Maude

Thanks for your input, I'll try the Roto's as they already used and see what they're like. If they're dull I'll probably just stick with the D'addarios and save the DRs for something else. 🙂

Well it's not a build, refinish or anything exciting like that but I thought I'd do a little thread as it'll shame me into actually finishing stuff off. I've got a P bass, Hofner Club and a Danelectro Longhorn that all need scratchplates making for them. The P is a Hohner Arbor series fretless which I've just refinished in vintage white and want a mint plate for, it has an odd shaped plate so I can't just buy a replacement. The Longhorn has also just been refinished and needs either a clear plate or a mirrored one, so I'll make both and see. The Club bass is an Ignition model and comes with a very cheap looking white pearl scratchplate and control plate. I've made new plates for it out of cream acrylic sheet as I've never been a fan of pearloid and it matches the binding. This is the original white pearl. I've slightly exaggerated the curves of the scratchplate and slightly rounded the ends and corners of the control plate as I think it suits the shape of the bass better, still iconic Hofner but a bit of personal taste as well. Also added a little Hofner decal and a pair of old knobs I had in my spare bits box. I cut these out with a coping saw and finished with sandpaper and files, then polished. The three slots in the control panel were drilled in each corner and the filed out. You don't need any fancy tools, just a bit of patience. Danelectro coming tomorrow. 🙂

Ha ha, well that's me done for then 😄 Tension wise, the Roto's would be my best bet then. What is it you don't like about them? The Roto's I have are used, albeit fairly new, they were on a bass I bought but the owner had only just fitted them so I kept them when I put half rounds on. I might just try them and see what they're like as they're used anyway.

As with the others, I've ordered bits and bobs, strings etc, and a Hofner Club with issues at all. Nothing for a year or so now though.

I don't want to go buying any strings, I have those three sets in my above post at home. Just wanted to fit whichever set would feel the stiffest. Also, I'm assuming the Hi-beams will be the brightest sounding being steels, just whether they're floppier than the D'addarios as I really don't like anything floppier than them.

I've got a choice of three different sets of strings strings to put on a bass, I have the strings here and don't want to buy any more. Now my string of choice is D'addario half rounds and I don't like floppy strings, the stiffer the better for me, but I want to put rounds on this bass for a brighter, growlier sound. So I would like to know who's used the following strings and which are perceived to be the stiffest, assuming they're the same gauge? The strings are D'Addario exl165 (45-105) DR Hi-Beams (45-105) Unknown but I think Rotos, red, white, blue & red balls with red silks at the tuner end. Very grey looking string compared to both the other two, but not old. I know I could try them all but that's a pain, so any ideas folks? 🙂

I used to use strings that cost a fiver a set, for around a ten year period of gigging. Can't remember the brand but the packet was black with cerise writing and a lion on the front. Had no problems at all with them at all, good tone and lasted a long time. I now prefer half rounds.

That's an optical illusion I'm afraid. I think the two tone and stripe on the side make it look thicker than it really is. I've just measured it and it's 27mm thick, and 2mm of that is probably paint (1mm either side). It's never going to be a good bass but it's a fun bass. It sounds really good with a pick palm muted.

Back off you!

Only five? 😆

Wow, thank you Andy. It means a lot when someone with your eye for detail makes a remark like that. 🙂

My MM pickup arrived this morning but I had an email from work two days ago saying we won't be back to work before July so I've got nothing to paint it with. I might have to think up something crazy if I can't go for a standard paint finish. The body is already in primer so can't be left as it was.

It'll probably be a never sell bass as it's just not worth anything, but never say never and I'll bear you in mind. 👍

It's got brand new rounds on and the tone doesn't work so it's bright but it sounds great, still has that short scale thumpy fundamental. It has that Danelectro kind of sound. Once the strings wear in and I fit a new tone pot I think it'll be great fun.

That'll make him happy if you tell him his 2 grand guitar reminds you of a Kay bass. 😆 I'll take the complement though, thank you. 🙂

I forgot my favourite bit. I've never liked those plastic 'top hat' type volume knobs but I saw some bronze ones on ebay and turned up this morning. They are a perfect fit for the colour of the bass and look suitably tacky. 😉

It's all back together and almost set up. I've used a threaded saddle type fender bridge fixed in the old holes and it has intonated just fine, so I'm not sure why the previous owner said it wouldn't. I've used a threaded saddle type so that I can pop the strings over a touch to give a more suitable spacing, but as I thought, that tends to pull the saddles outwards when playing. I have plenty of height adjustment so I'll cut a groove in the saddles where the strings need to be and then make a groove in the base plate (some have this anyway) for the height adjustment screws to sit in to stop the sideways movement. It's not a huge amount but it's annoying. The trussrod was out of adjustment but a washer behind the adjuster nut fixed that and has pulled the neck back nicely. The nut which was a righty, then cut for a lefty, now being used as righty again, is now sitting higher due to the coats of paint on the neck so the slots will need filing down which means I can file to the correct size and not have to replace the nut, again it's not a lot but will bring the strings down and hold them in place again. The action is pretty good at the moment and once the nut slots are sorted it will play nicely. The tone pot does practically nothing so will be replaced at a later stage. All in all I'm quite happy as, although it needs a little fettling, it is going to intonate properly and play decently with a nice low action. I've also picked up a suitably cheap looking strap which fits with the look.

I'll add a little update to this thread. My first bass, as mentioned earlier, was a no name SG type affair, absolutely awful and ended life being set fire to. Fast forward thirty years to today and I've just finished restoring it's Les Paul shaped brother. In a moment of madness I bought a Kay KJP 1B and realised the SG I had was a Kay as well, identical (terrible) build quality and features. So my first and last bass, at the moment, was/is a Kay. I worry for my sanity at times. 😄

It's in Torquay, not far for me and normally I'd have popped up with Mrs. Maude and had a day out in the sunshine and picked up the bass. Not now though.

No point, it sounds like you're beyond help. 😄

PMT have them for £151 with free delivery, piccolo strings are only about £15. I would normally buy second hand as I can have my fun and then move it on without losing, hopefully, but obviously that's a no go at the moment. There's a black one advertised on Facebook for £100 ono, virtually unused, still got the film on the scratchplate, etc. It's been on for a couple of weeks now so I reckon £80 would buy it but I can't go and get it.

I really fancy an ivory Ibanez Talman short scale with a set of piccolo strings on for a different sound to play with whilst isolated. The thing is, I'll have no real use for it once we're back to gigging. But it's so cheap and the reviews so good I'm having real trouble resisting.

He's got ten listings of basses with that picture and a wide range of prices.

The thing is, as I see it, buying from ali-express is an unknown minefield, who knows what you're buying, or who made it. Stories of good builders/sellers, and stories of bad. The agro of dealing with returns or partial refunds then rectifications are way out of a lot of people's comfort zones, so buying one already in the country that you can try out first (maybe not now obviously) is very appealing and something that some folks will be happy to pay a little extra for. If the seller is not being deceitful, which he doesn't appear to be, then I can't see a problem.

That's why I'm going to use a Ray scratchplate. A beaver held firmly by the tail will do for for my router as it'll be covered.