Maude

Quite. Gibson were rightfully protecting their design, but I hate the inference that every jap guitar labelled a 'lawsuit era' is magically transformed into a top quality instrument that had the big manufacturers running scared. True it might have been made at a similar period in time that Gibson challenged Ibanez (well Hoshino Gakki) but that would also mean it was built at the height of one of Fenders bad periods, so could just as legitimately be labelled a 'shite era' guitar. It doesn't have the same misty eyed feel to it though I suppose.

Here's a link to the 'lswsuit' story if your interested. 🙂 https://flypaper.soundfly.com/discover/truth-lawsuit-era-guitars/

Yes I'm aware of that, I was just pointing out that if the baseplate on yours was straight then you'd still have enough room to align the saddles to get correct intonation, as the 4005 does. That's all. 🙂

Unless it was an Ibanez guitar with a Gibson style 'open book' headstock then it's not a lawsuit guitar, and there was never a lawsuit anyway as it was settled out of court. Everything else is marketing hype.

I think part of it, and I do partly subscribe to this thinking although I play all of mine, is that some of these old guitars look really good cool just hanging on the wall. People will happily pay good money for a painting to hang on the wall because they like it so why should a guitar be any different? Some of those Soviet guitars are very cool and I love the look of an aged white Jedson Tele. As a usable instrument they might be rubbish but as a cool object they're worth money. Old broken farm machinery or cast iron mangles, sewing machine tables etc as functioning items are totally worthless but as interior/exterior design objects have a good value. In general, folks from the era of these guitars have disposible income and if it makes them happy then why not? If they're buying them at inflated prices to play then that's a different story though.

Nice bit of toaster action. What toaster is it? I couldn't quite work it out at first as the reflections on the centre metal piece looked like raised pole pieces.

Grab yourself a real vintage bass for just £399! If that Shaftsbury is up for £799, this has got to be worth a try. 😄

Lovely colour. I also absolutely love things like reusing old bakelite for the pickguard. Such a cool idea. 🙂👍

I'd just like to add (to save any scrap of integrity I might have) that I bought and did my Kay for very little money as a fun project. I'd never expect anyone to pay sensible money for it and I quite like just how bad it is, in a macabre sideshow kind of way.

You don't realise it but you've just given an opinion on a dilemma I'm facing in my Hofner 185 thread. Thank you 🙂👍

Thanks for this input, it's definitely interesting. I put a series switch in my 4005 and it transformed the sound, but the bridge pickup on it's own is weedy, hence my dilemma. The shortscale part is what is making me consider it though as they're usually inherently deeper sounding, I'm generalising here of course. The other bit info I haven't divulged is that due to the fact the frets are pretty worn, it'll be getting flats on it so darker again. If it's a nice bass when done I might get it refretted but just want to get it usable for the mo. Maybe being shortscale with flats would make the bridge position more usable anyway. I'll be putting in a series/parallel switch anyway. Coupled with each pickup switchable between single coil and both coils in series or parallel I should get a decent amount of usable tones whatever I go for. I know the only way to really know is to just do it though.

One of my favorite basses is my Matsumoku built Rick 4001 copy, it's an Aria but could've had any name trussrod cover screwed on. I also spent a serious amount of time doing up a 70s Kay. Some of us are weird. 😁

This Antoria is for sale near me. It looks lovely but £550? https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/205914214547293/?ref=facebook_story_share I had one given to me in pieces 20yrs ago. I put it together apart from a missing pickup and sold it to cash converters for £50 and thought I'd got a result. If everyone kept their old tat, old tat wouldn't be valuable.

The two part tailpiece isn't a problem, in fact it's beneficial sometimes. When changing strings just do one at a time so no problem, but if you want to do any kind of work or cleaning you can just slacken the strings off, unhook the tailpiece and lay it next to the bass, do whatever you need to and then just hook it back on and tune up. The 'R' tailpiece is the same. As for the bridge, it's pretty much identical to the tune-o-matic, adjustable saddles with height adjustment screws on either side. Just this one has a cover. Yes yours is angled but looking at your pic it doesn't need to be. Draw a straight line through the centre of your saddles parallel to the tailpiece and I'd say all your saddles would fit within a parallel mounted bridge, like the Ricks. My 4005 is straight and intonates just fine, I also prefer that it's parallel to the pickups. I really like the look of this new bass but it shouldn't be designated a 4005.

Ain't That The Truth - Jr Walker and The All Stars

I missed out on a red one of these which came up on fb marketplace local to me. A woman had bought it for her son to learn on, he'd tried it twice and given up. As new with all the plastic films still on, £100 ono including hard case. As I'd just bought a Talman short scale I thought do I need it and dithered for ten minutes, then it was gone.

I did consider that but it was partly about whether to keep the look as it should be, as well as how it sounds. If I put a middle pickup in, then as I'd have already changed the look I wouldn't bother with the bridge pickup, as it's not ideal sound wise and it just over complicates things. As it stands with two pickups I'll have 24 different combinations, not including the tone controls and volume blending. A third pickup is too much and the tones will just overlap, kind off. A humbucker right at the bridge might give a similar depth tone to a single coil in the MM position. Obviously not the same but a thin sounding humbucker vs a fatter sounding single coil.

@Pea Turgh @Rich, thanks for your thoughts. I'll see if there's any other views before I offer mine so as not to sway it one way or another. 🙂👍 What, who's over thinking this? 😄

Well, I just can't decide on pickup placement so let's hear some thoughts. I know ultimately it's up to me but where's the fun in that discussion? I've got a choice of three places essentially, obviously anywhere inbetween these is fine but let's narrow it down to three for ease. The background, this bass' pickups should be at both extremes between neck and bridge. I have a 4005 and a Club with this pickup arrangement, the Club fully hollow, the 4005 has a centre block so let's say more like a solid, on both the bridge pickup solo'd is too thin sounding for my liking. We all know for sitting in the mix a P is king. I also do like to use a pickup as a thumb rest to pluck roughly in the centre of this area, edging towards the bridge for a touch more tension. Given that info, I've taken three pictures of the bridge pickup placed in roughly the P, MM and Hofner positions, the neck one will be where it should be. My dilemma is that I feel the pickup should go in the Hofner position, but I have that on two other basses and it's not ideal. Should I put it in the P position so hopefully I'll get that kind of mid punch (also a little like the violin 'cavern' placement), or compromise with it in the middle of those two choices in the MM position. As so much of this bass isn't original I don't feel bad about moving the placement as it's not a proper restoration that'll be worth anything, but should I just keep it as it should at the expense of possibly sounding better? Bored yet? 😁 Here's the pictures. Hofner position. Musicman position. Precision position.

I've taken it to mean they could face bankruptcy if the festival was cancelled further down the line after a serious amount of money had been spent on organising it. Hence the decision to cancel now before they're in too deep. I don't know how things like this work but I wonder if big artists have a clauses in their contract that they still need part or full payment if the booking is is cancelled. Probably a lot of the money taken up front from all the vendors is spent in the run up on other things, and if cancelled would need returning.

Have you seen this thread, Although I should stress there are no proven links yet, it is very likely that these two are the same person, given the similarities in offences and the use of 12 in their email addressees, Instagram profile and the username he had in the above thread when he claimed to be another person.

Not at all. Your daily dairy can be milk/cream in your White Russian, or cheese to go with your port. You can't have both you know. 😁

Who's going to get the gigs? The Seeker How are we going to get there? Magic Bus. Which speaker cabs did you bring and where are they? Eminence Front What are you going to wear? Zoot Suit What time is the ferry? 5:15 What about all the new paperwork? We're Not Going To Take It. Won't we get shafted at customs without it? You Better You Bet. Roger. What? Get Out and Stay Out. Why? I've Had Enough.

So there's the selection we should be lobbying for kids to have at primary school. Small bottle of milk or orange juice. A cream tea. Cheese and port. Or a White Russian with a Silk Cut on the side.

But then you're not getting your daily milk. Unless you're talking milk vodka. 😉