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hamfist

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Everything posted by hamfist

  1. hamfist
    [quote name='Skol303' timestamp='1391258816' post='2355031'] The body on mine was made from MDF, [/quote] That's interesting. I already knew mine was solid wood as it had a translucent finish and I could see all the woodgrain underneath. However, buying a bass with a solid colour finish, you can't see what's underneath and it becomes more of a risk. I know nothing about the history of this particular model but it would seem to have changed in spec at some point. There is one on ebay with a skunk stripe down the neck, whereas mine does not have this. I also see that the body from your project bass had a P-pickup shaped rout on it, whereas mine has a large square rout (clearly done in the factory). Seems like there are different version of the LX90B out there. I'm glad you pointed that out.
  2. hamfist
    Yup. It'll either need a shim, or the removal of an incorrect shim. If this is a new bass, take it back.
  3. hamfist
    If a new battery solves the issue temporarily, but only for a short while, then I would suspect that you have a low current short across your battery terminals somewhere. Enough to drain the battery quickly but not instantly.
  4. hamfist
    [quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1391210676' post='2354725'] Loving that, what a transformation! On the subject of the wood, I wouldn't say that that was alder. My best guess would be something much more tropical; not quite rubberwood, but maybe utile? Pic of utile attached for comparison. Anyway, great job! [/quote] Hmmmm. You've got me wondering now. That utile picture does look quite close. I feel a bit of interweb research coming on. I know that the wood is about the same hardness as well aged, hard, quality ash (from having routed both). THanks to all for your kind words BTW !
  5. hamfist
    Last week I saw a very cheap Hohner LX90B on ebay just near to me. I popped over and it seemed very sturdily built, and played nicely, although in need of some tweaking and a bit of love. Offered him cash and for £80 it was mine, with a nice padded soft case too ! As I bought it, it went from this .... [url="http://www.ephotobay.com/share/-57-12.html"][/url] and a lot of elbow grease, sanding, dremelling and soldering later, to this ..... [url="http://www.ephotobay.com/share/hohner-full.html"][/url] [url="http://www.ephotobay.com/share/hohner-front-body-b.html"][/url] I just love tarting up old basses at the moment. I get such satisfaction from turning an unloved, but well-built bass into something excellent. So, anyway, what I've done is ... - Strip all the finish (I think it's alder underneath - please correct me if you think it's something else. It's definitely a very hard wood !)(EDIT - now I don't think it's alder. It's definitely a great hardwood, maybe utile or something similar ?) and refin with Danish oil and Briwax. It's a gorgeous bit of wood (well actually it's 3 bits of wood) and is nicer in the flesh than in pics. - Rout a new precision pickup cavity, roughly in the Stingray position. - Make a cutout in the pickguard to fit the new pickup. - Install two new Duncan SPB-3 quarterpounders. - Rout out control cavity, and a battery compartment. - Fit 3 band Artec preamp with parametric mids. - Make battery compartment cover (actually the hardest bit of the whole thing for me). - Really flatten neck and body aspects of the neck/body join (I'm a great believer in this to improve punch and attack, especially on the low strings). As it came, there was a shim in there and lots of knobbly lacquer finish. So I also re-angled the body to avoid the need for a shim. The neck/body contact will be much improved now. - Chucked away the crappy OE bridge and fitted a hefty solid brass Westone bridge I had in a draw. - New set of roundwound 105-45's and we're away !! I have to say that this thing is a monster ! I have played different sounding and feeling basses, but none is better than this. The neck is a great playing neck (about 41mm nut), and the tone is simply stonking, and so versatile with the 2 x P's and the preamp. I can't believe how good this thing is, and I only spent about £250 tops on the whole thing, and half of that is the pickups. I'm so tempted to get another. They go for peanuts. Currently on ebay there are a couple with BINs of about £70-£80. Much, much better woods and construction than any comparable Squier at the price, for definite. I thoroughly recommend these as the basis of a project bass to work on. Maybe I simply got lucky with this one, but I'm so pleased with it. Here's some more pics. [url="http://www.ephotobay.com/share/hohner-wood-3.html"][/url] [url="http://www.ephotobay.com/share/hohner-wood-2.html"][/url] [url="http://www.ephotobay.com/share/hohner-wood-1.html"][/url] [url="http://www.ephotobay.com/share/hohner-headstock.html"][/url] [url="http://www.ephotobay.com/share/hohner-full-rear.html"][/url] [url="http://www.ephotobay.com/share/hohner-front-body.html"][/url] [url="http://www.ephotobay.com/share/hohner-body-rear.html"][/url]
  6. hamfist
    [quote name='Wooks79' timestamp='1391037592' post='2352670'] I have learnt the hard and expensive (and fun) way that a pedalboard will never be finalised [/quote] True. As for the OP, your effects order looks good to me. It all depends on what you are trying to achieve though. What do you use the BP50 for ? I'd also want to experiment in swapping the OD and the synth wah around, as you'll get quite a different effect depending on which way around you have them.
  7. hamfist
    I think it depends on how powerful your onboard preamp is, and also how quick and easy you need to switch between sounds. Everyone who uses an onboard pre is also using the outboard pre on their amps, and also any effects pedal is also theoretically a preamp I think (as a pre-amp is simply a device which changes the tone and /or dynamics of the sound without necessarily amplifying it). It simply comes down to what sounds good to your ears. Having a pedal set at certain frequencies to stomp on for a quick and reliable change could be very useful in a live situation as it's sometimes not that quick and easy to re-create a specific sound using onboard parametric preamps. Basically ... anything goes. But I would advise people to not overcomplicate their signal chain if not necessary, as quality of signal will be lost the longer the chain and the more you fiddle with the sound.
  8. hamfist
    I like the graphics a lot. And there's some really good EQ frequencies for bass guitar to adjust there too. The drive sound is tolerable too. Might be a winner.
  9. hamfist
    [quote name='hoiho' timestamp='1391109957' post='2353449'] Another question! Is the new bridge still through-the-body strung, or it is end-loaded? [/quote] Yes, you can still string-through with the replacement bridge if you want. I have to say that, with this bass, I think it feels much nicer not strung-through though.
  10. hamfist
    [quote name='hoiho' timestamp='1391101699' post='2353302'] Do you have a picture with the white pickguard on? And I presume the dark/light shanve on the back of the neck is a scarf joint, not scraped back to bare wood neck, like on a double bass? [/quote] Pic with white pickguard below. And, yes that bit on the back of the neck is how it came out of the factory. Is that called a scarf joint ? [url=http://www.ephotobay.com/share/004-white-pg.html][/url] [quote name='silentbob' timestamp='1391091485' post='2353141'] Are you after any trades or just a straight sale? [/quote] Not looking for trades really, but might possibly be interested in a cheap interesting bass I could do up, in part exchange.
  11. hamfist
    SORRY WITHDRAWN. OK, I'll admit it, to start with. I'm addicted to buying basses, pimping them and then selling them on. I can't for the life of me understand why I'm selling this, but I just want to move on to new basses to tweak/alter/pimp etc etc. It's a Schecter 004, about 10 years old. It was the pre-cursor model to the Stargazer, except with slight tweaks to the build quality. Things like a different bridge and a brass nut. Pretty minimal differences really. The 004 has .... 5-bolt-on construction 34" scale Ash body Maple neck maple fingerboard Brass nut 24 Jumbo frets Block Inlays Creme binding Schecter tuners Chrome hardware w/ brass nut I have removed the Schecter electronics and replaced with An EMG 35P4 (neck) and an EMG 35DC (bridge). It will also come with a spare EMG 35P4 which gives a different flavour in the bridge position. Connections are all EMG quick connect so no soldering to do. Other additions are the rather snazzy Union Jack pickguard. The bass will also come with an identical white pickuguard, to give you a different look. The Schecter bridge has been replaced with a Matsumoku high mass cast bridge, which gave a significant increase in "punch" and attack compared to the (rather average) Schecter bridge. The neck is Jazz style , slim with a 38mm nut, and plays beautifully. Straight and with no issues. The brass nut has been set up, with the slots filed to perfection. The tuners are Schecter's own, but are decent. Also comes with a set of four hand-made ebony knobs. The controls are simply Vol,Vol,Tone at the moment. The 4th knob and pot are just a dummy lot to fill the hole. The control cavity is a good size though and one could easily fit even quite a large pre-amp in there if you fancy. I had an EMG BQC control preamp in there with plenty of room to spare at one point. My impression of the bass was that Schecter used high quality woods and general construction but saved some money on a lot of the hardware (which has of course been mainly replaced on this one). I have played a Stargazer and was severely underwhelmed. This 004, however, is a MONSTER. Great even tone, all over the neck. Clean, modern, punchy. It's a pleasure to play. I can't imagine anyone being disappointed with this one. The gloss black finish is still in really good nick. There are some light scratches around (as it is a 10 year old bass which has been played) but these are mostly on the rear and cannot be seen unless you look closely. Please be aware that it was spitting very gently during the photoshoot and any spots you see on the paintwork will actually be raindrops. Fretwork is very good, with minimal wear. Price is £235 if you collect from me in the Southampton area. Or £255 couriered within mainland UK including a good padded case. Right, pics ..... [url="http://www.ephotobay.com/share/004-front-body-a.html"][/url] [url="http://www.ephotobay.com/share/004-main.html"][/url] [url="http://www.ephotobay.com/share/004-front-body-b.html"][/url] [url="http://www.ephotobay.com/share/004-hstock-front.html"][/url] [url="http://www.ephotobay.com/share/004-hstock-rear.html"][/url] [url="http://www.ephotobay.com/share/004-neck-front.html"][/url] [url="http://www.ephotobay.com/share/004-neck-rear.html"][/url] [url="http://www.ephotobay.com/share/004-rear.html"][/url]
  12. hamfist
    amended
  13. hamfist
    [quote name='gjones' timestamp='1391017483' post='2352342'] I thought it was very informative and not patronising at all. [/quote] +1. I suspect the lady who responded on your blog is defensive about everything. I'd simply pity her husband/partner/significant other.
  14. hamfist
    up
  15. hamfist
    I'd say the cheapest (and yet still reasonably cosmetic) fix would to be to make up a small (ie. about 1.5-2" diameter) round black bit of scratchplate to simply go over the top of the broken bit (like you were going to use your washers). Fix your jack in the middle of it. I've seen it done on many basses and it doesn't look too bad. It also it very quick and easy, so the cost is kept down.
  16. hamfist
    [quote name='KingBollock' timestamp='1390807750' post='2349615'] Perhaps a Dremel router attachment would be a better idea for me? And I'm a big girl's blouse. [/quote] Yes, I use a Dremel with the Dremel routing attachment. It's easy peasy to use, and with some protective tape on your finish plus a bit of care, I can't imagine that someone with a bit of basic DIY or woodworking skill wouldn't be able to do it without damaging the finish.
  17. hamfist
    If you've already go a router I can't see why you shouldn't do the job yourself. You don't actually "need" forstner bits. Just a plain old straight router bit (I use a 6mm for stuff like that). Just go slow and steady, enlarging the cavity you have. I did much the same to an alder P bass body yesterday. I'd done pickup cavities before and this was the same, just bigger. Protect the exposed surface around the area with tape of some sort (I use sellotape as it's the thinnest and least likely to catch on the routing guide). A luthier will charge you an arm and a leg to do that sort of work.
  18. hamfist
    [quote name='oldslapper' timestamp='1390572853' post='2347039'] Ah, yes I saw that in your sig. Thanks. I'm torn between a 4x8 and a 1x12. Used both before but neither with a PF head. [/quote] Maybe a £5 price drop to £135 will help you decide !
  19. hamfist
    Nice job. The Pickup looks right in Stingray territory to me. As I understand it, Musicman did vary the position a bit between models, but the centre of the pickup averaged roughly about 13.5" from the 12th fret. Now for a preamp ! I love the all-black look BTW. All Westone basses should have these pickups fitted !! (Excellent, this gives me another excuse to post this pic of my number 1 !!) [url=http://www.ephotobay.com/share/green-w-full-body.html][/url]
  20. hamfist
    sorry WITHDRAWN
  21. hamfist
    SOLD EMG BQC control. 3 band EMG pre-amp, with parametric mids. Two concentric knobs. One has bass and treble. The other has mid frequency and level. A very musical preamp. Only a few months old. 100% perfect functioning. Comes with nice knurled black concentric metal knobs, not the horrible plastic EMG ones. For sale, along with some EMG pickups, as I am moving away from EMG's in my basses. Full details at ... http://www.emgpickups.com/accessories/bass-accessories/bass-eq-active/bqccontrol.html £65 posted to you in mainland UK.
  22. hamfist
    I'm a sucker for anything in Zebrano - gorgeous !!
  23. hamfist
    [quote name='walbassist' timestamp='1390550918' post='2346598'] I know! [/quote] I know you know !
  24. hamfist
    [quote name='walbassist' timestamp='1390483642' post='2345887'] Yes. I had the very same setup and it was a boss little rig! [/quote] It was the very same cab !!!
  25. hamfist
    Another +1 for the SPB-3. My favourite passive P bass pickup. However I would also suggest considering an EMG P pickup. It has a very fast attack and has a very present top end also. A very good pickup for heavier styles IMO.
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