Matt P

I thought I was pretty excited at the beginning of the build but this is getting better and better! Matt

definitely this, , I have a small zip-up case that i bought in maplins 20 years ago that carried my tools for many years, recently i've been getting a lot of use from a screwdriver set that i got from Lidl that has 4mm hex drive bits, this allows me to carry a fairly large range of bits in a small space, with the addition of a few dedicated hex keys, an adjustable spanner some pliers and cutters, and a string winder i'm pretty much all set for whatever i might need to do. many years ago i was running the desk for a friends gig and had enough tools in my kit to set up the lead guitarists guitar in the break between the soundcheck and the gig, the kit was about the size and weight of a paperback novel and was often in my bag for this kind of thing. Matt

Jon Letts hasn't been heard from for a while now, it all got a bit messy and he dropped off the radar about 5 years ago. a bit of a shame really as i quite like my 5 string singlecut and might have commissioned a fretless twin to go with it. if the nut can be turned then it should be fairly easy to work out if its double or single action, gently unscrew it, if it gets easier to turn then it's probably single, if there is any resistance then it's probably double action, but obviously getting a pro to look at it would be the safest course of action. Matt

paging @Andyjr1515 the torx suggestion is a good one too, the traditional solution is to find an imperial hex key that is a smidge bigger and hammer it in. whatever happens you will need a new nut for the truss rod anyway so slightly damaging the old one won't matter much as long as it comes out. I'm hoping this is down to user error on the part of a previous owner and not down to the parts themselves as i have a 5 string Letts bass myself, i've never touched the truss rod (It was tweaked 6 months after i got it wen i had it set up and not at all since) Matt

that looks perfect!

Could you spray a light coat of sealer on the routing before you pour the resin (allowing it to dry obviously?) might stop the bleeding. Matt

Its actually part of a clothes hanger, the scratchplate has quite a few extra holes and when I first got the bass I relied heavily on a thumb rest, never got round to removing it. 😁 Matt

it's ok, i'm just killing time whilst i wait for my new custom 5 string build! Matt

when it comes to my current basses i think the '77 would be the last to go, it's been modded/stripped and has hardly any fret life left in it and it weighs far too much for my fragile back but it would be the hardest to part with as it's so nice to play and sounds just perfect. I'm expecting my new 5 string that @Andyjr1515 is building will be a forever bass as well, the rest wouldn't be easy to part with but if it really came to it they could go.

this is kind of what's happening here, i only had the originals on for a few months (in 2015 whan i bought it) but they feel pretty good, just need them to settle down and stretch in properly. Maybe i don't need to buy new strings! matt

that's a very kind offer, i will keep it in mind, i've been watching reviews on youtube and it seems like the roundwounds give more of an electric bass sound, i'm not sure if that is what i'm looking for but i'll keep my options open. Matt

Could you sand it level then put a 1.5mm veneer on to put back the thickness before reattaching the fretboard? Matt

I bought myself a Kala U-bass (the mahogany acoustic one) many years ago and after a few months i swapped over to a set of the Aquila thunder reds, i've just been playing it and the A string has started to develop cracks around the 3rd to 7th fret area ( a quick check of my pile of musical receipts shows i bought these strings in August 2015 so they've not done badly). I've put the original strings back on as a temporary fix but i think it's time for some new ones and the available range seems much bigger than last time i looked so i thought i'd see what people had tried before i buy some. these are some of the options i've seen, (at Bassdirect) which ones have people tried and how do they compare with each other? Aquila "Thundergut" - White, red or black, Aquila "Silver Rumblers", Pyramid roundwound string U Bass Pahoehoe Black strings KALA roundwound string set for U Bass, 4 Galli Flatwound set for U Bass, 4 Galli Nylon Coated set for U Bass, 4 the Galli Nylon's look quite tempting as i've used nylon tapewound on other basses and quite liked the feel but at 50 quid a set their not the cheapest (but i know they will last a very long time) Any comparisons or reviews would be gratefully received. Thank you Matt

ahh another interesting rescue thread, i was wondering what would be keeping you occupied while the parts are arriving for the build, I think i enjoy these threads almost as much as the builds. Matt

it's never really bothered me, I have the same bridge (but in black) fitted to my Letts 5 string, my only minor gripe is that the black finish isn't very hardwearing, the chrome fixes that. Matt

I did own one of the bex4 basses for a bit, I didn't seem to bond with it. I have yet to play a bad yamaha instrument though. Matt

Excellent Score! I'm another who's always fancied one of these, i do the occasional search on ebay but they're too expensive for me, I think if one of the Nylon strung ones popped up at a sensible price then i'd be sorely tempted. Matt EDIT - a quick ebay search throws up an AEX500NS still at a reasonable price, but there are 5 bids already so i'm not hopeful.

I'm liking the look of this, limba top with ash back and ebony demarcation will look fantastic. any thoughts on pickups? Matt

i think that when it comes to cheap EUBs there are only really 2 models on sale, the Palantino and the Stagg, (i'm willing to be corrected though) i think both of theses are sold under a few different names as well. have a look through the classifieds and see if you can identify which one it is, there are 2 different versions of the Stagg with different headstocks, the earlier ones were known for having issues with the headstock so my money is on it being one of these. I have one of the later Stagg ones and i'm very happy with it (mine is slightly modded with a new tailpiece and different strings) once you've identified which one it is then working out a value is much easier. Matt

that combo sounds pretty good, although i have my straps a hair longer at 121cm hole to hole, maybe we need a Basschat Official strap to go with the straplocks? if the price was sensible then i'd have one, maybe with a little discrete branding? I wonder how many orders they would need to make it reality? Matt

I have a love-hate thing with the ladder adjustment but i very rarely adjust my strap after the first time and having bought a strap with a metal buckle i ended up making a soft cover to go over the buckle as i was paranoid about scratching the guitar i was using it with and i haven't touched the adjustment since the first initial setup. the ladder adjustment does have the one advantage that once adjusted it stays put unlike with the nylon straps i've used) I'm almost tempted to have a one piece non adjustable strap made to my preferred length.

i'm not sure that shorting out the lead would be a great idea as you would actually be shorting out whatever it was plugged into at the other end, with the volume at zero and the power disconnected wouldn't it act much like a passive bass plugged in with the volume at zero? Having the volume knob act like a on-off switch sounds like a reasonable idea to me provided there wasn't an audible click on the output when it's turned on. Matt

i have quite a few of the Levy's suede ones but for my bass my go-to strap is from Leathergraft, i bought it on a whim from a local shop and it's the perfect mix for me, 3" wide, soft leather on the top, grippy suede on the back, just the right amount of padding and not stupidly expensive. Leathergraft Liverpool - Guitar Straps, Leather Goods, Straps mine is the Pro deluxe, I might actually order for my new 5 string

That's what I was worried about, well if you ever decide to part with it send me a message, I can promise it will be going to a very good home! Matt

good afternoon, i am hoping that the collective wisdom of this thread can help me identify (and hopefully locate) a bass that a friend of mine sold many years ago, all i have is one slightly fuzzy (and badly doctored) picture. From reading through this thread I think it might be a 405 in metallic grey/Pewter (we are trying to dig up some more pictures) but the husband of the bassist in question is trying to locate an identical bass to replace the one sold for just 100 quid back when they were skint students (and to slightly offset the through-neck Warwick thumb 5 string that had just been Bought) it was originally bought in the early 90's so we are fairly sure it is a bass collection. @BassBunny you mentioned a pewter 405 many pages back, am i on the right lines? does anyone have one that they would be prepared to part with? any leads gratefully received! Matt