Jean-Luc Pickguard

Dancing On My Own — Robyn

This actually arrived on Friday, but I thought I'd wait until I'd fitted a Babicz 3-point bridge and set it up with Ernie Ball Cobalt Flats before posting a NBD. I finished setting it up today and now it really feels like it is mine. This was secondhand but in mint condition — the previous owner hadn't even taken the plastic film off the pickguard and truss rod cover. It still had the stock strings. which I guess were nickel rounds and sounded new and zingy. I have replaced the stock bridge which to be honest is only a pain in the rear when you remove strings and the saddle falls out. I decided to go for a babicz after initially favouring a hipshot. This decision was based mostly on how well it fitted in visually and I don't think it has changed the tone much if at all. The faded Pelham Blue finish looks really good and there isn't a single chip, scratch or dent anywhere on the bass. The tone seems brighter than my Epiphone vintage Pros, but that could be due to the strings being new. With the neck pickup soloed it sounds huge. I particularly like the hipshot tuners which are really smooth in use and I think the mini clover shape and the chrome hardware look considerably better than the Y tuners and black hardware on Gibson's current reverse thunderbird model.

We Can Work It Out — The Beatles

Ooh Poo Pah Doo — Jessie Hill

Bogie Wonderland — Earth Wind & Fire

I was a bit concerned that my choice of the lightest set of cobalt flatwounds were too light to pull any relief into the fairly chunky neck of the bass, but I've just given the truss rod a further tweak and managed to get more relief than needed, so I dialled it back a little and it looks like that has done the job. Now when I press down on the first & fourteenth fret the gap between the string & top of the fret nearest the midpoint is about the thickness of a business card which is what I was looking for. I'll let it settle overnight and check again tomorrow, then I should be able to finesse the action and intonation at the bridge. The method of adjusting the string height on the babicz is a great piece of engineering that works really well. setting the intonation is a bit of a faff as you need to loosen the lock bolt in front of the saddle, and if you don't slacken off the string, the ball end gets in the way preventing the screwdriver from making the adjustment. Given the choice of the Hipshot Supertone or Babicz, I don't think there's a wrong answer and I'd probably have been just as happy had I gone for the Hipshot.

First We Take Manhattan — Leonard Cohen

It has just arrived. It was easy to fit and the adjustments aren't as fiddly as I expected. I've put on a set of Ernie Ball 40-95 cobalt flats so I need to set the truss rod before adjusting the bridge, but my initial impression is good, and I don't think the bridge looks out of place.

WOT NO MUSTANG BASS?

If you get a reply I predict that the seller will feign ignorance.

Tears Of A Clown — Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

I'm Only Sleeping — The Beatles

Holiday Inn Cambodia — Dead Kennedys

I've just ordered a chrome babicz from Bass Direct. The stock chrome 3-point bridge doesn't actually seem too be as bad as I expected. It seems to be a bit sturdier than I recall the black 3-pointer was on an epiphone thunderbird I used to own. I've managed to adjust it, but I've not replaced the stock roundwounds with my favoured cobalt flats yet — I'll do that after I've fitted the babicz.

What Becomes Of The Broken-Sharted — Jimmy Ruffin

You can always get more for your money by buying secondhand as long as the specific model is still being produced or it is not (yet) considered 'vintage' or collectable. My last two purchases were a couple of second hand bargains — a Fender guitar and a Gibson bass I'd had my eye on for a while, each one costing me around half of its current list price. This almost guarantees that if I decide to unload them at a later date, the cost of ownership will be less than zero — ie I'll get what I paid back for them or possibly make a bit of a profit.

There are plenty of secondhand stingrays around for under £2000. Even the Gallery has a few.

Raspberry Beret — Prince

I shielded one of my basses recently with adhesive copper tape and when I tested it after reassembly there was no sound whatsoever. The cause was obviously that the body of one of the pots was touching the copper tape, so I needed to insulate the copper from the electronics. After a little thought I cut a slice from the middle of a plastic drink bottle (lidl morello cherry sparkling fruit crush), trimmed it to size and put that so it lined the shielded cavity preventing anything attached to the control plate from touching the copper. It worked really well, so I've cut several more to keep in one of my bits boxes ready for next time this issue arises. i thought sharing this tip might help someone in the future.

I'm not into stingrays, but if I was and wanted to fake one for as little cost as possible I'd look for either a secondhand OLP or a sterling sub, upgrade the bridge and get a decal from voodoo decals -> https://www.voodoo-decals.com/products/music-man-stingray-bass-gold

Prescription Drugs

Fender didn't make mustang basses until 1966, so I'd like this one instead: 1964 Frost Blue Gibson Thunderbird IV, however this one sold on reverb seven years ago for over £70k, so I'm unlikely to ever get one. Maybe I should set my sights on an EB-2 or Epiphone Rivoli instead

Waiting For The Naan — Velvet Underground

I would probably send with parcelforce and buy separate insurance with https://www.secursus.com — taking care to follow the secursus shipping instructions to the letter. This should be about £15 for the shipping plus £5 for the insurance.

Boogie Woogie Bulgar Boy — En Vogue