Ou7shined

Let's hope it's a combo that's here to stay. I first started using flats on a P about 10 years ago and back then they were quite hard to find and the choice was limited. I remember the disgust of other bass players if they ever took a shot of mine. Those Hotwires are brilliant eh Jose?

I think the buyer would stand a good chance of winning an appeal against an eBay claim over that one. Could be a lot of hassle though for a cheap bass.

When I did mine, I sanded it as smooth as a baby's behind before painting. I never wire brushed it or anything. Just by not going through the grain filing process I got the desired effect. You just want to finish the bass as normal (minus the grain filler - tons of stuff on the web about it) except either finish it with matt black paint or normal black with a clear matt/satin lacquer. But to be honest that bass doesn't look like it has enough cross grain and therefore not a great candidate for the job.

[quote name='icastle' post='1338305' date='Aug 12 2011, 11:44 PM']30 years ago? Wow - not many 2 year olds can handle a soldering iron... [size=1][b]P.S. - You definately owe me one for that![/b] [/size][/quote] Duly noted amigo.

Just rub back your body to the wood and don't fill the grain. Some woods have a more open grain than others I did one in vintage white earlier this year using a '78 P body...

Haha I've not used flux since I used to solder mini-projects back in school nearly... er... 30 years ago. Thanks for the memory.

[quote name='steve-soar' post='1338024' date='Aug 12 2011, 06:53 PM']errr, what did go wrong?[/quote] He got the treble and bass pups wrong way round???

Looks good.

I'm happy with my pump for guitar work. I do use one of those copper swarf tip cleaners though (which is a similar concept to braid) instead of a damp sponge. I find it much cleaner and quicker... and more handy - you don't have to get up and trudge off to the sink everytime you've got your kit together and sat down.

The 3rd and 5th frets will need sorting under the E and A then.

Can I have your avatar when you die?

[quote name='janmaat' post='1336867' date='Aug 11 2011, 07:07 PM']This: not so much for the magnifying glass, but serves as "third hand". really useful. and, get a soldering station: biggest problem is that if you don't have anything to securely put down / into the hot iron, you inevitably burn yourself, your bass, or the mains power lead. this looks ok [url="http://www.maplin.co.uk/40w-soldering-kit-399593"]http://www.maplin.co.uk/40w-soldering-kit-399593[/url] EDIT: check this page [url="http://www.musikding.de/index.php/cat/c201_Loeten.html"]http://www.musikding.de/index.php/cat/c201_Loeten.html[/url][/quote] I've used one of those blue and orange pumps (first link) before.. stopped working after it's first use. I'm currently using one very much like the 1,95 EUR one in your second like and it's going great guns.

[quote name='BottomE' post='1336738' date='Aug 11 2011, 05:20 PM']Might get the missus to do that bit [/quote] Yeah tell her a man off the internet said so.

Heat up the old solder joint and.. ahem.. suck it off with your pump.

"Tin" the tip of the wire you are soldering by heating it then bleeding in the solder once it is hot enough... you kind of need 3 hands for this Make sure the area you are soldering it to is clean - preferably desolder it with a solder pump first. Place your wire on where you want to solder it then apply the iron simultaneously heating both at once then again bleed in some solder - hold still for a few second until it has changed colour slightly and Bob's your uncle.

It fascinating how different people can make the same pieces of music sound so different. Of course it all depends on what kit they are auditioning it through (my eternal fear). My money is on C but with a bit of B thrown in for aggressiveness. You and the guitarist should get together and do it yourselves.

It's very hard to get a prototype right the very first time (I should know ). I agree with BRX, you are getting bogged down in theory and running around in circles *contradicting yourself, get it built and then play it, then make the necessary changes. It's only wood. You could cut the entire lower horn off if you wanted too - it's not that hard to put it back on twice as sturdy as it was before. * [quote name='neepheid' post='1335245' date='Aug 10 2011, 04:24 PM']....[b]I really can't see how changing the back only will help[/b] - having picked up a bass right now with a more aggressive cutaway at the bottom (curves between frets 19 and 20) it only works with the palm down because of that cutaway, there's no way you'd be able to do this on an unmodified T-bird cutaway...[/quote] [quote name='neepheid' post='1336162' date='Aug 11 2011, 10:04 AM']If truth be told, I was having another look at it last night and [b]because I removed the sticky out bit of the neck heel and can get my thumb up to behind the 16th fret [/b](will have to reshape the neck a little), I can reach the 21st fret quite easily with my index and middle fingers. Now I'm really confused. Do I need to do anything?[/quote]

Probably just needs hoovering out. These wee amps pull in a ton of dust and crap and stuff.

I'm not totally against the front bevel idea but I'd prefer to see this decision based on playability rather than what looks best or what is easiest to do. With this radical neck approach, you are taking something iconic and potentially improving the design. The lower neck cutaway on these is an obvious inherent design flaw (maybe not so much by design than circumstance) that needs to be addressed too and here you are with the perfect opportunity, especially since you have actually compounded the flaw yourself by adding an extra fret. Take a page out of the books of the builders who have been proven to have this part of the guitar right. Start your cutaway ~2 frets back and let rip. [quote name='neepheid' post='1152323' date='Mar 7 2011, 11:56 AM']....A few reasons for not using the original neck - 1) I want 21 frets because it makes sense to me that a 4 string bass fingerboard should start with an E and end with an E. One doesn't sing "do-re-me-fa-so-la-te" without the last "do" does one? ...[/quote] How are you going to get to play "do" if you don't make it accessible?

If you get more fret buzz at either one end of the neck or the other then adjusting the neck relief will suit your playing style. If the buzz is consistent up and down the neck it's yer saddle height that needs adjusting.

[quote name='tom1946' post='1334498' date='Aug 10 2011, 08:27 AM']I used to own a 'local guitar shop' and I'm not a bodger Vast majority of us local guys are honest hard working people who don't rip people off. JUst so you know. [/quote] Calm down dear.

I'd go for the Selects that someone recommended in your other thread on this.

[quote name='LiamPodmore' post='1323117' date='Aug 1 2011, 02:24 PM']Last gig i played there were Squier, Musicman, German Custom Warwick and MIA Fender basses, along with Behringer, Warwick, Ampeg and EBS amps. From the guitar side of things there was Gibson, Epiphone, Fender, ESP LTD, Dean, Mesa/Boogie, Marshall, Blackstar, Peavey, Orange and Randall. Bare in mind none of these are realy boutique, except maybe the Warwick and Muiscman, but still quite high end for the most part. Liam[/quote] Not even Warwick and Musicman are boutique basses. Expensive doesn't mean boutique.... and mass produced is certainly the antithesis of boutique.