Andyjr1515

[quote name='bluejay' timestamp='1466792702' post='3078947'] Excellent stuff, thank you Hilary and Mick. The blog is now published! (Apologies for taking this long) - check it out here: [url="http://wp.me/p2ZbyY-vO"]http://wp.me/p2ZbyY-vO[/url] As always, let me know about any errors and omissions. [/quote] Great blog, Silvia Many thanks for all of the effort you've put into this Andy (and I'm sure, the rest of us )

Shallow5 is going to be a stunner, Ian Andy

Kirk at http://www.exotichardwoodsukltd.com/ (not to be confused with the exotichardwoods.com that Grangur refers to) holds a good stock and photos of all of the tops can be seen on the web site. Pricey mind...just have a look at the acoustic sets section and scroll down to African Blackwood....

I love the top carve, Bastav. It's going to look stunning once the finish has been applied

[quote name='scojack' timestamp='1465893482' post='3071831'] Cheers Andy it's Melamine lacquer....brushed on. Ian [/quote] Wow - I never get finishes like that with brushes! Top drawer stuff

Just re-read the thread...you are planning white?

Excellent to see the progress on this, Rumple. That looks a decent bit of wood underneath it all. The sections look to be pretty similar colour (sometimes they look like a zebra crossing!). How many sections is it? Also, what colour and finish are you planning?

[quote name='scojack' timestamp='1465897249' post='3071878'] The two buttons are a nice touch and are brilliant when you dont have a stand. Here's Betsy my beloved Pangborn (early eighties) it had the same thing Im off to sob...this is the bass i should NEVER have parted with (20 years....man and boy !) WWaaaaaaaaaahhhh..... [/quote] Slight thread derail, but that's LOVELY, Ian

Nice even finish, Ian. What have you used?

The sheer perfection of the build and finish on Jez's basses is what strikes you first when you see them in the flesh. Remarkable on all levels when you are talking hand built. But there are also some really well thought out design features. For example, a number of us put multiple strap buttons on the tail to offer a player different 'sits' of the bass on the strap. Jez's is the only bass I've ever seen where these allow the base to sit safely upright without a stand. It might seem a small detail, but how many of us struggle with this in venues where space is tight? While the rest of us are looking for a room corner or a radiator to jam the thing against, Jez's will stand up anywhere. Even against the cab. Respect

Been a bit of a whirlwind since the Herts Bass Bash, but didn't want to forget to thank Mick for being a great customer and a great all round guy. Mick's drive and input was an excellent spur to trying to get the best from the Silk Bass and free gifts kept arriving through the post. The lit up acrylic logo light he gave to me at the bash was completely unexpected and something I will use whenever I'm showing off my wares... All round top guy and pleasure to deal with

Ooooooooooh! Silk Bass. I like that

bluejay has posted the video of Nick Smith's impressive demo of the Super Quads given to us all at the Herts Bash. [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/277704-herts-bass-bash-2016-sunday-5th-june/page__st__210"]The thread (in Events) is here.[/url] The great thing is that on the video he plays Mick's mystery bass too (and oh, so well)

[quote name='bluejay' timestamp='1465390268' post='3067759'] I have now uploaded Nick (Doctor of the Bass) Smith's talk about SimS pickups. Still working on the photos from the bash. [media]http://youtu.be/OvwumLSkXzU[/media] [/quote] Perfect timing, bluejay Thanks

If Nick Smith's demo at the Herts bash was video'd, it would be good to see and listen again. Great demo, Nick! The tonal difference between the humbucker setting and either of the other two are like chalk and cheese. Also, to my ears, there is pretty much NO volume drop (still well impressed and not at all sure how they've achieved that...remember, these are passive pickups. The battery is only there to power the LEDs The tonal difference between the P and single coil settings is much more subtle. I couldn't hear a huge difference on my non-bass home set up. I could hear a clear difference in Nicks demo but it is subtle. Also, a P gets its sound partly because of where the pickup is placed, so I suspect that placement could optimise the sound from the SimS if this setting is particularly important? There are a number of good quality videos on YouTube that are worth a look. ...and those LEDs are pretty damn cool....

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1465231335' post='3066353'] Thanks for that! I'd forgotten about all those existing extra bridge holes. And I didn't realise that decent wood for building musical instruments was so expensive these days. It's a long time since I made my first electric guitar but I don't think the wood I used cost anything like that much. [/quote] Of course, you could always go the Jabba_the_gut route. Much cheaper wood source but I presume Jez doesn't have many doors left in his house!

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1465222971' post='3066256'] Wow! That's a fantastic looking bass, and a brilliant bit of restoration/construction. A couple of questions: 1. The extra large route and the block of new wood at the bridge was that to give the bridge something a bit more stable to be fitted to rather than the neck laminations? [/quote] No - much simpler than that. As you can see, I had to infill at the neck to get the neck pickup in the correct place and hide the original rout, but also there were a myriad of drilled holes from the original bridge. The stop-tail routs sorted some of them out but a coordinating piece of walnut to the bridge infill meant I could get rid of the remaining ones [quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1465222971' post='3066256'] 2. A while there's no denying that it's a brilliant piece of work and great to see a discarded instrument brought to life, I can't quite help but wonder if it would have been cheaper and easier to have started from scratch with some new wood? ;-) [/quote] Maybe getting on for as easy to build from scratch, but with the horrifying cost of decent wood, it would have added approaching £400 to the cost. Besides - and again you see this more in real life than in the photos - it really does now look like a well cared for [u]original [/u]1970s bass. You would struggle to get that same mojo with all new wood... Good questions, though, BigRedX

Delighted you are pleased with it, Mick. By the way, it's 8lb 12oz according to Mrs Andyjr1515's kitchen scales that I NEVER use to weigh basses on....

Thanks, Mick. It was all worth it just to see the look on your face when you opened the case Thanks for letting me have a go at such an interesting project...and we both knew that, underneath the cracks, splits, crud and bruises, there was a really nice bass lurking underneath.

[quote name='SICbass' timestamp='1465203476' post='3065979'] Soundclip soon pleeeeeeease! [/quote] That will, of course need to be Mick. You wouldn't want to completely wreck this gossamer thin illusion of competence by hearing me play! Mind you, we heard Nick Smith at the Herts Bash give it a REALLY impressive demo yesterday. Might have been video'd?

[quote name='Sibob' timestamp='1465199352' post='3065939'] Another fantastic and successful bash! Thanks to Mick and all involved in organising it. Also, if you had photos taken by my dad, please can you drop me a quick pm so I know who has what coming. See you all next year! Si [/quote] Hi, Si PM duly sent. Can you thank your dad again for his sterling work! Andy

[quote name='sblueplanet' timestamp='1465158697' post='3065758'] Andy, you truly are gifted. Well done! [/quote] Thanks Not too much flattery, though, because it's a fact that these kinds of projects are much more of a collaboration. Many of the key features that stand out on this restoration were inspired by Mick. Often, all I did was just interpret what Mick was trying to achieve and find a way to do it. The push for orange was entirely Mick's - I don't think I would have thought of that colour. It's difficult to photograph reds and oranges, but the colour of this in real life is just absolutely right. I'd love to say that was Andyjr1515 inspiration but there was much more of TheGreek involved in that

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/283510-thegreeks-mystery-bass-rebuild/page__st__120"]Mick's Mystery Bass build thread has been updated here[/url] if anyone is interested in the 'before and after' Andy

OK - here's where we began: ....and this is where we ended up:

[quote name='TheGreek' timestamp='1465147844' post='3065603'] Andy delivered the Bass to me today at the Herts Bass Bash - Words fail me - Andy, you are a genius and a true craftsman - only you and I really know how much difference you've made to this bass - Hopefully somebody will post some photos to let others see what you achieved. I can not thank you enough - have a think about our discussion about the next build. [/quote] It was worth it just to see that grin on your face when you opened the case I'm hoping to see some of the Herts bash photos soon (and of some of the other superb basses and equipment on show) but, for those not able to have seen it, I'll post some of the final build fancy shots shortly. Anyone have any shots of Mick's crazy fixed grin???