Bloodaxe

Last time round it failed to meet its reserve of £375, interesting to see what it does this time.

'ning, I'm contemplating plugging the "last" gap in my Aria collection via a nice chap over in the US. Tell me if I've got this right... All in (inc shipping) = $600 [i][b]Declared[/b][/i] value = $400 Based on an exchange rate of $2=£1 & working on the declared value I get: Cost: £200.00 Duty (@4%) = £8.00 VAT on total (@17.5%) = £36.40 Total = £244.40 + whatever charge Parcelfarce or whoever see fit to levy. ... or should I be working on the actual cost, which gives me a final figure of £366.60. Pete.

Update: Here's what it all looks like with the new block planed & sanded flush... There's quite a difference in colour 'twixt the original Walnut & the new Mahogany that will require a tad of skulduggery when it comes to refinishing, but that's in the future. I'm a bit annoyed that I didn't rout the ash out quite far enough to cover the edges of the original pickup rout, so I've got a couple of bits of filling to do. The more observant amongst you will spot that the fretlines are a bit naff in places (especially lines 19 & 24). This is down to my using some quite green (i.e. unseasoned) Ash when I originally defretted it . In retrospect using an open-grained timber was a bad idea as it tended to splinter off below the level of the fingerboard creating a dark gap. Throwing caution to the winds, this weekend I sawed out the Ash lines with a couple of pullsaws (a 21tpi dowel saw & a 15tpi tenon saw) & confected some Mahogany veneer to fill the gaps... The veneer in the uppermost shot is a shade over 0.7mm thick & needed a modicum of sanding to fit the slots. The white hair-like debris in the lower pic is all that was left of the Ash inserts after the second bout of pullsawing. The next three need little explanation... Strips test-fitted dry: Glued: Allowed to dry overnight, planed & sanded flush: The next thing to do is get the spray cans out, but that'll be next time (& probably the time after that). Pete.

Greets, I've used a headphone practice setup virtually from the word go & the only real downside I've found is that the bass responds differently in the cans to when run through a rig. There's a few things that work in the cans (pinched/stopped harmonics, dive-bombs etc) that I've yet to nail. My setup is due for an upgrade, what "cheap mixer" are you using? Pete.

6 for me - all Arias. SB-1000, SB-900, TSB-400, RSB Special-1, RSB Deluxe-5, Magna 5. Pete.

Yeah, but the quality control is very variable & the prices are ridiculous these days. Much better is an early 80s Japanese through-wired one.

'ning, The [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=190145324152&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=009"]Dutch Jazz[/url] seems to have failed to sell - can't say I'm over surprised, & hopefully the ever returningsome [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=330160752925&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=014"]CAT[/url] has actually been sold, to someone with a spare £71, & won't be seen again. This week's a bit thin as well, but up for grabs is a rather nice [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=110166313811&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=001"]Fretless RSB Deluxe[/url] in Bassassin's favourite color at a not entirely outrageous BIN of £180 - collection from Bristle only though, Jon. Gem of the Week could well be this [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=330161880960&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=014"]SB-1000[/url] with a Bartolini preamp. Currently standing at a below-the reserve offer of £102, I'm watching with interest. O.K, lose points for originality coz of the Bart, but gain several lots for the gorgeous grain. Same seller as the incredible bouncing CAT. Finally a possible bargain a [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=300148885541&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=020"]1983 RSB Special-I[/url] in [i]my[/i] favourite colour, currently awaiting an opening bid above £25. I've already got one & they're little crackers - perfect beaters & a very slick neck. Pete.

Sid Played?

[quote name='silverfoxnik' post='56713' date='Sep 6 2007, 09:51 PM']Phew - for a moment there Al, I thought I'd gone a bridge too far! Nik[/quote] [size=1]Please[/size]. [size=3]Stop[/size]. [size=6][b]Now[/b][/size]. It's obvious you're just grubbing around.

Try this here sticky... [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=139"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=139[/url] I think the cutoff is around £30-35 - below that & duty isn't payable. At current exchange rates your suggestions should creep under the wire. Pete.

[url="http://www.mcintyreguitars.com"]http://www.mcintyreguitars.com[/url]

Thought about it, but haven't really got to grips with/found a need for one... yet. Besides, that'd take all the fun out of it.

So... The stateside SB-600 topped out at a mere $305, suggesting that the marque is somewhat undervalued over the pond - compared to [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=250154279380&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=015"]the UK version[/url] at a still quite reasonable £290 Also of interest was this [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=110162368669&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=001"]Primary Bass[/url] from Oregon that slipped by for $225 - I'd give the seller a medal as well for not using the word "Lawsuit" anywhere in the listing. I resisted the urge on the [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=260149209748&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=016"]ZZB Deluxe[/url] & someone is now £140 lighter but much pointier than they were a week or so ago. This week's sales are a bit thin tbh... First up is this L*ws**t [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=250154279380&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=015"]Jazz[/url] from The Netherlands, sitting at a possibly very optimistic BIN of £193. & finally, the poor old rubber [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=330160752925&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=014"]CAT[/url] is back again having utterly failed with a BIN of £70, this time with a start price of a mere £45. I'm baffled as to why this keeps coming back - must be at least the fourth listing. Doesn't look too shabby, especially for £60 delivered. C'est la guerre I suppose. Pete.

9: Confect a tasty sandwich of Maple & Walnut (or mahogany in my case as I couldn't find any walnut), smear with glue & clamp it until it's sorry: 10: Allow to dry overnight, plane & sand it all flush, then plop it in the gaping hole created earlier: 11: Whip it out & rout off the Ash back to the line of the pickup routs, then run up a couple of new infill pieces using any old 4-cutter thicknesser you may have lying around: 12: Blessed Be! 'tis a snug fit. Glue it senseless before it can think of escaping: Hopefully more to follow in a week or so, Pete.

This has been on the boil for a yonk, but has lurched forward in the last month or so to the point where there's a danger of me finishing it. Exhibit A: One butchered SB-1000: The EMGs were a find on Ebay & intended to replace the defunct original Soapbar. I subbed the job out to a mate of mine who's generally better at woodbutchery than I am & the above was the outcome. I wasn't exactly thrilled by the result, but thought "stuff it", wired it up & got on with the business of learning to play the damn thing. The cosmetics started to niggle though, & once communication had been established with Aaron Armstrong & delivery taken of a couple of replacement soapbars thoughts turned to doing the job properly... 1: Strip it bare: yuck. 2: Make a template out of MDF & wallop it in place with a modicum of double-sided tape: 3: Set Router to "Stun": 4: Hoy the template off: 5: Check fit: 6: Repeat: That took care of the easy bit, now to hide the remaining bits of the Jazz pup routs... 7: Stick two nice straight bits of timber either side of the "skunk stripe" laminations to act as a support & guide for the router: 8: Attack & remove guides: That gaping hole needs filling, but I'm at the limit of linked images for this post.

Currently on the go... Aria SB-1000 Frankenfretless... Before: During: There's a bit more gone on since the last shot - the dreadful infill piece has gone & been replaced by a laminated block that runs 'twixt both pups covering the scary Jazz routs. Full photothread to follow at some point. Pete.

taverymuchly

Greetings, The [url="http://www.matsumoku.org/models/ariaproii/catalogs/foldout/ariaproii_foldout_3.jpg.html"]Aria dealer slick for 1982[/url] gives the following... "One MB-II pickup, volume and tone controls, dual sound switch" The dual sound switch is a DPDT toggle switch to select series/parallel wiring for the dual-coil humbucker, volume & tone pots are either 250K or 500K & I can't remember what the tone capacitor is but can have a look tomorrow (unless someone can remind me what 473K means in terms of caps - 0.47uF? 0.047uF?) Here's a couple of shots of the innards of my RSB Deluxe-5, which is the same arrangement doubled up. Pete

Well, First up a huge (if belated) thanks to OBBM for organising the bash, great news on the "operating surplus" as well, thanks again Dave, & here's to the next one! Thanks also to (Silverfox)Nik & Walman for letting me noodle around on their WALs - first time I've ever met one in the flesh & I can see why they have their followers. I'm certainly in favour of an Oxford-esque centre for the next National Bash, mainly as I have associations with the area so can make a weekend of it at nominal cost - although so long as I can get to the venue by public transport I'm not fussy. I have a couple of ideas for a location, but will check 'em out & run it by Ped to see what he thinks. Pete.

Greetings, Try giving Baby John's guitars over in Didcot a bell (01235 818511) - John's a well known figure on the local music scene & might be able to help. Pete.

[quote]The Hi-fi world claims that an improved power supply gives better clarity, tone and weight to the sound. They might be right.[/quote] [url="http://www.gcaudio.com/products/reviews/infojpsac.html"]Yeah, right[/url] US$1500 for a mains lead? Oddly enough a quick Google for the phrase "Optimized Field Matrix" seems to result in hits solely on the manufacturer's website - a bit like Warwick's mysterious "Carolena" wood Pete.

+ 1 to all the above. That was the first time I've encountered these fancy "oversized" plugs, and the last seeing what they've done to your baby. Don't scrap the cable though - just cut the plugs off & solder some sensible jacks on the ends (or cut it into sections & turn it into patch leads). Pete.

[url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=345828&highlight=thumb+rest"]This[/url] popped up over on TalkBass a while back & struck me (& others) as cooler than a very cool thing in the fridge.

A "normal" amp will probably consist of a Preamp & a Power Amp in one box. A preamp on its own doesn't have enough output to power the speakers - its built to take a low-level signal, alter its character with a bit of EQ, & make it big enough for... the power amp, which on its own won't be able to do much with the weedy output from most pickups, but is ace at pumping watts into your cabinets. Pete.