Beedster

[quote name='Marc S' timestamp='1456234656' post='2986853'] Ah, shame to abandon these Beedster Why not finish just one of them? [/quote] Hi Marc, I'm ging to finish the fretted Jazz for sure as it's heading off to a new home. The problem I have with basses is that they bring out the perfectionist in me, and I spend hours and hours - and a lot of cash - tinkering and refining to get them perfect. And then I sell them anyway, usually not just at a loss in terms of what the parts costs, but also in terms of how much time I've spent on them. It's not a problem because I genuinely love doing it, especially if I'm stripping a bass down to bare wood and oiling/waxing it back to life, but it's a luxury and, given I've less time than used to be the case, one that keeps me from playing the things! I may finish the Precision because it's almost there, setup and playability is prefect, just needs the PUPs and circuit installed. The fretless Jazz is likewise almost there. The CMI is not so much as a project as an improver (it's currently entirely playable but is good enough to warrant the addition of some very nice components to take it to the level I like a bass to be at), and the Ric, well, I think the idea of the filter pre will produce something special for sure, but will I ever use it apart from noodling......?

Years of messing about with basses has taught me that the answer to the question, and most others, is 'you won't know until you try'. There are too many variables relating to personal taste, current equipment and gig etc, for anyone else's opinion to hold sway with any degree of reliability. Keep an eye out for a used model, if you don't like it, sell it on for what you paid. Or be an idiot like me and convince yourself that the most expensive custom overwound model is by definition the best:)

I've decided to abandon all of the above as I'm spending too much time building instruments and not enough time playing them, to the point that a session on mandolin yesterday morning left my fingers in tatters! I'm also spending way yo much money buying top end parts!!!! So, if anyone's interested in taking on any of these (expect the maple board Jazz which is spoken for and the 4003s which I obviously can't sell here but which will be listed elsewhere eventually I guess), please let me know. I'm happy to sell them as projects or as finished instruments, although the latter will need a little time of course. NO MORE PROJECTS!!!

[quote name='warwickhunt' timestamp='1456082849' post='2985250'] 'girl' in title, youtube clip of someone playing... ah another one! [/quote] We need a 'yawn' emoticon

I'm in, my main influence as long as I can remember. So many good tracks but Fatman in the Bathtub always a fave.

Yeh yeh yeh, so I sold a nice bass and bought it back. Twice. You're all just jealous

Despite this http://basschat.co.uk/topic/277583-83-wal-mk-1-for-under-l2000-anyone-sold-sorry/page__fromsearch__1 it give me great pleasure to be able to report that the mongrel is back where it belongs. And many thanks to Alex for being such a gent about it also!

[quote name='Shaggy' timestamp='1455442057' post='2979043'] "I thought I was The Fender modding king But I just handed my bitsa crown to him......" Absolutely fabulous - I feel quite inadequate having only one bass project currently on the go (though a couple of other instruments too) That Ric is going to be a monster [/quote] I walk in your shadow Greg! I seem to have amassed a collection here, and I've done so at a time when I really want to be pulling the studio together at a slightly faster rate than is currently the case. Whilst I build them up for fun and generally sell them on, I think a few of these projects might end up being sold before I've even built them! If I get time to do it, the Ric is going to be a monster. Exactly what sort of monster however remains to be seen

[quote name='jay-syncro' timestamp='1455446229' post='2979081'] Why do all of your basses have bits missing? [/quote] Frets are for wimps! All joking aside, I was contemplating getting that neck fretted anyway, so I'll keep you posted Jay

[quote name='LukeFRC' timestamp='1455360442' post='2978371'] some lovely basses! you going to tell us about Warmoth? [/quote] Thanks Luke, yes will open a thread re Warmoth. I was going to give them another chance to rectify things but frankly they are nit a company I trust anymore. All manufacturers make mistakes, it's how they deal with then that matters really.

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1455310232' post='2978159'] I`d def go first dibs on that bass-that-can`t-be-named. Looks great. [/quote] Ha ha, it'll probably find it's way onto eBay eventually, but I'm very keen to see how it works out before that happens

[quote name='jay-syncro' timestamp='1455270206' post='2977597'] I don't know how you find the time, mate! That said, first dibs on the Jazz with the black blocks [/quote] Ha ha, think you'd find it too much for you Jay, those lines that look like frets aren't

[quote name='CamdenRob' timestamp='1455200746' post='2976971'] The Jazz at the top is a bit of a looker I'd be tempted to get it finished in a trans finish of some sort... the grain is lovely [/quote] Funny, but when it comes to projects I like the up-front honesty of a natural finish, as you may have noticed

[quote name='taunton-hobbit' timestamp='1452104263' post='2946482'] If 5 watts (that's real watts) is going to do it...Jeff had a few of these at 359.00 ....got to be worth a thought............ [/quote] So is that good for bass, I assume it's a guitar head by design?

[quote name='Marc S' timestamp='1455200298' post='2976965'] Wow! That's a lot of projects. Didn't you just sell off a whole load of gear too? Good on on you beedster. Some nice work there [/quote] Hi Marc, I did actually sell the fretless Jazz to a lovely guy in Hungary (I think), but it had been sitting in it's case unplayed for a while and the neck felt odd, so instead of going to Hungary it went back to Warmoth, and has now come back again to start the whole process all over! Full story to follow (and to cut it short I won't ever be buying anything from Warmoth again........)

Thought I'd post the current batch in various stages of readiness. Details will follow over the next few days as I can find time to add them There's a long story behind the neck, which was a custom order form Warmoth, but that's for another day. This is a rather lovely bass, Seymour Duncan Custom Shop Weather Report PUPS, Kiogon circuit with push/pull series/parallel option, and a neck pocket tighter than the Blockheads in '78. Im still not 100% happy with the board (the subject of my 'discussion' with Warmoth) so will probably go for an epoxy finish. [url="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/Beedster/media/D0B7BB04-A2E9-4FC3-8C2F-292CC9CF4573_zpsrbo97jdg.jpg.html"][/url] Lovely old 70's MIJ body with cheeky tan-lines, fantastic Allparts blocked ands bound neck, J-Retro, Badass III and Di Marzio Super Jazz. Early signs are promising [url="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/Beedster/media/5C5083CE-A208-4DE5-819D-C9FA243DE5F2_zpsjadrf5vq.jpg.html"][/url] A stunning late 70's Kubicki body, equally stunning Allparts fretless neck with something I don't usually like, a pale rosewood board. Furthermore it has a Jazz route so close to the bridge (a proper/real-man Badass from the 70's) that it's going to honk like an angry goose on steroids. The bass sings, really sings, lovely sustain. Given that I've recently picked up a pair of Nordstand NPJSE4 PUPs and a Kiogon stacked pot circuit, it's going to be special. [url="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/Beedster/media/IMG_0288_zpsrzgcccyb.jpg.html"][/url] Now this one I'm really excited about, it's going to have an ECG filter preamp installed. I've always loved the core Ric tone, but find that I need to fiddle around with the amp far too much to get out of the Ric what it's capable of. I love the filter pre, I love the Ric tone, what's to lose.......? It's gonna take a while however. My last attempt at an active Ric was about as successful as Coldplay's Superbowl set [url="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/Beedster/media/3472F42E-BA36-4BB3-AFCF-BC026088EC79_zpsivdm6hhc.jpg.html"][/url] And last but not least, a 70's CMI faker and the kind of instrument that gets JH so angry, i/4 of the price of a 4003 and whilst I'd never say as good as a good 4003, certainly a whole lot better than some I've played. This may end up with a new fretless board, I still miss the sound of a 4003FL. [url="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/Beedster/media/IMG_0292_zpsdftjhhxz.jpg.html"][/url]

Get a Carlsbro combo

Panic over, get back to buying bass gear

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1455117874' post='2976094'] The Ricstormtroopers are setting phasers to stun as we speak................... [/quote] [URL=http://s80.photobucket.com/user/Beedster/media/The-Bee-Gees-002_zpsw3ikjax8.jpg.html][IMG]http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j199/Beedster/The-Bee-Gees-002_zpsw3ikjax8.jpg[/IMG][/URL]