Rayman

Fun with foam A bit of old school funk

I really like this one, although I hope the upgrades will help it along a bit more.

Neck/frets is next….. Check out the neck pocket 😆, Chinese craftsmanship at its finest. This thing is not a high quality instrument, but, it looks cool and it sounds really nice albeit via the low output pickups (which are truly low budget). It was a birthday present from Mrs Rayman a couple of years ago, so I’m happy to spend the time making it nice. Actually the neck is very comfortable, but the fret ends are sharp, so they’ll get filed and polished. A fun thing….. keep you posted

I’ve had this a while, and have already put some Gotoh GB707s on it….. but I decided to pull it apart and improve the frankly nasty Chinese electronics…… Absolutely appalling crap comes out…. and in goes, basically a Jazz loom, 500K volume pots, 250K tone pot and a paper and oil cap….. Don’t look too closely at the soldering, I’m still learning, and I’m impatient, which isn’t ideal when you’re working on electronics.

To be fair, I could make a nice raised bed for my garden out of those planks.

Ace idea….. wish I’d seen this a couple of days ago 🤦🏻‍♂️

Having just watched this video, I have to agree with the above. Part of buying a legit vintage instrument includes the process of taking it apart and identifying the ages of the parts in order to date the instrument. So a collector (which I’m not) would look at the dates stamped on the pots and assume that it’s all original, adding to the collectibility and value. This bass does not now contain all of its original parts, and worse still would fool a collector into believing it has. Does it matter in terms of playing this instrument? No. Does it matter to the collectibility and value of the bass? Yes. All depends what the owner wants, as it’s his bass, but, as we’re all only temporary custodians of the instruments in our care, it makes life difficult for the future keepers of these instruments.

Yep. I know exactly.

Yeah I saw that. Although with four of them now I’m struggling to justify another one just yet. Although, (off) white with a tort guard might look nice 🤔. Depends on how I feel at the end of the auction.

Finished….. Absolutely delighted with these Sunn P basses. Honestly. We’re not talking Fender custom shop here, but we absolutely are talking “up there” with any MIM Fenders and even some of the US made stuff I’ve had. Yes, I’ve done a lot of work, but I’ve very much enjoyed doing it, and now I have another fabulous Sunn to add to my collection. FYI….. the strings are LaBella low tension flats.

Yes…. this part of the thread should probably have been in the build diary section, but there you go.

After a fret job this morning, I can tell you, this is one lovely neck now….

Yeah the plan is always to keep them as original as possible, and I like the string trees on these. The only thing I’ve altered on any of them has been the controls.

Ok, so, I’ve built the new loom from scratch, first time I’ve done that. I’m happy to report that everything works as it should, despite the dodgy soldering. Actually very pleased with it. So the body is pretty much done. Some alterations needed to get the pickguard to fit, but all good now. Good days work, just the fretboard/frets to finish….. but that’s for another day.

I actually like the rectangular ones, and I’m trying to keep the bass as original as possible ish, but I know what you mean.

Maaaaaybe Although I’ve found a very nice off white guard in my stash, that looks very nice… And the fret board is getting an overnight treatment of Monty’s Relic Wax…

Predictably basic electrics….. that entire lot, including the pick guard will go in the bin. The pickups though, absolutely stay. These modest pickups sound fantastic with a decent loom controlling them. At least they do on all my others, these are so far untested. The new pickguard technically fits, but the screw holes are a mile off, and the neck pocket will need sanding down. I’m undecided about whether to go for a better quality and possibly tort guard. I’ll give that some thought. Meanwhile the neck is off and the fretboard is getting a deep clean…..

Yeah I did think about a tort guard for the white one, which I might still do. It’s an 11 hole guard, so I ordered a new one from Gear 4 Music for 7 quid plus postage. It looks like they only do them in black or white though.

The observant amongst you will have spotted the Premier Inn decor in the background…. I had to travel to Southend to grab this one.

I must admit, I’m getting a bit obsessed now. Mrs Rayman just rolls her eyes when another one turns up.

The next instalment….. I just picked up a very sorry looking red Mustang….. Filthy dirty fretboard and a pick guard that looks like it was left on a radiator. The neck is straight, so hopefully that wasn’t the case. New pick guard is ordered, and this time I’m going to build the new loom myself. There’s a set of LaBella flats waiting to go on it.

For anyone who’s on Facebook, I’ve created a group called “Here Comes The Sunn”. Anyone who’s interested, please do join, and share your Sunn information and photos 👍🏻

I’m also embracing the lower output pickups and going old school, with a mute. Works really well for the Motown vibes.

I’m also pretty pleased with my fret job on this one….. like I say, they weren’t bad, but I’ve tidied up the ends and polished them. Super comfortable to play now, especially with flats. Also, note the fretboard has been treated with Monty’s relic wax, darkening it slightly, and then a coat of boiled linseed oil. Super comfortable neck now.