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Can you imagine the ad for the job? Must look like Paul McCartney. Must be willing to be shot.

I picked this up yesterday. It’s Charvel 1B from 1987 and considering its age, it’s in super overall condition. I was never brave enough and far too cool to own one of these when they were popular, but now I’m older and no longer give a stinky poo, it’s the perfect time to have one! My poor band may think otherwise. I forgot just how good these bolt on Charvel necks are: it’s incredibly comfortable and I’ve been able to get a seriously low action on it. It also doh said great too and the reverse P pickup is a great variation. Now, where’s my hairspray?

Hello! Thanks for having me. I’m hoping to learn from you all and share whatever I can! Briefly, I am a guitarist primarily (I have joined guitarchat), but I also play bass; I teach both. I have spent most of the last six weeks feeding my desire to learn more about the wonderful bass (it’s sooo much fun!!!). I’ve been enjoying Jamiroquai and Incognito, Zander Zon and Michael Manring; and have been working my way through the James Jamerson transcriptions and the Stuart Clayton Ultimate Slap books. Sat on the bass pile of books is the John Goldsby “The Jazz Bass Book” and another Stuart Clayton “Solo Arrangements....”. I can’t wait to get into them but life and the new term will probably get in the way! I’m also waiting for my new TC Electronic BH250 and Eden EX112 to arrive. My main bass is the Peavey Grind 6, which I hope to mod with the help of Ricardo Westie (he’s on here somewhere). I hope I’ve got this right, I’m not good with technology....it doesn’t have the right kind of strings!

Feeler gauges are the normal technique

OK - this is where I have to repeat the warning to folks who may not have seen my other builds - and especially any 'beginner' builders. It is simply this. My threads describe how I personally go about things - and sometimes they work and sometimes they don't. Generally I detail both. They are statements of how I have done things but are never - and will never be - statements of 'this is how it should be done.' I am essentially a bedroom builder and quite often - through necessity or because I have difficulties with the way most builders do things - I go about things differently to the 'conventional' way. When they work, no one is more surprised than me . So by all means try things the same way if you think that it will work in your particular situation - but please NEVER assume I know what I'm doing! So Ironing on binding. (See what I mean ) I've got to that age where I forget things - and when I did the binding for the top, I had forgotten that I once did binding a different way which suited me much, much better. Those of you who have followed any of my veneering threads (or saw my demo at the last Midlands Bass Bash) know that I use Evostick wood glue as an iron-on adhesive. And I tried it once on binding. So here goes again! Basically - other than the iron and a pair of gloves - this is the kit. No bicycle inner tubes in sight (quick snap of the local kids in the street ) - I paint a thin but complete coat of the PVA onto the binding channel - including the bottom edge (important) - then I do the same with the binding (again including the bottom edge) - I let it dry (15-20mins but once dry this will work even days later). You can tell it's dry because it goes clear. - and then I iron it on. I use an old heatshrink iron myself simply because MrsAndyjr1515 goes apes**t if I use her iron - but any hot iron (used dry) will do. - note no fibreglass reinforced tape. No bicycle inner tubes. AND THIS IS COMPETELY NON-TIME DEPENDANT so even here - halfway through, I can go for a coffee and comeback and carry on!!!! Basically, I position the binding in the slot and run the iron back and forward over the flat side of the binding, say, a couple of inches at a time. After 30 secs or so, I then hold the binding firm against the flat side and pressing it down to properly bottom to the channel floor (hence the gloves!) for 10 secs or so until the glue has sufficiently cooled to re-solidify the glue. - Note also IT IS COMPLETELY REPEATABLE. If after it's cooled, you realise say that there's a bit of a gap, you just iron it again until the glue melts and press it firm until it cools - once it has cooled, then it won't move again unless you re-iron it. So you don't need tape. The 6" attached above is the finished job! - once the whole length is attached, you can immediately start scraping / sanding / chiselling. There is no further glue setting time. - which is what I did. The binding on the right is where I was 1/2hr after the above photo: - and, ignoring the rookie tearout on the back wood mentioned in an earlier post, here's what the other side of the joint came out like: This method suits me personally much. much more than the first method. Just got to remember if there is ever a next time to do it this way next time!

Warning! - this thread appears to have turned into full frontal Precision Porn. If you have been affected by images viewed (GAS), please seek help now, it's never too late.

TLDR Hello. Self taught, and been playing for 40+ years man and boy... started with punk in 76. then gave it all up 25 years later as pennyless and didn't want to die like Jaco. Back to it now after a 10 year hiatus of sorts, a slower, older more considered funky shredder. Still have the LesPaul but sold all the rest of me epic gear to pay for rent over the years 😞 currently learning a set for a band called Feast on Mars on the South coast PS. If any one sees my old Vigier Passion serial 0002 PM me instantly.

Thanks guys. My post was a bit tongue in cheek as I have noticed my fingers going where I want them to on the fret board. I do play in our church band but am on a rota and only step up once a month with about 30 minutes of rehearsal before the morning service. It certainly focuses the mind!

It’s worth taking your time on these details looks great 👍

I’ve only got a soprano and a bass. Will they do?

I don't think I've ever seen the expression "Enjoy Huddersfield" before.

Thanks all for the input. I'm going to use the MOP. I spent most of today routing out the channels for the blocks. More or less I used @Christine's method, ie: 1. Masking tape on the back of the blocks, and the fretboard. Use centrelines to line them up. Thin superglue them in place. Score round the edge with a blade. Then VERY carefully prise them off. Very carefully. I had the corner of one break off because I went at it too quickly. 2. I found it useful to use masking tape to make clearer where the edge of the block is. Being a bit ditzy, I can very happily rout away, completely forgetting that I'm supposed to be stopping at the line. So the pink masking tape is there as a reminder! I then routed with my palm router (not a dremel) and a 3mm mill bit. I thought this stage was going to be the most difficult. Actually it wasn't. The router rode on two stacked pieces of 18mm mdf, either side of the neck and it went very smoothly. My palm router (a Dewalt, the best designed tool I own) has a light underneath so I was able to see pretty clearly. I hand routed to within 0.5 - 1mm or so. 3. Chisels to then cut up to the line. This was....less easy. Other than for prising templates off😲, I've never used a chisel in my life. I'm not even sure quite how to use them. Am I supposed to be hitting them with a malet? Just pushing then to sort of slice wood off? I used a combination of both techniques. I found that the most important thing was that they were sharp...(I'm a slow learner!).....I sharpened them before I started and half way through. Actually I think I should have sharpened them 3 or even 4 times. This was the end result... Not perfect, (and this is the best one) but I'm pretty happy. I'm hoping that epoxy and sanding dust will make up for my sloppy work....

I too will purchase used instead of ordering new from EB. The new prices are far too much along with the wait time of 12 months for it to be delivered is pathetic. It should not take 12 months for a guitar that is machined to be made and sent to the UK from the US. If it was 1918 I could understand it but not in 2018.

Ebay has got the exact same block inlay stickers that come from Japan for £7.69 with free p&p instead of £12.20 off Amazon 😀

And the pay must be really bad as he can’t even afford shoes.

You don't want to hear what I'd play to that... Wold make Brotzmann or Zorn's Japanese Noisecore sound like a lullaby!

I think the key here is that when the keys and electric overplayed on their own it sounded great and improved a bit of a bland song - when they all did it it was awful. In church bands there is a problem of musicians wanting to show off and not having learned the ability to listen and leave space for others

So, slowly progressing. Covering up mistakes with paint.

Speak for yourself! I think it's not putting in the practice and study which is the issue. How many of us have the time to spend 8 hours a day practicing? Or even the willingness to? As one esteemed Basschater said to 'you don't need to learn how to slap to play Brown Sugar'. One of Steve Lawson's teachings is 'there are no secrets, here's how it's done'.

My grandson, aged not quite 4 in this pic. And don't suggest getting him a ukulele, I already have. This is what he wants. I might try getting him an Ibanez Mikro. But when I give him the choice of any of my guitars / basses, he always says "I want the big one!" 🙂 But a good U-bass can sound surprisingly good for its size. I know a bass player who is having increasing problems with lifting weight and has gone from a P to a viola-bass to a U-bass. The U-bass sounds better than the viola imho.

Is Australia ten years behind the world when it comes to fuzz?

I had a black one of these from about 1991-1994 and loved it. I gigged it loads and recorded a demo on it with my band at the time and it was great for the sort of funk/rock we were doing (think Saigon Kick, Extreme etc). Its a bass I've often thought I'd like to have kept. Well done!

You probably are but don’t realise it Have a closer look at what you’re actually practicing and don’t try to cover too much at once it’s better to be able to play one thing really well than lots of things untidy it takes time but it will come 😀

Uh oh, the Sopranos are here!

If you don't find it interesting, guys, feel free to move along and leave this for those who do find it interesting. Thanks. It's getting tedious now with some of you.

If it’s worth doing, then it’s worth overdoing.

Thanks chaps. I’m really impressed with it and it’s a joy to play. I think I’ll gig with it tomorrow night and see how I get on. I’m beginning to see what a number of people say the P bass pickup works well the other way round All I need now is a studded leather strap for it

I do like a zero fret and assumed the lack of them in general was down to build cost. Just seemed as you'd built for it, a lot of work to get rid of it. Just curiosity really.

Haven't seen one of those in a while Nick. Nice one, enjoy

Yes... With AIC and a Spector... This very week in fact!

So good!

Nothing wrong over playing. It's just choosing when to. Imo.

I think Hugh Cornwell said that the Stranglers had their roots in late '60's English psychedelia. Like Dr Feelgood and The Jam they'd started before Punk with inspiration directly from the '60's, but got fuelled by the energy and musical freedom of Punk like so many other bands at the time. I've a particular soft spot for the Stranglers, as it was a gig at Cambridge Corn Exchange in 1977 that switched this particular spotty 16-year old from violin to bass guitar - I was gigging within a month. And "Rattus...." has to be one of the best debut albums of all time; "Hanging around" still makes the hairs stand up..... (No longer dyed green, alas)

http://thunderbuckerranch.com/ the 66 series

Looking good, don't worry if everything is air tight they should work perfectly. I hope you like the way they sound.

I think he's probably playing the way he wants to.......

I understand why people love them. My son, when I offered him up to $750 towards any bass in Nashville, went halves on a new MIA Fender P, and I appreciate that it's right for the music he plays. But not for me. My first bass, a GMR5, has what I now realise is exceptional sustain, so that's how I learned to play and how I naturally develop all my basslines. I can play staccato when it works in the band, or I can let a note ring clearly for a whole bar. But I find even on a really good P that the notes just die too soon. It's frustrating. Imho, ymmv 🙂 If it's history you want, my 1966 EB2 has decent sustain too 🙂

You could buy 5-10 vintage v4 reissues for the price of a USA precision. I love my v4s to bits. BUT from what I can see, despite being called v4, the models are all slightly different. The blk standard is my main bass. Love it. Laqured neck. Very easy to play, loads of tone control and power. The v4 icon has an un laquered neck and different sounding pick ups. Definitely more vintage sounding. One thing I have done is put shielding tape all over the back of the scratchplate and cavities. Works a treat. Cost less than a tender for a huge roll. The blk was bought new for £230 (and I swapped for identical Wilkinson gold hardware). The icon was bought as new for £95. One weird thing I will mention is I have absolutely no idea how the pots are wired! I'm issued to one being volume, and one tone. These definitely are not that simple. The tone control definitely adds volume too the more you go to fully open. But it does add even more tone shaping possibilities. I've had an excellent USA p in the past, the finish was like a work of art. But I genuinely feel these v4s are more playable and have more character about them. And cost nearly 10 times less. If you had a range of them - with their different types of neck (laqured or unlaquered) and pick ups (modern or vintage), and you can buy straight replacement hardware in different colors, and scratchplates - you could create an awesome bitsa to your exact spec for next to nothing.

Yesterday I travelled to Belgium to trade my AVRI (clearly adding some cash) 57 P against @Hellzero‘s Status Electro. After spending an evening with it I can honestly say it is one of the best fretless basses I have ever owned, mwah for days and a piezo system that does not sound harsh in the slightest. A very happy man indeed..... back to 4 graphite necked instruments too which I think is the right amount of graphite you need in your life Re-using original pics.

Some wise sage once told me that the biggest obstacle when practicing bass or guitar, is opening the case

I went to see Einstürzende Neubauten at a free frestival in Ypres, Belgium on Saturday. It was part of a series of events that are commemorating the end of World War One. I then saw them again in Heerlen, Netherlands, last night. Have a restful day today, then a long drive back to Wales tomorrow..

Here's a 28'' scale fretless I just finished (build thread in the Build diaries section). It's called the Flea Market Funk Machine as it was made entirely out of wood from furniture found at flea markets.