hankhill

Some of my basses also have a bridge pickup that I sometimes rest on for a thinner sound, plus I can move my playing position a few inches toward the bridge with my thumb still in the same place, depending on the song, but I do get your point. I have tried the “floating thumb” technique but couldn’t make it work for me.

Admins, apologies if this post should be in a different group. I've been playing over 45 years, and wish I'd found these earlier. I like to rest my thumb on the pickup, and while a Jazz is OK, a p-bass can get painful on a long gig. I've experimented recently with stick-on rubber pads (square cabinet feet actally) which work, but come loose after a few weeks. I found this chap recently - https://thumbrocker.com - he's a US based Design Engineer that got a 3D printer and came up with this simple design. It works well and he doesnt ask a lot of money either, plus shipping from the US was less than a week. The thumb rest for the p-bass also fits the recessed G&L p-bass pickup, see photos (the white thumb rest is intended for another bass). Highly recommended.

That's my 2003 USA Precision Deluxe. Its a beauty that I picked up 5 or so years back. I refinished the scratchpad with carbon fibre vinyl wrap last year as I didn’t really love the original marble effect (before and after pics attached). The rear pickup is a Fender dual jazz thing, standard on that model at that time. I don't tend to use it, just the p-bass pickup mostly.

I bought one of these red Kilotons from Andertons as well, just before Christmas. I have an SB-2 Tribute that I picked cheaply up on eBay a few months back, its very comfortable to play but the pickup shape left nowhere to rest my thumb (I’ve tried the floating thumb thing, lets not go there) and the rosewood neck made it hard to see the fret dots on a dark stage with my old eyes. I’ve gigged this bass several times and the body is very comfortable and I like the slim Jazz style neck and the sustain. I never use the bridge pickup so I just have volume and that’s it, which is OK as I prefer to have tone full on and use the amp to shape the sound, so lack of a tone knob didn’t bother me. The first Kiloton arrived with an unpleasant looking dark line in the grain along the top edge of the maple fretboard. Andertons were happy to change it but I had to pay the extra shipping as they said it wasn’t really a defect (?). The second Kiloton arrived with poor setup (probably not set up at all after leaving the factory I guess), and the tiny screw that clamps the bridge prices was missing so I swapped the screw over from the old Kiloton before that was collected. After some truss rod and bridge tweaking its better but has the same issue as the SB-2 had, where the G string is noticeably quieter than the others. I’ve raised the pole pieces but this issue is a work in progress. I changed the strings on both basses as the stock strings felt too rough and too bright. I had hoped the pickup shape on the kiloton would make a better thumb rest but it doesn’t, so I still stick a rubber adhesive block on the pickguard to rest my thumb, which need replacing every few weeks. I’ve been looking at ZeroMod etc. Unfortunately in a couple of our songs I play with a pick and the strings muted at the bridge with my right hand, and that makes the picking area directly above the pickup, so the Kiloton design isn’t the ideal one for me that I’d hoped it would be. Sound-wise I found the Kiloton to be a bit “meh” – none of the switch positions really float my boat and compared to my p-basses, they all sound a bit sterile. Like the SB-2 the body is very comfortable and I like the slim Jazz style neck and quality is good. At least with the maple neck I can see the fret markers! The body wood is soft, it already has a small dent and when installing Schaller straplocks I have already had to pad the holes with matches as they stripped easily. I haven’t gigged the Kiloton yet, for the last two gigs I’ve gone back to my lovely (but slightly heavier) 2003 USA Precision Deluxe. I’m not dissing the G&L’s as they are good quality and good to play, but mine may end up on eBay at some point.

Thanks for all the replies. I had considered the folding sack barrow, in fact I do have one, so I’ll give that a serious try next time i need to carry the cabs a long distance. My cheapest option of course is going to be to fix the blown speaker in the Ashdown, I bought that rig for its lightness and its been OK for a couple of years now. I REALLY like the look of the Barefaced Super Twin though, but just shy of a grand… mind you my band now has over 20 pub gigs booked so far for this year, so it may justify. I don’t have any fixed budget and I’m fortunate in having a very tolerant wife. I’m a technical guy so I agree that the cab and speaker are designs that need to work together, but when I removed one of the 10” speakers yesterday to check it, my Ashdown combo cabinet is just an empty plain square box (made of soft cheap ply) so I struggle to see how that’s really matched to the speakers😊 I tend to play smaller pub gigs but we do play the odd slightly larger venue, see photo. In this place last Saturday they couldn’t DI me so I had to fill it with the Ashdown which was fine, even after I disconnected the two 10’s after one started farting, and just used the 15. My main concern with a single 12 or even 15 cab (aside from volume in a larger venue) would be having to bend down to make any adjustments and having nowhere to hang the bass😊 so that’s why I was thinking of a vertical 2 x 12 as being a decent compromise. I’m 6 foot 3 and my Ashdown combo and cabinet together stand 110cm high, so ergonomically that’s good. I saw the empty TC BC212 on eBay which made me think of this option, adding some wheels and a handle (and speakers…). However, the (full) TC BC212 is “only” rated at 250W with the original speakers, and my Ashdown rig with both cabinets is 500 watts in theory, so I fear it would be a backward step. In terms of head/amp, that’s a whole new discussion. I’m pretty happy with the RM500 amp in the Ashdown combo, and there are lots of choices of lightweight class D amps these days, so I’ll worry about that when the time comes. I’ll keep looking out for a decent 212 cabinet that I can modify and try the sack barrow in the meantime to save my back. I wouldn’t do a full self-build; I have the confidence in my ability, and the tools, but lack the workshop space. Someone mentioned a lightweight bass too, and I have tried several options over the years including a couple of Yamaha RBXA2’s. I have a couple of 90’s Japanese Precisions, both 50’s re-issues, that are Basswood and around 7 pounds, and I also have a couple of G&L Tributes (SB-2 and Kiloton) that are really comfy to play, but just sound a bit sterile IMHO. I keep going back to my lovely 2003 USA Precision Deluxe at nearly 9 pounds, in the photo. But that’s another whole new discussion😊

Looks like my Ashdown RM combo may have blown one of its 10” speakers. Funnily enough that’ll be the second 2x10 combo speaker I’ve blown in recent years, the last was a GK210 combo that I never much liked, especially after that. I’m thinking about a back-friendly alternative. Even the lightweight Ashdown combo wrecks my old back sometimes. I also have a 15” matching RM cabinet and I carry both at the same time to balance things, but if the car is a few hundred yards from the gig its quite an ordeal for an old man like me. So, I’ve been thinking for a while of getting a 2 x 12 cabinet and putting some recessed wheels on the back for easy moving - https://www.flightcasefittings.co.uk/4-recessed-corner-castor-w2100.html , maybe also with a slide out handle. Has anyone done this? I play pub gigs where space is a premium, so forget 4x10, 8x10, etc. I’ve seen a used unloaded TC 212 bass cabinet for sale, which begs my real question as to what speakers might be a good choice to go in it. There’s a huge spread in cost, from £40 no-name 12” bass drivers to several hundred pounds each; I’m trying to do this on a sensible budget otherwise I might as well go buy a Markbass or similar. I’ve seen these drivers at £70- each - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/401752853019?hash=item5d8a560a1b:g:nvUAAMXQyY1TRE6c EMINENCE BETA 12" 250w BASS SPEAKER 8ohm, NEW So £150 for two, plus say £50 for the cab, plus wheels and a handle, that’s doable. Any opinions? Or should I just pay a lot more and go buy a Markbass 122 Ninja 2 x 12"and screw some wheels on it? To be clear, I’m not wishing to discuss brands and sound quality, what I’m looking for is portability on a sensible budget.

“they power soaked it through a number of cycles” - they turned it off and on again.

Ok, one more question sorry. Maybe this should be a new thread. If I want to end up with a yellowed aged/vintage look, which would be the best option - Tru Oil, boiled linseed, Danish? Or are they all pretty much the same thing? The wood is apparently Ash which I think has a more grey colour naturally.

Thanks to all who answered. I’ve filled the splits with Superglue, drying as I write. But now, you’ve got me thinking... I was going to sand, fill, and spray the body with a rattle can, I fancied dark gray and I have some black carbon fibre effect vinyl that I could put on the scratch plate. Now, I’m thinking of leaving the body as it is, as suggested. Decisions...

Polling for opinions here, and I hope I’m in the correct section. I bought an ash telecaster bass body on FleaBay which was sold as road worn. It’s not a genuine Fender body and was never described as such. I decided it would make a nice lockdown project as I have several Precisions but no Telecaster bass, and whilst I don’t personally like the “fake-relic’d” look I quite fancied a “genuine roadworn” style. I already have a Genuine Fender 90’s Precision pickup going spare, and this body is routed for that, which is one reason I bought it. Anyhow, when it arrived it was pretty crap, it looked like it had been painted with Dulux so I decided to strip it to respray. Once I’d done that I could see a couple of gaps where the three district sections are glued together, see photos. The gaps don’t seem to move when I push on the body, although I haven’t pushed too heavily of course. So, my basic question is, am I flogging a dead horse with this body? I have already bought all the other parts; I lucked into an absolutely gorgeous unused Telecaster bass neck, its again non Fender but looks really nice quality. I bought the other bits from Northwest Guitars. So, I’m quite committed but I don’t want to spend a ton of time and money if this body is not worth it. Would dripping some lightly diluted PVA glue into the cracks be a decent fix? Or do I just fill, spray, and pray?

They look great. Did he wrap on top of the scratch plate on the strat, or did he use two copies of the same image and line them up? Also I’d love to know a technique for wrapping all round a curved body.

The actual wrap only took 20 minutes, but stripping, filling chips, and rebuilding took maybe 4-5 hours spread out over 2 weekends. Drip fills need to dry before sanding so its the waiting that takes most time. I only finished it today as I had to order a new jack socket. Its not perfect, the back is still fairly scratched, couldnt be bothered to try and polish it all out.

Yes, I used a heat gun, and watched plenty of YouTube vids. I think one mistake I made was not having enough overhang on one side to pull and stretch, which led to some of the creasing. I did have enough vinyl to pull it all off and start again but decided to leave it for now.

So after playing Fender basses for 40-odd years I decided to give my back a rest and look for something lighter. After months of waiting, a Yamaha RBX-A2 came up on eBay which I bought and loved, then a second really tatty one came up which I got for £135. I don't have much guitar tweaking experience beyond the odd pickup swap, but on the basis that I had little to lose I decided to have a tinker. This poor bass was quite badly abused although the neck only had 2 dents which I drop filled with Superglue. I filled a much bigger ding on the body edge with epoxy putty. Then I decided to try vinyl wrapping it with a carbon fibre look. I’d never done that before and I’m pleased how it came out, although how long it will last is anyone’s guess. Has anyone else vinyl wrapped a bass? The Yamaha is flat topped which makes it easier, I can’t imagine how you’d wrap a curvy Fender. I couldn’t avoid the odd tiny crease at the edges around the horns, so I covered the edges with car pinstriping tape, which seems to work well and should help to stop the edges lifting. Photos attached. For a £135 bass I don’t think it looks bad, and it plays and sounds great. If anyone’s interested I’ll report back in a few weeks, after a few pub gigs, as to how its bearing up.

I play bass in a 5 piece rock covers band (2 guitars, bass, drums, vocals), but sometimes we have to gig as a 4 piece as our rhythm guitarist can’t make it. Our other guitarist fills in well, but when he’s playing a lead break the overall sound thins out. In rehearsals yesterday I used an Ashdown amp that had a button that added a harmonic note, and that thickened out my bass sound a bit. Is there a simple pedal that could add maybe a higher octave note, maybe with some distortion, to my bass, to thicken our overall sound for when the lone guitar is soloing? I borrowed a Zoom B2 but after playing with it for 2 hours and staring at the manual, I still have no idea how to use it and would be too scared to use something that complex in a gig. Does a simple pedal exist? I’ve looked at octave pedals but they all seem to add a lower octave, not a higher one.

I have two MIJ Fender Precision 50th Anniversary 1996 P-basses, one (Blue Bass) has a V+6 digit serial, and the other has a U+6 digit (Red Bass). I've had them for around 15 years, and recently I removed the necks to take a peek. Photos are attached. I now know the blue bass is a 62 reissue and the red bass is a 57. But - the original pickups that these basses came with are different, one has a magnet fixed to the bottom which seems to be unusual. I’m wondering if one pup is Japanese and one American? If so, which is which? I even found a 1996 Fender Japan brochure here - Fender Japan Electric Guitars Catalog 1996 but it hasn’t helped. I'm pretty sure both bodies are Basswood so I was expecting both pickups to be Japanese but as they’re not identical I’m not so sure now. If anyone can shed some light I’d be grateful.