maybe join a band, finish a project.

Welcome to the forum and good luck with your playing

Welcome to the forum

I'm a failed guitarist, and I'm trying not to be a failed bassist!

I have a set of Fender stainless steels on my Fecker Imprecision. Bright, zingy and not too harsh on the fingers. I only got them because they were the cheapest in the particular establishment I was in. Pleasantly surprised.

I've always found them to be reliable and fast. Hopefully just a blip.

[quote name='cheddatom' post='343098' date='Dec 2 2008, 03:33 PM']Cool! This may be a stupid question but.... Is it hard to get the intonation right on a bass? IE did you have to work out where the bridge goes, and where to cut into the nut etc etc all with complicated forumals? Or do you just stick them on in a straight line and try to set it up after? Perhaps there's a beginner's guide I would be better looking at.[/quote] It's not too hard as long as you measure correctly. For bridge placement, you usually set your bridge saddles to nearly their maximum forward position (90-95% of total travel before they ping off the adjustment screws) and place the bridge such that the saddles sit at the appropriate scale length. To set intonation, the saddles will invariably need moved back from that point as the string thickness increases. Of course, nothing has been straightforward about this project - because of pre-drilled holes in the body which needed hiding I had to fit the bridge first, then I measured where the 24th fret would be from the bridge saddle and enlarged the neck pocket to suit - basically working in reverse As for nut spacing, the simple way is to simply put the outer strings a few mm in from the side then subdivide the remaining space for the number of strings. However this does not take the thickness of the strings into account and will feel (and look) uneven. You therefore compensate for the string lengths. As you can see in the pictures, the edges of the strings have the same space between them, the centres are not equidistant from each other as a result. There probably is a formula for it but I have a template that I use which I obtained from this ebay seller: norman_1957. He doesn't seem to have been active for a while though but you could contact him and see if he'll do another run of nut spacing templates - it's just a laminated card with diagrams for 4 and 5 string bass on one side, 6 and 7 string guitar on the other which show the spacing at increasing widths. Simply lay the nut blank at the appropriate width then mark on the positions indicated. Guesswork invariably leads to errors!

[quote name='bremen' post='342824' date='Dec 2 2008, 11:24 AM']We don't *eat* the leather seats![/quote] Ahh, but in times of famine, would you?

Looking good. I love that RIM headstock.

Started to mock up some of the nuts and bolts of the bass: 1. Machine head positioning 2. Initial nut shaping/slot marking 3. Mocking up string spacing And because I haven't fitted the machine heads yet, I had to conjure up a way of keeping the strings in place while I puddled about. Yay for scrap ply/MDF and clamps. Don't think this approach will be replacing machine heads any time soon... It's looking like I'm going to achieve that "Precision with an extra string grafted on" feel that I wanted. Once I get the back of the headstock veneered then I'll be able to bore the holes for the machine heads and get to work on some nut slotting.

[quote name='jimmybass04' post='342510' date='Dec 1 2008, 11:08 PM']looking for advice, iv put a set of active emg,s on an old bass and im getting what sounds like an earth buzzing,as it is sensitive to touching the metal parts on the bass,where should i put the wire coming from under the bridge?and what else can i do to solve this. any tips appreciated. cheers.[/quote] According to EMG's wiring instructions, you don't use a bridge earth wire. See point 4. here: [url="http://www.emginc.com/downloads/wiringdiagrams/PJ_models.pdf"]http://www.emginc.com/downloads/wiringdiagrams/PJ_models.pdf[/url] Is your battery OK? Check all your solder points - redo any that look dull.

According to the book I have about these things (Restoring & Finishing Wood by Mick Allen - ISBN 0-7136-7657-4) you can use oxalic acid to try and bleach out stains.

Welcome to the forum

[quote name='planethead' post='341962' date='Dec 1 2008, 03:18 PM']a line from "The Zebranos" perhaps? let us never speak of it again... :-)[/quote] I would still be interested to read the discussion you mentioned, if you can dig the link out

[quote name='planethead' post='341932' date='Dec 1 2008, 02:26 PM']Excellent I was leaning towards his stuff except he doesn't appear to offer a satin - I suppose I could go gloss then tone it down. with a paste. ttfn BTW found an interesting discussion on Zebrano the other day (you're in that part of the woods I think) - if I can find it again I'll edit this post with a link.[/quote] Well, if it's about how the interlocking grain makes it a pain to work both with hand and power tools and the fact that it stinks when you cut it then I know [i]all[/i] about it

I cannot compare, but I can vouch for the quality of MGT's nitro cans - dare I say it - does exactly what it says on the tin. Goes on easy and I was pleased with the finish I achieved.

[quote name='Bassassin' post='341692' date='Dec 1 2008, 10:31 AM']Everything you need or want to know is on this site: [url="http://www.21frets.com"]http://www.21frets.com[/url] And I'm going to be pedantic here for a moment because a - I'm having a sh!t morning/life and am entitled to be intolerant and b - it irritates me profoundly every single time I see it - which is almost every single time I see it. [b]S Q U I E R[/b] - [u]NOT[/u] "Squire". They didn't get it wrong on the logo, OK? Jon.[/quote] Last time I pointed that out, I got pummelled by a gang of indignant dyslexics.

As a little diversion, I decided to have a first go at cutting out a recess for my logo to do an epoxy inlay. It wasn't easy - the veneer breaks at the thin parts, but this might have been to do with the first veneering attempt I ever made and being a little stingy with the glue. I also broke one of my carving chisels I'll still do the test inlay, but I don't know if I'll do this on the actual bass, it's risky and difficult.

The progress I alluded to is that the neck is now attached to the body. Couldn't get out the road because of the bad weather so I just carved the neck pocket out by hand. I was a little overzealous so I had to shim the sides of the pocket with veneer and I had to level out the bottom with veneer because it was bloody concave. The problems you inherit.