Jono Bolton

Over the years I've had a Danelectro U2, a Squier Standard Strat, and Epiphone Les Paul Standard Gold top (which I won in a competition and subsequently traded for), a Squier Telecaster Custom and an Epiphone G400 in worn brown that I picked up off Gumtree for 80 quid. None of these guitars are still with me, but I wish I still had a few of them. Actually, the only one I never got one with was the Tele Custom because of the slab body. The U2 was a whole heap of fun and was light as anything, the Strat was lovely to play but in my younger years I had a Blink-182 phase and decided candy apple red was the way forward, the maple neck was really comfy though and aged in a really nice way. The Gold Top is probably the one I wish I'd kept most, I was in uni at the time and had a phone call from home to say that someone from a guitar mag had called to arrange delivery of of it and it was being delivered to my uni house the next day. It was perfect, I loved the look, sound and feel of it, it even came with a hard case. To this day I still don't know why, but I traded it in a local guitar store in Ayr for the Tele Custom, not an even trade by any means, I can't even feel taken advantage of because it was my own stupidity/naivety that led me to trade it. After a week I took the Tele back and said it wasn't for me and asked if I could swap back (it was still in store condition and had all the tags etc). The store owner said I could swap back but I'd have to pay £100, because the Gold Top was worth far more than the Tele. Being a poor student I couldn't afford it, so I was stuck with the Tele for a few months more until I punted it. The G400 was nice as well, the tuners were a bit slippy and the neck dive was atrocious, but it was good to play and nicely built. Eventually I'll get another guitar, but I'll not be able to afford one for a good wee while

[quote name='73Jazz' timestamp='1341737992' post='1723239'] As promised in another thread, concerning the search for the right colour. This is my 1973 YOB former stripped, now sonic blue P bass, with one of the most fantastic maple necks i have ever played (J.Torres) I was thinking about refinishing the bass over 1,5 years. Now i am totally overwhelmed and pretty sure that i did the right thing. Let me introduce her to you.. [/quote] Christ on a bike! That's gorgeous!

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1341232543' post='1715398'] If you're after jangly, then not all hollow bodies are the same. If anything, it's down to the pickups, so (depending on one means by jangly) I'd be looking at single-coils - any of the Fender varieties or P90's. One possibility - Danelectro reissues. They come in new around £230-250, less s/h depending on age. Hollow body, twang and jangle out the ying-yang but can also snarl like a mother. I love mine. [/quote] A Danelectro U2 in Salmon Pink was my first guitar, bought for £60 when I was about 14, so roughly 2000/2001. I sold it to help fund a Candy Apple Red Squier Standard Stratocaster with a maple neck. The Dano was great and sounded brilliant, I wish I still had it I was actually looking just a couple of days ago at getting another U2, but I see that the most recent ones have been slightly redesigned with a new scratchplate and bridge, and a slightly different headstock shape too, I think if I were to get a new one I'd have to go for one of the "original reissues", if only for nostalgia's sake!

My Precision is Mexican and I love it! I bought it on ebay blind for £180, with a hardcase, and once I'd cleaned it and set it up it was brilliant, nice and comfy to play, and even with the stock pickup my bandmates at the time commented on how good it sounded. I sold it on here in about 2008 and then received it back in a trade last year (I had no idea it was my old bass until I took it out of the box!) I've made a few mods to it, a new bridge, new wiring from KiOgon and a tort scratchplate from The Bass Doc, and when I got the bass back it had a Wizard Thumper instead of the Duncan 1/4 Pounder it had in it when I sold it, and it's my go to bass now, I'm sure this is said about many basses that eventually get sold on but I reckon it's a keeper. I briefly owned a US Standard P Bass and I much prefer the lowly Mex. I've never found that the build quality of Mexican instruments has been poor, the neck pocket on my Jazz has a slight lip on it but I've seen that on higher end instruments too. I'd recommend a Mex Standard, I think they can be great basses, but if you have the cash I'd definitely go for a 50s Classic P Bass, they're outstanding instruments. I tried one in Sound Control up here in Glasgow and actually ordered one online because the shop didn't have black, only Fiesta Red, but due to my impatience I cancelled the order when I found out it wouldn't be instock for about 6 weeks (despite the site saying otherwise), which is what led me to buy the US Standard. In hindsight, I wish I'd waited the 6 weeks, shortly after the price went up and I've never been able to afford another one since

I tend to mess about in B when I'm not playing a specific song

[quote name='eddiehoffmann' timestamp='1340957768' post='1711914'] Here's my main rig at the moment. Loving it! [attachment=111706:eddie_rig.jpg] [/quote] Really nice, looks right up my street!

[quote name='chrismuzz' timestamp='1341211157' post='1715060'] Sweet setup! Has someone sanded off the Fender logo though? [/quote] That would've been me! I've always loved the look of blank headstocks, and I remember I'd been doing something else and so had a wee bit of sandpaper in my hand and before I knew it I'd taken half the bloody thing off It's by no means a pro job, I managed to go through to the bare wood in some places and because the laquer's been sun-stained over time there's a "ghost" logo, when I have time I'll probably properly sand and then re-laquer the headstock, but it's definitely a keeper and doesn't bother me in the slightest.

Already used this pic in the rigs thread, but I though I'd put it in here as well. My 2001 Mexican Fender P Bass, that's recently undergone some cosmetic changes. It's got a Wizard Thumper with new cream pickup covers, a wiring kit from KiOgon and a tortoiseshell scratchplate from The Bass Doc. It always looks quite red in pictures, but I can assure you it's brown! The bridge and strap buttons are new as well, but that's by the by. All it really needs now is a decent set of tuners and it'll be finished, the stock ones are ok but a bit slippy sometimes.

Forgot to attach the picture, it's too early!

This is my current rig, which doesn't see action outside the flat these days Fender MIM Precision with a Wizard Thumper, straight into an Ashdown EVO II ABM 300, with an Ashdown ABM 210T. I love it!

[quote name='bigsmokebass' timestamp='1341159325' post='1714484'] [IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af20/graeskyenathoof/My%20Basses/Fender51.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af20/graeskyenathoof/My%20Basses/IMG_0208.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af20/graeskyenathoof/My%20Basses/IMG_0209.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af20/graeskyenathoof/My%20Basses/IMG_0210.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af20/graeskyenathoof/My%20Basses/IMG_0211.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i989.photobucket.com/albums/af20/graeskyenathoof/My%20Basses/IMG_0212.jpg[/IMG] [/quote] Gorgeous bass!

Some belated feedback, bought a P Bass wiring harness, well packed and quickly delivered. Piece of piss to install, but still gave me a great wiring diagram. My girlfriend was most impressed with his creative use of an empty tissue box for posting the kit!

So with these earlier J Basses is the only way to swap out the pickups to have the body routed to accomodate the larger bridge pickup? Mine's an '03 which would explain the two different sized pickups.

I've bought replacement sets of Jazz pickups before, Seymour Duncans and Wizards, and they just dropped straight in to my MIM Jazz. The bridge pickup from the Wizards needed a bit of cajoling to fit the rout, but nothing major, I don't see any need why you would need 2 neck pickups or anything specialist.

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1340791754' post='1709560'] Catheter hygiene is important. Didn't think I'd be typing [i]that [/i]sentence today. [/quote] I've tried boiling strings before and didn't notice a great deal of difference, I preferred wiping them down with meths instead. That said, that was back in the days when I cared enough to do it, the strings on my Jazz have been there for about 18 months or more, and my Precision only had new strings put on because I was refurbing it and thought 'Why the hell not?', they were only a tenner off the Marketplace here. Otherwise, I tend not to bother with new strings unless they break.

Cheers for the advice 3below, I looked into it and they were in fact the cheaper one's I was looking at. Axesrus had the alnico set at £36, but they're out of stock, so I may have to drop them an email. Did you ever end up getting the alnico pickups, and if you did, what are they like?

Thanks for all the suggestions so far guys. Has anyone tried the Wilkinson vintage pickups? They seem to be about £40 a set but I think I've found them on eBay for less than £20 new

That looks excellent Twigman! I didn't think the tort would work against the yellow but it really does! Where did you find the Gotohs by the way? I've been looking at trying to find some reverse-gear tuners for my Jazz.