NancyJohnson

There's a trader selling Signature bass parts on eBay - usually they're loaded jazz bass bodies. I know that Alex Lifeson owned the [Signature] business and they were run out of business due to Fender lawsuits. TBH I'm tempted...£125 (obviously plus P&P and other stuff) for a loaded metallic red body. [url="http://tinyurl.com/2rrax5"]http://tinyurl.com/2rrax5[/url] Anyone bought anything from here? P

Try [url="http://home.comcast.net/~pickguards/index.htm"]Jeannies[/url] - they specialise in Lakland replacement guards. The website is a little cheesy - they'll probably direct you to an eBay auction. I just got a black pearl (aaar!) one for a DJ5 and I don't even have the bass yet, but I know when it arrives it's a mod I want done straight away. P

I'm thinking about using [url="http://www.basscentral.com"]Bass Central[/url] (Florida) for a DJ5 - I know this is a different model to yours. Thomann will charge me about £1,200 for bass+case (but free shipping), the same deal through Bass Central (including import tax & duties/insured UPS shipping/Lakland case) will come in at around £1,040 - a saving of £160.00 - I also know the driver who would do the delivery at this end, so maybe less . Bass Central say their Laklands are in stock and 'factory boxed' - they'll obviously ship in the case inside the shipping box. They're doing Bob Glaubs for $980, so a similar deal will set you back c.£820.00. I know where I'm going. P

This was mine - I bought it as a project bass and replaced the machines, the bridge, and put a [black] John East unit in it. I kept it for a short time then sold it on because I had building work to pay for. Incidentally, it's also the bass I'm holding on my picture thingy on the left...I thought that was my Precision. When I first saw the Aerodynes (via a link off alt.guitar.bass) I wasn't really that taken with it - the binding reminded me of the type of guitars ZZ Top used to use, so it wasn't love at first sight, more a long term love affair. It was a lovely bass, the finish was beautiful, the neck was thin and fast and [before I did the upgrades] it sounded sweet straight out of the box. None of the upgrades took anything away from it, but I would say that fitting the East unit didn't contribute to the sound that much, other than overloading my amp. A couple of words of warning; my right forearm would be all red and achy after playing it due to the slab body and the control cavity wasn't deep enough to house the East unit, so I had to rout out a battery cavity on the rear. ADDED: I fitted a BadassII to it and there were no problems whatsoever - direct replacement - a ten minute job tops. Yes, there was a cavity the original bridge sat in, but the BAII covered it neatly enough...no horror stories. Would I buy another one? Hmmm. I don't think so...it was nice to have one for a while, but I'd be more inclined to put my money towards a Geddy Lee or one of the Jap JB75 reissues. P

[quote name='Merton' post='139357' date='Feb 13 2008, 10:56 AM']Cheers man. That Scarab is a beaut - anyone got any ideas where to find one?! Has to be white like this one![/quote] Mine went to a guy in Oxfordshire...I guess like anyone posting here they do look and see activity on their old guitars and with that in mind, Scarabs do turn up from time to time. Can only suggest you check the US ebay, Talkbass, Craigs List, maybe even gbase.com once in a while. One interesting aside here, the neck on that Hamer was so great, I was toying with having it removed/cut out/whatever and set in a Thunderbird body. The neck was the overriding thing here...I would have just kept the electrics and dispensed with the body. At this stage, I was using a Warwick Streamer 5, so the Hamer was definitely my second choice bass. When the p/x deal with the Precision came along, I said bye bye to the Warwick. Good hunting! P

I know this is an aside - but I love the general sound of 4000 series Rickenbackers, but they're hideous. I'm so close now with my Precision and POD. P

[quote name='Merton' post='107054' date='Dec 20 2007, 01:16 PM']Mememememememe. I soooooooooooo want one of those, I will find one eventually [/quote] OK, here's my old basses. To the left my Hamer Scarab (and my old Laney rig - just like the advert they used to run). The Hamer sounded like a piano. It was an outstanding sounding bass and the neck was the thinnest I've ever played. I did however look like a dick when I was playing it and it had some serious neck dive issues. I p/x this (and the Laney head) for my existing '79 Precision. Next up, my long departed Travis Bean 2000 series #222 ('where are you sweet baby?'). I think about her every day. You'll notice (if you are a Bean aficionado) that the wings aren't as wide-set as older models. I bought the Travis Bean for £375 in a store in Lewisham in 1980, driven by a review I remember reading in Beat Instrumental and the fact that Mick Karn used one. I removed the frets, then had the board replaced with a fretless ebony one (I had a BadAss 1 put on at the same time). I then had it re-fretted by Dick Knight (the guy who built Chris Glenn's Explorer bass). It weighed a ton. I eventually p/x'd it against an Ibanez Roadster that I destroyed at a gig. Much love P

[quote name='Perry' post='137016' date='Feb 9 2008, 10:39 AM']I'm GASing for a P Bass, but I have a few questions. 1 Will it sound the same as my Jazz (MIA) if I dont use the humbuckers?[/quote] No. P

[quote name='dangerboy' post='136544' date='Feb 8 2008, 01:52 PM']Hi Matt, The Travis Beans are through-necks. Kramers had bolt-on necks on wooden bodies (and aren't as sought after for that as well as other reasons). The rout for a Kramer neck is very different from a Fender - so you'll need to either buy a used Kramer neck (I got one off eBay and used it to make this: [url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/84144792@N00/sets/72157603263405555/"]http://www.flickr.com/photos/84144792@N00/...57603263405555/[/url] ) and get a body made for it, or get an alu neck made to fit a Fender. Of the alu luthiers I've come across: I'm pretty sure Electrical (http://www.electricalguitarcompany.com/) will do you a neck. Last time I asked Greg Bailey (http://www.baileycustomguitar.com/) he didn't have a long enough lathe to do basses. Pete Longfellow (http://www.longfellowguitars.com/) in London might be worth a shout as he casts his necks rather than machining them. Go read www.metalnecks.com to discover everything.[/quote] I owned a TB2000 about twenty years ago. #222. Part exchanged it for a f2cking Ibanez Roadster. I think about it every day. P

Jeepers...zandingo...what have I started? P

What I'm looking for is if there's a proper term, so I can just say to my guitarist, 'You hold down the riff and I'll do a <zandingo> under it.' Harmony...heh. P

Is there a musical term that covers an instance where a guitarist just holds down the main riff while the bass does something else in another key? Question in point - go here [url="http://www.lastthreestanding.co.uk/video.htm"]Video[/url] after you've read this (2nd video down). We were jamming on Tuesday, just before we were due to leave, guitarist starts a riff which alludes to have a root of G - I start playing a descending loop of EDC and it sounds nice. We put it down on video so we can remember it. I'm struggling to find a musical term that covers this expression. Anyone? Cheers P

My memory a little sketchy...Sixx threw a black Spector T-Bird and destroyed a Gibson one. If you're interested click here or search on the Moscow Peace Festival. He's using the 'good' Spector for most of the gig and changes to the aforementioned black one just before they start smashing things up. [url="http://youtube.com/watch?v=N-7Zwy9KEII&feature=related"]http://youtube.com/watch?v=N-7Zwy9KEII&feature=related[/url] I can't advocate the destroying of gear, but it's quite entertaining (and a bit shocking) in it's own way. Especially the Gibson. Thump! ...and I thought Thunderbirds had issues with weakness around the headstock. P

[quote name='bassboy115' post='133952' date='Feb 4 2008, 10:31 PM']O and a m8 of my dads has got a spector like that! Hes a member on here somewhere![/quote] Spector make a Rex model bass - it's a bit like a T-bird but the bottom cutaway is scooped out a bit more - it's likely to be one of these as the Nikki Sixx models were custom builds...not many about and he destroyed two on live TV in Moscow the S.O.B.. Cetera has a nice Fernandez copy of the Spector Thunderbird that Nikki Sixx used during the early nineties - the body is just flipped 180 degrees. Ishibashi had one for sale for under £100 recently. P

I know it's probably not what you want, but visit the Waterstone Guitars site - I have a twelve string TP12 that looks just the same as the blue bass pictured - they also make a four and eight as well. P

I love the way Thunderbirds look with a Spector neck/headstock. On my PC I also have a great shot of a very old Jazz with a pair of Musicman pickups and what I believe is a BadAss II bridge. I guess that with a bound rosewood board w/block inlays would be kinda peachy. P

I got all interested in the new ATKs, but feel they need to put out a five-string in something other than a natural finish. Now a black one, with a black scratchplate and a rosewood/ebony board would look very saucy. P

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='132004' date='Feb 1 2008, 04:00 PM']I have a Cutlass 1, its a lovely sounding bass apart from the well documented neck issues. Best Cutlass to get is probably an early one, before Geoff Gould took his eye off the ball as far as production quality went. But you'll probably have to fight me for it. . Clips and pics here: [url="http://www.freewebs.com/crazykiwi_bass/musicmancutlass.htm"]http://www.freewebs.com/crazykiwi_bass/musicmancutlass.htm[/url] Compare with my 78 stingray here: [url="http://www.freewebs.com/crazykiwi_bass/musicmanstingray.htm"]http://www.freewebs.com/crazykiwi_bass/musicmanstingray.htm[/url][/quote] Cheers for the links to your pages. Interesting your quotes about the neck being like a banana! Sounds like my first Streamer! P

I just read an article in Bass Player (US) about the Musicman Cutlass 1 bass, which was produced in limited quantities until 1984. Stingray body, (Modulus?) graphite neck. Anyone had any experience of these? P

The first gig I ever did (at a house in Englefield Green, Egham, Surrey...ooh, maybe 1978) was attended by Gerry Cott (Boomtown Rats) and locals boys Steve Lillywhite (well, we all know who he is) and his brother Adrian (who drummed with The Members and King). Steve Lillywhite said we 'were great and if we wanted some help in the studio [we] knew where to find him.' P