Grangur

Hmm... this thread had taken me 2 steps further to the conclusion that this forum has lost a lot of what it had going for it. Have a good life.

Nice @JohnR, is the replacement body still a Wal, or from another source?

Does anyone here have a bass like Trigg's broom? With folk changing necks and bodies, pickups and such, has anyone ever changed the neck and body etc over a period of time and still consider it as the "same bass" they've had for years? How much can you change on a bass and still think of it as being the same bass?

Now why didn't I ever work out how to do that with our phone when I was that age? MAN I feel OLD!!

Lovely bass, @Fionn. You're not itching to remove the frets by any chance, are you?

I'll be thinking it over.

That's a thought. I also have a mate who's a professional sprayer of wood and furniture. So he could be a good guy to know. He'd also do a great job. Even though it would cost. But the finish would be far better than any rattle-can job... if I do it.

Mrs G says "No! The wear is part of it's charm." I tend to agree.

Hi, I'm thinking of restoring a blue Corvette. If it's to stay blue then I need a translucent blue that isn't gloss. Any ideas anyone?

I find this interesting. I have a Corvette that's "roadworn". I love the fact that it looks like it's been around. Strangley, other's don't seem to like it so much. Yet I think of my having these basses as my being only a "custodian"; I am the current owner. I'm not the first. I won't be the last. We simply have them for a part of the time of their journey through life. Genuine marks are simply evidence of their journey and life experience. Having said all that, due to the views of others, I have considered stripping this down and restoring it.

My Bro in L names his cellos and get his pupils to name their instruments. So, @ChrisLovatt, you're not entirely alone. I do call my maple Streamer "The Blonde one", but the others are: "fretless" fretless Streamer "Corvette" Corvette Standard "Double-Buck" Corvette $$ and "Bubinga" Bubinga Corvette.

A PB500 went on eBay for $399.00 https://www.ebay.com/itm/GRECO-Spacy-Sound-PB500-P-Bass-Guitar-Japan-Vintage-1980/233088120356?hash=item3645227624:g:fuEAAOSwMflcNq~8 That one would appear to have been slightly exposed to moisture more than the PB500. So, I'd be sceptical about how flat the neck would be. If it's <£100 I'd enjoy giving it a clean up. But not worth paying to ship from Japan, if that's the case. IMHO. Someone will be along in a minute, who'll be telling us it's worth £1000s.

They have a texture to them, unlike flats of course, but they're not abrasive on your fingers. I too find they last for years without going flat. If you're looking for a real "zing" of new round-wounds, they might not be up your street,

Supplied some reels of cable to Liam. All went well and smoothly. Thanks, Liam.

If Fodera don't put much effort into wood selection, what's your theory on how they get such good looking grain? How do you think they get the body wood contrasting beautifully with the top wood and the fingerboard looking stunning against thr top? Pure luck as wood is randomly pulled from a pile of off-cuts?

Bass No.2 is great. It's well made. Phenomenal value for money and the customer will be delighted. The wood may be kiln seasoned and they may well buy timber in bulk. Almost all timber will be used - as little waste as possible. Bass No.1 has probably gone through the makers buying timber that has been naturally seasoned. It may also have been seasoned in a more "domestic" setting too - so when the instrument comes indoors and sits in a warm room there will be less chance of movement in the wood through further drying. Pieces of wood, when purchased, will have been hand selected. Much of the wood the dealer will have offered, may have been discarded as not being right for the look, of because of unattractive features - this all takes time. (Time = $) When being worked, if a piece warps, it will be thrown and they'll start again. etc. etc The end result is the Maruszczyk looks great it will make the customer happy etc. The Fodera oozes style. The woods will have a more consistent grain, The colour tone of the woods are better matched for showing each other off. The joints won't simply work, but they will be a true marriage of the perfectly flat surfaces. More care may have been taken in the positioning of the bridge, frets etc. etc etc. But as others have said, in actual result of how an average bass player will get a good bass line in "Mustang Sally" at the Dog & Duck... It's a case of diminishing returns. That said my Bro in Law is a pro cellist. His cheapest cello cost more than the Fodera, and that's over 100 years old, so it's not even new!! His most expensive cost more than most folk's good bass collection. So, we're really lucky to be able to buy very cheap instruments such as Custom Shop Fenders.

Taken. Many thanks

I'd contact the maker and see what the cost is of a replacement neck. When you consider the cost of the work, a replacement neck could be a comparable cost.

1. The 2 sides of the neck, from the point where they leave the body, to the nut, should run in straight lines. If you slim them only from the 7th down it will feel really weird as your hand moves up and down the neck. 2. It's possible you might escape needing a re-fret. But do the fret ends show on the sides, or are they hidden? Hiding the ends, after taking the sides off would be impossible. 3. Is it possible that all you need is a custom nut that widens the string spacing to take the strings closer to the sides? But all said.. as @Andyjr1515 says, before you do ANYthing, you need to be totally certain what it is that is giving you problems: Width? Depth? String spacing? Your technique? (Are you a player who likes to use your thumb to fret the E-string? Once someone takes a blade to the neck, there's no going back. I wouldn't do it.

Nice looking bass. Good luck in finding it.

Use a "used" scourer from Scotchbrite type washing up sponge. Use it dry. Otherwise, careful use of >1200 grit paper. 0000 grade wire wool is ok, but you need to go carefully. Don't go down through the lacquer. You can polish it back up with bees wax, to make it gloss again. The abrasion will have roughed the surface and stopped the friction - which is what you're after.

Does anyone here need cable for wiring effects etc? If you want any of this, I can cut off some lengths, bundle some up and put it in the post for you.

You won't electrocute yourself from 9v whether that's from a battery, or from a mains fed, DC power supply. You're right to be cautious, of course, but what gives shocks is current, not voltage. Some time back I was working on old style TVs and had a shock of 15,000 volts from the connection to the tube. It certainly woke me up and I don't recommend it, but I think I'm still alive. What is more of a risk on the 9v side is touching the wrong things together, shorting the circuit and blowing components, but this is the reason why we use 9v. It's a low enough "potential" that there is no risk to life, even in the wrong hands.

Hi there, I have 5 spools of single core cable for wiring of equipment. Each I different colour. They are each 7/0.2 Single core, PVC insulated. Each reel must be over 100m Long. I would imagine they would be suitable for wiring pedals or other similar. Would this be of interest to anyone? Is it any good for this kind of thing? I don't want anything for it, but cost of postage would be good, if it needs shipping. If anyone wants a few meters off each roll I can do that too, if you cover the cost of postage. (Large letter probably).

As @Geek99 says; get a replacement neck. What would stop me from changing the existing neck is: 1 - It makes it less saleable as an Elrick as it's no longer "standard". 2 - The Elrick has the dots to 1 side, so the dots will become closer the the edge at the nut end, if they don't get shaved off completely. - This would look odd. 3 - Reducing the wood in the neck may destabilize the neck. The wood, with less bulk may twist or bow. This isn't a job for an amature, especially on a bass that isn't cheap.