Jondeeman

There is always going to be an issue with satin, or matt painted finishes. The additives used (called matting agents) tend to sit at the surface of the finish and can get rubbed off (slowly with your arm or hand, and pretty quick with T-Cut). As a finish, it's a hateful chore to maintain; T-Cut, waxes and even Mr Sheen will be able to completely bugger your finish without a second thought. Best way to get it back to a satin finish is to refinish it with a satin paint. I wouldn't try spot repair (as suggested) as this is next to impossible to do consistently with satin / semi-matt or semi-gloss finishes. It can be difficult to spray, so if you need a good job, go to a pro... What else can you do? Well, abrading the surface back to a more matt finish is possible. This needs to be done carefully. Personally, I'd use a P2500 / P3000 wet and dry paper or a superfine scothbrite (rather than wire wool) lightly until I got the effect I was looking for. Problem with this is consistency - you may end up with a patchy body, AND, if you don't take enough care, you may end up with rub throughs. I wish you luck.

Now c'mon... £30 seems good value when you consider it's in deepest Essex. Probably works out at 28 to get it safely out of the county, then 2 quid to ship it throughout the UK. I mean, would you volunteer to travel to Brightlingsea for less???

A gent, a scholar and a really decent guy. Thanks John. Excellent comms and a great case. John

Not sure about this one? Looks like a nice bass. [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1986-Spector-NS-2-Bass-Natural-/230674630911?pt=Guitar&hash=item35b54788ff"]http://www.ebay.co.u...=item35b54788ff[/url] But is that Greg Lake's moniker on the rear???? Apparently it'll buff out if need be!

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='1375222' date='Sep 16 2011, 10:04 AM']No probs. Looking forward to seeing the results. I really shouldn't be dishing out these tips of the trade.... losing myself money here. Yep fit it with the neck you want to use first. This is why mass produced basses (Fender for example) have issues with bad bridge alignment - you can't simply pick a body and a neck out of a pile, bang them together and expect them to magically align like the CNC controls do and have everything millimetre perfect like a hand built bass. Wood is unpredictable and the interaction between the neck and pocket rout is the decider of where your bridge ends up, not Tim... or as we say around here TIM. Once you've got your neck and pups in place attach some thread to your G and E bridge saddles and project them up through your nut and fix with tape etc.. Keeping the threads taught at ~34" move the bridge sideways back and forth until you find the optimum position for your bass regarding pole alignment (sometimes it's quite prudent to only just test the water with your pup screw holes, in case you have to move them) and string position on the neck as it sits in it most comfortable unforced position.[/quote] Thank-you. What wonderful advice; I really appreciate it. I have a neck to buy and align as a next step. I'll still post the pics later though.

[quote name='Shawman' post='1375407' date='Sep 16 2011, 12:42 PM']"VINTAGE ! No Gibson Ampeg Marshall Rickenbacker Ibanez" quality[/quote] Clearly he's been on grass.

Saw this... [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/1976-FENDER-JAZZ-BASS-100-ORIGINAL-except-tuners-neck-truss-rod-problem-/230672761574?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_23&hash=item35b52b02e6"]'76 Jazz Bass[/url] Assume that it's been used to dig the garden... but will it get above 13 Euros?????

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='1374749' date='Sep 15 2011, 06:54 PM']Don't set your bridge until you have the above fixed in place then. This allows you a lot of latitude regards placing and you'll be able to set your bridge extremely accurately. [/quote] Thank-you. I wouldn't have done it that way round without your input. This is only the second bass I've assembled - the first one came out okay, but I want to raise the bar as I move forward. The neck I've been testing on the bass is a beauty I bought from Beedster. I love it, but it doesn't suit this bass and I need to find the neck I want first. I guess I'd better get shopping!!! Pics uploaded tonight...

Not yet, no. I have a the neck and the pick-up, but neither are fitted. Wouldn't take too long though.

I'll get some photo's tonight and post them up...

[quote name='Ou7shined' post='1374626' date='Sep 15 2011, 04:31 PM']I'll bet that "Tim's" screw-holes won't even line up with where you want your bridge anyway. How close to the set-up stage are you?[/quote] Good point. The hole positioning looks okay to me, but I haven't bothered measuring anything out yet. Progress? Well, I've finished staining and oiling... could do without having to start that again... Doh! have I messed up?

[quote name='xgsjx' post='1372796' date='Sep 14 2011, 08:19 AM']I stripped my bass of paint & finished it with Danish oil & Beeswax. Depending on how much you polish it will depend on how shiney it is. I went for the satin finish. [url="http://www.flickr.com/photos/xgsjx/5864441787/"][/url] If you click on the pic it will take you to my Flickr to see pics from the whole process.[/quote] Respect. What a wonderful job. Makes you wonder why Ibanez bothered painting it. +1 to the oil comments. I believe tung oil is more matte than Danish oil which is semi-gloss.

Hope that someone out there can help me with my little issue... I'm building a bass at the mo. It's a lovely '51 P slab body, and I'm trying to fit a Hipshot "A" bridge to it. The 3 screws supplied by Hipshot are too small for the guide holes drilled in the body!?!? I bought the body here: [url="http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Custom-Guitar-Bodies-And-More?_rdc=1"]Tim's page[/url] So here's the thing... should I upsize the screws (and if so, where do I get them from?) or do I try and fill the holes and redrill? Obviously keen not to bugger the body, but I want to get the best tone from the thing I can. I'm worried that if I get this wrong, the bridge will either work loose, or that a decent contact with the body won't be made. Any comments or thoughts are appreciated.

It's South Korean Won... £1 to KRW1776.

Justin TIM?

I've got an Ibanez acoustic that I sit and noodle away on... It's the 5 string version, but as the B is a tad looser than Skanky Mo's knicker elastic , it's effectively a 4 string with a floppy finger rest. It doesn't leave the house much, but I like it, and it looks woody and cool... accept that without Unplugged, and especially Nathan East, I'd probably not have bothered. I've never gone fretless. I've always assumed it's like skinny dipping; a liberating experience until it becomes obvious to those around you, and then it's an embarrassing situation for all. Maybe I'll give it a try one day...

Music with soul... one of the things that the world will never have enough of... album purchased. Thanks for the heads-up.

[quote name='flyfisher' post='1344103' date='Aug 18 2011, 10:12 AM']They can be reused by baking in an oven to dry them out. So no need to throw them away if you really need them.[/quote] My old Nan used to this with a silica pod in her biscuit tin, so it must be okay. Last year, I left several of my basses in an unheated but well insulated house over the winter. By February they all needed attention. I'll change the way I do this in future. As per previous replies, I can't see that the silica does anything unless the place you store your bass is a bit damp. I guess that the gel is put in for shipping (by sea) where it can get a little damp.

[quote name='danhkr' post='1342119' date='Aug 16 2011, 05:05 PM']Actually, it didn't it was mine and the seller pulled out. To be fair to him he had a genuine reason to do so and was very honest. In a way it's not too bad for me as although I need the money, I was hoping it might have fetched a bit more. I guess stuff just isn't really moving at the minute and as amazing as the Big Al is, it probably doesn't have the commercial appeal that certain other models do.[/quote] Why don't you offer it here? Maybe someone can make you an offer?

Thanks gents, useful info... I had a feeling that a little creative "upselling" was taking place.

Is this guy being totally straight? [url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SPECTOR-PEARL-WHITE-NS-2A-BASS-GUITAR-STING-RARE-/170671640661?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item27bcd29055"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/SPECTOR-PEARL-WH...=item27bcd29055[/url] Don't remember Sting playing one of these - his NS-2 had P/J pups, didn't it? Also, sure I saw some kicking around UK shops... not made in The Czech Republic for US market only? Lovely bass... appreciate any comments?

Ashdown do both the heads for the Dropheads separately - the Little Bastard and the DP200H? The DP200H is £1500ish Glad to here it's a goody...

This thing is gorgeous. I can't believe there aren't any bidders. It has to be worth £400 of anyone's money... [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220815692821&ssPageName=STRK:MEWAX:IT"]Status Electro 2[/url] Thing is... I'm moving, and the missus has started to mumble about how much gear I have (as it's brought out and placed in full view). I'm already in the doghouse and a new Status would only compound things. Quick! Someone buy it now, so I don't have to!