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226

The Bass Zone / Things I had no idea you could do with a bass

« on: July 23, 2015, 01:37:32 PM »

Now I know.

http://www.kulr8.com/story/28673486/new-fire-extinguisher-uses-sound-waves-to-put-out-flames

227

Fender Basses / 70's parts bass

« on: June 21, 2015, 06:08:59 AM »

So I have assembled this P bass and it turned out exceptionally well.

Light weight, good balance, neck plays like butter, I have the bridge cover with the mute underneath and I like it a lot.

Plays and sounds like a dream. Really. Can't put it down.

Basically ALL Fenders are parts guitars, right? It's not like they built a specific Strat neck to fit a specific Strat body.

Also it's my first Fender that did not need a neck shim.

Parts list:

'70-'71 alder body, stripped and refinished in natural. Pro job
'75 rosewood-board neck that I bought from a friend. Very dark rosewood
'78 (I think... not sure now but mid- to late-70s for sure) grey bottom pickup
F neck plate with '75 serial number that I had in my parts drawer
Old Fender strap buttons
New Fender tort guard, 70s style bridge, Tele barrel knobs
New CTS pots and Switchcraft jack
Wilkinson tuners
Ernie Ball Flats, 040
Vintage 70s chrome bridge cover w/rubber mute

Does anyone make new thumb rests in semi-transparent dark maroon, like vintage rests? All I find are either $5-6 new black ones or $100-150 vintage maroon bars, and I'm not paying that.

228

Gibson Basses / '79 Matsumoku Epi Scroll

« on: June 21, 2015, 05:54:38 AM »

Never knew they existed. Anyway there's one on eBay for $650 BIN. The German shoulders are nice. Is it any good?

229

Fender Basses / Wilkinson Cloverleaf Tuners for 70s P/J - beware

« on: June 09, 2015, 11:52:25 PM »

I bought a set off eBay because at $35 they are half the price of similar Fender-logo tuners. The bushings are too large for a '75 neck. The seller responded, "I would check the peg head holes for any glue residue etc. they are supposed to be a tight fit and may require a clamp to press in. Been around vintage basses a long time and have sold lots of these and this is not a normal issue."

I didn't want to widen the peg holes in a vintage neck, and pressing the bushings in with a clamp could crack the headstock. Luckily I had a spare set of Fender bushings, and they fit perfectly. Just FYI, if you intend to buy a Wilkinson set.

230

Other Bass Brands / 1982 Cimar (by Ibanez) 2072RD

« on: April 10, 2015, 02:32:12 AM »

So a friend of mine got this el-cheapo bass in a trade, and called me to do a quick setup. Not much to look forward to, right? But once strung with fresh DR's, set up and plugged into my friend's wonderful old Portaflex, it turned out to be one great J. Perfect neck, excellent sound, good weight and balance, what more do you need. And it has a neat trick in the wiring, where you pull the tone knob and it turns on both pickups, and you have master vol and master tone (middle knob disconnected) - very useful. This 33-years-old MIJ bass sounds and plays way better than some real deal 70's MIA Fender J's I have had the pleasure to play, and it costs only a small fraction of their price. I couldn't put it down!

231

Fender Basses / Performer on eBay

« on: March 27, 2015, 05:16:30 AM »

http://www.ebay.com/itm/221724245130?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649

232

Guitars Etc. / Mid-60's Höfner 4560

« on: March 24, 2015, 02:02:21 PM »

Just got this one and did a quick setup. Non-original bridge, and missing the strap buttons and three tuning post bushings. EUR 396... I think I got a good deal.

Here's a very happy me at the post office parking lot... couldn't wait to open the shipping box.

233

Fender Basses / Four 70s maple unlined fretless necks on eBay currently. Weird

« on: March 22, 2015, 02:35:41 PM »

Nobody likes vintage maple blank planks?

234

Other Bass Brands / So I bought another $100 Soviet bass off eBay...

« on: March 20, 2015, 04:43:09 PM »

For $100, how wrong can I go? Guess I'll have to wait until it arrives. It's a Caucasus brand or model name. Never heard of it before.

I assume I will have to change the Soviet DIN output socket to a Switchcraft jack, and possibly the pots. And the strings... got a TI JF324 medium scale flats set ready.

Since the (now) famous Bulgarian-made Orfeus Hebros bass, I developed a liking for this kind of Soviet crap. And with the Höfners, I'm already used to the scale and the narrow string spacing.

235

The Bass Zone / Wishbass - the end

« on: February 17, 2015, 04:16:36 AM »

Steve Wishnevsky posted this pic to FB 3 hours ago, wrote just two words: Goodbye Wishbass.

He's OK but the shop is gone and it was not insured.

He's a good person and this is heart-breaking.