Happy Jack

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Just-Backdated-Melody-Maker-Seventies/dp/1915858224 Following a post by Joel McIver I bought this, and I've just finished reading it. It is comfortably the best read I've had in years ... and I read a LOT. Can't remember the last time a book had me laughing out loud (and I don't mean a bloody emoticon) so much or so often and, as a child of the 70s (I'm 68) every single bloody page meant something to me. The book is so well written that I didn't even feel jealous; I just felt like I was there with him. Trust me, you won't regret buying this.

You mean the bit where he shoots himself off like an arrow?

I stomped so hard that my pedal went through the floor.

That appears identical to mine as it was when I bought it, about 15 years ago. I recognise that vendor name, pretty sure he is/was a Basschatter. The price isn't outrageous but it's more than I'd be interested in paying, especially if the original electronics are in as poor a state as those on mine were.

If Jack (a) had a multimeter, and (b) had the slightest idea how to use one, then no doubt Jack could indeed do this thing. I leave electrickery to those who don't realise that 'amp' is short for amplifier.

I originally found this link on Flat Eric's blog, and a very fine read it is too. https://westone.forumotion.com/t971-westone-us-design-development-history

The original pickup on mine seemed to be a no-name clone of a Schaller. It had really weak output and had become microphonic ... not a great combination.

On a black example like mine, the poles aren't black. All the black bits you see are indeed wood, and there is no evidence anywhere of an earthing 'mechanism'. Something that probably needs to be stressed is that these basses were not high-end, boutique instruments cooked up using only the finest ingredients. Far from it. As built, they were novelty basses designed as something of a joke and absolutely built down to a price. All the electrics/electronics without exception were compete pants ... cheap, shoddy pickups connected to cheap, shoddy pots using cheap, shoddy wiring. My bass is just glorious, precisely because I had a luthier strip out every electrical component and replace them with decent stuff. The core of the rebuild was this: That's a Dark Star pickup which I was lucky enough to pick up cheap on eBay many years ago. Although the same width as the original (well, duh!) it's a fair bit 'deeper' so the slidy bit on which it's mounted had to be extended by nearly a centimetre. For the avoidance of doubt, the sliding mechanism works really well as a tone control, with the upgraded electrics my bass sounds excellent, and it attracts attention everywhere I play it.

It's only First World War buffs (like me) who'll get the reference ...

Bizarrely enough, I'm playing a festival in Mons (Belgium) on 25th/26th September. Is there an impending Expat BassBash, I wonder?

Paging @Bassassin ...

Crossbeam's gone askew on't treddle ...

So it's not so much "good buy" as "au revoir"?

If he paid me $12,500 I'd be up for it ...