LuFear... in the shed, they can all hear you scream...!

[Highlander]

It was a fine, if slightly overcast day, but everyone came round to see the new shed... not everyone made it out...


A strong brownian motion generator was applied (a nice cup of tea) and the Peter Cook was snared...


Well Tequila, your time is up...

Well, the shed is finally operational, and the first and and most urgent repair case is on the slab, stripped of all components and waiting the stripper to be purchased/applied... I'm going to carry out Chromium Joe's "Mud-Mod" to split the coil and may try a rotary switch, but the available body depth may not be sufficient to fit one (research needed - may request info and sources, but when the time is right...), so here is a list of what needs to be done...

1) strip fin and assess damage...
A major concern here is the various cracks in the neck, one is along the lamination, but 2 are across the neck at the head... there appears to be a crack along the length of the head, to around the position of the AD tuners; there is lots of bodywork cracks... much of this may be the old cherry fin beneath the white; this, all, remains to be seen...

the lamination split, approx 3"...
2) cut away front of control bay, rout out edges and fit new front piece, cut holes appropriate to controls (2 volume, rotary or pup selector/mini switches)
This is not worth trying to repair, as a large section is missing; I will need to figure out what the wood is; I was told she was made out of rosewood... some of you may know once you can see the bare wood... one part of me has thought of laminateing the whole front of her, so she is level both sides, which will increase the weight and possibly improve balance...
3) repair and prepare body for refin (the jury is still out on that one)...
I may elect for drill and fill the end with some lead... she is light (will confirm weight later) so this will help with balance...?
4) Mud-Mod (split coil)...
5) re-assemble hardware... I still need to source/make a pup ring for the RD Artist pup...
6) the custom wiring harness... still thinking about this one...



a one-of-a-kind, awaiting resurection...

So Chief, we have the body, but who's guilty of this crime...?

ps - Do I receive absolution for what I have done to my Ibanez...?

[nofi]

the first photo should be called "hippie holiday".

[Highlander]

Where are my Freak Brothers comics, and my Fat Freddie's Cat tee, man...?

[Lightyear]

Nice shed Ken!

Be VERY,VERY,VERY CAREFUL with the paint stripper.  Depending on type and strength it can melt binding and and soften glue - both a bad thing.

As for repairing the battlefield that is the surface of your poor bass - you might consider making structural repairs and then covering the entire upper and lower sections with a thin veneer - this would present a nice clean surface for you to work with and still leave the center section proud.  The cost would be minimal maple veneer stateside would be less than $20.00.

[Highlander]

Still got to overcome the lack of wood for the controls, Buzz, but that's a nice idea; I likey...

[Lightyear]

Ken, do have a router?  If you do you can drop in a patch.  Meaning route out to the depth of 4 or 5 millimeter from the top, over shoot your control cavity by 5 to 10 mils, leaving a nice shoulder for glueing, and glue in the patch from the top.  Just find your patch material first , 4 or 5 mils, and route to that depth.  Plane and sand to make it dead level and then you could overlay the veneer.

[Pilgrim]

Many flowered instruments.  F. Frederick Skitty approves!

[Dave W]

Lovely shed. You should think about building a second one.

I can see how much you value the Ibanez.

[Highlander]

Cheers Buzz, got a router... that was partly what I had in mind but part of the fun of accuracy is the offset body, gotta ensure I'm working "on-the-level" prior to cutting... plus sourcing the wood...

Al... I've not got that one; thought I had them all...

Whilst unemployed (trying to go pro, circa '82), I persuaded my late mother to watch "Up In Smoke", which she thoroughly enjoyed (passed on in '92 my dad was "stiff-necked", being an ex "cop" of 30 years, so did not approve) - I "smoked" in those days, but I haven't even smoked a straight (excluding a few weeks in '97) since '92...

Dave... We had 3 greenhouses and an old shed when we moved in in '92, so we gave one greenhouse away, converted one to a squirrel house, bought a new bigger shed, and I built a lean-to to bring me up to the "Kenny-2-sheds"... we already have a second, where the squirrels used to live... 
... and the Ibanez was a 21st birthday present from my parents... the degree of modification (front/back/sides/head) just backs-up my desire to make it more "worthless" so no-one else would want her; to me she's priceless... the oldest sticker is "Hawkwind at the Sundown", with Grand Funk, Tom Petty, Led Zep, Foghat, Nils Lofgren, Neil Young, etc, etc, etc... 

[Pilgrim]

Dave... We had 3 greenhouses and an old shed when we moved in in '92, so we gave one greenhouse away, converted one to a squirrel house, bought a new bigger shed, and I built a lean-to to bring me up to the "Kenny-2-sheds"... we already have a second, where the squirrels used to live... 

Squirrels?

To yield a shed to squirrels, you are either a true wildlife lover, or you need to have another session with your shrink.

[Dave W]

Ken's a wildlife lover.

Wonder if he's seen Crasher Squirrel?

We'd better not tell him about the Squirrelizer.

[Pilgrim]

I'm not so big on squirrels, but my youngest daughter's nickname is The Badger.  If I get crossways with her, I'm reminded why it fits.  Fortunately that happens very infrequently.

[Lightyear]

Squirrels?

To yield a shed to squirrels, you are either a true wildlife lover, or you need to have another session with your shrink.

Mmmm, fried squirrel is supposed to be right tasty

[Highlander]

They were both cripples, Al, and we kept them until they died... 9 and 10 years... the North American Grey Squirrel (Sciurus Carolinensis) was introduced to the UK a century or so back, by unelightened enthusiasts coming back from the US; the "grey" quickly took over from the red, but it was not until recently that the grey carries a virus that is lethal, in most cases, to the red, so they are now all but extinct in England, with the only "easy" place to see them are on 2 off-shore islands off the south coast... this is the closest I have ever got to one; previously the nearest image was over 300 feet up in a tree, moving at speed...!


the ears develop tufts in winter, which makes them incredibly cute looking... this one's a baby...

That shed now stores the critter food, and an assortment of debris...

Absolutely love that crasher squirrel, Dave...! those sort of pics are priceless...  

Buzz... come back once you've tasted one...  

oh yeah... I remember on the liner notes for "Damn Yankees", Ted Nugent stating, "All the squirrel you can eat (not sorry Tommy)", about his ranch... presume he was/is veggie...? my wife's late uncle said they was, "gud eatin'..." in his wonderful Kentuckian accent...  

Shrink...? who, me...? 

[Lightyear]

My wife and her siblings had a pet squirrel when she was 5.  Got blown out of the nest in storm and they fed it baby formula with medicine dropper until it could eat solid food.  Her dad had it trained to jump from the back of a kitchen chair onto his shoulder at which time he was allowed to retrieve a cigatete from his shirt pocket as a treat - which he ate - minus the filter.  According to the wife the little bugger was house trained and slept in a box in the laundry room.  Things went well until squirrel puberty kicked in and then he decided to spend all of his time out doors