Rich Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 (edited) I've had this OLP 'Ray for some time. Bought it cheap off fleabay because well, why not? The neck has never been ideal, too clubby for my Jazz pencil-neck preferences plus a couple of problematic frets meant that getting a low enough action for my liking was difficult. So when this fretless neck came up for sale here last year I snapped it up, and have finally got my derrière in gear to fit it. It's actually a Jaydee Supernatural neck (hence the 'JayRay' name ) with a nice slim profile and a gorgeous mostly-unlined ebony board (tiny 3mm fretlines on the fretboard edge, the ideal solution IMO). I've fitted it and strung it, and will give it a couple of days to settle before I tackle a proper setup. Further plans are to move the pickup 3mm closer to the neck (thus allowing the proper MM pickguard to sit flush to the neck), fit a battery box and then build a preamp -- I'm thinking of making one based on the Alembic FET F2-B 3-band, otherwise I'll make a 'Ray or Sabre 2-band clone. I might try to source a better bridge too, the factory one is a pretty crap BBOT really. Dead pleased with it so far though, that unlined ebony board is sooooooo classy. I'll update this thread as the remaining jobs get done. Thanks to @greenolive for this gorgeous neck! Edited October 10, 2018 by Rich 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassTool Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 Like it 😎 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
songofthewind Posted September 30, 2018 Share Posted September 30, 2018 Nifty. That should be nice when fully fettled. Is the Jaydee a 20 or 21 fret (less) neck? I would attempt the same with my sub Ray 4 if I could find a 21 fret fretless neck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted October 1, 2018 Author Share Posted October 1, 2018 11 hours ago, songofthewind said: Nifty. That should be nice when fully fettled. Is the Jaydee a 20 or 21 fret (less) neck? I would attempt the same with my sub Ray 4 if I could find a 21 fret fretless neck. Yup, it's a 21 'fret' neck. If you do come across one of these necks (this is the only one I've ever seen, mind), grab it with both hands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary mac Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 That looks great Rich. Classy neck and board. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 You're right...you see the OLPs on eBay/Gumtree for virtually nothing all the time. I've never known how good/bad they are and whether it was worth throwing £50-75 at one. I do like yours. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridgehouse Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 Ahh so that’s where the broken screw came in then... Annoying, that’s what that is. Niiiiice, that’s what that bass is. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted October 1, 2018 Author Share Posted October 1, 2018 3 hours ago, TheGreek said: You're right...you see the OLPs on eBay/Gumtree for virtually nothing all the time. I've never known how good/bad they are and whether it was worth throwing £50-75 at one. I do like yours. Oh hell yes, definitely worth picking up if you haven't already got a 'Ray. Especially for the sort of peanuts prices they seem to go for. The Vintage copies are supposed to be pretty good too. Many thanks for the compliments guys; it's still a work-in-progress but I reckon it'll be a nice instrument by the time it's finished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridgehouse Posted October 1, 2018 Share Posted October 1, 2018 My next project is probably going to be a fretless Stingray build.. not sure when the body and neck are due to land tho...! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted October 3, 2018 Author Share Posted October 3, 2018 On 01/10/2018 at 15:40, Bridgehouse said: My next project is probably going to be a fretless Stingray build.. not sure when the body and neck are due to land tho...! Do you have them on order, or are you still waiting to find the right ones? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridgehouse Posted October 3, 2018 Share Posted October 3, 2018 12 minutes ago, Rich said: Do you have them on order, or are you still waiting to find the right ones? I think they are on order... I know that’s vague, but I’ve not heard from the maker for a bit (and that’s not unusual) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
songofthewind Posted October 4, 2018 Share Posted October 4, 2018 I will watch this fretless stingray build with great interest, when your parts arrive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridgehouse Posted October 4, 2018 Share Posted October 4, 2018 26 minutes ago, songofthewind said: I will watch this fretless stingray build with great interest, when your parts arrive. I really should see if they are being made 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jus Lukin Posted October 4, 2018 Share Posted October 4, 2018 (edited) - Edited February 27, 2022 by Jus Lukin 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellzero Posted October 4, 2018 Share Posted October 4, 2018 Check this for the preamp : https://www.zikinf.com/annonces/dispannonce.php?annonce=1556006 The guy is British, so it'll be easy to deal with him. And he is a nice chap too. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
songofthewind Posted October 4, 2018 Share Posted October 4, 2018 D Is he marketing those preamps, or does he have just one? My French is flakey ce matin.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellzero Posted October 4, 2018 Share Posted October 4, 2018 There is nothing stating he is marketing them or not... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted October 4, 2018 Author Share Posted October 4, 2018 My planned preamp is based on this first pic. I know it's supposed to be a stomp, but I can't think of a reason why it couldn't be used onboard, with the level control replaced by a trimmer. My only concern would be noise from the JFETs. Failing that, there's the second pic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted October 4, 2018 Author Share Posted October 4, 2018 4 hours ago, Jus Lukin said: The bass I should never have sold was a 5 string OLP. It was as good as a bass gets for the money, and I have much more expensive basses with their own flaws and quirks no better or worse than that one. Setup to die for straight off the hanger, too. Back when I had to sell a bass to get a bass it was a casualty of my poverty. I'm not a huge Stingray guy, but I do wish I'd been able to keep that one. Yes, I'd have liked an OLP 5 too, but the tight string spacing is a total dealbreaker. I like 19 or 20mm at the bridge on my 5s, and the OLP's 16mm was something I just couldn't live with. 4 hours ago, Jus Lukin said: Good luck with this mod-up, the fingerboard really does look sharp, and that bit of flame (fotoflame?) in the body is nice too. Thanks yes I think the top is photoflame rather than the real thing, but it looks ok if you don't examine it too closely. To my untrained eye, the body edges are 'squarer' than a real MM Ray, which I also like. I have high hopes for this one, more news as it happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridgehouse Posted October 4, 2018 Share Posted October 4, 2018 5 hours ago, Bridgehouse said: I really should see if they are being made And the answer is, I'm next on the list...! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted October 4, 2018 Author Share Posted October 4, 2018 Yay make sure you start a build diary when you begin screwing/gluing/hammering it all together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bridgehouse Posted October 4, 2018 Share Posted October 4, 2018 1 minute ago, Rich said: Yay make sure you start a build diary when you begin screwing/gluing/hammering it all together. Of Course - I usually do Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted October 4, 2018 Share Posted October 4, 2018 5 hours ago, Hellzero said: Check this for the preamp : https://www.zikinf.com/annonces/dispannonce.php?annonce=1556006 The guy is British, so it'll be easy to deal with him. And he is a nice chap too. $35? Bargain!! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted October 5, 2018 Author Share Posted October 5, 2018 19 hours ago, TheGreek said: $35? Bargain!! My shopping list for the Sabre preamp build comes out at £10.98, including pots. In reality it'd be a lot less than this, as I've got quite a few of the components already. My shopping list so far for the Alembic style one is £16.22, mainly because it includes things like push-pull pots and a battery box. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted October 28, 2018 Author Share Posted October 28, 2018 (edited) No preamp yet... but the latest addition are neck side dots. Bigger, whiter ones in what i feel is the right place on a fretless bass. These are Letraset-style rub-on dots carefully applied and then given a careful wipe over with a cotton bud dipped in lacquer. Edited October 28, 2018 by Rich 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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