bigjohn

[quote name='Clive Thorne' post='220511' date='Jun 17 2008, 12:20 PM']I guess it depend on your motivation. If you enjoy tinkering and upgrading, and enjoy the results, and learn something in the process, then why not spend a bit of money doing it?. After all most people spend money on their 'hobbies' without any thought of getting their money back. Again, if you've got a bass you're particularly fond of, but want to tweak it rather than trade it in, then why not? If you can't afford the bass you want at the moment, but can afford a different bridge etc, then why not. BUT, ultimatel, as others have said, this will not be a cheap way to get a good bass, and (assuming you've paid the going rate for the various bits) you're not going to get your money back. As long as you realise this befor you start then OK.[/quote] Yeah - the only way you can get your money back is to make a bass from good quality (and cheaply sourced) vintage parts. A mate of mine has put together a nice '77-'78 precision, all original parts - it's lovely and only cost him about £300. He's also put together a rather tasty handwired vintage hiwatt stack for about £450. But then, he works in a guitar shop!

[quote name='chris_b' post='220443' date='Jun 17 2008, 10:58 AM']You can put go faster stripes on a rusty old Ford and what you have is a rusty old Ford with go faster stripes. I have modded a bass in the past and now wish I hadn't. My view is you should save up and get the right bass "off the shelf".[/quote] I'd like a rusty old ford with go faster stripes. Maybe an Escort MKII Mexico. Or a nice old Capri, or maybe a Mustang Anyway - I'm not sure that's the correct analogy, a good bass is a good bass, if you can make it better by modding it, then great. Where would I buy a gun metal blue precison with a 62 pickup with a 70's style maple fretboarded neck off the shelf from? By the way can I have it with a pearl pickguard, white pickup covers, a reissue cornell dublier 0.1uf cap, and have the cavity and scratch plate shielded? Oh, and one more, can I have the metallic outline on the headstock logo in silver and not gold please? I'll admit - with the money spent I could have bought an MIA or MIJ 62 reissue. But that wouldn't be quite the same. I will probably do a similar thing in a couple of years. Got my eye on those new MIM jazz basses with the blocks inlays. Want a black one. Already have a set of US noiseless pickups waiting for a new bass!

[quote name='ashgeezer' post='220208' date='Jun 16 2008, 09:01 PM']The only thing i'm doing with my MIM precision is changing the pickups and bridge and thats it. i couldnt justify going berserk and spending shedloads on it as i only use it for jamming with at the moment, maybe gigging in the near future,who knows, all i do know is it sounds fine as it is and i get the sounds i want out of it. i suppose everyones different.[/quote] I don't mind MIM bridges now. When I started on Fenders I thought the bridges were all crap - but I'm much more used to them now. Am quite intrigued by these vintage high mass bridges on the 2008 MIAs though. I'm not a fan of MIM pickups - nor tuners. The tuners do a job, but aren't very subtle. Best mods (and best value) are the pickups and the capacitor(s).

[quote name='spinynorman' post='213572' date='Jun 5 2008, 11:32 PM']Very interesting responses here, there seems to be a widespread expectation that when you sell a bass (that you bought used, at least) you should expect to get your money back. That's how I feel too and I've been quite gutted any time I've lost money on one. And that tends to work against modding, as an MIM Fender is what it is, in spite of anything you do to improve it. [b]I don't think I'd go as far as BigJohn, looks like the only part left of the original bass is the body.[/b] Maybe one way of recovering some of the value would be to keep the old parts and put it back stock before selling it. That way you either have parts for a new project, or could sell them, certainly with pickups and preamps I guess that would work. So I'm talking myself into pickup replacement. Just need to decide which ones.[/quote] And I might replace that too one day

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='214869' date='Jun 8 2008, 01:34 PM']I have a mutant slap (as in DB) technique I sometimes subconsciously employ which means the strings hit the pickup poles. CLACK! Sound guys love it. [/quote] I do that too. Sometimes I find myself muting strings with my fingers and not my palm whilst or just before playing a new note and whacking the strings down on the pole pieces. A guitarist I play with likes it - it's like percussion he says...

[quote name='bilbo230763' post='217684' date='Jun 12 2008, 03:32 PM']I'd rather boil my head.[/quote] I'd suggest you go with leeks this time rather than carrots.

Great Friday afternoon read this. All of it. Big fan. Parody is a favourite of mine. He's playing the Running Horse in Nottingham tonight. I might go down there. I want to see his crocodile castrating and midget defending with my own eyes. Seeing will no doubt be believing. Great stuff. Love it. I could dream it. I wonder if Coogan saw his myspace whilst researching saxondale...

Modding anything usually results in spending money. it's very unlikely you'll get it back again. I'm currently spending a "fortune" on modding a MIM Precision. The hobbyist in me has taken over. I only played the thing for 15 minutes before I took it apart. It's not been back together since. I already had a '62 reissue USA pickup (£60) I've (so far) bought... 1) Vintage domed knobs (£15) 2) Copper shielding tape and sheet (£10) 3) New pots and jack (£5) 4) New neck (£50) 5) Vintage wires and various caps (£5) 7) New TI flats (£30) 8) White pickup covers (£6) 9) New headstock logo (£6) 10) NOT bought yet - new tuners. It's already cost me £360 and I've not replaced the black dots on the neck with mother of pearl or lacquered the neck yet - It'll come in just over £400. Price of an MIA. However - I'll have put it together myself, learned loads with it, have a bass I (hopefully) love, and will keep forever anyway. It's a bit like this computer I'm on. I built it myself. I know it inside out, all the creaks, whizzes and beeps. Cost me a fortune to build but was the fastest computer I'd ever used when it was new. Now's it's nearly 10 years old and still keeps up! Oh also - 11) A new soldering iron (£10)

Hiya, Has anyone done this on a mighty mite neck? It's an all in one maple (no fretboard) with black dots at the moment. Does anyone know if the markers are just inked? Or are they inlaid? John

[quote name='The Burpster' post='211808' date='Jun 3 2008, 02:12 PM']If its waterslide then yes... Its slightly more sophisticated these days, you can buy the slide sheet in A4 size and print your own using your PC.. But essentially big Airfix sets..... Oh Aye, dont forget teh tongue... its essential! [/quote] I shall use the tongue method. I usually suck my bottom lip but I will defer to your greater knowledge of the subject.

[url="http://www.fender.com/support/diagrams/pdf_temp1/basses/0192200_02A/SD0192200_02APg1.pdf"]fender parts diagram[/url] Try that?

[quote name='The Burpster' post='211719' date='Jun 3 2008, 12:27 PM']OK.... (years of modelling experience coming thru...!) waterslide transfers need to be applied onto a clean (no dust) fingermark and greasefree surface. Take some time doing this as one piece of dust can ruin the whole effect. soak the transfer in shallow warm water unitl it seprates from the backing paper, and carefully lift it out of the water with flat faced tweazers. hold vertical over a piece of KITCHEN towel with the lower end just touching it to soak any excess water from it. hold over your bass the same way (vertical) and slowly roll it onto teh surface from the dangling end unitl it is in place (this needs to be thought about before application). Once in place gently apply a rolling pressure to it with the kitchen towel enusring you are rolling out any trapped water NOT pressing it in to place. Once in place leave it at least overnight at room temperature to harden and dry. Dont rush it. Once dry you can either spray pver the whole transfer with Acrylic laquer or carefully (depending upon your skill with a paint brush) paint a band 5-6mm wide all around the outside edge of teh transfer to seal the edges. Complete overspaying with the appropriate laquer is the method that gives teh best results tho'[/quote] Whoah there! Lucky I bought 2. So are these the same things that come with airfix models? I got my decals from brauskoh off ebay. He does custom ones... He's done me a 70s TV precision logo but with a silver instead of gold outline.

[quote name='paul, the' post='211688' date='Jun 3 2008, 12:05 PM']The quickest way of getting over the old one will be gigging/jamming with a new one.[/quote] Aye, I really got on with our last drummer. Really nice fella and gave us loads of notice when he left (went to university) - but our new drummer is equally great all round. Both totally different in style and technique which has made us learn the same songs over again - but that's good and has been fun. The songs are much better now, and better than they would have been if we had our current drummer from the start if you see what I mean... We spent ages trying to find a replacement - but in the end it was well worth it.

I've got a decal coming for a new neck I'm putting on my project - does anyone have any tips for applying them? Will I need to lacquer over it? ta John

Sounds nasty. I've had the back off my b-50r before and there's not much to em. Your has a valve pre-amp though doesn't it? Will they not take it back and replace it?

[quote name='Oscar South' post='211131' date='Jun 2 2008, 02:40 PM']all you need to do is to get the music into your head and after that learn to play in on your bass.[/quote] singing the song to yourself in your head is a good one. I often jump out of bed with a new line in head, or think of one when I'm doing something entirely different. The trick is go and learn how to play it, and then try it out at your next rehearsal. Don't worry if it doesn't work - sooner or later one will come into your head which is just right.

[quote name='GrahamMacca' post='208949' date='May 29 2008, 03:05 PM']Dear All, thanks very much for helping out here and for the info. I'm very sorry that I have not yet been back to reply - a family health crisis (fatyer terminally ill) has had me out of action for the last month. Mine is definitely the Bass series from the mid 1980s (86 I think). I will retrieve the more detailed info re serial number etc which might give us a better idea of value. all the best Graham[/quote] Soz to hear about family probs. Sounds a bit like my 1985 - what colour is the cloth on the front? If it's faded brown it's a bit more collectable. I paid £300 for mine, with a service, from a shop. Which is really really cheap for what it is I reckon. Brilliant amp.

I'd leave well alone too. projects are all well and good for fun - but that's not gonna be fun! regarding a twisted neck. I have a neck that had a really bad bow in it. A friend of mine took it away and built a jig and submerged the neck in the jig in his bath for 3 days. That did the trick.

[quote name='Huge Hands' post='208013' date='May 28 2008, 01:26 PM']I have had the same experience with both the unknown flats on my upright, and Labella flats I recently put on my Cort. It almost feels to me as though they have a thin plastic or rubber coating on them which gets grippy as my fingers cause friction? I'm probably talkin b*****ks, but that's what it feels like.[/quote] That's what it feels like to me too. Made a really bad mistake of changing my strings a coupla days before going into a studio a few months back. Was horrible!

I always find TI flats sticky for about a week. After that I love em. Before that I hate them!

[quote name='Talon' post='204813' date='May 23 2008, 10:06 AM']There's some lettering at the end of the headstock that looks like it says something Custom Bass...I'd get out of this if you can[/quote] I've seen them (I've got one!) with "Deluxe Series" written like that and just there - but not "custom body" - that's stratspeak isn't it?

Has anyone bought anything from Haneberg.se recently? I emailed him but he didn't reply - which doesn't really encourage me to pay him money through paypal...

[quote name='Talon' post='205730' date='May 24 2008, 10:13 PM']I prefer my MIM precision to many American versions I've tried...[/quote] Here here! although I'm not sure about mexican pickups. My new MIM precision sounds much better with US pickups. Much more going on - the stock one was a bit lifeless compared to my other MIM which has a factory fitted US pickup. A balance of amp / bass is important too. you'll find it easier to get a better sound of of a better bass with a wider variety of amps. Similarly better amps sound better with a wider variety of basses. Although it's possible to get a decent tone out of a cheap bass and cheap amp - it'll be harder work. I always think of better gear taking some uncertainty out of the equation.