Soloshchenko

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' post='1194395' date='Apr 10 2011, 10:59 AM']First I connected the bare and red wires together and connected them to earth via the pot casing and used the white as the signal lead (i.e. going to the switch on your bass). This was out of phase with my other pickup, so what worked for me was bare & white going to earth (pot casing) and the red as the signal lead. You'll hear it if the pickups are out of phase, as the two pickup sound will be thin and very quiet. So some trial and error may be necessary to get the red and white wires the right way round, but the bare wire will always be earthed to the pot casing.[/quote] Thanks very much for that mate. You may have saved me an hour of pissing about there.

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' post='1194165' date='Apr 9 2011, 11:37 PM']On my KA toaster, the bare wire was the casing ground, and the red and white were the two ends of the coil. I mention this as mine was out of phase with my other pickup when wired as per the diagram, and I had to switch the red and white around to get the phase right.[/quote] cheers. What did you attach the red and white to on yours then?

[quote name='Bassassin' post='1193998' date='Apr 9 2011, 07:22 PM']Here's the KA wiring schematic thing: [url="http://www.kentarmstrong.com/schematics/KA_Wiring_Instructions.pdf"]http://www.kentarmstrong.com/schematics/KA...nstructions.pdf[/url] It says red & the bare wires are earth & the white is the signal - I'd guess on yours the red & bare go to the volume (probably stuck on the pot casing) and the white to the switch. Looking great, by the way. J.[/quote] Cheers Jon. I'll try this and see if it works on a trial and error basis.

I'm a bit confused by the KA Toaster wiring. The original PU had one bare metal wire going to the volume and a red wire to the switch. This KA one has a bare wire (which I assume goes the Volume) a red one (Which I assume goes to the switch) and a white one (Which I don't know where it goes!) Any help would be appreciated.

Nice day in the sun. Made a fair bit of progress.

Just when I'd started to feel I didn't need another bass this comes along. I'll probably be getting a second hand one when they hit the for sale section here.

[quote name='Johnston' post='1190908' date='Apr 6 2011, 07:46 PM']Let me know how you get on. There was one near me for sale but she was looking too much IMO. I'm going in again next week if she still has it I was going to try and talk her down to flip it . The ads going walkies on ebay will hopefully help my case no doubt she follows the bay. Can't get rid Ric gets them pulled nudge nudge.[/quote] I got me Gherson in a similar fashion. Worth saving the names of sellers and messaging them once they get pulled. I was lucky the guy posted on here or I'd have lost it. Honestly, it feels like we're buying something illegal/dangerous!

[quote name='Annoying Twit' post='1188096' date='Apr 4 2011, 06:30 PM']Shafty thru-neck. Looks nice to me. Like the case. Surely it's not worth £595 though. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Shaftesbury-4001-Replica-Bass-Guitar-not-Rickenbacker-/280654092983?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item4158499ab7"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Shaftesbury-4001-Rep...=item4158499ab7[/url][/quote] Removed. How annoying. That was really quick. Time for someone to set up a UK based Lawsuitbay where these ace instruments can be bought and sold without fear of a crusty old Rick employee pulling the plug. It's getting ridiculous and I wouldn't be surprised if he has one eye on this thread/site given how easy it comes up on a "Rickenfaker" google search. Having now owned 2 lovely Fakers I can totally understand why Rickenbacker do this sort of thing. Quite a lot of those 70s companies proved it isn't the hardest thing in the world to copy this style of bass for relative peanuts.

[quote name='mcnach' post='1185277' date='Apr 1 2011, 09:17 PM']you are making sense, please, stop that IMMEDIATELY!!! signed: owner of 5x P-basses (two are fretless) and 6x Stingrays (one is fretless and two are 5-string)[/quote] I can't really blame you mate. Also, I'd really class something like a fretless and a 5 string as 'different' even if it is the same design. They are totally different beasts to play SO you have 5 different types of bass there in my eyes. I do have a Columbus Jazz bass project lurking in my cupboard which I think I will go fretless on.

One tactic for curing some GAS is to accept that you really don't need 2 of the same thing. If you have a good Jazz, you don't NEED another, if you have a good Precision, you don't NEED another. If you feel you need another then buy it but sell the one you own to cover most of the costs. I've narrowed it down to a Jazz, a precision and a Rickenfaker. I have mild interests in Warwicks, Stingrays and Sandberg Basics though! I hope none of these developinto full blown GAS in the next few years or I'm screwed!

Be reet. I got a Columbus with 35 years of grime on the board. Scraped it off with a credit card and finished it off with a bit of lemon oil and it's fine. That's a good starting price. Watching.

[quote name='icastle' post='1182504' date='Mar 30 2011, 05:43 PM']Try [url="http://www.tonetechluthiersupplies.co.uk/Tools/Files-Knives-and-Saws/View-all-products.html?TreeId=33"]here[/url][/quote] Cheers mate but bloody hell, they seem pricey! Know of any cheaper ones?

And now I have your attention...Anyone know where I can get one of those little file/tools used for finishing off bass and guitar nuts? I used to have one but I've lost it.

[quote name='Bassassin' post='1180451' date='Mar 29 2011, 09:18 AM']The good thing about a perspex surround is that you lose the big hole where your thumb should go - and all that lovely sharp metal too. Less of a problem if you're still going to use a J pup but there will still be big gaps. How would you fit a J pup - just screw it into the wood like on a Jazz? Btw I have been known to make the odd Rickenfaker trc as well. J.[/quote] I don't fancy drilling into the body. One useful thing I did salvage from that bizarre modded Hondo with the precision pickup (body and neck now owned by Ash on here) was a black plastic pickup mount which I'll screw the J pickup to. It has loads of random drill holes in but will serve a purpose! Should make it more adjustable too. At the minute I'm gonna stick with the surround which has now arrived mainly due to me starting to use a pick a lot more. One of the reasons I sold the CMI was I played finger style and kept cutting my finger on the surround. Now I play with a pick it was clearly time to re join the murky world of Rickenfakery! I've also decided the original bridge is staying on. Had some strings on and it's fine, the saddles are all very stable and I like the look. Unless someone wants to sell me a Hipshot bridge VERY cheap, I may as well keep it orginal for the foreseeable future. All the parts are here! Just need me some new scratchplate screws and some little ones for the TRC and I'm ready to roll. Can't wait to get this all together.

I hate it but often feel that way about how PRS stuff looks. Saying that I nearly had to cast that aside once when playing a cheap s/h CE guitar because it was such an incredible thing. Sounded better and played better than anything I've ever played. I didn't buy it in the end.

Well I suppose it's each it his own regarding the TRC, I wasn't particularly bothered whether it said Rickenbacker or not, just needed a TRC and saw this one available so snapped it up. Personally speaking I think it looks fine, I'd never try to pass off the bass as a real one anyway so it's purely aesthetic to cover the truss rods. As regards the pickup surround I might still be interested in that Jon, I'll see how the new one feels and if I don't get on with it I'll sell it and get one off you. I do prefer the look of the originals but if it gets in the way it's going off!

Yeah, love that. In fact I would say the Lake Placid Blue is the only thing putting me off these. It's not that I don't like LPB, it's just I already have the 60s Classic Vibe one in this colour and while I like the colour and the bass I'm not a mad Man City fan, I don't want two!

I think that looks absolutely fantastic mate. Fancy picking up a Mustang pickup for it! Must be rare as hen's teeth! In fact, visually speaking, I think the pickup makes the project personally. It wouldn't look right with a Precision in there to my eyes. Basschat is ace, no question. I've had incredible help and advice off people on here and have bought some brilliant bits of rare and well priced gear as well. It's always good for selling too. Those people who moan they can't sell stuff normally have prices which are too high in my opinion.

Got most of the parts. Still waiting on the bloody bridge surround. This is going to be a lovely looking thing. BTW while the Kent Armstrong is meant to be a brilliant pickup and the sound samples I've heard are great, it definitely picks up some minus points for me for being a bit too big for the standard scratchplate. It doesn't take long to adjust the scratchplate but what the hell is the point marketing a Rick replacement pickup that doesn't fit standard Rick dimensions? Daft. Some update picks...

[quote name='bassmeg' post='1172591' date='Mar 22 2011, 08:52 PM']This looks great, can any of you jap anoraks give us some insight into this bass? Ta very much. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/WESTBURY-TRACK-2-BASS-MATSUMOKU-WESTONE-ARIA-VANTAGE-/170618438194?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item27b9a6c232"]ebay link[/url][/quote] I may be wrong but could have sworn this didn't sell recently for £200 BIN. Wait til it doesn't sell and PM him with a sub £200 offer I'd say. And yeah, I do agree it looks nice. I'm not at all into these Westone/Aria natural twin cut away Jap things usually but that looks brilliant, I'd happily own one.

On order: Kent Armstrong Toaster to replace the neck PU (Andy at Wizard said he couldn't do anything with the pick up dueto it being "too shallow", fair enough) Rickenbacker TRC New white scratchplate to accomodate pickup Metal surround for bridge pickup (the biggest rip of of all IMO!) Should be rocking by next week.

[quote name='daz' post='1171136' date='Mar 21 2011, 07:18 PM']Shame its in London, coiuldnt pick it up and i do not trust the parcel carriers at all. ps: As surmised the Arbitter has from ebay gone due to using the R word in the description (not the title)[/quote] Should get re listed no problem. That Arbitter was nice. Lovely grain.