henry norton

Yeah, I remember the walnut Fenders. Gibson 'walnut' finishes were just that, a brown stain on maple or mahogany. I think both are pretty well coveted by collectors now. Warmoth do walnut necks and bodies (I think) and they're supposed to sound pretty good, balanced half way between maple and mahogany tone wise.

I like cheap(er) basses 'cos I like to tinker with them. Most pre CBS Fender owners would give up playing before they let anyone near them with a replacement pickup - especially if it required a rout I think you can get yourself a bass that's more or less as good as a name 'pro' bass for a fraction of the cost if you're careful about the instrument you start with and what you replace. There seem to be far fewer appallingly bad instruments for sale these days - most seem reasonably well made and are often let down just by the crappy strings and stiff tuners most budget basses come with out the box. What you won't get are exotic facings, thru necks and (usually) unique body shapes. Not forgetting the kudos of having that name on the headstock. For some people this is the whole point.

[quote name='ezbass' post='594918' date='Sep 10 2009, 06:16 PM']I've never understood why there aren't more adjustable pole piece p/ups for bass. One of the reasons I prefer a P to a J is that you can get a better string to string balance because you're only ever tilting the p/up between 2 strings (assuming a 4 string bass). Quite like the indicated tonal characteristics DiMarzio reckon those Model Js have.[/quote] I've just looked at the DiMarzio on my Precision - I never bothered with the adjustable pole pieces but looking at the angle between the two coils, I'm not surprised a J pickup would benefit, especially in the neck position.

Seymour Duncan charge allot of money to put 'authentic' dust, rust and general crud on their vintage pickups, why do you want to devalue your bass???

I've used a DiMarzio P in my bass for the last 20 odd years and still think it's one of the best P pickups you can buy. I have a Schaller J in the bridge position which gives a good contrast - very smooth and bright to the grit and growl of the DiM.

[quote name='Shaggy' post='593670' date='Sep 9 2009, 11:48 AM']That's damn spooky - I could have written that. You're not me are you? And I used to have an old Triumph ('66 650 Trophy)[/quote] Could be! Mine's a '65 Bonnie with a '66 engine, so maybe you're my slightly more pragmatic long lost twin. Now, if I could find a 1965 Thunderbird for the same money as my bike's worth I may take up cycling.... I'm more than happy to be you so long as I get to keep your collection of basses. In exchange you can have my half finished barn conversion and my 3 kids

Used to be a Fender & MM man (MusicManMan!) All bolt on maple necks, but now getting into set neck Gibson inspired instruments - especially hollow bodied short scale and non reverse long(er than a fender) scale Thunderbirds. Don't know why, I suppose 23 years of the same old thing can end up pushing you the other way. (I hope my wife doesn't read this thread....)

Yeah I was quite surprised when I saw how small the actual working parts of the model 1 were - especially after being used to the behemoth Gibson originals. Could you attach it to a new modded scratchplate? ie. make a scratchplate the same size, shape etc. but with a smaller hole to fit the model 1 gubbins and 4 holes with which you attach the pickup using short bolts and nuts. It seems simpler in my head than it sounds in writing....

Superglue is too brittle to fix something like a nut. Epoxy resin (Araldite) is a better bet and is effectively what the woven graphite of your Status neck is glued together with. Worth a trip to B&Q....

[quote name='GreeneKing' post='589605' date='Sep 4 2009, 01:54 PM']I think the exchange rate may have had an influence too i.e. Thomann prices have shot up.[/quote] Agreed, although the pound's looking a bit stronger than it was a month or two ago so there might just be a better deal to be had in the UK now. I always haggled over prices of new gear - you're in a good position if you have the money in your pocket and are ready to spend.

[quote name='nash' post='589062' date='Sep 3 2009, 09:18 PM']cheers dudes. i forgot to say. my dad has a car buffing machine. he said it's sheeps wool[/quote] Just be careful with that, especially around the edges or you'll polish right through to the wood!

[quote name='alexclaber' post='588810' date='Sep 3 2009, 05:23 PM']Only Behringer would be so desperate I wonder how much of the R&D on this amp involved a competitor's product and a photocopier? Alex[/quote] A saucer of milk for you Alex I couldn't agree more BTW

In spite of what the write up says it [i]does[/i] look like it's "just about the power". Any write up that uses the word 'ultra' is bound to be a let down. Gimme 100 watts of EL34 power anytime....

Thanks BigRed, they're more reasonable than any originals I've seen.

I'm looking out for pickups that sound like the original Thunderbird but as I don't want to re-mortgage my house I can't really afford a set of originals (especially not at Ebay prices). I've seen Bartolini do them but in my rather limited experience with Barts, I'm worried they'd be too hi-fi. Has anyone else been down this road?

[quote name='Al Heeley' post='581191' date='Aug 26 2009, 12:49 PM']You can make a fibreglass mould from a wood-body blank and then use that mould for making geetar bodies, so thats not a costly or lengthy process at all if you're in the GRP industry. Only good for half a dozen runs though. So for proper commercial mfr, a hugely costly cnc-milled metal mould may be required.[/quote] You can use rubber moulds which can last a good long while for glass, kevlar or carbon reinforced plastic. I guess most people regard most plastics as 'cheap', unless it's hi-tech materials such as woven carbon. In fact you could make a pretty good neck from glass fibre reinforced resin - it's just the majority of the cost is in the time spent laying it all up so in the end it wouldn't be much cheaper than a Status or Modulus graphite neck, and nobody would buy it 'cos it's 'glassfibre'.

[quote name='umph' post='577520' date='Aug 22 2009, 01:59 PM']IC's are alot easier to run[/quote] Slightly off topic but on the odd occasion I've looked at on board pre amp bits all the very best quality, lowest noise ICs tend to draw a huge current. As most people don't want to change their batteries every other week most pre's use ICs chosen for their low energy use rather than performance. Maybe more use should be made of pedalboard mounted power supplies - Alembic is the only bass I can think of that uses them.

[quote name='Rich' post='579070' date='Aug 24 2009, 03:05 PM']I have never managed to get a good sound from an Ashdown rig without EQing the hell out of it.[/quote] I thought the whole point of having an eq was to use it....

[quote name='Beedster' post='578983' date='Aug 24 2009, 01:53 PM']You know any collectors who aren't Doesn't matter how good the job is, let's face it, a lot of retro work is probably of better quality than the original craftsmanship (think 70's Fenders).[/quote] +1 on that Beedster. It depends on what you want it for. If you love the bass and want to play it regardless then go for it but if you really are worried about the value then lock it in its' glass case now!!!!

[quote name='evilLordJuju' post='577265' date='Aug 22 2009, 01:42 AM']No, you are right, but I think most people that change out the bridge are doing so because the Gibson 3 point can be tricky to adjust, and sometimes just doesn't go low enough. Or they lost a saddle and can't get a replacement (moreso with the older ones). Personally I have no problems with them, but i've had a lot of practise. The hipshot is easier to adjust still though, no practise required.[/quote] Yeah, fair point, I think the biggest problem with the 3 point is it falls to pieces when you take the strings off! Is your EB an original white finish? If so, I hope you keep armed guards around your house..

I bought a used Epi EB-0 from the forum and it's a brilliant change from what I'd been used to - you know, Precision, Jazz and MusicMan. If you want a try then go the Epiphone route, get a decent set of strings and you'll get a good idea of whether it suits you or not. There is quite a difference between the pickups fitted to the Epi and Gibson version (the epi is much lower impedance and weaker magnets), but don't worry about hardware etc. They work pretty well straight off the shelf. Don't worry too much about Hipshot Supertone bridges and suchlike - I've tried them and Schaller 460's too (hugely heavy machined brass Gibson replacement bridge) and neither of them made much difference - I think spending an extra eighty odd quid kind of makes you want to hear a difference that isn't really there.

You can buy relatively cheap coil winders off the internet these days (not car boot sale cheap mind you), although it's worth bearing in mind some of the most sought after pickups - Gibson's early PAF's for example - were wound on a small winder without a counter. The coils were wound for a set period of time, meaning there was quite a variation between one coil and another. What this means is if you know what speed your electric drill runs at you could wind pretty much world class pickups on tools you already have in your shed. Go for it

I might be wrong (I often am), but didn't the original Quad electrostatic speakers consist of one big e/s membrane with an area somewhat larger than even a 24" diameter driver? You can shoot me down now

[quote name='MoonBassAlpha' post='570913' date='Aug 16 2009, 07:35 PM']Old Laney Supergroup series. 4x EL34s. It's basically a 70s Marshall knock-off but without the ridiculous prices. Equall nice for guitar or bass. Jules[/quote] Not all Marshall valve amps are megabucks - I paid 300 quid for my 100watt Marshall 4150 combo, with a nearly new set of EL34s. There's good deals out there somewhere....