Shaggy

[quote name='Rick's Fine '52' timestamp='1353684876' post='1877461'] OK, finally decided to go for it, and bought one, picked it up on Tuesday. Not the F-hole version as i started this thread with, but a regular one (if there's such thing as a 'regular' 4005!), here it is; [/quote] Absolutely stunning bass - great score! I know you'd been looking for one for ages. Probably the only bass I feel any remaining GAS for, but waaaaaaaay out of my price league, even assuming I could find one...... I had an early '80's 360/12 guit*r for many years (basically the same body design, albeit with a shorter....ahem...."appendage" as the upper horn) - IMHO the most beautiful guitar ever built.

Tom bought my Eden 410-XLT cab at a sunny Reading services today. Smooth deal, great communications - deal with in total confidence! Greg

A third very smooth deal with Barrie (2nd at Reading services in fact) - in fact he was selling me the bass (Kramer 650B) on behalf of a friend and got nothing out of it himself, which shows just what a top guy he is Thanks mate! Greg

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Mesa-Ampeg-Trace-Bass-gear-/221152261441?pt=UK_MusicalInstr_Amplifiers_RL&hash=item337db3b541#ht_568wt_1362 My back went into spasm just looking at that lot......

[quote name='Beedster' timestamp='1351021082' post='1846366'] Greg, you have the best taste in basses of anyone I know. I am moving to Wales in two weeks and will be regularly driving past Swansea, you've been warned. That Magnum has been on my 'watch list' for a long time [/quote] Hehe, swap for the DB??? hope you bought those waterproofs Chris..... Forgot the Travis Bean

The biggest and baddest of neck 'buckers..... Ovation Magnum

[quote name='3below' timestamp='1350767293' post='1843375'] I have the same desires lol. The one bass I ever regret shifting was a 58 EB2. I remember the mudbucker, the massive fretwear, the finish and fretboard wear and worst of all the floppy rattling E string and it farting out (heavy touch here) but I do miss it. I wonder what the mudbucker might sound like with a modern bass rig?. Best bet is to wait and see... due to my EB2 and re-living youth needs (have not bought Norton commando or Triumph 750 death wish so far) the Midtown is on my list. Has made me think is this a clever Gibson marketing ploy. Will it neck dive, will it do the EB3/2 tone without mud, does the headstock stay on (my EB2 did despite tuner bending drop) and will it stand up in a modern context. If it does these things, I want one, now. [/quote] Just to be pedantic, the bakelite covered p/ups on the early EB's were single coil, not mudbuckers. Being positioned right up against the neck and with de rigeur flats on they can sound very thuddy, but with decent light rounds on can be surprisingly articulate (pic of my rather dog-eared '58 attached - and co-incidentally I also ride a '72 Norton Commando 750 Roadster! but owned it 25 years....) I just googled both the basses in the OP being unfamiliar with them, and have to say that even as a die-hard Gibson fan; on looks the Gretsch does it for me. You'd have to try them both though. Hear good things about the Epi Allen Woody and Rumblekat too.

A second smooth and easy deal with Mike (bought my Squier MB4) - fast payer and great communications, a pleasure to deal with

Brass nuts were "de rigeur" in the '80's, so I've had loads - I think they do add a tad of sustain as well as looking a bit classier than plastic The only aluminium one I've had is on my '75 Travis Bean - no sign of wear from nearly 40 years of use.

[quote name='3below' timestamp='1347653365' post='1803744'] Tried repairing Peavey B/W where the cone edging had lifted from the metal frame - age caused glue to fail. It was not a good result (I am pretty fair at repairs - usually) There is a good amount of info about how to recone available - shims to set voice coil in correct position seems to be the secret. What is blown? describe the damage - cone damage to paper can be fixed with varying degrees of success. [/quote] Externally it's fine - guy I had it off (cheap!) said it had a "rubbing coil", and hooked up to an amp the sound is very low output and distorted Bill - thanks I'll give that a try first. As you say, nothing to lose!

Anyone tried re-coning a blown speaker themselves using one of the commercially available kits? Being the cheapskate I am I'm tempted, but can see me making a pigs ear of it and then having to fork out again for a pro repair.... Driver is an Electro Voice EVM10M (10" / 8 ohm / 200W) Ta! Greg

Many bassists replace the Gibson 3-pointer with the Hipshot Supertone, but I've never had any problem with them whatsoever; they do the job fine. I think it's mainly players using a plectrum who play with their hand resting on the bridge (which I don't) can find the corners uncomfortable. Main thing to remember is to keep the bass "face up" when changing strings - or the saddles drop out. Everyone should own a T'bird at least once - try it, and you can always fit a Hipshot later.

[quote name='krysh' timestamp='1346071285' post='1784818'] I'm with you for hollow bodies. I love [url="http://snd.sc/iD9Nk0"]my 1965 Guild Starfire[/url]: ...and my guild nightingale. [/quote] Now that IS tasty - proper Hagstrom bisonic p/ups and all......

There is a dedicated website; http://www.hollowbodybass.com/ - but I don't think it's been updated in a couple of years! Haven't tried the Hagstrom, but there seem to be some very nice designs around at the moment from Epiphone (Jack Casady, Rumblekat and Allen Woody), Gretsch re-issues, Ibanez, Hofner, and Italia (as above). Definitely something special about semi hollow / semi acoustics both tonally and aesthetically - I love my 2 Gibson EB-2's ('58 and '69 "D") but it took me a while to find a really nice long scale one - eventually picked up an '85 Gordon Smith Galaxy (since gone, but if you ever see one snap it up....), and crrent squeeze; late '80's Steve Smith / Goodfellow custom "EB-2" with big Bartolinis. Determined to own an old Ric 4005 before I hang up my bass for good though.....

Retro Mesa Boogieness Part (3): The guitar rig. 1985 “no stripe” Mesa Mk III short head with Boogie Thielle 200W EV cab 100 / 60W (switchable) all-valve head, 3 channel (clean / crunch rhythm / saturated lead), spring reverb, graphic and parametricEQ. To my mind the best guitar amp ever built, the tonal configurability is endless. The later Mk IV and V has more flexible independent channel EQ, but the Mk III had the most saturated crunch tone of any Mesa, dual rec included. Small, but heavy – it’s a full 100W stack in a tiny rig. (’74 Gibson SG Standard posing for scale)

Retro Mesa Boogieness Part (2): The “compact rig” Mesa 300W Walkabout head with the Diesel 2 x 10 TBH I haven’t tried the matching 1 x12 which would be still more compact, but it’s so nice with the 2 x 10 I won’t bother – the power and depth of this little rig is just humongous. My main gigging rig – head feeds DI to FOH, and drives cab for stage sound. (’69 Gibson EB-2 posing for scale)

Time to ressurect this thread! Retro Mesa Boogieness Part (1): The all-valve stack 1982 Mesa D-180 with Diesel Road-Ready 1 x 15 and 2 x 10 cabs. I’ve had a few “big” valve stacks over the years – ‘70’s Orange 120 with custom 4x12, Fender Bassman 135 with H/H 2x15, and more recently; Ampeg SVT-2 pro with Mesa Diesel Road Ready 2 x 15 and 1516BE. Over the last 5 years I’ve DI’d so don’t need a big back-line rig any more, but I wanted to put one together for “projects” (and I just missed that wall of sound behind me too!) Criteria were; it had to be portable enough to stash into a small hatchback, and be “golden era” Mesa (late 70’s – ‘80’s) So this is it – I deliberately went for the 200W D-180 over the 400+ as being lighter, more compact, and less valve-hungry – it also has a cascade-gain “crunch” channel just like the Mark series guitar amps for overdrive to filthy distortion. (also I’ve still got the Ampeg head in the unfeasibly big and heavy category….) Pure sex, flightcased. (’65 Precision posing for scale)