scrumpymike

OK, so I've had a flash of inspiration for a M custom that would be just perfect for me - don't know why I've only just thought of it. My absolute favourite bass is my Fender Rascal, but it's regrettably up for sale being just too heavy for long sets with my dodgy neck/shoulder. What I love about the Rascal is the unique pup/control configuration using 3 'lipstick' pups, a Strat-style 5-position slide selector switch, and a stacked tone pot. With the stack knob down your switching options are: 1) neck pup; 2) neck + mid; 3) mid; 4) mid + bridge; 5) bridge. Pull on the knob (!?) and the first 2 switch positions change to neck + bridge, and all 3 pups. I think this set-up is brilliant as it's quick and intuitive and gives you instant access to a whole range of different sounds without having to fiddle with tone and vol pot's. OK, so the idea is to ask Adrian to quote me for a s-s build based on the Elwood C with the same or equivalent pups/controls as the Rascal and lightweight construction around 3.5kg. Communicating with Adrian in English can be a bit tricky so I want to gather a bit more info first. Can anybody give me the correct generic description of the pups, switches etc Fender use on the Rascal and are the Fender or equivalent items readily available off the shelf? Maybe I'm wrong, but I'm guessing these things are not just picked from the Strat parts bin. Final question for pierreganseman: do you think Adrian would take this on?

[quote name='pierreganseman' timestamp='1479197662' post='3174592'] Chambered J or P style from Adrian are usually around 3,5 kilo ... anywhere between 3,3 to 3,7 ... whatever that is in your things lol. cheers [/quote] Thanks for the info.

I would say so as you're not trying to pass it off as something it's not. I'd maybe use better-matching fonts if poss.

... for example

Seems a kind of odd thing to sell via Gumtree - that and the price suggests the seller just wants it gone with minimal hassle. Unless, of course, all is not what it appears to be?!

Very nice pair of Jakes you've got there. How much weight does the chambering save?

Worth the asking price just as an 'objet d'art' - the musicality would be an extra bonus!!

[quote name='ead' timestamp='1478812165' post='3171911'] Get in touch with All Thumbs from this parish. He has a website about s/s basses and uses many himself. [/quote] Aka Scott Whitley.

Yep, heard this on the radio news earlier; another big talent gone. First came to my notice in Joe Cocker's excellent band Mad Dogs and Englishmen but he did stuff with pretty much everybody who was anybody. That's another giant down.

[quote name='FuNkShUi' timestamp='1478777859' post='3171528'] Yeh that could work. In all honesty the cup method will work, just need a thicker pin!! I'm going to have a go at a few different methods, hopefully this weekend [/quote] Holes punched thru polystyrene will tend to close up afterwards - hot pin maybe?

"I saw him in 1970 at the Isle of Wight. I think he came on after Hendrix." Ahhh, those were the days - RIP both.

+1 for the TMB-30. At the other end of the price/quality scale (but massive value for money), you could also put your question to Adrian Maruszczyk and see what he could offer you.

Even at the current exchange rate, these are incredible bargains.

Just had a look at the 'Special Offers' section on the PP website. There's a lot of lovely basses on there at bargain prices as low as Euro550 for an ex-demo Pike 4p. Luckily for me (i.e. for my bank balance and marriage), there's no short-scale stuff!!

Well done! IMHO W machine-head alignment suits headstock design.

How nice is that - like the moody indoor shot.

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1478290630' post='3168285'] They've done lots more stuff, that's just the tip of the Iceberg... [/quote] Brilliant mate - thank you so much for that one

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1478267194' post='3168037'] I hate Red House. . . even by Hendrix. At our jam we had 3 guitarists in a row come up and ask to play it! It didn't bother them one bit that it had just been played! I had to come up with 3 different bass lines just to keep my sanity. [/quote] I have a strong hunch that Hendrix had his tongue very much in his cheek when he wrote that one. In one of my bands, whenever we got heckled by the type of 12-bar blues evangelists who wouldn't know the real thing if it jumped up and bit them on the arse, we used to respond with a piss-take that our drummer made up at some point (knowing him, it was probably something he lifted from Zappa). It was basically Red House with replacement lyrics as typified by the first verse: "Woke up this mornin', dreamt a chicken walked across my face; (repeat); and then I realised - it was only my wife Grace (but that's all right cos I still got my guitar)" - cue 15-min lead break. We would watch the punters in gleeful amusement to see who 'got it' and who was swallowing it hook, line and sinker.

I just LUURVE threads like this that take me places I haven't been before!!

[quote name='BassApprentice' timestamp='1478168446' post='3167194'] Quick, the pound has gone up! Buy your Maruszczyk now! [/quote] The prices Bass Direct are asking seem a bit over the top.

[quote name='Woodinblack' timestamp='1478127927' post='3167067'] Very happy, night of playing it has made me more so. The pickups have the sort of tones I am after, aggressive and full, with a good variation between the P and the bridge. The luminay dots work pretty well. Not just happy with the bass, also pretty relieved, as it is a lot of money for me (the most I have paid for a fretted instrument), and also fairly risky as I couldn't try it first and I am really fussy on necks and was getting a bit worried, if I didn't like it, it was a lot to lose on a custom instrument. Well, lets go and get back to playing it! [/quote] You've just summed up my feelings exactly - best bass-related thing I've ever done. Btw, I wonder if between us we've made Somerset the county with the biggest M ownership in the UK? Wouldn't rule out getting another one myself (I'll be in for it if Mrs Scrumpy reads this).

[quote name='3below' timestamp='1478037613' post='3166333'] This chancer is so far adrift of the ethos and spirit of BC. [/quote] Spot on! This is a great forum and thankfully abusers like T-bird's buyer are few and far between.