ossyrocks

I've been talking to the renowned John Shuker on this very subject. Washers are available I believe, in various thicknesses. He's going to fit one to one of my basses just as soon as I get around to getting it to him. The bass in question, has a truss rod nut which is recessed about 5mm from the end of the neck. The addition of a 5mm shim, will bring the nut back flush with the end of the neck, and provide additional adjustment where necessary. Rob

@OliverBlackman, I agree with Tony. There's quite a few of us on here who really like early 70's Precisions, and a few of us have bought over the last few years. The '70 I bought recently was quite a lot more than £3k, but it is in really really good condition. If I was in the market, and I could verify the originality of the bass by having it in hand and taking it apart, I would consider £3.5k to be very fair. If it was with a dealer, it would be more like £4k I think. Rob

'72 Precision on ebay in Rotherham. Very little description, If everything he says is true (or omits to say), it's a good price. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/176605672845?_skw=fender+bass&itmmeta=01J9651C8V1TRNDP1K7TR7AZ05&hash=item291e84b58d%3Ag%3A4oQAAOSwekVm~CS2&itmprp=enc%3AAQAJAAAA0HoV3kP08IDx%2BKZ9MfhVJKmh5ybAa4l3CGLOC0om7Khs35coEDuTtJjq%2BJwYMpjSeU2YIvzTKkr8RZxsVH50C%2FmVunQa9%2BYCG4%2BWnxKzcIshe%2FBzeMsA98mcVxvyH5SWtbqmrh3PNVinkFL78UWbnuoUlndlDIF%2BFSZIW6%2B8JsbnAtP%2BnTQAJ4Oumh8Ge41hkjaLEjtsCx36J2b%2BtNuniClqtQQjRYcuqvddl%2B2bVtVOxy3ff9bP1G3YCxhW2Mi3fJjvLGJgJSaIMeGIUzBhcsY%3D|tkp%3ABk9SR9LEhcXJZA&LH_ItemCondition=4

Steve bought my Bergantino Forte D. Good comms, prompt payment, all good. Thanks.

I have a bass that goes against the "all late 70's Fenders were boat anchors" philosophy. My '78/79 Precision is 8lbs 9oz, and the lightest bass I own. Rob

So, back home from my gig. I took the Elf and the Elf 2x8. No pedals, straight in with my Jazz bass. I walked in in one trip, bass in a gig bag over the shoulder, amp and cables etc in the pocket, Elf cab in one hand. All tone controls at noon, master on full, gain was around 10 or 11 o'clock. It was plenty, the band was loud, the drummer hit hard, there was a full sized Leslie cabinet on the hammond, the guitarist had a Marshall combo and we had two saxes. I was mightily impressed with it, and everyone said it was enough. Bear in mind, it was a small room, but I was still surprised how well it worked. I must admit to having a backup amp in the boot of the car, but I never felt the need to get it at half time. Rob

I got asked last night to do a last minute gig tonight, house bass player at a funk club. It's a small pub back room which I have played before. I reckon the Elf and 2x8 will be fine, so that's what I'm taking. There is a full kit, and the drummer tonight isn't shy, plus Hammond and Leslie, so it will be a good test of it's abilities. I'll report back tomorrow. Rob

I bought a 2x8 Elf cab from Ian this week. Easy peasy deal, super fast shipping, great packing too. Deal with confidence. Rob

I just got hold of a 2x8 Elf cab off here. I'm in need of a small "walk-in rig" for a new and potentially regular gig in Lancaster. It looks like we'll be playing the same venue every two weeks on a Thursday night. It's a relatively small pub, and I really don't want to take my BF 3x10 + GK 400RB rig in every time. So as I had no other cab option than the BF 3x10 currently I thought it time to pick up another little cab. I tried it initially with the Elf amp, sounds good, but being a small 8 ohm cab, the Elf gives up a little early. (The Elf amp through the BF 3x10 is really useable however). I then tried it with a Tecamp Puma 900, and it really handles it. This little cab can really take some pushing, and it held together exceptionally well. Rob

With two NY121 cabs presenting 4 ohms to the amp, I think you would have more than enough. I've gigged mine with a single BF 10 and it coped.

The late 60's/early 70's is where it's at for me with P basses. I don't want the wider 44mm nut of the earlier ones, and I much prefer the tort guard aesthetic of pre '74/'75. My two, a '70 and a '73, are both sunburst/rosewood/tort, and the necks are simply sublime. They are a joy to play. And because they don't have the huge price tag of the early 60's basses, I don't mind playing them down the Dog & Duck. I do have a '78, which sounds good too and is light as a feather, but the neck is just that bit bigger (deeper), so it gets less playtime than the other two. I'm hanging on to that one and I'm considering the heretic action of putting a Jazz neck on it just because! Rob

Yup. I do all my own work, setup, maintenance, pickups, wiring etc. Being confident at it means you can tweak things when they need doing, and basses are made of wood, and they do move and change. I've swapped some strings tonight and tweaked the truss rod accordingly to account for the change in tension. I would also draw the line at a refret too. There are artists, like John Shuker for instance, who I would much rather let them refret my instrument than have a go myself. Rob

To be fair, I don't think I've ever had a bass or guitar of the same model sound the same as the last. Every 335 I've had has been different, the two I have now are very different. The two strats I have are very different. It's just how these things are. BTW, all of the P basses sound great, just different.

That's a lovely bass Tony. Have a chat with Andy, you only live once! The condition is similar to the '70 Precision I recently got from @briansbrew on here, and which is proving to be a massive hit with me and my band (thanks Brian!). It is interesting how each of my P basses sound so different from each other too.

Regarding vintage basses, I've had good experiences with ATB Guitars, Bass Bros, @briansbrew and @CHRISDABASS. @walshy has also been a star, sending me vintage parts for nothing and doing a deal on a couple of more recent basses. Anyway, the reason for this post, look at this '69 Jazz that Bassbros have just got in. It's absolutely minty! https://bassbros.co.uk/product/1969-fender-jazz-bass/ Rob

I sent an email to GK last week and asked if they still had any rack ears for the older RB series amps (they are showing out of stock on their US site). They kindly got back to me to say they would have a look. Anyway, they found some to fit the MK-III/IV, and posted me two sets, which arrived yesterday. Great service I must say. Here's the MK-III with its new rack ears, rack case incoming. Rob

I know Matt, we've met a couple of times, he's a nice guy, and very young for one with such fine taste. He specialises in celebrity/rock star owned guitars, and has a personal collection of guitars which belonged to AC/DC. His prices are always on the high side, but if you want something that was owned and played by Billy Gibbons for example, then his clientele are prepared to pay it seems. He's been doing it for a number of years now. His showroom is by appointment only in Paris. Rob

I agree. The fan doesn't bother me as I don't use it at home.

I found another pic of the fan

Regarding the fan noise. The fan itself looks like a fairly standard fan you might find in a computer. If it is, then there should be multiple options for sourcing a higher quality and quieter fan to replace it. If someone can identify what fan it is, ie specs, then I'd be happy to try a replacement. Rob

Don’t underestimate an Elf through a pair of BF One10’s. I have an Elf too, and ran it through those BF cabs and it was quite impressive what it could do.

Just to add, I am sympathetic to your predicament too. I had microdiskectomy and lumbar decompression surgery in 2016. I still have to be very careful what I do and what I lift. But, with exercise and judicious management, I’m able to do most things. Good luck with the back. Rob