Maude

I've had a bit of a look at around at 3rd Avenue instruments and all seems OK really. Mainly good reviews, admittedly from beginners so may not be know any better, but certainly nothing bad. I completely understand the need to pay on finance and this is limiting your choice. The thing to remember about modern budget instruments is that, with modern machining, they are far far better than the budget instruments that folks here are comparing them to from the 80s. Today's budget instruments can be made very playable with an hours tinkering if you know what you're doing, but taking it to someone for a set up, as has been mentioned earlier by someone, costs money. I would happily give it a set up myself but I'm down in Cornwall, but maybe there is a kind soul local to you on here that would just give it a few tweaks to make it easier to learn on. It may not need anything though. Personally, in your circumstances, I'd buy the package and then put a post on here asking if there's anyone local who could give the bass a once over and adjust anything that needs it. I'm sure there'd be someone willing to help out. If you were able to buy without paying by installments then I'd look at Harley Benton basses from a German company called Thomann and put a package together myself. It would cost the same but the bass would probably be a better bass. But only probably as I've never played a 3rd Avenue bass, they might be just as good. Whatever you go for, best of luck getting it sorted and it's a great thing you're doing. 😉👍 Edit, Bassassin posted the same thing at the same time.

Back Door Man - The Doors

I wouldn't have thought that racing stripes would work on an f hole style bass, and yet they do, especially with the f holes picked out in matching white. Nice one. 😎👍

It's been/being discussed on the Yamaha BB thread... ... and back off, lot 142 is mine! 😉

Is the roller tray good for metal?

I'm a panel beater, but also have a compressor and set up at home. At work is easier though as I can't bake at home.

Ray Gun - Thin Lizzy

Oxygen - JJ72

A true but embarrassing tale. I broke many a B string years ago when I had my fiver. I used to leap around far too much and used the B string as a form hanging on to my bass. I'd hook my pinky and ring finger under the B and play it like a regular four with index and middle finger whilst bouncing around like a tw@t.

Absolute Beginners - David Bowie

Oh what I'd give to own this bass. Stupid I know, it's just a bass, but JD and (80s) NO, along with The Cure, are the two bands that have always been with me since I got into music. It's not often I get all giddy at the thought of owning something, but Hooky's main 1200S, yes please. It'll be way out of my price bracket though.

I'm all honesty it's easier for me to just give it a couple of good coats of 2k poly and be done with it. Super shiny and rock hard. 👊😎

That picture definitely makes it look like the head is twisted clockwise to the body, but it could equally just be the picture. [Cheesey American radio host voice] In other news on KBRC (Kay bass restoration channel), I've scraped out the pickup routes on mine. Luckily the glue and paint is so old it just broke up with scraping with a sharp chisel. I was going to run a router around them but they're clean enough now not to worry really. Just need to give the whole thing a good sand down and lacquer it. Though about oiling it but I do like a nice shiny bass. Still considering dyeing the wings red or dark brown before lacquering.

Dead Souls - Joy Division

A Warlock, no, but I reckon a nice dark stained, burl maple topped Mockingbird would be acceptable. To be honest though I always felt that Entwistle's Explorer jarred with The Who's image, so what do I know? 😄

Pete Steele from Type O Negative used to strap on a doublebass like a regular bass guitar. Anything is doable, but turning up to a metal audition with a doublebass wouldn't be advisable. 🙂

Thanks. 🙂 I've just string it up and had a play, and the highs really sing now. It needs a proper set up tomorrow and balance the pickups, but first impressions are it will be a monster. It's like a long lost relative to my Variax now.

All back together ready for restringing and a set up. Although in these pictures I noticed the fretboard wood could do with a tiny sand with some micro mesh and a buff up. I gave it a fret dress and although I didn't notice it in the flesh, the pictures show the wood is slightly dulled. It's got some lovely grain on the fretboard. I'm glad I opted for a single ply black, it's slightly different from the norm and I like it.

In our rehearsal room the lead guitarist has an Ashdown 2x10 amp and a Marshall 4x12 half stack. Every so often I'll really be struggling to hear myself clearly. After upping my mids a bit to cut through, then usually upping the volume, to no avail, I'll ask what amp are you using? Yep, the Marshall. It's not the volume with it, it's the frequencies it's taking up. It seems to just cancel out my bass, which I don't have as a thundering bottom end, more clean and punchy. I bet if he took some bass out of his EQ you'd suddenly be able to hear yourself without upping the volume.

Do you know I've had almost the same epiphany. After what I now believe was a Kay SG copy, my first three proper basses were Yamahas. When I got my recently acquired BB424x, I thought I could keep this and the BEX4 and get rid of everything else. But the rest are soooo perdy. 🙄😁

Aha! I couldn't quite make out the first three letters, and as is characteristic, opted for the wrong choice 😁. Anyway POWESOUND is even more awesome, and if that's one of your basses then a decent image to get a repro made from is now suddenly achievable. 😉

Yes, probably. The BB P pickup is nearer the neck than a standard P bass, and I've reversed them and moved the whole unit towards the neck around a further 10mm. I did work with it out further back in this thread but I think the EA is still nearer the bridge than a standard P bass, I can't remember. There's been no big plan really, just that reversing the BB P made it too close to the scratchplate so I moved it forwards a bit. The Mark Hoppus looks to be a lot further forwards.

This is the difference in pickup locations. The reverse P is on top of the old plate. The EA is only around half a pickups width back from the neck and DG is about one and a half a pickups width nearer the neck. Hopefully a good balance.

It could all change once the body has been oiled as it will look yellower. With a more amber body the cream might look best after all. Just in case you had made your mind up 😁.

Of course there's sunshine, 's Cornwall innit. 🤔😆 Black scratchplate I'm afraid, predictable but suits a white BB perfectly. I've gone for solid black rather than three ply black/white/black though, I like the retroness of a solid plate, plus the BB X's are busy enough without an extra white line. Here's the pickup surround flipped over, it hasn't got as nice a finish but it's perfectly acceptable. A quick mock up of the all new BB424XR, will rebuild tonight or tomorrow.