JohnDaBass

In September 2018 I assembled a ’51.75 Tele-P Bitsa. See link. I was incredibly pleased with the outcome but found myself just using the series setting of the Jess Loureiro Pup. Having absorbed so many comments about the “Flea” bass and the positive views of the Sandberg basses I thought it might be an idea to add a Stingray Pup to the Tele-P. I own a USA MM Sterling which sounds and plays really well, so I was familiar with what I could expect from adding a Stingray Pup in the correct position. I took some advice from here and purchased a Warman MM style Pup. https://www.warmanguitars.co.uk/product/mm4-4-string-bass-humbucker-13-09kohm-4-wire-overwound/ Over the last year or so I have put together a ’52 P Bitsa and a Jazz bass Bitsa using necks from JinWan on eBay. I was so impressed with the Jazz width necks, bound fingerboard, MOP block inlays and gloss finish that I ordered a third neck for another ’51 P build. The first ‘51P neck had a perfectly shaped headstock but the second one had a more ‘bulbous’ headstock shape which was closer to a Telecaster guitar shape than a ’51 P shape. As I was “upgrading “the ’51.75 Tele-P I thought I should use the new neck as it looked much more like a Telecaster. I marked out the position of the Stingray Pup and ensured it was in the correct “sweet spot” 335mm from the 12th fret. As previously stated the body was originally a 32ins Squier Telecaster Bass which a previous owner had modified the neck pocket to allow for a 34ins neck to be fitted so the bridge had to be repositioned to provide correct intonation. I added a ‘string through’ bridge and rear ferrules. I ordered a new loom for the “God Father” of Tone our own @KiOgon which provided a 3-way Pup selection switch master Vol & master tone control. To be honest I did a pretty poor job of routering the Stingray Pup cavity causing some breakout of paint at the edges of the cavity. Maybe I will refinish the body sometime in the future? After assembly I was astounded at the variety of tones on offer from such a humble gathering of parts in this Bitsa. Firstly, the unplugged sound was vibrant, full and clear. The combination of the large body size mass of Basswood coupled with the extended neck pocket ( 6 neck fixing screws) and through body stringing made the bass really sing. Position #1 is the Jess Loureiro in it’s series mode, gives a powerful warm, clear, typical P Bass tone, Position #2 is both Pups in parallel and adds a huge amount of depth and mid drive. Probably my most favourite setting. Position #3 is the Warman Stingray on it’s own and is identical to that familiar Stingray sound. I was astonished how powerful, and tuneful the Warman replicated the Stingray sound. I am convinced it would need a real expert ear to differentiate in the blind test. Following @KiOgon recommendation I can only endorse his views , these Pups are fantastic value, powerful and sound identical to a MM Pup. Here are some pix of my TeleRay in it's new case ( curtesy of @Osiris} And one of the headstock with my poser decal!! protected with @Andyjr1515 wipe on finish method. The back of the headstock has a Sharpie signature again sealed.

Bought another Loom from John for a TeleRay project. Fast turnaround, fantastic quality, excellent comms, and superb understanding of my needs and requirements. @KiOgon "Loom King" to the Gods, may we continue to worship at the alter of Bass Control for many years to come!! Thanks John

Jeff purchased a bridge from me, instant payment, great communications and a fantastic guy to deal with. Jeff is a true gentleman and a real honest guy.

Love the Hiwatt 100. I had one in the early 70's a thing of beauty and thunder all nicely blended for rock. I bet you had to pay extra since the amp lived in Wales. Lovely flag!!

Oh my the CAR is beautiful, something out of the ordinary, right up my street, lovely. Bit pricey for a pensioner like me but you never know!!!!

Back in the early 70s a bassist friend of mine used to use 6 ins nails to nail his Vox Foundation cab to the stage floor to stop it moving forward. Happy days 😎

Anyone know what PUPs are used on the Fender Flea and the Modulus Flea. Really liked what the Fender Flea could do, sounded great to my ears.

Who'd buy a guitar without a headstock anyway. You'd never get it in tune. (I'll get my coat)

Guilty as charged M'Laud🤐

No plate. Cool, understated, beautiful veneered top. Looking forward to seeing the finished bass.

WoW I bet it's great for Metal

Yes Wing Commander you are absolutely correct Sir. I bought the Tele Bass necks at different times and the second one is a bit "Orff" a Nant's, but as I was adding a larger decal the extra real estate works a treat. I plan to post a diary of my P51 3/4 upgrade in the coming days. Roger 10-4 O A O

+1 for the "jinwan" necks. I've had 2 Tele Bass necks and one Jazz neck and they've been great. All three had the MoP block inlays on maple boards with gloss finish and are great. As @RichardH points out the headstock is not quite 100% but 98% in my veiw and a man on a galloping horse is not going to notice!

Enjoy. A nice bottle of Chianti and strong mature cheddar will soothe the vibes henceforth 😎 Or a gallon rough cyder. ( each to their own)

I run a Rumble 800HD or a Rumble 500 thro 1 or 2 Super Compacts depending on the venue. I find the Fender Rumbles very pleasing to my ears. They offer a great tone when set flat and have a very usable tone stack to create a wide variety of sounds. The latest 800HD amps seems to have flat tone that is a little more mid forward than older 500 design, but can easily tweeked to taste. The older 500 front end seemed warmer somehow. BTW the Rumble 500 paired with my single One10 is a lovely mini rig for some of the pub jam sessions I used to enjoy before the lockdown and can easily compete with the Fender Rumble 500 combo. I have to agree with @alexclaber that the One10 can shift as much air as a normal 2 x 10ins cab.

Snap 😎 Bought the Charlie Parker book for bass, which has some really tasteful riffs.