INCOMING!! Another Kay 😆

[Maude]

14 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

If you do,let me know as I’ll get one too 👍

Will do 🙂👍

[Bassassin]

10 hours ago, Reggaebass said:

Don’t know if this is of any interest bassassin 🙂https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-K-Catalog-Bass-Giutar-Collection-Only-Manchester-/185020757029?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

Definitely would be if it wasn't collection only from Manc. Watching anyway!

 

10 hours ago, Maude said:

I love that sticker, 

 

'Equiped with SUPERSOUND high gain super distortion pickups'. 

 

F**k yeah!! 🤘

POWERSOOOUUUNNNNND!!!!

 

[Maude]

11 minutes ago, Bassassin said:

Definitely would be if it wasn't collection only from Manc. Watching anyway!

 

POWERSOOOUUUNNNNND!!!!

 

Aha! I couldn't quite make out the first three letters, and as is characteristic, opted for the wrong choice 😁. 

 

Anyway POWESOUND is even more awesome, and if that's one of your basses then a decent image to get a repro made from is now suddenly achievable. 😉

[Bassassin]

On 28/08/2021 at 11:20, Reggaebass said:

Don’t know if this is of any interest bassassin 🙂https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-K-Catalog-Bass-Giutar-Collection-Only-Manchester-/185020757029?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m46890.l49286&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

 

Just been having another look at the pics of this one - might be the angle but that does look like the neck might have a pretty serious twist.

 

 

As it happens, mine had a mild twist, not enough to affect playability, but this looks like it could be quite severe. Would recommend anyone considering bidding on this should try & get a look at it first. Unless it stays at £25, of course.

[Maude]

That picture definitely makes it look like the head is twisted clockwise to the body, but it could equally just be the picture. 

 

[Cheesey American radio host voice] In other news on KBRC (Kay bass restoration channel), I've scraped out the pickup routes on mine. Luckily the glue and paint is so old it just broke up with scraping with a sharp chisel.

I was going to run a router around them but they're clean enough now not to worry really. 

Just need to give the whole thing a good sand down and lacquer it. Though about oiling it but I do like a nice shiny bass. Still considering dyeing the wings red or dark brown before lacquering. 

 

 

[Bassassin]

Staining the wings is a great idea - and if you're persistent enough with Danish oil you can get a good gloss - this was 20-odd coats applied with a cloth:

 

 

Took a while as I was doing it in the dead of winter but it was straightforward to build up the finish (managed 2 applications a day) & then just a light sand before applying a final coat. I think it'd be smoother/shinier on something with a less open grain.

[Reggaebass]

On the kay/cort theme, the very kind mr Bassassin sent me the proper truss rod cover, which looks so cool, I’ve just got to get a few small brass screws from work, here’s a quick pic 🙂

[Bassassin]

20 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

On the kay/cort theme, the very kind mr Bassassin sent me the proper truss rod cover, which looks so cool, I’ve just got to get a few small brass screws from work, here’s a quick pic 🙂

 

Aww, it's home at last! The screwholes even line up. Well - close enough for rock 'n roll.

[Maude]

3 hours ago, Bassassin said:

Staining the wings is a great idea - and if you're persistent enough with Danish oil you can get a good gloss - this was 20-odd coats applied with a cloth:

 

 

Took a while as I was doing it in the dead of winter but it was straightforward to build up the finish (managed 2 applications a day) & then just a light sand before applying a final coat. I think it'd be smoother/shinier on something with a less open grain.

I'm all honesty it's easier for me to just give it a couple of good coats of 2k poly and be done with it. 

Super shiny and rock hard. 👊😎

[Bassassin]

15 hours ago, Maude said:

I'm all honesty it's easier for me to just give it a couple of good coats of 2k poly and be done with it. 

Super shiny and rock hard. 👊😎

 

Probably is, considering Danish is a bit of a faff. Do you have proper spray gear or is there good-quality rattle-can stuff that's not on my radar?

[Maude]

I'm a panel beater, but also have a compressor and set up at home. 

At work is easier though as I can't bake at home. 

[Maude]

Why does every 'New Bass Day' rapidly turn into 'More Work Day' where I'm involved?

😄

 

 

I've got some deep red calligraphy ink coming to stain the two wings with, as I've always liked the Arias and Westones with that look. I went through all sorts of colours but have just gone for classic red. 

I'm just not sure whether to do the headstock red. A matched headstock would be great but the centre neckthrough part will be natural on the body so feels like it should be natural on the headstock. 

Off to look at pictures. 

[Maude]

@Bassassin Is the Powersound sticker on one of your basses? 

If so is there any chance of a photo of it from directly above, to get an image with parallel edges, so that I can get one, or two @Reggaebass, printed?

😉👍

Edited September 5, 2021 by Maude

[Bassassin]

2 hours ago, Maude said:

@Bassassin Is the Powersound sticker on one of your basses? 

If so is there any chance of a photo of it from directly above, to get an image with parallel edges, so that I can get one, or two @Reggaebass, printed?

😉👍

Afraid not - I just Googled a pic! Having said that, these stickers were pretty common on Corts from that era, so I'd think it's likely with diligent searching, a good square-on image might turn up.

 

2 hours ago, Maude said:

I'm just not sure whether to do the headstock red. A matched headstock would be great but the centre neckthrough part will be natural on the body so feels like it should be natural on the headstock.

Headstock wings, Ricky-style?

[Maude]

26 minutes ago, Bassassin said:

Afraid not - I just Googled a pic! Having said that, these stickers were pretty common on Corts from that era, so I'd think it's likely with diligent searching, a good square-on image might turn up.

 

OK thanks, I'll have a search in a bit. 

 

26 minutes ago, Bassassin said:

Headstock wings, Ricky-style?

 

Yes I thought about that, but the headstock wings that aren't the neck through part are tiny slivers on either side. I could do the next layer in as well and leave the middle one but it still wouldn't look right. 

I reckon, in the words of Steve Marriott, it's all or nothing. 

[Maude]

I've sent a message to a chap I've used on ebay before for waterslide decals. He'll design them from a brief so hopefully can work with that picture. 

Let's see what happens. 

 

[Bassassin]

12 hours ago, Maude said:

I've sent a message to a chap I've used on ebay before for waterslide decals. He'll design them from a brief so hopefully can work with that picture. 

Let's see what happens. 

 

It would be petty straightforward to recreate the sticker design - you'd just need that 'Powersound' font, or something with similar proportions & style.

[Maude]

Ooh, she's naked!! 😄

 

 

Just finished taking all the lacquer off, only with 80grit at the mo but will go down through the grades tomorrow to a nice smooth finish. 

I've slightly reshaped the neck, not a lot, but took some of the depth out of it and it feels nice. It was fun shaving it off wondering how deep the truss rod was. 😄

The red ink should be here in the next day or two and hopefully I'll get it stained over the weekend and then lacquer it next week. 

No reply from the decal man though, and that needs to go on before lacquering. 

There's some quite nice grain in places which hopefully will come out more once smooth and stained. 

I'm considering cleaning and sanding the fretboard, then lacquering that as well, a la Rickenbacker. The only problem is that the frets aren't very tall so with the board lacquered they might just be too low to play well. To be decided. 

One cool thing, the side dot markers are brass as well as the front ones. 

Still need to scrape out the rear cavity. 

 

 

 

 

 

I kind of feel guilty taking all the age out of it, but it's a pretty worthless lump anyway so it's allowed I think 

 

🙂👍

 

[Maude]

Oh yeah, and I still can't get my head around who decided not to put that dark strip in the middle. 🙄😁

[Reggaebass]

54 minutes ago, Maude said:

One cool thing, the side dot markers are brass

I never noticed that, I’ll take a look 👍

[Reggaebass]

56 minutes ago, Maude said:

Oh yeah, and I still can't get my head around who decided not to put that dark strip in the middle. 🙄😁

Could you stain the other strip to match the darker one?

[Maude]

7 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

Could you stain the other strip to match the darker one?

 

I have considered that but don't know if I could get a close enough match. Part of me thinks just darkening it to whatever shade it ends up would be a better visual balance, but the other part of me thinks it's part of the bass' charm and should be enjoyed for it's wonkiness. 

 

Another part of me thinks I need to stop waffling shite. 😉

[Reggaebass]

1 minute ago, Maude said:

it's part of the bass' charm and should be enjoyed for it's wonkiness. 

It looks great the way it is I think, like you say, it’s part of its character 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, Maude said:

Oh yeah, and I still can't get my head around who decided not to put that dark strip in the middle. 🙄😁

 

Different tone woods for bass - low mids - high mids *nods*

[Reggaebass]

17 minutes ago, Ricky Rioli said:

 

Different tone woods for bass - low mids - high mids *nods*

I think you’ve nailed it Ricky ☝️😁