Accidental NBD ("Austin" Pbass, maybe project)

[daan]

Stew-Mac is closing them out. Other Select models are also on closeout.

I just checked them out. THese are new, and going for about half of what used ones are selling for on the bay right now... Glad I got mine a couple years ago (for $1.00!) If I needed any more projects, I'd scarf them up.

[daan]

So it's done...



I just took a little off the sides of the control route, enough so the components sit down like they're supposed to. I still had a set of the flatwounds I got from Carlo, so those went on. It sounds good, it's fun to play with the Varitone, it feels like it weighs half of what my (all maple) JB Player or my Hondo weighs. So, I call this a Win. 

[Dave W]

I'm not surprised that it sounds good.

[Pilgrim]

Looks good, and I'll bet it balances well too.

[daan]

So I actually had the house to myself for a couple hours last night, I could drag the amp out and play loud. (The baby cries when I "plug in" and the 3-year old will actually go turn my amp off if I have it on... Perhaps some lessons might be in order? ) My JBP has the same "Select" pups as the Austin, so I had to A-B them. They sound... similar (to my untrained ears anyway) but the Austin is easily twice as loud. When I put the pups in, I used the foam pieces that came under the stock pups, so they sit up nice and high. I just realized I haven't touched the pups on the JBP, and they sit pretty low compared to the guard

So what does everybody like for under pups? Does it HAVE to be foam, or can I use something else? (or, y'know, just leave it alone, and turn the amp up higher )
I didn't weigh the basses, but the Austin is really light compared to the others. The Hondo is the heaviest, but not by much, compared to the JBP.
Oh, speaking of the Hondo, it worked OK when I picked it up from the store, but now when I plug it in, it just howls feedback, instead of sounding like a bass... I'm kind of tired of rewiring it, and the store guys had it for about 6 months the last time (and I don't reall want to spend more than I paid for it, again, to get it re-wired...again) I'm starting to see why people just save up the $ to buy something that already works. Oh, and my Douglas EB-2 copy, now sounds like it's strung with rubber bands, it just kind of "thuds" anywhere on the fret board instead of sounding like it should. I tried loosening the strings, and re-tightening them, but it still doesn't sound right... ugh. I joke about trading everything, but now I really want to.

[Pilgrim]

Have you thought about wax-potting the Hondo pickups?

[daan]

THe pups are new(ish) ones from ebay, guitar mini humbuckers, and they SAID they were potted already... but who knows, for the couple $ I paid for them. IT wasn't that they squealed or made feedback when I was playing, I either get silence or EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE thru the amp, depending on if I wiggle the cord... Unplugged on the couch it's OK  but if I try to play thru the amp I don't get any sound. Ugh. This isn't Rocket Surgery, so I don't know why I'm having so much trouble with this (well, other than that I don't actually know what I'm doing  )

[Pilgrim]

Sounds to me like a short in the output jack. That should be an easy fix, and the jacks aren't expensive. Two solder points and one nut to remove and replace....

[Dave W]

Mouse pads are a good substitute for foam under the pickups.

[daan]

There's a giant pile of unused mouse pads at work, maybe I can "recycle" them 

[Pilgrim]

There's a giant pile of unused mouse pads at work, maybe I can "recycle" them 

Eggs-ackly. They work well.