Rumple

[quote name='owen' timestamp='1423848071' post='2689729'] Yay for building with cheap parts off ebay. It is the best fun. [/quote] [quote name='EliasMooseblaster' timestamp='1423848155' post='2689731'] As somebody who finished a similar eBay Bitsa project last year, I say: good on you, and good luck! Looking forward to seeing the results. [/quote] It's a bit like glorified Maccano.

Quick update while I'm here. I removed the scratchplate which was help in place with the wrong type of screws to reveal CTS pots which is a plus! while I was at it I took the ugly Shaller locking strap thingies off and the nasty bridge. I've used some fine pretend wire wool to take a lot of shine off of the new scratchplate and I'll leave it soaking in tea and coffee over night to see if I can get the white ply to yellow up a bit, I have no idea if this will work mind!

[quote name='Marc S' timestamp='1423845025' post='2689674'] Looks fine to me. I too prefer the shape of a Jazz neck Particularly at the nut end. Even that seems to vary more than you think though My own fave is my Roadworn Jazz - love that bass The neck is slightly wider & deeper than my US '72 reissue Jazz and slimmer than a 90's US Jazz I used to own! lol I used to dislike the chunkier P necks of old But a lot of P necks in recent years seem to have a friendlier, narrower shape & profile I think this is referred to as the "C" shape ? Anyhow, are you keeping that neck for the bass? Or will you change? I'm amazed at how good the China-made Squier Classic Vibe basses are The P has a lovely shaped neck, and it feels old too.... I've got a bitsa P, with Mighty Mite neck, and that also has a similar neck.... Plays better than the old US P bass I used to have years back Re the back of the body - you could always try distressing it a tad more, or even a bit of a re-paint? (even by hand should be alright - it's a roadworn / relic) Applying stickers, as you suggest, is another option - but I think it looks OK No-one's going to see it anyway.... I've said it many times before, but not particularly being a fan of relics / roadworns initially since getting my own roadworn - there's just such a liberating feeling, not having to worry about whether someones going to knock a cymbal stand onto your bass or kick it over etc etc Keep us posted about this bass I'm interested to see what you do with it Nice one Was it a bargain? Marc [/quote] Hi Marc, I too have a Fender RW Jazz that I love the neck on, admittedly it's had some work done to it including a new fingerboard so it's not original. The neck is the neck I bought, it has a cream binding and some nice flaming to the maple on the headstock Although it's wider at the neck than a Jazz it's quite shallow so I'm hoping it will be comfortable to play. Also there is something a little more organic about having a bass painted with thin Nitro rather then thick shiny Poly. I agree with your comments about the back it looks a tad more contrived then the front, I wouldn't normally put stickers on a bass but nothing about this one will be normal to me

I've always liked the idea of Olympic White over sunburst Jazz Bass, I've seen a couple of old Strats in that combination and a Limelight Jazz, one day last year while passing some time on Ebay I stumbled across a P bass body in just that combination, it's not been done brilliantly but I liked the way the front looked (not so much the rear) so put a bid in and won it, maybe it was only me that liked it! I think it's a Squier body or something similar as it's made for a neck with a truss rod at the headstock so will need routing. Fast forward to Christmas time and I needed to come up with some pressie ideas, I love 66 Jazz Basses with dot and bound necks and lollipop tuners so I thought I may as well make a hybrid, Santa brought me a new neck and scratchplate and also lots of aged Fender parts from Madison in the US. I'm getting a couple of old looking stickers for the back of the body as I don't think it looks very good. I'm really a Jazz Bass kinda guy but I hope I get on with the P width neck and single pup, talking of pups, I have 3 sets of them, Aria, Encore and Squier, they were all pretty cheap but worth a try. As with everything I do it will probably take ages to complete Here's some pics: [center][attachment=183832:P1010378 lr.jpg] [attachment=183833:P1010379 lr.jpg] [attachment=183834:P1010381 lr.jpg][/center] [center][attachment=183835:P1010382 lr.jpg] [attachment=183836:P1010383 lr.jpg][/center]

Last update on this one for a while as the next job is to spray over the sunburst and as that mostly involves working in the garden I'll save that job until the spring. I weighed the bass yesterday and it a very respectable 9lbs on the nose that's without trap buttons and all the screws in the plates but they shouldn't add a lot of mass.

I'm having one of my custom basses changed to a 33" scale length and it's been brought to my attention that most manufacturers long scale 5 string sets have the problem where the thick part of the string rather then the taper would have to wrap around the tuner post, I've had a quick look on the internet and I can't find medium scale 5 string sets, what do people use?

The 4P4T rotary switches will now be used in the 5 string bass I'm having made for me. This morning I quickly wired the Jazz up in series and I liked what I heard, quite an aggressive and loud mid heavy sound, probably more like a Stingray then a P or J, the J&D pups are quite powerful anyway and series wiring has magnified that, so I've ordered a 3 hole control plate and will have just one volume instead of two as the other would be redundant when the pups are in series anyway.

Hmmm.... 4P4T is massive! it doesn't even come close to fitting in the control cavity time for a rethink.

Glad the B string works, I'm going to get Dave to convert the 5 string he made for me to a 33" scale when he has time.

I have the new-ish MXR M81, very straight forward pedal with a sweepable mid range.

Black scratchplate and filler primer have arrived, I've done a tiny bit of filling on the dings on the body, next step will be to strip everything off of the body again so I can sand and prime it.

[quote name='AndyTravis' timestamp='1422923836' post='2678564'] Lollipop tuners from Madison's on eBay [/quote] I bought some of these recently and they snuck through without any HMRC and Parcelforce fees

I kinda like the look of it, I'd imagine it sounds awful and is a pig to play though!

The anodised gold might look good [attachment=182760:gold.gif]

[quote name='JPJ' timestamp='1422544999' post='2673944'] Personally, I wouldn't bother with the tinted nitro. Firstly, it could react badly with the modern plastic of the scratch plate and secondly, it will almost certainly flake off in later life. My preferred method of ageing a scratch plate is wire wool to reduce the sheen concentrating hardest on the areas where picks and finger nails would come into contact (above and under the E & A strings just in front of the neck pickup). [/quote] Have you ever tried soaking it in tea or coffee to get a yellow look to the white bits?

[quote name='AgentCooper' timestamp='1422485817' post='2673412'] Also on Ebay to Swivel Electronics in Singapore for a Tortoise Shell Scratchplate which I'll flatten and Nitro tint over. [/quote] Have you tried this before? does it give a nice aged look?

Ordered a 4P4T pot from China instead and will now stay with 3 pots, so Volume - Rotary switch - Tone.

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1422452257' post='2672822'] I'm actually in the process of selling pretty much everything at the moment but thanks for the heads up. [/quote] No worries

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1422451499' post='2672804'] That's a nice looking Telecaster. [/quote] I could be wrong but that Tele of Dave's might be for sale if you're in the market for one?

Just ordered a side mounting jack socket plate as I've decided to add a 4th pot (rotary) to the control plate for a series/parallel option, I had this on a 5 Jazz once and really liked the series tone. I've also ordered a Switchcraft jack socket, I've gone for a stereo one as I have heard they grip the jack plug a bit better. To round the shopping spree off I've bought some car filler/primer.

[quote name='AgentCooper' timestamp='1422351132' post='2671386'] Burgundy mist doesn't do it for me (and is Yorkshire Rhyming Slang for Drunk ) [/quote] I didn't know that! I'd be even more inclined to do it that colour then

Some colours that jump to mind are, Sea Foam Green, Burgundy Mist or Shoreline Gold. I look forward to seeing this come together, I've accumulated a box of mostly Madison aged parts that will eventually become a bass!

Today I swapped out the Duncan Design pups for some from a J&D, I like their pups as they have quite a strong output, while I was at it I sorted out the wiring temporarily, the bass now sounds a lot better and there's no volume drop with both pups on. The J&D pups had rubber on the bottom of them which is handy as I discovered some blue kitchen sponge under the Duncan's While I had the bass out I gently filed the ends of some of the frets with rough edges, it's an improvement but I probably have to do a little more at some point. I'm pretty pleased with how this is turning out so I'll in the spring I'll have a go a spraying it, I'm wondering if it's at all possible to do that without totally removing the Poly finish that's on there now?