The Marlin

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='704342' date='Jan 7 2010, 03:48 PM']When you say neck damage... how much are we talking?![/quote] Headstock not quite broken off. Break starting either side of the truss rod, and running at a slight angle, down the neck, stopping at the first fret. It's not falling off, and a nice clean crack - no splintering. Could likely be glued, and pinned with two pieces of dowling inserted and glued glued down the neck, either side of the truss rod - then sanded in, and repainted. I've head of Charlie, and spoken with him in the past about a stalled Fender Bass VI project. I've hears he's excellent at setup, and building, but not heard any recomendation on repair. May give him a call. Cheers Paul

I'm thinking of buying a beautiful instrument that has suffered some neck damage. I think a good luthier can made a decent job of the neck repair, so might be willing to take the gamble. Does anyone know of any great luthiers in the Buckinghashire or London area? The only other option I can think of is to take it to Jaydee guitars in Birmingham, and get John to fix it. Bit of a treck though. He fixed my friends Jaydee Flying V a few years ago, did a pretty good job. Any recomendations? Cheers Mr Marlin

Yamaha put the wring connector in there. Instead of being 'W' shaped, it's like two 'U's, one in front of the other - so it doesn't engage the boost properly, and has little impact on sound. By re-wiring the connector, you can get it to function in the desired way. It does make a very big difference to the tones produced. Cheers Mr Marlin

[quote name='SimBass' post='680319' date='Dec 10 2009, 02:57 PM']That's interesting I had a 775 for quite a few years...Really liked it. What do you mean by engaging the active circitry? As far as I was away it was an active only instrument (ie. active circuitry could not be disengaged). There was a "boost" switch...which admitedly didn't make much of a difference but as far as I was aware it was never meant to "engage" the active circuitry, it was just a subtle boost? [url="http://www.yamaha.ca/content/guitar/products/electricbasses/RBX775/specifications.jsp"]Yamaha Canada Spec (only country with spec still online)[/url] So does the mod turn this into an active/passive switch?[/quote] Hmmmm...... I thought it was passive to active, but picked up mine used, and no info was provided on bass features. So, was most likely an assumption. Regardless, the mod fixes the isses and makes a heck of a difference. Cheers Marlin

I was in my local guitar store (BBZ, a tiny place hidden away in an industrial estate in High Wycombe - it doesn't attract time wasters, only a loyal client base - all kit perfectly set up before it hits the racks) when I spotted an identical bass to mine - a Yamaha RBX 774 (I also have the 775). It's a great bass, we got chatting about it, and I moaned about the active circuit - as enguaging it made little differece to the tone. That when I found out that every Yamaha RBX 774 and 775 ever shipped was faulty! The active circuit has a serious design problem, and it can never work as it was intended. My guitar tech got this Yamaha in as part of a trade in. As usual, with all guitars that pass through his hands, he cleaned it up, took the stings off, gave it a proper set up, and put on the new strings, then played it in. Bemused by the active circuity, he pulled it all apart, whipped out the electronics and discovered the design flaw. He called Yamaha to discuss it, they basically told him to 'go forth and multiply'. So, he managed to get hold of the original circuit diagram, and set about repairing it himself. With the repair (a cheap minor repair), the circuitry now works properly, this it make a huge difference to the sound. Enormous! Having heard the difference, I've since taken my own 775 in to be modified, and will bring in the 774 for the same treatment once I get it out of storage (moving house). I just thought that any other Yamaha RBX owners should look into this, as you're really missing out with the current faulty setup. As i said, the repair is cheap - and well worth it. All the best Marlin

[quote name='Marky L' post='670202' date='Nov 30 2009, 05:29 PM']Or "Killed By Deaf" ... I'll get me coat...[/quote] You deserved a 1970's comedian style drum roll for that pun.....chortle... Mr Marlin

I'm a big Damned fan, I must have seen them live at least 60 times over the years. I saw Motorhead, The Damned and Girlschool last night at Wolverhamptopm Civic Hall. Girlschool were ok, Motorhead were tremendous fun. The Damned were astonishing (better than usual, I think David Vanian realised that there was a fresh audience of people who could potentially bolster the pension fun with album purchases, merchandise and more live gigs, so he really upped his game - and unusually, reached for, and hit all the high notes. You see DV, you can do it when you want to..... They are incredibly tight live, and Stu West is a decent bass player, and gets a decent thump out of his ESP bass. I think the monitors were a bit dodgy, Stu couldn't hear Captain Sensible Guitar well, and he really messed up the intro to Smash It Up, otherwise, a superb performance. if you haven't see The Damned, or haven't seen them for a few years, give them a go now - you're in for a treat. Cheers Marlin

Glowing reviews then! That's it, have decided. Will buy one. Cheers guys Mr Marlin

Hi Chaps, I've heard fantastic things about the Squire Vintage Vibe guitars, and Vintage Modified basses. They're made in china, but reminiscent of Fender Japan gear - great quality and playability. I'm making a pilgramage to GAK on Monday lunch to try out the white Vintage Vibe Telecaster, and the Vintage Modified Jazz bass. The bass looks fantastic, very retro - lookie here! [url="http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/squier-/71293"]http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/squier-/71293[/url] Has anyone tried these out? I've heard that these are as well built as the USA Fender bass and guitars, and the equiptment levels are decent. And, GAK are doing them for a smidgen over £200, bargain. Any thoughts, suggestions before I empty my wallet? Cheers Mr Marlin

Hi Chaps, I've heard fantastic things about the Squire Vintage Vibe guitars, and Vintage Modified basses. They're made in china, but reminiscent of Fender Japan gear - great quality and playability. I'm making a pilgramage to GAK on Monday lunch to try out the white Vintage Vibe Telecaster, and the Vintage Modified Jazz bass. The bass looks fantastic, very retro - lookie here! [url="http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/squier-/71293"]http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/squier-/71293[/url] Has anyone tried these out? I've heard that these are as well built as the USA Fender bass and guitars, and the equiptment levels are decent. And, GAK are doing them for a smidgen over £200, bargain. Any thoughts, suggestions before I empty my wallet? Cheers Mr Marlin