BigJim Posted January 17, 2021 Posted January 17, 2021 So today I scored this beauty off Facebook and have bought this neck for it on eBay (I checked and the only difference is the replacement neck is 0.5mm thicker than the GWB neck which is easily rectified!) so the plan is to strip the body and the headstock, plug one of the holes in the bass side of the headstock and drill an extra one on the treble side... Then spray it chrome on the body and headstock and buff it shiny shiny! As I do it I’ll put up pictures but will be a long project! 3 Quote
PaulThePlug Posted January 17, 2021 Posted January 17, 2021 (edited) Why bother changing the Upstairs Downstairs... (Tuner direction?) Ibby do both on their 5ers... worth running it up as-is first?... then seek a replacent tuner? Edited January 17, 2021 by PaulThePlug Quote
BigJim Posted January 17, 2021 Author Posted January 17, 2021 18 minutes ago, PaulThePlug said: Why bother changing the Upstairs Downstairs... (Tuner direction?) Ibby do both on their 5ers... worth running it up as-is first?... then seek a replacent tuner? A replacement tuner plus shipping and now import etc is more than the new neck!! Quote
AndyTravis Posted January 17, 2021 Posted January 17, 2021 Ah see - I was close, very close - and that neck too... Quote
BassTool Posted January 19, 2021 Posted January 19, 2021 On 17/01/2021 at 20:35, BigJim said: So today I scored this beauty Whoever requested that ramp got their money's worth 🤭 That looks like a cracking project 👌🏼👍🏼 Quote
LeftyJ Posted January 19, 2021 Posted January 19, 2021 16 minutes ago, BassTool said: Whoever requested that ramp got their money's worth 🤭 That looks like a cracking project 👌🏼👍🏼 That would be a certain mr Gary Willis, it comes stock on his signature Ibanez basses 🙂 1 Quote
BigJim Posted January 21, 2021 Author Posted January 21, 2021 So I stole half an hour before work today and got everything off the bass and had a look at the tuners on the neck and they fit yay! The only thing I’m conscious of is that they are reversed. Shouldn’t make too much of a different right? I’ve got a heat gun from my tech and am going to strip it (ooh err misses) over the weekend but I’m resisting telling my misses the heat gun is a hairdryer... Anyway, I stripped the electrics etc on the kitchen side so don’t tell Mrs BigJim! The ramp seems to be ash or something similar in grain and painted so I will chrome that... I was contemplating leaving it black if it was ebony!!! the neck fits beautifully and the tuners fit in... That’s it for today but we’ll see over the weekend what prevails! 4 Quote
SpondonBassed Posted January 22, 2021 Posted January 22, 2021 I've never seen tuners with knobs on before. Quote
Hellzero Posted January 22, 2021 Posted January 22, 2021 It's typical from the Gary Willis basses. 😉 Quote
Jimothey Posted January 23, 2021 Posted January 23, 2021 (edited) Looking really good so far!! Just out of interest what you doing with the old broken neck? Edited January 23, 2021 by Jimothey 1 Quote
BigJim Posted January 23, 2021 Author Posted January 23, 2021 5 hours ago, Jimothey said: Looking really good so far!! Just out of interest what you doing with the old broken neck? Probably on the Bon fire. It’s beyond repair missing some bits of wood bro. The truss rod is working but slightly bent (where the neck has been broken). The fingerboard is also incomplete! why bro? Quote
Jimothey Posted January 23, 2021 Posted January 23, 2021 (edited) 2 hours ago, BigJim said: Probably on the Bon fire. It’s beyond repair missing some bits of wood bro. The truss rod is working but slightly bent (where the neck has been broken). The fingerboard is also incomplete! why bro? I was just wondering if it was salvageable, if it was I was going to ask of you want to get rid of it as I'm after a 5 string neck at the mo 👍🏻 Edited January 23, 2021 by Jimothey Quote
BigJim Posted January 23, 2021 Author Posted January 23, 2021 A bit of progress today before I just had a snow flurry which has hindered me because I want to prime the body for chroming so here it is so far... it’s a 4 piece body... took a LOT of heat gun and scraping then sanding! Thank god for random orbital sanders!!! 2 Quote
BigJim Posted February 10, 2021 Author Posted February 10, 2021 Apologies for the delay, the weather has meant I’ve had to stop for a bit till the snow goes and it gets a bit warmer... my garage is full of what seems redundant sound equipment! Quote
Geek99 Posted February 10, 2021 Posted February 10, 2021 Im looking forwarding to seeing the chrome Quote
PlungerModerno Posted February 11, 2021 Posted February 11, 2021 (edited) 1 hour ago, BigJim said: Apologies for the delay, the weather has meant I’ve had to stop for a bit till the snow goes and it gets a bit warmer... my garage is full of what seems redundant sound equipment! Take your time, wait for the suitable temperatures. No sense in wasting paint, then having to clean it up! Are you going to paint just the body, headstock and ramp... or are you gonna refinish the whole lot - maybe the neck, the pickup cover, fingerboard, tuner keys? slap some silver or clear control knobs on it to complete the look (like a silverish version of the below, with matching pickups). I imagine the different materials may make that a nightmare with most paints. Edited February 11, 2021 by PlungerModerno Quote
BigJim Posted February 11, 2021 Author Posted February 11, 2021 5 hours ago, PlungerModerno said: Take your time, wait for the suitable temperatures. No sense in wasting paint, then having to clean it up! Are you going to paint just the body, headstock and ramp... or are you gonna refinish the whole lot - maybe the neck, the pickup cover, fingerboard, tuner keys? slap some silver or clear control knobs on it to complete the look (like a silverish version of the below, with matching pickups). I imagine the different materials may make that a nightmare with most paints. I’m just doing the body ramp and headstock. I’m not messing around with neck finishes, the neck on this Ibanez iS actually really sweet so I’m leaving it as is! I’ve also recessed the knobs PRS style! Quote
PlungerModerno Posted February 11, 2021 Posted February 11, 2021 16 hours ago, BigJim said: I’m just doing the body ramp and headstock. I’m not messing around with neck finishes, the neck on this Ibanez iS actually really sweet so I’m leaving it as is! I’ve also recessed the knobs PRS style! Should be lovely. I think it's a nice fretboard, should come up lovely with a dash of oil or other finish/protectant. Recessed knobs? Nice. Just don't make the wood too thin or you'll risk a cracking outcome! Quote
BigJim Posted February 12, 2021 Author Posted February 12, 2021 So I have this morning off so I had to do somE surgery on the bass I built in lockdown 1.0 (there’s a build thread somewhere) ... After I had put shielding tape in the pickup cavities I did a rookie error and the wires came off the pickups as I think I yanked it a bit too hard! So I’ve just done some surgery (on a dipped Dimazio pickup it’s a nightmare!!!!) and it’s singing again!! 5 Quote
Lee-Man Posted February 13, 2021 Posted February 13, 2021 I had my eye on this when it was up for sale on FB. Good luck with the rebuild. Can't wait to see how it turns out. Quote
bloke_zero Posted February 17, 2021 Posted February 17, 2021 On 12/02/2021 at 10:06, BigJim said: So I’ve just done some surgery (on a dipped Dimazio pickup it’s a nightmare!!!!) and it’s singing again!! Looks cool! How do you like that pickup placement? I'm thinking of doing the same, but inverted. And the wiring - I see stacked pots - separate tone and vol for each? Quote
BigJim Posted February 17, 2021 Author Posted February 17, 2021 4 hours ago, bloke_zero said: Looks cool! How do you like that pickup placement? I'm thinking of doing the same, but inverted. And the wiring - I see stacked pots - separate tone and vol for each? I chose it because it’s where my thumb goes! Inverted is the way Warwick did it which works great if you don’t want to put your thumb there!! That’s correct, stacked for each! I left enough room for an active EQ incase I wanted it but I chose 2 different pickups (1 Dimazio and 1 fender ‘57) to give different sounds! 1 Quote
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