gary mac

Regardless of ability if you can afford it, just treat yourself..... cos your worth it.

Top Bass Chatter, contacted me and offered then sent a set of fender tuners FOC. A very kind gesture and much appreciated.

Good to deal with, a fine Bass Chatter.

A pain free transaction and a true gent to deal with.

Nice find, looks good. At the risk of making myself look a total knob, who's Pat Badger? I'll go and do a bit of googling.

Worse one in many a year for me. One depp and just a short mini gig last weekend at a charity firework bash. On the plus side rehearsals are really enjoyable and productive at the moment.

[quote name='icastle' post='1021529' date='Nov 12 2010, 03:02 PM']Got it! The shiny chrome plated rings on our gas hob had gone really manky, we used a whole pile of different cleaning stuff and it made no difference. Last night we dropped them into a bowl of Caustic Soda that we picked up from our local DIY chainstore. This morning I fished them out and washed them down - the Caustic Soda had certainly removed all of the mank... and the chrome plate as well - they're all dull now. Good news for your quest but not so good for our oven... [/quote] I think she will allow that one. I might actually try Caustic Soda, maybe not an overnighter though, just an hour or so.

My wife who is usually the most reasonable of people, won't allow the vomit in the sink method.

11/11/2010 Set about sorting the wiring this morning. It took me a while to get the soldering carried out, but finally managed to get it all fitted and hopefully in the right places. Quite a fiddly job really, particularly getting the capacitor in the correct position. As can be seen in the photos my soldering could be better, but hopefully it will all hold...... It didn’t, when I moved it to get it in to place, the capacitor popped off the volume pot. Stupidly I had already packed away the soldering kit and cleared up. Lesson learnt. Re soldered the capacitor. Had a cuppa and left it alone for a while. Refreshed from my tea, put the pick guard in place, being careful to tuck all the cables in. I just know that something will be wrong with the wiring so I decided not to screw the guard down just yet, but then against my better judgement screwed it down anyway. [attachment=63710:066.JPG][attachment=63711:069.JPG]

Found this site quite useful. Refering to it has stopped me making some rash purchasing decisions. [url="http://www.dutycalculator.com/new-import-tax-calculation/"]http://www.dutycalculator.com/new-import-tax-calculation/[/url]

[quote name='BurritoBass' post='1019333' date='Nov 10 2010, 08:46 PM']If it's just the screws, simple! Just rub the heads with a dry brillo pad to make them duller. It's what I do and it works a treat. It doesn't have to be an exact science as it's such a small part.[/quote] I was just experimenting with screws as they are the cheapest items and easily replaceable if I manage to ruin them. But thanks, I try the brillo pad method tomorrow.

The overnight soak didn't seem to achieve much really in either of the solutions. Screws still looked shiny and new. Time for plan b, only there isn't one at this stage.

09/11/2010 The screws do not appear to have altered although the water was rusty looking. Rinsed them off and dried them. Installed the pups, fitted the pots and socket to the pick guard. Checked out a few web sites for details on wiring/soldering. Just to ensure my confused state continues, they all seem to recommend slightly different ways.

Saturday was my first proper gig post surgery and it was damn fine. I really enjoyed it, I get such a buzz when it's tight and grooving. It was only a short set, which suits me at the moment. We went down a storm and received a good number of compliments. Set list was: Wishing Well. Travelling in Style. Echo Beach. The One I love (REM). Sultans of Swing and a Paul Weller number that I can't recall the title of. Anyway it was most enjoyable and my G&L sounded growly and huge.

[url="http://www.relicdeluxe.com/default.asp"]http://www.relicdeluxe.com/default.asp[/url] Plenty of info on this site. At the moment I've got screws soaking in salt and another lot in vinegar as recommended by other BC'ers. Will check them out in the morning and let you know if it has achieved the desired effect. All the best, Gary

Decided my old tin of T cut was past it's best as it was in the shed all last winter and probably spent a few weeks frozen. Paid a visit to the local car spares shop and got a fresh one. I'm sure it was about two quid last time I purchased, now best part of seven. Did a bit more fine sanding, then a t cut and a final polish up with a buffer pad attached to my drill. Still can't see much difference really but I'm going to leave it as it is and go for discreet rather than fully mojo'd. The body has a number of small dings and a little wear and I think my efforts have probably given it a slightly aged look. I won't put any pics up as I dont think they will look any different to the earlier snaps. Meanwhile experimenting with a couple of suggestions from bass chatters regarding ageing of hardware. So far just risking the pickguard screws. Some soaking in salty water and some in vinegar. Will leave them overnight and then investigate. I think my next task will be to install the pups and wiring. Once that's done and the bridge is re-fitted, I'm done until I get hold of a neck.

Thanks for that, I'll check it out.

[quote name='Rumple' post='1016423' date='Nov 8 2010, 02:46 PM']Have you thought about having a neck made to your own spec? I'm having one made for me by a fellow basschatter, you get exactly what you want and it's not as expensive as you would think. R.[/quote] No I hadn't even considered that as an option, but would be interested to know more about it, thanks.

In my quest to find a p bass maple fretboarded neck I've been searching on here and checking out ebay every few hours over the last couple of weeks. So far no luck, typically there are plenty of jazz necks and a fair few rosewood p bass necks. I've thought about ordering from one of the sites in the states that has a few 57 ri mexican necks, but by the time I factor in the shipping, V.A.T. and duty it becomes too costly for me at the moment. Now I'm thinking of maybe buying a new one and trying to age it myself. So some advice on where to buy from and which manufacturers you would recommend. I've seen a new Mighty Mite maple f/b neck on ebay for what seems like a reasonable price and the seller does offer a vintage look laquer and decal service. Any tips/pointers gratefully received, thanks Gary

I like to listen to the song two or three times without my bass to hand. That way I can actually listen without just following the chord changes.

Glad nothing truly hideous happened to your bass, I was getting nervous as your post progressed.

[quote name='BurritoBass' post='1013926' date='Nov 6 2010, 01:42 AM']Hey Gary Just to say following our PMs I'm reading this thread. keep at it! [/quote] Will do matey. Having a break today as I'm gigging this afternoon. It's our first proper outing, as everything got put on hold when the cancer came along. We've got a half hour set at a fireworks party. Looking forward to kicking up a din again.