Shaggy

[quote name='The Bass Doc' post='506682' date='Jun 5 2009, 10:18 PM']With a handle like shaggy you should be very careful out there - one or two members seem to have rammed the point home quite forcibly.[/quote] :brow: [quote name='steve-soar' post='506730' date='Jun 5 2009, 11:52 PM']Ewe supply the velcro gloves.[/quote] Gumboots, a bucket of Felinfoel Double Dragon, a moonlit field, and ewe.........

Only if you try a little "sheep-love". Never knock something 'till you've tried it....

I remember these, didn't realise they were Welsh. Better'n a cowin' Fender isn't it, butt! Heard about the new Welsh motorbike......... ..............the Rhondda 500 (courtesy Shadwel)

Blimey, has that been stored in a bathroom? Nice work rejuvenating her neepheid, really impressed - what a lovely old Gibson

If you're happy with the bass then it should be a worthwhile upgrade that will dramatically improve tone and output. There's often quality ones for sale here cheap mind - bought and sold my last 3 or 4 p/u's on BC at a fraction of retail. I'd never contemplate asking a shop to do it though; just take the strings off, unscrew the pickguard and lift the whole gubbins off, have a look where the old wires go and mark where they're soldered to with tape or tippex, cut them at the lug they're soldered to (sloppy) or unsolder them (neat), old pickups out, new pickups in, and solder the new leads onto the marked lugs. If you've never soldered, good little project to learn on! Then put some new strings on worthy of the new pickups

[quote name='Rayman' post='495959' date='May 23 2009, 12:06 PM']Outstanding sir, very nice to see it brought back to life, good job.[/quote] Thanks for the good words Rayman, and again for the smooth deal. Although an impulse buy, really pleased - quite a different character to my other 2 fretlesses, even found myself playing some (gulp[i])......Jazz[/i]

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='495609' date='May 22 2009, 10:31 PM']If you just want to test some nickels out for cost effectiveness then check out some of the eBay offers on Hartke strings; I got 3 sets of strings for £12. Ideal if you have string eating sweat. [/quote] Just did the same, on your recommendation! Can't go wrong at that price really. I've always used s/s purely from habit - first rotos now DR's, but a couple of years back bought Walbassist's '73 P strung with Fodera nickels and loved the tone - maybe time to change now. Years ago I had a temp job in a metal plating works where new starters would almost inevitably develop an intolerance for nickel - so very thoughtfully management didn't warn them. Luckily I didn't.

[quote name='budget bassist' post='495581' date='May 22 2009, 09:32 PM']nice one, some good bodging there! any pics of how it looked with the old pickup?[/quote] If bodging were an Olympic event I'd be on the UK team! Click on the link in my first post - looking again it actually looks better than I remember! Hmmm.....

[quote name='neepheid' post='494901' date='May 22 2009, 09:31 AM']That's what I would have done - the restored pickguard would have hidden most of the repair and if a good job was made of it then it wouldn't be terribly noticeable imho.[/quote] I almost certainly will at some point - basically I had to do something quickly as I'd already sold the DiMarzio to Mr Foxen so there was a gaping hole there! I'd be using the original p/u (now the "neck" p/u) probably all the time anyway, it's in fact in the same location as the bridge p/u on a B302, with the neck p/u located very far towards the neck indeed.

Hardly a major project this, but quite a fun minor one. Last week acquired Rayman's '78 Guild B301-F fretless - or rather his mate's, ( [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=47830&hl=Guild"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=47830&hl=Guild[/url] ) for a song as it had an added DiMarzio model one p/u installed in the bridge position some time in the '80's - quite neatly as it turned out. To me the Model One looked wrong and sounded wrong (set flush with the body so way too low for one thing), so it had to go. Considered plugging the routed hole with a shaped mahogany block and making a new intact pickguard, but it would never look entirely unmolested and be a faff to do. So I reckoned a Darkstar was the way to go, hence my "wanted" ad. But last weekend it was persisting down with rain, got bored, and knew from experience that if I didn't do something with the bass now it would sit there untouched for the next 20 years. So as a no-cost temporary measure I fitted the only suitable p/u I had - a small chrome humbucker off a late '60's Kalamazoo KB1 (my very 1st bass, 32 years ago!) which I'd always assumed was Gibson - Kalamazoo being their budget brand at the time - but looks very like a Hofner unit of that era. Well made anyway, and I knew it would sound good. No p/u surround, so I made one out of mahogany to exactly cover the routed hole and cut-out in the pickguard made for the Model One. Probably rushed it a bit, and the eagle-eyed will spot a motley assortment of screws holding it on (all adds to the mojo), but an improvement I think, and the mahogany should darken with age to match the bass (as it will undoubtedly stay there forever). The pole spacing is too narrow, but the coils are full width and there seems to be no noticable drop-off on the E and G. A nice subtle "nasal" fretless tone that's quite different from the deep, woody tone on the original single-coil p/u. Main problem is the bridge p/u is much lower output than the neck one so is overpowered in the combined setting - usually my favoured one - so if it's staying I'll probably change the vol / tone control set up to vol / vol or vol / pan. Really pleased with her, and apart from the mod the bass is in amazing original condition, the poly finish almost immaculate - it's apparently been in a loft the last 20 yrs (back to Beedsters post!)

I've got one on a word file - PM me your email and I'll send it

[quote name='OldGit' post='488504' date='May 15 2009, 08:59 AM']Blimey! That's the best voice substitution I've heard since Mike D'Abo took over from Paul Jones in Manfred Man in 1966[/quote] MM's "AS IS" was the first LP I ever bought (2nd hand I hastily add), first one with Mike D'Abo and full of brilliant songs now virtually forgotten. I still put it on when in a nostalgic mood, followed by the "Up the Junction" 45. For years I wanted an EB2 to copy Klauss Voormans thuddy bass that sounds so right. Back to the OP - definite improvement on JA, who found his rightful niche with Vangelis.

I just acquired Rayman’s ’78 fretless B301-F; (thanks mate! [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=47830&hl=Guild)"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=...0&hl=Guild)[/url] absolutely didn’t need it but I’ve always had a soft spot for these – ultra-cool funky styling, Guild build quality – and can never resist a project. Plus it was cheap! Have to say I’m really impressed – slightly clubby neck as MacDaddy said (quite Wal-like in fact), but nicely balanced, very playable, and lively, resonant, woody tone – being all mahogany and single coil p/u I guess. The added DiMarzio model one p/u at the bridge is coming out and I’ll probably make a replacement pickguard - which should cover most of the offending routed hole - and fit either a Darkstar or a quality J p/u – either should look right and add some bite to the mix. Very underrated basses that never had the classic status they deserve – there’s just been a couple of B302’s on the bay with hopeful BIN’s of over a grand mind!

Another satsified customer - just bought a Guild fretless off Rayman (or rather off his mate, with Russ acting as "go-between") - top guy to deal with; honest, friendly, communicative etc etc. Can't possibly support Man U.......

[quote name='BigBeefChief' post='485916' date='May 12 2009, 01:51 PM']Fender: Normal people, normal music. If it's a P I expect it to be played with a pick, nothing fancy but solid stuff. If a J, played with fingers, also solid stuff. Great design, great necks, a bit of a cop out. Warwick: The sex offender of the bass world. Mulletted weirdos. Driftwood. A lump of melted butter. 5 strings. Godawful funk or Jazz fusion. Rickenbacker: Dissapointing to play. Band usually plays decent music though. Classy retro look. Indie. Alembic: A collectors bass, usually hanging up as opposed to being played. Weight. Lots of switches. BC Rich: A new kid at school, bit spotty, not very cool. The weird smelly metallers let them sit with them for lunch. The talk moves away from ear medicine to talk about games workshop. The new kid decides to buy some space marines. Next comes World of Warcraft. This kid goes on to buy a BC Rich. Gibson Thunderbird: Same kid, but flukes a shag with a drunken 19yo on his 16th birthday. Ditches the Space Marines, starts smoking and forms a cock rock band. Still shagging fat birds, but at least he's getting some. Status: Great playability, zero cool. Music Man: Batteries, fixing problems that don't exist. Guildford. Ibanez: Rubbish basses for rubbish metallers. A design team from 1989. Lakland: Fender clones without the fender feel. Sadowsky: Toasted Celinder: ??? Yamaha: Strangely likeable. Motorbikes. Billy Sheehan. Would probably never own one. Bass Collection: Awful. Ugly headstock. Sei: Laaaandaaan. Session musicians. Shuker: Tasteless northerners. Fodera: People who own them using stupid phrases like "priviledged". Get over yourself. Butterflies Zon: Big noses Epiphone: Good stuff but ruined by the varnish/paint on the necks. Burns: Laaandaaan. Retro quirkiness. Cool.[/quote] Best yet!

BC Rich Eagle, especially the NT models - DiMarzio P p/ups which I [b]really[/b] rate, more balls than your average P, 24 frets, light weight, and a funky shape. As played by Bernard (Edwards) Gigging with mine loads these days.

[quote name='Linus27' post='483301' date='May 8 2009, 08:56 PM'][b]Gibson Thunderbird/Flying V[/b] - Why?[/quote] Just.........because :brow: [quote name='silddx' post='483631' date='May 9 2009, 11:40 AM']Gordon Smith - Local Scout Hall[/quote]

[quote name='BigRedX' post='482564' date='May 7 2009, 11:05 PM'][url="http://www.acguitars.co.uk/Gallery/123/"]Fretless ACG[/url][/quote] That’s very cool indeed – haven’t seen those before. Much of Mick Karn’s Japan recordings done with a Travis Bean (I wondered for years what the hell it was until BigRedX put me straight), which as much as anything shows how much of his sound is in the fingers rather than the bass; slides, slurs, very eccentric timing, and a dollop of production. You hear many of his playing techniques in flamenco and Middle Eastern music. I get a sound very, very close from my Ovation Magnum fretless thru a Trace head and a wee bit of compression and chorus – reckon you’d get the same on any of the quality “woodier” fretless basses (see [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=42147&hl=fretless)"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=...mp;hl=fretless)[/url]

Band no 1: 2.5 kW PA, crossover, everything down to the cow-bell miked, multicore cable 5 miles long and the width of Dirk Diggler's ----, 2 guitar full stacks (even though they’re miked), huge drum kit, (bass DI & small head/2x10 monitor): 1 hr setting up plus 1 hr fannying about with the sound. Packing up seems even worse. Band no 2: basic PA, 2 guitar combos, 2 mikes, drum machine (big bass rig backline only). 20 minutes max, soundcheck is the first song. The best thing about being famous must be having roadies / sound crew, forget the groupies……