Jean-Luc Pickguard

[quote name='SS73' post='579151' date='Aug 24 2009, 03:19 PM']...but japanfender is quite easy and they seem to be all new[/quote] However the website does look like it was made by a schoolkid on MS word in an afternoon. There are no contact details on the website and a whois search turns up that the the domain was registered less than a month ago to someone called Jeff Rice although domain privacy is on, so there is no address listed. If a deal goes wrong angry emails won't go far. All the images are copied off other sites and the text contains such BS as "All new Fender Japan guitars have crafted in Japan printed on the rear base of the neck. Apart from that are identical to the USA instruments." It may be a genuine attempt at creating a business, but it doesn't inspire any confidence whatsoever, especially after this morning's not so subtle attempt at spamming basschat with shill posts. It would have been more honest if he had introduced himself saying he can send basses to the UK and invited questions rather than pretending to be a satisfied customer. Also once FMIC get wind of the site their lawyers will probably issue a cease & desist order or whatever the local equivalent so the site will disappear under threat of legal action for using the Fender trademark in the name.

+1 for the blue one

[quote name='Musky' post='578845' date='Aug 24 2009, 10:39 AM']+1 Despite the sites claims to be fully compliant with distance selling regulations there's no contact address or company name given (trading names don't count). With respect to Jchel, your post does appear at first glance to be someone associated with the site posing as a satisfied customer. Apologies if that's not the case, but it hardly inspires confidence and I think I might be forgiven for viewing post like these with suspicion.[/quote] I wasn't going to mention it, but it does seem a bit odd: Newbie to BC with only three posts. All three posts replying to dormant threads and recommending a dodgy-looking website offering MIJ/CIJ Fenders.

[quote name='jchel' post='578731' date='Aug 24 2009, 02:44 AM']Hi, MIJ Fenders are old stock. The new one are Crafted In Japan. I got my Strat from [url="http://www.japanfender.com/"]http://www.japanfender.com/[/url] Cheaper than anything you will find in the UK and they have the whole range of Fenders. Jchel[/quote] Didn't it feel like you were taking a bit of a leap of faith ordering from such an crappy-looking site with seemingly no track record?

I've changed my plan & decided not to buy a second LMII or III, so my spare bag is up for sale on ebay: [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=270446375963&ssPageName=ADME:L:LCA:GB:1123"]JLP's MarkBass LMII bag on eBay[/url] Also fits LMIII, LMK etc & especially suitable if your bass amp roadie is seven years old!

If you bought your solder recently from Maplin it'll be lead free crap which is useless with my 30W iron (also from Maplin). I found some 60/40 Lead/Tin with flux core in Clas Ohlsen in Croydon (like a Swedish version of Woolies, but with stuff you actually want) and it was an absolute doddle to solder to the back of the pot.

Mostly roots but I have been known to throw in a fifth if I'm feeling adventurous.

[quote name='Sibob' post='577437' date='Aug 22 2009, 11:00 AM']I wouldn't even call it fancy, it's the most confusing and convoluted website I've ever seen![/quote] The site might have been considered fancy in the mid-nineties, but it looks like a crappy hobby site to me. This site comes up high on a search for the bloke: [url="http://www.guitarsite.com/database/Guitars/rec/7433/"]http://www.guitarsite.com/database/Guitars/rec/7433/[/url] From the comments there it appears he has been ripping people off like this for a long time: [quote][b]Never Again[/b] Posted by One-Time Customer on November 25, 2007 at 03:32:21: I found this "luthier" in an internet search by accident when looking for a custom guitar builder. Although he seems like a pretty nice guy, his workmanship is horrible. Any monkey with a bandsaw and a sander could keep right up with him, and probably even deliver a finished product alot faster. It took him well over a year to finish mine. I was NOT happy with the end result to say the least. I'm even embarrassed enough that only a few people have seen the guitar. I'd rather not advertise for him. I see he now has a CNC machine. I believe he had to go this route because his "by hand" work was nothing to speak of... I'll never bother with the guy again and all my guitar playing friends that saw my finished product and will not do business with him either.[/quote] [quote][b]guitar work[/b] Posted by Still Waiting on May 03, 2007 at 13:51:13: I would place an order but he isnt finishing any of the work he has.[/quote] [quote][b]Slowest mudder fudder I have ever bought from[/b] Posted by Tonga on April 15, 2007 at 13:51:26: Took 9 months for a simple fretboard.[/quote] [quote][b]Christopher Woods - Rip-off artist[/b] Posted by Ruben on February 14, 2005 at 17:52:40: I ordered a custom Strat body from this guy (Christopher Woods) - he took a $95.00 deposit and led me along with emails for about a year, then stopped answering my emails, even though he is still advertising for business on his web site. Don't order from this guy - he rips people off! You have been warned![/quote]

[quote name='raze' post='576785' date='Aug 21 2009, 03:41 PM']its got a badass bridge 70's pickup spacing plus the extra pick guard screw in the middle of the guard that the geddys have I would lay money on it being a beaten up matt blacked geddy with a dodgy replacment mighty mite neck[/quote] As far as I know Mighty mites don't have the bullet adjuster. The neck & body could be fender, but maybe the neck is knackered in some way - obviously its very unlikely to be a '59 jazz body (unless its a very early prototype ) The neck with part of the decal scratched off seems very odd considering the amount of lacquer that would have been over the top of it. It would probably be worth more sold as individual parts in separate auctions with honest descriptions, better pics and none of the Entwhistle BS.

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='576559' date='Aug 21 2009, 11:45 AM']Sims is the first port of call. I can vouch for their work. The other you may wish to investigate is - [url="http://www.auroraproject.co.uk"]www.auroraproject.co.uk[/url] ...although I have never seen any of their work.[/quote] I saw some aurora stuff at the LIMS a couple of years ago, although they didn't seem to be there for the last one. Not sure how they differ from the SIMS ones, but the looked blummin' good up close. btw - the 'britain's got talent 'link on the aurora site has an amusing youtube video of some poor bloke with a pushy mother-in-law. He plays an LED-equipped ibanez geetar & gets totaly slagged off by Simon Cowell. Perhaps he's intimidated by anyone that can play an instrument .

The 'found in Entwhistle's loft' has got to be the biggest load of BS I've ever seen on eBay. As if John would have taken a halfords rattle can to one of his bitzers. Utter bollocks.

[quote name='lowdown' post='575702' date='Aug 20 2009, 03:59 PM']The funny thing to me is that there are plenty of Musicians who do not like the idea of tracks But will post MP3's of them selves all over tinternet Jamming or telling us they are being creative, [b]Playing over loops etc[/b], that they put together in Logic, Reaper, Cubase or whatever. Thats using trax aint it.[/quote] That's a recording not a live performance. Isn't this thread about using backing tracks in a live situation? Personally I couldn't give a rat's arse if someone uses a backing track as long as I don't have to listen to it. The worst offenders I've ever heard were buskers with more gear and bigger PA than the average pub band doing earsplitting panpipe karaoke to backing tracks. Terrible.

[quote name='thebeat' post='575030' date='Aug 20 2009, 06:12 AM']Lead free solder needs a higher output, temperature wise, soldering iron...that's why you've been having problems.[/quote] Strange that Maplin only sell solder that doesn't work properly with the irons they sell. I even bought a new 30 iron from there when I had problems with my 25W one and it still didn't help with the unleaded solder. I've also saw Tin/Lead solder for sale in B&Q last week, but I don't know if its as good as the [url="http://www.clasohlson.co.uk/Product/Product.aspx?id=134361262"]60/40 Tin/Lead stuff[/url] I got from clas ohlsen.

The output socket went a bit hit & miss on my CIJ mustang, cutting out when the cable was nudged. Rather than getting a cheapo no-name socket from maplin I went on ebay & hit the buy-it-now on a P Bass rewiring kit consiting of a Switchcraft socket, pair of CTS pots, sprague orange drop capacitor and some vintage-style cloth-covered wire. Last time I did a bit of soldering I had a terrible time getting maplin's lead-free solder to work on the back of pots and although I ended up with something that worked, it looked like a modern sculpture so I tracked down some proper lead/tin solder (from clas olsen in Croydon) and put a new tip in my iron. Result: it was embarassingly easy using proper solder - this is the neatest rewire job I've ever done and the bass worked perfectly first time when I put it together & I plugged it in. I'm not sure whether the cool orange-drop cap improves the tone at all - the bass already sounded good with the old bits and still sounds good. The pots feel much smoother and don't crackle like the old ones and the new socket feels like it'll last forever. I wish I'd done this before - its a great upgrade for MIJ/CIJ fenders or any other bass with cheapo wiring/ passive electronics.

That's one way of using up offcuts

[url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Wilkinson-black-bass-guitar-tuners-No-12-or-13_W0QQitemZ140325330591QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Guitar_Accessories?hash=item20ac0a9e9f&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Wilkinson-black-bass...id=p3286.c0.m14[/url] These Wilkinson ones should do the job.

Got D-tuners on a precision, a jazz and a thunderbird. When they're properly adjusted and setup they work very well.

My daughter thinks he's busting for a wee

Flats. Preferably TI JF344 (JF324 on the mustang) If I wanted my instrument to sound like a harpsichord, I'd play a harpsichord. I prefer my bass to sound like a bass

Mail sent

Just an idea: I don't know if there are many players going that don't already do their own setups, but If anyone wants a free setup on their own bass while learning how to do it as a one to one tutorial including trussrod tweaking, bridge & pickup adjustments and possibly neck shim, I'm happy to do that - maybe we could have a setup bar if there's much demand & anyone else wants to throw their hat into the ring?

If the main consideration is to a something electric that sounds good for pizz, but is played upright, look at how 'horizontal basses' are made and which ones give the best DB sound and maybe use ideas & elements of their construction in the EUB. Out of my bass collection I'd say my danelectro longhorn sounds best for blues etc and can sound more double-bass like in a band setting than my ns cr5m even though it has a 30" scale and the body is made of ply & hardboard. I think this may be because the body construction gives less sustain and a dull thud-type tone.

Shingai in the Noisettes uses one

All of my Planet Waves cables came from sound control iirc. The spring on one did cause my musicmaster socket to develop an intermittent crackle/cutout - Turns out the socket had been replaced at some point with a cheapo flimsy one. I put a proper switchcraft in and its perfect. Never had an issue with these cable in a bass with a switchcraft jack.