razze06 Posted June 18, 2019 Share Posted June 18, 2019 While on holiday in Italy i ventured into a second hand shop, and hanging off a shelf was an Ibanez 2030, a short scale jazz bass copy from 1969-1973. It was one of those "loft finds", but of much lower value than a pristine fender jazz of the same era. Some guy inherited a flat from his uncle who used to play, and that was under the bed. Anyway I bought it for eur 130, including its period correct gigbag, three spiral leads, and one period-correct fender shoulder strap. As you can see the conditions are good, although the bass has been played, and it bears a few scars, especially on the sides of the body. Ohm it still had on a set of semi-round strings from god knows when! After a small amount of TLC it turns out that the neck stays in shape quite well, the very primitive bridge is doing the job admirably for such a simple piece of kit, and the neck pickup is loud and strong, with a throaty voice that relly appeals to me. Unfortunately the bridge pickup is dead, scoring zero ohms when measured. Another problem is that the E string is ultra floppy, and makes playign at the low end quite unpleasant both in feel and in sound. Perhaps it was tuned to A? So, questions: - What are the odds of finding a replacement pickup for the thing? Would it be worth it to have the pickup rewound? They are super primitive affairs, with just a lot of wire wrapped around a magnet (screws are for show, they just touch the magnet and don't really adjust) - What can I do for the floppiness of the the E string? Buy heavier gauge strings? 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted June 18, 2019 Share Posted June 18, 2019 What make of strings ave you got fitted at the moment? I had the same problem with the E on my Burns short scale bass until I switched to Newtone which made a massive difference to both the playability and the sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
razze06 Posted June 18, 2019 Author Share Posted June 18, 2019 2 hours ago, BigRedX said: What make of strings ave you got fitted at the moment? I had the same problem with the E on my Burns short scale bass until I switched to Newtone which made a massive difference to both the playability and the sound. Dunno, they came with the bass and are probably more than 40 years old. I wonder if there is a market for vintage strings I'll check out the Newtone strings - any particular type? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grahambythesea Posted June 18, 2019 Share Posted June 18, 2019 I wonder when it was restrung all those years ago whether someone just bought a string but not the right scale length. A long scale string on a short scale neck would be pretty floppy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBunny Posted June 18, 2019 Share Posted June 18, 2019 5 hours ago, razze06 said: - What are the odds of finding a replacement pickup for the thing? Would it be worth it to have the pickup rewound? They are super primitive affairs, with just a lot of wire wrapped around a magnet (screws are for show, they just touch the magnet and don't really adjust). Chances of finding a pickup, probably zero. As far as a rewind goes, is it worth it? Well a very, very, very quick Google brought 2 up on Reverb. One for £580 the second, (Sold) for £630. Malvern Hills Guitars had one for £650, (Sold), so it looks like there is some value in it. Another route would be to get a new scratch plate made cut for whatever pickups you fancy, but I would keep it stock as you appear to have made a major score. Last time i had a pick-up rewound it was about £25. If it were mine, I know what I would be doing.😉 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted June 18, 2019 Share Posted June 18, 2019 Should be easy to get it rewound. As long as the wire gauge and number of turns are the same, it will sound the same. BUT it's probably a break near where the wire enters the coil and it may be repairable without a rewind. My experiencing of my own SS bass an playing some of these 24" specials is that decent new SS strings should solve your floppiness issue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted June 18, 2019 Share Posted June 18, 2019 These are collectable little wotnames these days & this one looks in great cosmetic condition - €130 is a stone-cold bargain. I wouldn't hesitate to get the pickup re-wound. I agree that a floppy E will be down to the strings rather than anything to do with the bass itself. Oh - and I'm a bit jealous! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BreadBin Posted June 18, 2019 Share Posted June 18, 2019 That would look great next to my Ibanez! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest ixlramp Posted June 21, 2019 Share Posted June 21, 2019 (edited) There's no way to know what gauges are on it, so you can't judge what gauges to buy. Best start with a medium tension new set (.105-.45) and go from there by trial and error, adjusting gauges as necessary. Edited June 21, 2019 by ixlramp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BreadBin Posted June 21, 2019 Share Posted June 21, 2019 3 hours ago, ixlramp said: There's no way to know what gauges are on it, so you can't judge what gauges to buy. Best start with a medium tension new set (.105-.45) and go from there by trial and error, adjusting gauges as necessary. I respectfully disagree, you absolutely can find out what gauges are fitted. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted June 21, 2019 Share Posted June 21, 2019 6 hours ago, BreadBin said: I respectfully disagree, you absolutely can find out what gauges are fitted. Tip - measure near the pickup where you can get the string into the broad, flat section of the caliper's jaws, it's more accurate then using the tip on the uneven surface of roundwounds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eamon Posted February 26, 2020 Share Posted February 26, 2020 Hi, do you want to sell it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
razze06 Posted February 15, 2022 Author Share Posted February 15, 2022 In case anyone is interested, i did manage to get the pickup rewound. It took nearly a year and a half, despite identifying a local electronics specialist who was apparently keen to do the job. I'll spare you the gory details of how much effort it took to get the person to actually do the job, so i'll just say that it now plays very well on both pickups and i'm very happy with it electronics wise. Newtone strings went on it, as recommended. Also happy with that. Unfortunately, the bridge is proving really difficult to adjust, so I'm considering swapping it out for another one, and keep the original. Any recommendation for something that keeps with the vibe of the thing? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted February 15, 2022 Share Posted February 15, 2022 24 minutes ago, razze06 said: Unfortunately, the bridge is proving really difficult to adjust, so I'm considering swapping it out for another one, and keep the original. Any recommendation for something that keeps with the vibe of the thing? Show us some pics of the current bridge and that might help us help you... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
razze06 Posted February 16, 2022 Author Share Posted February 16, 2022 16 hours ago, neepheid said: Show us some pics of the current bridge and that might help us help you... Quite right. Unfortunately I'll have to wait until next time i go back to italy. Haven't manage to take it over to sunny scotland yet, courtesy of Brexit and restrictive airline carry on luggage policies Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grahambythesea Posted February 16, 2022 Share Posted February 16, 2022 It will all depend on the string spacing which looks to be fairly narrow. There’s a couple of Bronco bridges on eBay at present which the simple 2 string per bridge bar arrangement which may be flexible enough to accommodate narrower spacing, but the do have a fairly wide base plate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted February 16, 2022 Share Posted February 16, 2022 Dug around a bit & while I can't find a good pic, it seems some versions of this have a single saddle (basically a bit of bent plate) with overall intonation adjusted by a pair of screws which moves the whole thing - I'd guess that's what this has. Other versions, which I'd assume are later, have Tele bass type 2-saddle bridges with a different cover. String spacing's clearly an issue - could you use a vintage type BBOT with threaded saddles, that might allow a bit of control over spacing. Also I keep seeing these things on Ebay - obviously intended for hipster cigar-box junk, but if the spacing's really tight, it might work. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/224839471203 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pea Turgh Posted February 16, 2022 Share Posted February 16, 2022 Could get 4 individual saddles, then pop the cover back on to hide the desecration? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayman Posted February 19, 2022 Share Posted February 19, 2022 I love these kind of finds….. that has TI flats or tapes written all over it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
razze06 Posted April 15, 2022 Author Share Posted April 15, 2022 I've just returned from where the bass is kept, and managed to get a few pictures with a tape measure (cms not inches). As you can see the original bridge is a mess to work with, also because the long screws that lengthen and shorten strings are so long that with anything other than high action the screw touches the string... Any suggestion for a suitable replacement bridge? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stub Mandrel Posted April 15, 2022 Share Posted April 15, 2022 (edited) That's identical to the bridge on my Teisco Tulip. <Edit> luckily the neck pocket was so vast it was easy to realign the neck to suit the bridge. 🤔 Edited April 15, 2022 by Stub Mandrel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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