Col the Plunker

Hi folks, Had a Gumtree alert on my phone whilst practising last Sunday. Vintage brand Stingray active bass copy for £160. Looked good. ( You know how it is... I had bought a Fender Champion 100 twin amp the week before from a Gumtree ad, so once they have your number, they send you similar flavour ads). Fine by me, Contacted the guy, and he's only a few miles down the road...makes it easier for me to nip out, do the deal and sneak it past Wifey. It's a no brainer! Or so I thought. Wifey taps me on the shoulder, "Col, I need the car to take the grandkids out". Plan B. Need to wheel out my 100cc scooter once she drives off. Just hope I can carry the axe on two wheels. Challenge on. Coast clear and I whizz over to the sellers village. Pull over at the village pub and phone for closer directions. I ask him " I don't wish to offend, but d'you mind if I wear a mask?" " No probs bud". Next I am knocking on his door, he answers and hands me the bass, he is wearing rubber gloves. The bass looks great, still got the sellophane on the pickguard... but I need to play it. Then the guy says " d'you mind if you stay outside and I wheel an amp over to the porch?' " Course not mate, pays to be careful" Next thing he wheels over a Marshall stack as tall as me, and throws a cable over the top. So here I am standing in his front garden hooked up to this powerhouse of an amp. His neighbours are tending their lawns, washing their cars, kids riding bikes etc. Perfect urban summer scene about to be ripped apart by yours truly. (I have snuck the volume of this 300w Goliath up to five. Bit of Beatles "come together" riff followed by Sniff and the tears "driver's seat". Then distort on full treble for The Stranglers "Down in the sewer" for some real dirt. All the birds have fled the trees. Somewhere a baby is crying, and many dogs are barking... People are staring at me...think it's time to stop. " I'll take it mate" I hand it back and pay up, he returns it clad in bin liners. He says smiling " I recognised "come together, I'm a real Beatles fan". I would have liked to chatted to him for longer as I love all things Beatles too, but I need to stow this axe before Wifey gets home. Manage to balance it ok between my knees on the scooter, but to my horror the car is outside our house. Luckily the garage door is up, so I ride straight in and stow my booty. Just need to wait for her to shower later and I can retrieve my new bass and get it in the rack. Mission accomplished, but it was my wierdest buying experience ever. Good to know that other discerning folks are respecting the covid restrictions seriously though. Cheers Col.

Cheers for that info mate, I really enjoyed their first album, better than Stoosh even! Great band.

D'ddario chrome flats. 45-100s. Silky smooth and a nice thump!

Cheers mate. Actually it was thanks to the the vid you posted " what's wrong with this truss rod". The fellow already had a tapered Allen key. Just had to fashion my own. Worked a treat! Many thanks. Col.

Truss rod sorted. Thanks guys for all your tales and remedies. I was working in the garage today with my hand belt-sander when I remembered something else to do with it. I tapered the end of an Allen key/wrench down as squarely as possible. Unscrewed and lifted the neck of my old Encore E 83. Rod turned first time. 3/4 turn did the trick. Brilliant result. Thanks the poster who suggested this method.

Thanks musicbassman for your opinion. Strangely enough, I slowly came around to the same thoughts about keeping original. Good excuse to get another bass too!!!

Hi folks. I own an old 89/90 Encore P bass, and thought I would ask advice on modding...harnesses and pickups etc. She deserves brightening up. I've had her for years. All advice welcome. Please share your ideas. Cheers Col.

Thanks DiMarco. The chap is practically local to me! Happy days.

I wondered that too. It had a solid looking square to it. You're dead right about the extractor tools being brittle. I remember snapping one on a rounded rocker cover hex plate on my motorcycle crankcase. I still haven't tried to loosen the truss yet, but reckon the tapered torx is the best bet. Just need to find where to get one. Cheers Col.

Actually...that was a brilliant pun!!! Still haven't garnered a bespoke tool yet, but it's on the backburner. Will keep you up to date on the progress.

Thanks for that. Glad yours was a mere scare. Watched the vid. Mine's a bit different as the truss rod nut is at the opposite end, and means unscrewing the pickguard. Method of removal should be the same though.

Hey mate, nothing wrong with Camborne. If you are in the edge of the ringpiece, then Bodmin must be the armpit. Thanks for the welcome. Be good if we could meet up and have a jam somehow. My only jam buddy is my looper. Do you play any other instruments?

Thanks for the cheery welcome. Let's get plunking!

Certainly worth a try, cheers.

Thanks guys. I did wonder whether it had stripped because of seizure, or been bodged with an undersize or inappropriate drive tool. I shall give the torx a try at first, but will add pressure on the neck bowing it slightly concave to relieve some strain on the rod a bit. Failing that will mean buying the silver line Easi-outs. My money is on the bad tool being used previously, because when I saw the guy I bought it from a day or two later, I asked him what had he done to the fretboard to make it feel sticky. He told me he periodically treated it with Teak oil. " Not lemon oil?" I asked." Nah, you're supposed to use Teak oil!" So you see why I suspect this guy used the wrong tooling and butchering it. He didn't appear to be the sharpest knife in the drawer...if you know what I mean.

Hi folks, Wondered if I could have a word to the wise regarding my 1989-90 vintage Encore P style bass. Recently changed the strings to lower tension flatwound. As the neck naturally flexed for its new hosts, it flattened out. Needs a tweak on the truss rod to eliminate buzz. I slackened the strings, removed pickguard, then the neck, (duh) grabbed the Allen keys...not ONE of them fitted. On closer inspection I was horrified to learn that the socket of the truss has been totally rounded by it's previous owner possibly using an ill-fitting tool, and is now impossible to adjust. Please advise me on the best course of action. Cheers guys.

Well, they do say variety is the spice of life! I must admit to dabbling more on my keyboard, as my left hand fingers get really sore lately owing to extra lockdown bass noodling.

What did I tell you??? The man is a tool...

Hi obbm. I reside in sunny Bodmin in dear old Kernow! May I also ask where you are camped out??? Maybe we could attempt an outdoor safe distancing jam sesh!!!

I like Van Halen. But... David Lee Roth... What a complete bell-end.

Cheers mate.

Whoah! Thank you my friend. It's great to get precise info on what maybe a vintage instrument. If it helps your judgement further, it sports a 3 ply scratchplate/pickguard which I believe to be original.

Hello everybody, just to introduce myself. I'm a guitar player who has had a fleeting relationship with bass through the years with my ancient Encore Pbass. However, all that changed last birthday (January) I treated myself to a Hofner Ignition Beatles bass to noodle around on, and a Redsub 35+ amp. What a revelation! I am hooked. What was a mere dalliance is now an absolute joy. Looking forward to interacting with you all. Rock on...

Your bare wood finish screams ash. It's not the prettiest wood granted, but incredibly hard and resilient. Ideal for bass as it won't soak up any resonance. (My late Pops was a carpenter, so I learned a few things about different timbers from him).

Thanks Hooky for your reply, so she's just coming into her prime eh?! I didn't flat down as far as bare wood when respraying, so it's identity remains secret.