Jean-Luc Pickguard

I've never really got into the self-titled Jaco CD, but I do like his playing on Joni Mitchell's albums

Ugh its filthy. He really needs to give it a bit of a wipe down.

I was on the M25 a few weeks ago when I noticed Van Morrison coming up behind me. Then I realised that I was seeing a reversed image in the rear view mirror and it was actually a Morrisons Van.

Thanks - I've erred on the side of caution and cancelled the bids as I don't know whether the global shipping programme would have protected me against a chargeback. If it was for something worth a tenner I'd have probably given the benefit of doubt, but I'm not keen on sending a set of Hipshots across the Atlantic if there's a risk of being ripped off.

Fender: I'd get Fender to make a Daphne blue JMJ bass without the relic/roadwear - equivalent to either a N.O.S or closet classic. Also an Olympic white version. Gibson: I'd get them to make a Gibson version of the Epiphone Vintage Pro Thunderbird. Sunburst nitro finish, and with the missing bits included: bridge/pickup covers, string mute & rosewood tugbar. Strung with Ernie Ball 40-60-70-95 cobalt flats and upgraded with Gotoh GB640 non-reverse res-o-lite tuners.

Since I had my oly white CIJ mustang I've really wanted a 1966 Daphne blue one with lollypop tuners. When the Justin Meldal-Johnsen sig was announced the roadwear initially put me off, but I bought one and the relic job looks much better than some of the photos suggest. I don't know much about Mr M-J or his music but it seems he paid a lot of attention to getting his signature bass to play and sound as good as it looks with things like the thickness of the headstock and the Seymour Duncan pickup wound to sound like his original mustang. If Fender ever approched me to have a signature bass, I'd probably ask them to make a 'closet classic' version of the JMJ - ie without the wear & tear.

I'm selling a few bits & bobs on ebay at the moment ending in a couple of days with the global shipping programme option enabled, so I'd only need to send the package to the UK shipping centre if a non-UK buyer wins the auction. One item (a set of Hipshot HB-2 tuners) has just got its first bid however this is someone whose account was opened in December last year who has zero feedback and is based in Brazil. Should I be concerned about the zero feedback or does the global shipping programme protect me from possible shenanigans if this person wins the auction.

The chrome tuners on my Precision are as bright as they were in 1982 when I bought it, however a Hipshot xtender I had on it has dulled over the years as it has a nickel surface. I got a tube of 'peek' metal polish today as it has some good reviews on amazon and it has the royal warrent so presumably the Queen uses it to shine up her crowns. I used it on the dull nickel of the xtender and it polished up very well removing the dull patina. The hardware on my thunderbird vintage pro basses is also nickel, so I imagine at some point this will also go a bit dull and will need to be polished out. Is there anything which can be used to protect nickel hardware from going dull in the first instance or is it just a matter of giving it a polish when it does?

When I bought my first Fender in 1982 at the age of 18 I didn't have a frame of reference for what a bass should weigh, so it didn't strike me as odd that my new precision was rather heavy compare to the cheap jazz copy I was upgrading from. I still have the Precsion but now I know the weight isn't normal and is due to CBS cutting costs and using the cheapest ash rather than the most suitable lightweight swamp ash. Apart from the non-optimal choice of wood, I've heard a story that CBS also sourced wire for the pickups based on whatever gauge was cheapest rather than what was in the original spec. I had a EMG active pickup in this bass since 1986. I had to suffer a whole summer of working in Bejam to buy this bass so I'll never sell it despite its shortcomings. Who else has a bass from this era? According to my scales my precision weighs a back-breaking 11lb - can anyone beat that?

That headstock...

You don't want to use a drill. The correct tool to use is a tapered reamer.

Amazing what you can do with sweet wrappers & glue

If you've not removed a neck before, hold the neck tightly onto the body with your other hand when loosening the neck screws so the screw can't split open the screwhole due to the weight. Also do the same when attaching a neck. Other than that it *should* be a straight swap as long as the holes line up.

I used masking tape when I upgraded my thunderbird vintage pro twins with a couple of sets of res-o-lite GB640s. Be sure to put enough on so its a good tight fit as this should prevent the bushing from lifting slightly at one side. I've heard that building up a small even layer of plastic wood or similar filler around the inside of each hole also works, but I've not tried that.

Dunno about you, but I doubt I'd be very comfortable in a bass case 😁

Today I've been using some 60/40 I bought from Clas Ohlson a while ago to wire up a jazz bass and I quite enjoyed it - in stark contrast to the frustrating time I had the last time I had some soldering to do and managed to make a total mess of my attempt to put together a P bass harness with lead free.

...is not as good as the other stuff is it?

I used to have TI flats on everything but I'm currently using Fender flats on my mustangs & Cobalts on my thunderbirds and I always dial in some grit from the VT Bass

It looks like someone's puked a gutfull of skittles on it 🤮

When I first got my CIJ mustang I had serious GAS for an original 1966 one in Daphne blue with lollipop tuners - basically the JMJ sig. I saw one advertised in good condition which I could have bought for £600. I didn't feel I could justify the cost to the missus. It'd be worth a lot more these days. I have a JMJ now which cost half as much again and is a fantastic bass, but it would have been good to have a 'real' one with a little less roadwear.

Rosetti is the UK distributor & sell complete sets of knobs https://www.rosetti.co.uk/guitars-accessories/spares?p=3 perhaps they could supply just the bit you need

Drugs - just say no!

I had a theramin briefly a few years ago. It was great fun but it's not as easy as it looks & I didn't get past the 'ghostly noises' stage in the few weeks I had it. I bought it as it was very cheap in the local trash converters (even before I knocked them down a tenner). I recognised it as a US made burns B3 model & I made a tidy profit putting it on ebay.

... maybe this is the mustang David Byrne used for 'burning down the house'