Stub Mandrel

It seems better today... might be an intermittent issue, see what happens after the valve has run hot for a few hours, like yesterday.

I have 12ax7 tubes in two other amps, so I OUGHT to have a spare. Don't want to cannibalise, so I've just ordered one. See if it sorts it in a few days.

In the last half hour my Joyo Bantamp (50W hybrid) has started making farty/crackly noises if I dig in on the E string. I have volume low and gain modest. It seems to be very biased towards low frequencies. It doesn't sound like distortion as much as a really noisy volume control and appears to be independent of gain and master volume settings. I can turn up loud and play gently without the nasty noise. Turn it really quiet and dig in, and it crackles and snaps. It's a hybrid amp, and my worry is that something 'mechanical' has gone awry in the 12ax7preamp stage. Is this possible?

I did occur to me that with my well-equipped metalworking workshop, I could have made something...

That's what the Stewmac tool solves.

The bass has had a week and a half to settle down, hanging in a Hercules stand. I'd already set the bridge as low as I could go but there's been a bit more bow in the neck than I would like. Took the scratchplate off, and used a Stewmac tool to put about half a turn on the truss rod. Now about 1.75mm at the 12th fret and no buzzes. Very happy. 🙂

Pon... sorry wrong thread!

Warman pickup has that meaty Stingray sound.

Thanks seen that before but useful to re-read it.

Gorgeous

I did notice they don't supply one.

It's tempting... if only to see how well the mute works

Just hope I can do it justice.

To me it feels shallower than I expected, considering it is described as 'deep C'. I'd suggest a try out as I find these things hard to judge, especially as I adapt my playing style so I really only notice if something is really baseball-bat chunky. I will probably take some scotchbrite to the back of the neck as it is very glossy.

More pics 🙂 Relic capacitor? Had to take the scratchplate off to remove all the film and sticky residue. Note the separate shielding plate!

Cripes, the case sells for £279 on its own! https://richtonemusic.co.uk/Fender-GG-Deluxe-Hardshell-Case-Precision-Bass-Brown/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw27mhBhC9ARIsAIFsETE8kSkduBNPZ1GJxsWpKEXeJ_iwZikFXVZ5irfkP2zQeVHKrtf8jHsaAn_jEALw_wcB That's more than all but three of my basses cost!

I emailed Fender yesterday. Today they sent me this: The American Vintage II instruments have a Nitro finish with a Polyurethane undercoat/sealer. It's important to understand that all Nitro finishes are prone to aging and wear over time, including checking as you mentioned. It's very possible that the finish could wear off over time with changes in humidity and temperature as this is a characteristic of Nitro. Many guitar players enjoy the fact that the finish looks more and more worn and vintage over time, others prefer to go with something much more durable such as a Gloss Urethane finish. The Polyurethane undercoat/sealer however does make the finish more stable than a 'thin-skin' or 'flash' nitro finish which is majority nitro and found on a few of our instruments, such as the Hot Rod series. Of all the nitro finishes, this one is definitely more vulnerable than the Nitro with Poly undercoat/sealer. This article may provide some more information for you regarding our finishes: What Type of Finish Is Used on Fender Guitars?. The nitro over poly sealer has been used since the 60s, according to a link someone posted above.

I really didn't appreciate what it is until I spoke to the guys in the shop. The manager said I would break his heart by taking it away. I sort of looked at the spec and thought 'ah they do make a p bass better than the Squier CV'. Didn't occur to me that it's up with the American Ultras and the next step up is custom shop. The extras are outstanding, case is brilliant. But I'm going to have to strip the scratchplate to get the protective film off.

Ooooh! Talk about case candy. Even has a foam mute strip for the bridge cover. And a hootenany button. Reverse tuners. Tug bar. From the wonderful A Strings in Pontypridd who even made me tea and did a quick setup for me while I made a deal with old nick. And not only did they have it in stock, they jad the best shop price in the UK. You cannot be serious... World's coolest wash bag?

I think the modern ones are poly colour coat with clear nitro on top.

Sounds like the worst of all possible worlds...

I suspect that's it. And nozone knows what happens when the nitro wears off.

I'm getting really cross with facebook at the moment as I asked if anyone has experience of Fender's new 'Nitro over poly' finish and, because no-one on Farcebook reads posts properly, everyone is telling me how nitro wears differently to poly. Argh! I know the difference and have basses in both finishes. Fender have started shipping basses with a (in full) NITROCELLULOSE FINISH APPLIED OVER A POLYURETHANE BASE. There is no explanation of whet is nitro (just a topcoat for the less severe gloss, or the full colour finish over a poly primer, or something in between?) My concern is that any damage or wear (or something like artificially checking the finish) could result in the nitro peeling, the poly cracking off or just strange effects if the mild nitro 'wears' down to bright gloss poly. Has anyone got a bass with this sort of finish and had any experience of how it responds to real use?

I don't so much cut mids as dial in a tiny bit of treble and a chunk of extra bass on my Bass Terror. I'm fingerstyle and generally I'm aiming for a fat, bluesy tone. For the recent general covers band though, on my Trace I didn't use preshape and dialled in a small boost for high mids and a little treble on the graphic. Truth is, it all depends what you want to sound like.

Anything that changes original condition will affect value. Except perhsps a refret.