W1_Pro

I'm thinking of getting a Spector. I don't know much about them so I'd be interested to hear from folks who do: Is it worth shelling out for a US bass over a Czech one? I'm not that keen on thick necks and I think I'm correct in saying that Spector necks are of a chunkier cut, but iirc there is a signature model which has a very slim and shallow neck profile. First of all, am I correct in this assumption or is it just wishful thinking on my part? If I am correct, what is the bass I'm after? Anything else worth considering? Thanks all, for your help. Stuart.

Hello Andy, I hope you are well. Its weird isn't it? Looks like a sheet of plastic and a fretsaw might be the way forward...

I have had a bit of a rummage on the usuals: Ebay; Amazon etc. There are single hole ones but they are significantly shorter than this one so no good. I suppose if the worse comes to the worse I could just buy a sheet of plastic and make some....

Thats lovely. Really interesting and unusual bass. Enjoy it!

Hello folks, I'm looking for truss rod covers per the pick below. Single hole, not really bothered whether they are wood or plastic. Can anyone reccomend a source please?

I could only find a picture of my B20 in a rack with a bunch of other basses- in fact you can see the corner of it (black with white purfling) on the right of this pic of the Scavenger as it came to me. Plus a close up of the neck plate. For some reason it makes me think of Motley Crüe...

Thats very pretty..

Thank you Nik. As regards Neal, I'm honestly not sure . The website (nealmoserguitars.com) is still active so I would guess so.

Would it be fair to say that are few brands of bass as under appreciated (this thread being the honourable exception) as Washburn? The Japanese ones are exceptional instruments, beautifully built and a joy to play. Still avaiable (in spite of relative scarcity in the UK) for very reasonable money. Here are my two. The Scavenger came to me for £110 in a fantastic hair metal black and white zebra stripe. The neck plate is marked 'reject' apparently becasuse of bleed in the paint job. I stripped it, to reveal this beautiful ash & mahogany body. I was intending to paint it a solid colur but seeing the quality of the wood, I oiled it. If this is Washburns idea of a reject, I'll take them all. My other Washburn- an even more hair metal black B20 which I can't find a decent picture of at present- I found on ebay in a pretty sorry state. My old mate Graham Parker (Lewisham luthier) undertook the daunting task of routing out the skunk stripe (the old one had sort of erupted from the neck, the truss rod having been over cranked), and replacing said truss rod and skunk stripe. The operation went very well and was a testament to Grahams skill and patience. The bass is now a joy to play and such a great shape. You have to love a bass with prongs...

That is glorious Nik. What a lovely bass.

Mine is a double reverse P. The pickups- dimarzio blades- are not original but they sound phenomenal. The bass was black when I boought it, so I stripped and oiled it and put the new circuit in. Really great bass. I

I've got an NJ Mockingird which Neal made me a new preamp circuit for as the bass was a bit beaten up when I first bought it. Fantastic bass. I'm still not really sure what all the knobs and switches do- one of them is some sort of click stop filter, but it does sound pretty brutal if you get the right combination going.

As would I...

Thats a handsome thing. I've got one of the chinese ones with German pickups, which is nice, but not in this league. It might be just a trick of perspective in the pic, but were the old bodies bigger? This looks bigger...I've only had one small lager this evening...

If anyone is interested in aquiring an Orignal, theres a newly refurbed early eighties one on sale on FB marketplace. He wants reasonable money for it but Its a nice looking thing and of course it has just been refurbed (by Overwater iirc). https://www.facebook.com/groups/4888919827/permalink/10162410126259828/ ..and I should say this bass is absolutely nothing to do with me, don't know the guy, caveat emptor, etc etc.

And to answer your question about age. The burst one is the oldest, thats from the late seventies according to Chris (May). The blue one is around 1981 and the fretless is about 1983 iirc. I'm not really sure about the Artisan but I think its around 88 or 89.

As JPJ said, they will still make custom orders in this shape. The thing is about the early ones (thats the two originals on the left of my pic), are the Bill Lawrence humbuckers. The best passive circuit/ pickups I've heard on any bass anywhere (and yes I know thats hugely subjective but I can only speak for myself 😆). So if you fancy one of these, maybe watch out for one secondhand. They come up quite regularly and the prices are usually pretty reasonable for a UK luthier made instrument.

I've got four. Two Orignals with Bill Lawrence pickups. A fretless Original with a Kent Armstrong and an Artisan. Best necks I've ever played. Sound fantastic. Heavier than a small star.....

It might be a good way to try a multi scale singlecut if you don't want to spend a lot of money. £297 for the cheapest one. I've never really been taken with the idea of multi scale or single cut, but at this price, I'd be tempted to give it a go. I don't know how they do it..