kevin_lindsay

Abel Ganz - fantastic prog outfit, with a celtic feel.

I got a set of La Bella medium scale flats from Bass Direct.

The stack knob Jazz is a USA Fender '62 reissue I bought brand new in New York a few years ago. I stripped the body and neck when I returned to the UK, and refinished the instrument in thin Nitrocellulose lacquer - Shell Pink with a matching headstock.

I was given this one for free - all original 1974 Fender Jazz Bass I also got a Fender Custom Shop Nocaster relic for £600 a few years ago - with all the paperwork and two cases (Abs Fender moulded one, and a tweed "thermometer" one)

I've also got a ukulele!!!

I've just received delivery of a tortoiseshell plate, so I swapped it for the ivory white plate that was originally on there. I'm pretty pleased with how it turned out.

Thanks. It sounds really cool. And, it's very light so it'll be comfortable over a gig length set. In regards to the sound: when I assembled the bass and plugged in to my amp for the first time, I turned the volume and tone up full, and hit a note....... Silence!! Aaagh!! I was preparing myself for the inevitable disassembling, and troubleshooting. Then I realised that I hadn't put the 9v battery into the battery compartment on the rear of the Bass! I corrected this, and the bass rang out loud and clear.

As an aside, I spent hours doing the fretwork on the neck. When the neck arrived, the fret ends were filed at a 45 degree angle, with sharp edges. I did a light fretstone to level the playing surface. I then smoothed off the fret ends, and got rid of all the sharp points. I also rolled the fingerboard edges. The fingerboard was the nourishes with lemon oil, and left overnight. It was then buffed to a smooth feel. The end result is a really comfortable neck to play.

Thanks mate. I've already started on another project, but this next one is gonna be a real labour of love (and expensive!)

I was bored, so I bought a body and neck, plus the hardware, to create a new P-Bass for my collection. P-Bass body and neck (with a fantastic neck pocket join. Gotoh "lollipop" tuners EMG active P-Bass pickup. Gotoh battery box Fender '58 True Vintage bridge Off-white pickguard Nitrocellulose lacquer: white primer, Seafoam Green colour coat, clear gloss topcoat for body and neck. I spent an evening sanding the neck to a super smooth finish, scraped the fingerboard to get it really smooth to the touch, rolled the fingerboard edges, and smoothed off the fret ends so that the neck feels really comfortable in my hand when playing. Grain filling the body wood was a real pain, but it's worth it to ensure that the colour finish is super smooth. EMG active pickups - did you know that they don't utilise an earth wire from the bridge as happens with passive pickups? I installed an earth wire anyhow, but just left the wire in the control cavity (so that it's there if I ever decide to change the pickup).

Guy Pratt soundchecking in Edinburgh using my white stack knob Jazz Bass 1587733294341.mp4

I forgot that I also have this guitar in my cupboard! Taylor Doyle Dykes Desert Rose limited edition.

Only 6 string electric guitars I've got at home right now are ones I made for myself (when I get bored, I inevitably start another bass or guitar build!! The guitars are all bare wood builds - including the basses. I spray the Nitrocellulose lacquer finishes on the bodies, and necks, here at home)

When I said earlier that I now use the "modern" style wiring, I'm referring to having the volume and tone on each stack being independent for each pickup, not a 3 knob layout.

I've got a stack knob Jazz which I made. It's got the stack Knobs, wired in the modern version of the circuit. I initially had the original stack knob layout with the pair of resistors between the pots. Using that layout made me realise why Jack Pastorius changed his bass from stack to the later 3 knob style. With the original wiring, the bass has less output than with the modern circuit, plus you can't roll back one of the volume pots to get the classic Jazz Bass "honk". The modern circuit allows you to get the Jazz tones we all know, with the added facility to roll off the tone on each pickup, independently from the other pickup. Guy Pratt borrowed it from me for a few weeks, and really liked it.

Will do! It's gonna be a while to get it completed, due to the work required, and the cost of the hardware (e.g. the gold bridge assembly cost just under £170! The pickups will cost £200, with an additional £70 for replacement gold covers, and surrounds!) In the meantime, I'm making another P-Bass for myself - Seafoam Green this time, with an active EMG P-Bass pickup, and Gotoh "lollipop" tuners. Getting it together has allowed me to focus on something while being bored at home.

I'm in the process of making a replica bass, for which I need four gold plated machine heads. I saw a 5 string set of Schaller BM units on eBay (Brand new) that were going for a steal as they were in "3 + 2" left / right configuration. So, I bought them, knowing that I could change the orientation, to suit my requirements, in a couple of minutes. Ideal!

If you don't already know, you can actually change the orientation of bass tuning heads (left to right, or vice-versa) on Schaller Fender or Musicman style units. It's a really straightforward operation. I'll show you here how I've just changed the orientation from left handed, to right handed, on a tuning head I have in my stash. This one is from a set I'll be using on a Musicman Stingray. I'll change the orientation back to left handed, to allow it to be used on the lower side of my headstock. Okay, let's look at the procedure: 1 - Unscrew the retaining screw that holds the tuning cig in place. There's a washer that sits between the screw head a d the tuning cog. 2 - the tuning cog simply pops off - you'll most probably have to wuglle the tuning paddle to allow it to simply pop off. This will then cause the string capstan rod to simply fall out. 3 - there is also a retaining lug with a clear plastic film on top of it - this keeps the tuning paddle / wormgear in place when everything is assembled. 4 - turn the baseplate over. You'll see that the tuning paddle / wormgear sits on two nylon bushings at either side of the plate. The tuning paddle simply lifts out, and you can then place the paddle on the other side of the baseplate. 5 - you then simply reassemble the components: Place the tuning paddle / wormgear retaining plate in place. Place the string capstan rod through the baseplate hole. Place the tuning cog in place (it fits only in one way onto the tuning capstan rod as both items have a flat ridge that matches up). Insert the retaining screw through the washer, and screw through the tuning cog, into the string capstan rod. When screwed together, you may need to wiggle the tuning paddle to let everything settle, and then re-tighten the retaining screw. When everything is settled in place, and secured, you'll then have a tuning head in whichever orientation you require.

https://www.thomann.de/gb/index.html

I got a better price on the UK site when I placed my own orders compared to the Euro version

I only found out about the Thomann UK option a couple of months ago. I'd always used the Euro / GBP converted price site previously.

Nope, if you access the site by searching under "Thomann UK" you'll be charged the exact GBP price quoted. Here's a purchase I made a couple of weeks ago.

You can search for the Thomann UK site, where all the prices are in sterling. https://www.thomann.de/gb/index.html

Radiohead?