Hellzero

Except for some old Peavey's and Acoustic Image's, the Laney Nexus or the new Boss Katana, what's out there with an integrated reverb? Please don't start proposing the usual pedals or multi effects, it's absolutely not the question asked. Thanks.

@Silky999, I've bought 3 Sterling by Music Man Stingray's, none of them had a single issue, everything is perfectly made and assembled. I still own 2 of them: a sunburst Ray4 with a jatoba (similar to rosewood tone wise) fingerboard and a Joe Dart. I've played a lot of Sire's, most of them were poorly made and assembled, remember those Japanese horrors of the 70's, it's almost the same. And the tone wasn't that fantastic either. The Z3 looks different in the flesh than on photos, it's again a not fantastic instrument, chunky and not sounding like a Stingray. First of all, you have to remember that the typical tone of the Stingray comes from the combination of the parallel wired pickup with a total resistance around 2 kOhms coupled to the strangely designed 2 bands EQ were the volume is at the end of chain: this is the only way to get THAT distinctive Stingray tone and if you put the volume the classic way before the preamp, the preamp will absolutely not react "correctly". So forget the Z3 were it's a 3 bands EQ wired the usual way. Go for a Ray4 that retails new for £400 to £450 depending on the finish. Then wire the pickup in parallel (I can yell you how to do that) and don't waste your time swapping pickups unless you have a real Ernie Ball or Music Man Stingray pickup, I've done it with the acclaimed Nordstrand MM4.2 and the Indonesian sounded truer (in parallel). Same for the preamps, the Indonesian stock one is the SMC version with an SMC TL061 instead of the hard to find LM4250CN (that as far as I know doesn't exist as an SMC version), which is another part of the Stingray tone. That said the TL061 is very close tone wise. I've also put a real Ernie Ball Stingray pickup and a real Ernie Ball 2 bands EQ with an LM4250CN opamp that I've in my drawer, the sounds was EXACTLY the same as my 1979 Music Man Stingray, only the feel of the neck was really different (38 mm nut width compared to the 43 mm of the original and a Jazz Bass type neck on the Ray4 with a satin finish). It was also exactly the same sound as 5 other pre Ernie Ball Stingray's compared with it, so you have a real world answer now.

One of my favourite Fender design, but you'll have to wait another year as this Performer Bass with its TBX was supposed to have been officially released in 1986 and 1987 by FujiGen Gakki in Japan, 1985 being the year of its conception and presentation of the Katana Bass, not the Performer Bass, by John Page (THE Custom Shop guy of the early years, but not back then as it took place way later) at the Frankfurt Musik Messe, in February 1985. Too bad the American version called Elite with 3 pickups and an ebony fingerboard was only released as a prototype and never put into production... Price wise yours looks pristine and could sell between £2500 and £3500, which is quite extraordinary for a Japanese model. Congratulations @Stub Mandrel, it's a superbly rare bass made in around 100 copies and if yours is really from 1985 then you own some kind of a prototype. Here's almost the only written trace of it from The Fender Bass by Klaus Blasquiz. Here are the two American prototypes, note the different headstocks, the ebony fingerboard for the fourer and the 3 pickups configuration for the fiver.

I bought one a long time ago and they are available by batches, so check from time to time if you really want to buy one. That said, all the rest available is pure dire indeed if you want to keep the massive one, otherwise Guyker is making a very decent modern short one: https://www.guyker.com/products/bass-bridge-mmb4-4-string-bass-bridge-iron-material-chrome-black?_pos=61&_fid=9add13922&_ss=c&variant=44599616012466 You can find it on Amazon at even a lower price.

Check this: https://northwestguitars.co.uk/products/telecaster-compatible-pickup-ring-surround-single-coil-pickup-screws?srsltid=AfmBOorRJAhemGzCBOONk640a94dxbz-y3VwGzVnAJcWFhvaPKWx2vxi In black (nickel, chrome or gold available too):

American: Indonesian:

These are all the Ray4 excellent replacement bridges offered by Albridge: https://www.ampshopbassexchange.com/?s=Ray4

Go on. 😉

It's indeed the SBMM model @ezbass. Easy to spot as the bridge is the "massive" one, not the new official Ernie Ball short version. That said, Joe Dart also plays the all Jazz à Vienne (in France) concert with the SBMM and the tone is exactly the same as with his American signature...

You can trust it, it's fully working, no worries.

Your MacGyver tricks are excellent!

Lovely! 😍

Put some real double bass strings first as the ones factory fitted are more or less sounding like a fretless hence the upper mids peak. Try the Thomastik Spirocore 3/4, they are really good and sound like double bass strings should.

By the way, the first run of OLP's was just decent, the second was awful.

It's an excellent bass, absolutely nothing wrong with it and even at the price paid across the pond, it's still a fair one according to the overall quality and tone. Mine is astonishing every body trying it.

Don't forget to ground them otherwise what you did is useless. 😉

I've been through this a few times and if you can't sleep because of it like I did too, then you took the right decision Dave, but don't rush selling all your gear as you may find something more relaxed and pleasant to play without all the hassle. 😉

Here are the weights I measured for the 2 different types. Hipshot HB3 (direct replacement, elephant ears): 87 grams Gotoh Res-O-Lite GB-640 (direct replacement, elephant ears): 67 grams Hipshot HB6Y (3/8 post, Gotoh GB-7 type): 52 grams Gotoh Res-O-Lite GB-350 (3/8 post, Gotoh GB-7 type): 40 grams (all included with screw and washer as they are also lighter than the original parts) Hope this helps.

The Gotoh Res-O-Lite are lighter, I've done the weighting many moons ago.

Sassafras is just between ash and alder tone wise, but way lighter, for those knowing that wood is important, for the others it's just another wood with a fancy name. It's a wood used by Fender in the very early days and, for example, Eric Johnson's favourite Stratocaster, Virginia, from 1954, has a body made out of this excellent wood. https://www.fender.com/en-US/electric-guitars/stratocaster/stories-collection-eric-johnson-1954-virginia-stratocaster/0117442803.html I had a Jazz Bass made by luthier with this wood for the body and it sounded amazingly good, but I had too many Jazz Basses back then.

Nice way to thank people helping you!

Here are the knobs coming from some Sadowsky MetroExpress basses, and as you can see there are 2 grub screws (on all of them), just like on any American or Japanese Sadowsky. So maybe worth checking instead of being taken for an ... idiot. 😉

@LemonCello, there's an original one in excellent condition, with all the goodies, the invoice and the original case at a super price, in the ads. It's even a very light one. Worth checking this:

Aren't there 2 grub screws on the Sadowsky knobs?