Marty Forrer Posted April 18, 2023 Share Posted April 18, 2023 I just purchased a mint condition Metro Express. Going by the serial number I think it's an early one. I'm a tinkerer and am totally out of control, so I've installed Dunlop straplocks, TI Jazz Flats, Hipshot USA Ultralite tuners including a Detuner, and I dressed the fret ends and rolled the edge of the fingerboard. It weighs 8.3 lbs and plays like a dream. I may install a VTC but don't seem to need it at the moment. I'll see after a few gigs. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonno1981 Posted April 18, 2023 Share Posted April 18, 2023 That looks great, if the electronics are quiet you’re onto a winner. Grain on the neck looks wonderful. Andy Irvine has bought a load of these and installed some similar mods. He raves about them for value for money, even after spending a load on upgrades. Passive tone does add a lot of options and is worth considering. I had the vtc installed on a metro I had years ago and used it all the time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paolo85 Posted April 18, 2023 Share Posted April 18, 2023 Looks like a great bass. Hipshot licensed ultralight are almost always a good idea, at least for fender-shaped objects! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonestar Posted April 18, 2023 Share Posted April 18, 2023 I filed the fret ends up at the dusty end on mine too, it made a lot of difference. Fortunately my later model JJ 5 string was dead quiet on arrival and sounded great, however I recently fitted the full VTC replacement controls and preamp. Well worth it, I'd highly recommend the upgrade in terms of versatility of usable sounds and taming the hot preamp a little with the tone control. £145 from Bass direct well spent ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted April 18, 2023 Share Posted April 18, 2023 13 hours ago, Marty Forrer said: I'm a tinkerer and am totally out of control, Feeling your pain. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Forrer Posted April 19, 2023 Author Share Posted April 19, 2023 Next step is to see how my DiMarzio hum-cancelling pickups work in this bass. Might tame the inherent treble excess of this preamp without having to install a VTC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Forrer Posted April 20, 2023 Author Share Posted April 20, 2023 OK. I installed the DiMarzio DP147 hum-cancelling pickups I had in my stash, also a new blend pot with a stronger detent (the original pot had nearly no detent) and reversed the pickup wires for a more logical blend. As I suspected, the DiMarzios are darker and have eliminated the need for the VTC mod. Still has the Sadowsky sound but without the nasty excessive treble of the chinese pickups, plus it's totally quiet. Another benefit is the volume difference between active and passive is not nearly so pronounced. It's now a keeper! 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raslee Posted April 20, 2023 Share Posted April 20, 2023 Which de tuner model did you use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Forrer Posted April 20, 2023 Author Share Posted April 20, 2023 15 hours ago, Raslee said: Which de tuner model did you use? Um, just the standard one suitable for Fenders. I think it's called a 1/2". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Forrer Posted May 2, 2023 Author Share Posted May 2, 2023 (edited) The latest mod. Three coats of vintage white, six coats of satin clear. Edited May 2, 2023 by Marty Forrer 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martthebass Posted May 2, 2023 Share Posted May 2, 2023 (edited) Loving what you've done with the headstock; I'm going to try and find someone who'll do the same, it's the only thing I don't like about mine. I picked up mine a few months back from Ead, I wasn't expecting great things but once it'd had a setup it's one of the nicest Fretless's I've played - including far more expensive stuff. I believe this is one of the later ones, but as it's fretless it wasn't going to suffer from some of the fret problems anyhow. Ead had already installed an East pre so that also did away with potential issues from the stock pre that had been reported. The board is also a really nice thick slab of ebony with just a touch of grain that is a real surprise at this price point. Edited May 2, 2023 by martthebass 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ebenezer Posted May 2, 2023 Share Posted May 2, 2023 Some fantastic mods there, the headstock looks great and finishes the bass off nicely 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raslee Posted May 3, 2023 Share Posted May 3, 2023 On 02/05/2023 at 05:17, Marty Forrer said: The latest mod. Three coats of vintage white, six coats of satin clear. Ha, great mods. I did the decal thing too as I couldn’t stand the original, but felt fearful to expose it until now. I did look at adding a tint to the neck which went a horrible orange so painfully removed most of it. I’ve since fitted a Dimarzio pickup to the neck and a Aguilar to the bridge which are better than the stock, although thought the stock weren’t too bad. I have the tone mod which is very useful. I got a dodgy tort guard from China which needed a little fettling, added a different string retainer similar to the real Sadowsky and added some not so well placed stick on blocks. It’s a bit of a rat bass now but I like it, especially as it’s under 8lbs in weight! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Forrer Posted May 3, 2023 Author Share Posted May 3, 2023 Well done. Headstock looks great. I have since removed my detuner as I don't really use it much. I like my DiMarzio pickups, the RSD pickups are too bright for me. The DMs work well with the RSD preamp, at this stage I don't feel the need for the VTC. I've got a sheet of Black Pearl (mother of toilet seat) pick guard material coming so my next project is making a new one. They're a great bass for doing simple mods on. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raslee Posted May 3, 2023 Share Posted May 3, 2023 Let me know if you want to sell the detuner - I was planning to get one at some point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Forrer Posted May 4, 2023 Author Share Posted May 4, 2023 I am going to sell it but I'm in New Zealand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Forrer Posted May 8, 2023 Author Share Posted May 8, 2023 Made a new pickguard today with a sheet of black pearl pickguard material. I call it mother of toilet seat. Cost me NZ$40 from aliexpress and took about 3 hours to make, using a jigsaw, drill, files and sandpaper. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raslee Posted May 13, 2023 Share Posted May 13, 2023 On 04/05/2023 at 03:20, Marty Forrer said: I am going to sell it but I'm in New Zealand. You’ll have to let me know how much as it may work out cheaper than me buying new 😊 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marty Forrer Posted May 13, 2023 Author Share Posted May 13, 2023 Sorry Raslee, it's been sold. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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