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I built a sunburst bitzer fretless precision over twenty years ago, using decent parts. Over the years I have tweaked it slightly, changing the bridge, pickguard etc. As I don’t really need a fretless, I recently bought a Fender precision to jazz bass conversion neck for it, and already had a set of hipshot tuners to fit the neck in my bits box. whilst it was at the gallery having the nut cut, I ordered an EMG GZR pickup, aged pearl pickguard, a pair of lovely callaghan knobs, a fender thumb rest and a set of cobalt flats for it. I fitted these parts yesterday and now it is like having a new bass. I then realised the only parts that remained from the bass I built all those years ago were the body and ‘F’ neck plate. I quite fancy buying a black painted body for it, and it struck me that if I did I would be able to rebuild the fretless from all the spare parts I now have — I’d just have to find another neck plate in my bits box. Then I could start the cycle again. Is this the perfect way to bring a new bass into the house without alerting the other half?

Well, here's 3 that sound like a P bass. The two Jim Deacons were very cheap to buy but they do need some upgrades. Both of them got Hipshot Ultralight tunes to get rid of the neck dive. The Cream one has an EMG P-X pickup and the burst now has an Aguilar AG-4P 1960s spec pickup and a Kiogon loom. The Sandberg is a custom order Superlight Lionel (5.7lb) that started as just a P, but I wanted more options so I had it modded to PJ. Aguilar pickups again, with a 3 way switch. I never use the bridge pickup alone on that, just the P or the PJ setting. The J pickup is slightly overpowered to match up with the P and I tend to add that if I need a bit more cut through. Cream has rounds - a great clanky rock sound Burst has ancient La Bella Deep Talking Flats - my main Duck Dun / Jamerson / Motown choice. Sandberg has Fender flats - does everything really. They all sound like P basses and the different pickups and strings give me plenty of options between them. The Deacons have very narrow bridge spacing which is not for everybody - it's about 16.5mm. The Sandberg is 19mm like a 34 scale would be. I was surprised to find that I really like the narrow spacing for finger and plectrum playing. It's a bit of a challenge for slap but when I slap I'm old school disco funk rather than Mr Wooten so it's doable.

Everything above is correct. The pots are 80's Japanase models, wires are a mix of American and Japanese. The decal over the nitrocellulosic varnish is period correct, but is missing the model name and patent numbers look like gone... The stamp on the neck has the right font for that period with the larger bar on the right part of the A. The fingerboard wood must be Brazilian rosewood, but it really looks like Indian rosewood, which was used later. The pickups are period correct (wire type, grey bottom, no stamp). I won't repeat what others already said, so read it again as everything is right. I definitely need more high definition photos to go further...

I have a U5, and like you was concerned about the ‘digging in the arm’ effect of the bound body. Happy to say that there is a small amount of contouring on the body to ease this - see pic below. I’ve used mine without experiencing any problems. ( Mine is a natural / orangey tinted version, probably a couple of years old.)

Sorted!

Borrowed a Longsword v4 from a guy at work to compare to the v2 and set up my board to test. Consensus is that they're all amazing. Really makes me appreciate just how great the dagger is, no matter how nasty it gets, never looses articulation. The Longsword v4 is super flexible thanks to the 3 clipping options and extra boost. Easily the best distortions I’ve ever tried, I always come back to EAE stuff.

Great story from Nick Beggs (in the latest edition of Popbitch): "I was performing at a rock/pop festival in Europe in the 80s and staying at a hotel with all the other luminaries of the day. I recall seeing Ozzy Osbourne and Bruce Dickinson talking in the hotel bar that evening. Becoming overwhelmed by my fan-like mentality I helplessly ran up to Ozzy and spouted, "Oh my God! Ozzy Osbourne! I can't believe it, you were my biggest influence!" "To which he replied. 'F*** off! I'm not taking the blame for that crap." There's another great story going about featuring Ozzy, Slash, Cliff Richard and the late Queen of England (that I won't repeat here) 🙂

I've always played Fenders / Squiers, but equally have always had a fascination for Thunderbirds (blame it on Nigel Mogg, Pete Way and Leon Wilkeson), so when this one appeared in the pre-owned stock at @Bass Direct my interest was piqued. As we were away at the time, I decided to leave it until we got home, and see if it was still available then. It was, so... 🤷‍♂️ It actually arrived yesterday, and I spent a pleasant afternoon swapping the strings to my preferred TI flats, tweaking the setup and intonation slightly, and trying to get used to the, erm, somewhat different ergonomics... 😂 Not had chance to run it though an amp yet, but it sounds wonderful through the Tascam bass trainer + headphones, so looking forward to giving it a proper run out at rehearsal next week. Then I just need to persuade the rest of the band to adopt a new country-goth direction...... 😎

Ozzy and Rick Wakeman were good buddies:

Just picked up this beauty, a 1987 reissue of a JB-62. I'm partly just posting here to show off, of course, but also because it has a couple of weird features I haven't seen before and I'm curious if anyone knows what they are. First, the metal strip running from bridge pickup to bridge (that line is not painted, it's literally a piece of metal embedded in the body). And second the two small holes either side of the neck pickup. See the third photo for closeups.

I've recently discovered Boards Of Canada. Surprising it's taken so long to find them, as the duo are relatively local to where I was brought up, and are about the same age. I love their themes of trippy nostalgia.

Having shipped my Head of Doom back to Ashdown I received a call today from the legend who is Dave Green. Turns out she’d popped a capacitor which he has replaced along with its sister, and she is now winging her way back to me, and should be here on Monday. Amazing service again from the Ashdown team.

That's great, just what I needed to know, thank you... Or not as it's back on the shopping list now

1 bass smuggled into the house in parts over 20 years is the crime of the century. You might get away with it. Depends how silly the other is. They may not really care for the skullduggery all the same.

In that case, try : 'You're not going to refuse to do a video shoot, are you..?' ...

I just moved the Ozzy track behind the Scofield track so Ozzy's is listed as transcription no. 666 on the list on the front of this thread. 👺🤘

Decloaking briefly. I have a thing for Fiesta Red Precisions. One the left a GB Spitfire with a P bass pickup. In the middle a 1962 Fender Precision On the right a 1981 Fender Precision 1957 Fullerton reissue. These have very wide necks!

Bass board (half in rack .. pics to follow) Guitar board

I guess you meant how much would I pay for this? Hard to tell has I would need more data, more detailed photos and check this neck a lot more.

I am going to try and pop in tomorrow.

Headstock from my L serial number 1964 J. Looks like decal is under the varnish to me. Although looking closer at the photo (bass is a bit harder to look at ATM) there is a chip off the decal, so maybe it's on top of varnish?

That twisted neck puts me off. Would need serious luthier attention. AFAIK decal on varnish is right for early 60s. Don't know about 64.

NEWAVLBP (not even with a very large barge pole).

Is it vintage? Possibly, but it’s hard to tell. Neck looks twisted, frets look awful and the condition is atrocious. Personally I’d walk away as fast as I could. Assume asking £5k +++

I honestly have no idea. I saw a video a few days back where a chap was manufacturing nuts out of wooly mammoth bones/tusks, which (apparently) you can buy in Alaska - I thought this was pretty cool (no pun intended). Arguably the nicest nut I've had was on a Warwick Streamer...it was one of those brass adjustable ones that made tweaking a dream:

Assuming it was this case: https://www.gear4music.com/Woodwind-Brass-Strings/Westbury-Deluxe-Padded-3-4-Double-Bass-Gig-Bag-with-Wheels/1MBI A product should be of satisfactory quality and reasonably fit for purpose or, if you make an express purpose known to the seller before purchase, reasonably fit for that purpose (ss9-10, Consumer Rights Act 2015). S11(4) CRA2015 states: "Any information that is provided by the trader about the goods and is information mentioned in paragraph (a) of Schedule 1 or 2 to the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 (SI 2013/3134) (main characteristics of goods) is to be treated as included as a term of the contract." Schedule 2 (relating to off-premises (i.e. internet) sales of the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 specifies that information as being "the main characteristics of the goods, services or digital content, to the extent appropriate to the medium of communication and to the goods, services or digital content". So the description set out on the webpage arguably becomes a term of the contract between you and the seller. G4M stated that the case "offers comfortable protection for your three quarter size double bass... This model also comes with attached wheels, providing you with a more comfortable transport method for long distances. The generous 22mm padding protects your instrument from any bumps or knocks whilst on the road. ... the BC003 is suitable to transport your three quarter size double bass to live events, band practice and the studio." Accordingly, it was arguably a term of the contract that: the case offered 'comfortable protection' it could protect your bass during transportation of your bass for long distances; it had 'generous 22mm padding' to protect your bass; it was suitable to transport your bass to gigs, practices and the studio. If, as you suggest, there was inadequate padding G4M are in breach of the implied and express terms of the contract between you. The remedy for breach of contract is damages to put you in the position you would have been had they performed the contract as required. As such, you would be entitled to the claim the cost of any repair (since had the case been fit for purpose your bass would not have been damaged), plus arguably any incidental costs (such as hire of an alternative bass, transport costs etc). I'd be letter before claiming G4M for the cost of repair and then small claims court if they decline.

They're a lovely amp - not big power but usually enough through the right cab(s).. Mine seems to have no problem working at 8 ohms on the 'extension' output although it usually works at 4 ohms on the 'main' output with it's matching 2x15". The line out is after everything so it's level is proportional to the output level but it really sounds great - I have a cheap passive DI box attached with some velcro in the back so I can use it as a balnced line. Not recently but I've done quite a bit of recording using it.

Looking at the Sire website, I think that is just for the mint paint finish (my least favourite). I think the flamed maple top variants are more attractive and still bound.

It has arrived (no opportunity for test until next week sadly)

Whenever I’ve bought foam I used eFoam, decent company with good prices & service, they should be able to help

Yes, I had alluded to that in an earlier post although the body edge still looks quite angular but a couple of the guys above has said it's not as bad as it looks in terms of playing comfort. But with JMJ and a Sandberg shorty I fancy something with a bride pickup - even though it's something I only use sparingly - just for some tonal variation. Although the Sandberg and JMJ sound nothing alike despite both being P configuration. Oh, and I have a Harley Benton P/J Mustang too so really it's just a very tenuous excuse for another bass!

Assuming you’re just looking for stage volume and it’s mostly di out to a large PA rig then a decent 210 cab would suffice Rumble cabs tend to fart out when pushed and I’m not too sure they would handle the low B that well But they are reasonably priced If you don’t mind heavy gear then the Ampeg SVT 212 AV is a great single use cab and sounds similar to 610 and 810 Ampeg cabs. A decent 500w head should be fine, Darkglass are very good but so many others to consider and if you need drive just run a boss ODB3 in front or Spark Booster job done Amp Brands to choose Ashdown Ampeg Laney Aguilar ToneHammer Make sure they have a DI output Ive always found the best sound comes from heavier gear but some lightweight gear is a close second these days or some would say as good as especially the top end priced cabs Dont cheap out on cabs as they are more important than amps in many cases

This ... 100%

Yes, I had an Aerodyne too and had the same issue. Ditto with the Gretsch Junior Jet and I have it with the Guild Starfire (but I have found a fix for that). I don’t notice it so much with the U5 as it has a bit of an arm chamfer and there is one on the the back opposite it, which makes the bass tilt slightly against the body, making less of an acute angle under the arm. It actually has a belly bulge rather than cut but it works for some reason. Also the body size is reduced proportionately to the scale, which puts the edge in a different place on the arm. That said, I don’t use it for a full gig: I tend to use it for a few songs that require fretless, so I can’t really say whether it would get uncomfortable but I have been rehearsing with some folks where I use it exclusively, so I might be able to comment after a full gig with them. If it is uncomfortable, I will apply the fix I use with the Starfire: stick on foam edging designed to stop toddlers injuring themselves bashing into tables. It works a treat and the adhesive is not meant to damage the finish (we’ll see about that). I wish I had known about it when I had the Aerodyne. I think @Casapete gigs with one and might be able to say how it is over an extended period.

Sorry cant help you with that. But I do have this, it is purple/blue/green depending on the light, I dinged it the first time I took it out so it stays on the wall now 🙄

I got the burst first - it was my first shortie and it was very cheap so it was an experiment. I loved it apart from the neck dive. The stock pickup was crap as were the controls - really on/off with no gradient to turning the knobs. But the basic construction was good enough to make upgrades worth it. The Sandberg was my 50th birthday present from my wife, and while I was waiting for that (custom order took about a year) the cream one came up on here so I grabbed it. I had planned on stripping it but when it arrived the colours worked far better than I expected. That one was quite badly set up when I got it (sorry to whoever it was) with a really high action. I think at some point the neck had been off and it hadn't been properly seated again when reassembled. That was an easy fix and now the action is nice and low. The EMG P-X version of their pickup is a lot better than the stock EMG P. More headroom and more mids so it sounds more like a proper P but with more output. The tone control on the X series actually does something too! It's my first choice for plectrum rock stuff.

The chip on my shoulder is that the state of private music tuition in this country is appalling. I will explain: for longer than I've been any sort of woodworker or instrument builder - or in fact, what I do say to day now - owner of a pickup winding company - I've taught music. I've always been foremost a musician - but to supplement that income I had a music shop in the 80s/90s and after that worked at a local FE college where my role required I become a qualified teacher. This opened my eyes to the fact that a great many people teaching instruments privately are a. a waste of money for the student, and b. creatively stifling for the student unless the want to learn the teacher's 'pet' genre of music. To many so called teachers, it's about money and no more (or a bizarre ego trip). They don't take time to find out what the student wants to learn, they don't put in the effort to prepare course work tailored for the individual and the type of music they want to play - they just apply a 'cookie cutter' one size fits all approach and take the money. Frankly students would be better seeking out the right sort of YouTube lessons and perhaps even paying for one to one tuition or small group (usually via Patreon ets) from someone on that platform who has a style they admire or want to learn. I hate to see folks waste money - and a huge amount of personal music tuition today is just that, a waste of money. If you are going to go to a tutor then go to one who teaches what you want to learn. Ask the right questions, seek out other students that have been taught by that person ... but don't just blindly go to someone who is supposed to be a good player ... because they can be that and a crappy teacher at the same time.

Nice one Centurion!

Assembled the bias board and wired the PT to the mains via the fuse and switch. ALL BUILD PICS NOW IN POST DATE 01/11/2025

I must admit, I did wonder about that. However, Jake E Lee put up a screen shot of a text he received from Ozzy a couple of days before he died, thanking him for doing the Back to the Beginning gig and suggesting that they meet up in a few weeks time when he went back to LA. So, perhaps it was more unexpected than you might think.

In terms of the music, my favourite Sabbath was definitely the Dio era too, saw them live ect, but Ozzy was a personality cult all of his own, even back then. I agree that if Sabbath had changed their name at that point then maybe people would have more readily acknowledged what great music they were turning out in their own right. I saw Ozzy with Randy Rhodes on the first Blizzard Of Oz tour in 1980. It was pretty good but not great, just another routine gig on a Monday night in the provinces for Ozzy. I waited at the stage door afterwards to get my programme signed but Ozzy looking a bit dazed and glazed-over, wasn't very approachable. Sharon accompanied him straight across the car park to the hotel next door. A few minutes later you could see him through the window having a drink in the bar with Budgie, the support band. Probably just a quick nightcap and then straight to bed.

Great to see you live up to your name .😺Jealous about the status s2 classic . I may track one down one day .. There is a cort space bass for sale on here . If it’s still here after the weekend , I may take the plunge .🤔

Still raining. Where was I? Ah yes. The neck. This was a much less complicated process than the body fixes. The first order of business was to scrape off all the glue from the heel and tidy up the sufaces where the fingerboard had been taken off. Again, I didn't take any pictures of that process, I think because my hands were covered in mushy old glue and I didn't want to touch my phone. I unscrewed the tuner plates and spent an evening cleaning the corrosion off the tuners. I oiled them and generally tried my best, but they're still absolutely terrible. I should probably replace them, but I'd be nervous about getting something that's the wrong shape to follow the specific curve of the pegbox. This picture shows the corrosion and also the old epoxy and a piece of hand-cut brass tuning peg. Also the scrape marks that suggest someone just tuned the E string with a pair of pliers for quite a long time. Here's the gluing set-up for the neck, you can see the heel, now cleaned and denuded of it's many-layered strata of glue. And a bonus picture that shows just how tiny a regular electric bass looks next to a double bass neck. After I'd gotten both heel and neck pocket squared up and made shipshape, I started the process of shimming and reinforcing the pocket to get the neck angle right. Luckily the basic geometry of the neck joint was all sound -- it was inept execution that did for the last repair, not a fundamental problem with the bass itself. You can see some of the walnut veneer (it was what I had to hand) that I used for the final adjustments. It's just being dry-fitted here. My wife had the smart idea of using a racheting webbing strap to hold the neck firmly in place while the glue set up. I was very careful not to over-tension things and fold the sides in on themselves, only applying the bare minimum amount of force. Here's what the glued up joint looks like now. Not pretty by any stretch of the imagination, but it's held for the last seven or eight years with no issues.

I think typical earlier 20th century gut sets wouldn't have been all that low tension compared to modern specialist rockabilly slap sets - they were usually silver plated copper wound on the lower two strings, and with the higher action that was common, I'd say they wouldn't be easier on the left hand than my Spirocore mediums and lower setup. I think you mentioned elsewhere you were playing a "bumped" Rotosound nylon set? Unbumped, those might be similar in feel to traditional gut sets, but it would be fair to say you're working with an ultra low tension setup compared to most, which will probably give you more leeway in how you use the left hand. As a fan of higher tension steels myself, I feel like we don't use them out of some masochistic sense of what's "proper" or even to gatekeep out the noobs by making things unnecessarily hard, but simply because that's the sound I found inspiring and they're the most direct route to getting that out of the instrument.