neepheid

[quote name='markbass555' post='157265' date='Mar 14 2008, 10:28 AM'][url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150225089130&fromMakeTrack=true&ssPageName=VIP:Watchlink:middle:uk"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...hlink:middle:uk[/url] Well what do you think is this genuine or not?[/quote] I say scam because of these red flags: Horrible resized pictures Zero feedback seller, registered on eBay almost as soon as the auction starts Unrealistic start price No reserve Bog all info in the description If someone could track down the eBay/gumtree/whatever listing this was nicked from then we could get it shut down.

Going to check it out tomorrow afternoon, thanks for all the help everyone. Yum yum, beans.

Just won a beat up old Hagstrom on eBay in USA. Guy got back to me today saying that he didn't mean to have it set to international post (yet saw fit to quote $100 for postage) and warning me that it might cost more than $100 to ship. I hope he's not trying to screw extra money out of me just because I got the bass for a song. What's the going rate for sending a (svelte, shortscale) bass from USA to UK? Who are the best couriers to use to achieve this? Thanks for any help given.

Well done. Inspiring stuff.

Indirect progress: I've been practicing my spraying and I will be ready to start on the neck soon. I feel quite confident now because I've done this for my Franken.P.Bass: Also I've just scored a wreck of an old Hagstrom on eBay, which should yield the parts I'm most desperately needing (like that dastardly jackplate). So, things are slowly moving on

Well, I've had this hunk of wood for quite a few months now, so I've gathered some hardware and will try to make something of it. It's a nice bit of wood but it's a bit of a mess - pickup holes in particular and holes drilled for a bridge/tailpiece on stilts. Control cavity is too large. The intention is to take a 6 string neck and modify it into a wide 5. Something approaching 20mm string spacing at the bridge and approximately 55mm nut ought to give me room. The intention is to get as close to the Warmoth Gecko Wide 5 neck as possible, but 34" scale - I don't want to stretch to 35" yet. It's going to have a Badass V bridge with choice of top load or through body stringing, EMG 40P5/40J pickups, Gotoh GB7 machine heads and nice simple controls - 3 way switch, volume, tone. Well, I've kinda made a start (apologies to all the people who have been expecting progress on other projects, but I was getting bored of painting) so this is what I've done: I filled the holes with dowels and sanded them flush, the Badass covers the area anyway as you can see so I'm not too bothered about the fact that they never had a hope in hell of matching the zebrano. Also bored holes for the neck screw bushings and strap buttons. I have a piece of zebrano ordered which will help fill in the cavernous control cavity at the back (it's so big that one of the bridge screws pokes through into it!). I'll also use the zebrano block to make a ramp between the two pickups, as I'm basically going to have to rout out a whole area to eradicate those ill-advised existing routs. Because it's a ramp, it won't look daft if the grain doesn't match. Yes, I'm bad for starting something new when I should be finishing existing projects

It does seem a little close to the edge...

Welcome aboard. Do you really have large hands?

[quote name='jono b' post='144548' date='Feb 21 2008, 05:39 PM']I'm glad I stumbled across this thread, it's inspired me to do something with an old Squier Strat body I have festering under the bed. It's not a bass though, would a guitar build diary allowed on here ? A question though. Where can I get spray primer from? Is it a B&Q-able thing?[/quote] Oops, didn't notice this post. Sorry. Well I can't speak for B&Q stuff, but I've been recently using the nitrocellulose lacquers from Steve Robinson (Manchester Guitar Tech) and I have to say I've been impressed so far - just been clear coating necks at the moment, but it's gone on so easy that I don't suppose his other lacquers will be any different. Remember though - GET A MASK and make sure your work area is well ventilated.

[quote name='allighatt0r' post='156258' date='Mar 12 2008, 06:52 PM']Recently my brother bought himself a £99 6 string bass, and the price tag shows... but it's given him his first experience of a 6 string and he likes it, and it's a bit of a project upgrading it, new strings, nut, ...whatever. And as the tone layout is frankly stupid (two volumes, one for each pickup, and no less than three passive tone knobs (each pot has a capacitor....)) So, we've come to the conclusion that it wouldn't be a bad idea to make it into an active bass, changing the three tone knobs into a three band EQ... I was wondering what would be the best way to go about doing this, should i try to purchase a ready made wiring set on Ebay, or would it be better to make one myself, buying a 9-volt battery adapter and some wires from Maplins and soldering the lot together, between me and my dad we have some half decent wiring and soldering experience. Thanks for any help in advance. [/quote] I've had good results with Artec pre-amps, with 5 holes in the face of your bass, the SE-3 seems ideal: [url="http://www.artecsound.com/se3.html"]http://www.artecsound.com/se3.html[/url] You can get it from Thomann: [url="http://www.thomann.de/gb/artec_se3_basselektronik.htm"]http://www.thomann.de/gb/artec_se3_basselektronik.htm[/url] Remember you'll have to find somewhere to put a 9V battery. I usually get the router out and install a proper battery box.

[quote name='steve' post='156150' date='Mar 12 2008, 04:17 PM']PICS!!! have you looked at Squier 5 string necks? mine's like an aircraft carrier, i'm (very) idly considering using it for a six, maybe even some kind of classical thing[/quote] They look quite good, but they're not long enough. Because of the body being the shape/size that it is, any neck must be a 24 fret neck to give enough heel/body area. Pics you say? It's got some finish on it already, and someone attacked it with a forstner bit, but I'll rescue it.

No, the import duty will be waived because it comes to less than £7.

[quote name='tauzero' post='155837' date='Mar 12 2008, 10:43 AM']As long as the pickups are solid bars all the way across - the Bart 6-string pickups, for example, couldn't be used as there would be no signal from the A string. And there's also the bridge to consider, you'd really want one which started life with a monolithic bridge rather than individual bridge units as you should then have a bit less trouble filling and drilling. Oh, and probably not string-through originally either.[/quote] Oh don't worry, I am butchering the 6 string just for the neck. The bridge is a Badass V - can cut the saddles to suit and it will be drilled for string-thru. The body is a rescued mess of someone's aborted project, needs a lot of alterations anyway - neck pocket, pickup routs, control cavity is all to pot. But it's a lovely piece of zebrawood/zebrano and it needs to be made into a viable instrument. I'm intending to use EMG 40 pickups, they're bars.

Report it. Everyone.

I'm definitely more P than J so I'm trying to source a nice wide spaced 5 string neck. I'm quite in love with the Warmoth Wide Gecko 5, but I'm not in love with the price! I'm thinking I could find a cheap 6 string from eBay, change the nut, fill the existing tuner holes, slap a headstock veneer on to cover up and redrill for 5. Does this seem plausible?

Don't often see a Squier Katana. Here's one. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=220210591058"]http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie...em=220210591058[/url]

I might be able to pick up a second hand Hartke 3500 head for £140. Is this a good deal? Worth living on beans on toast for a few weeks?

[quote name='thedarxide' post='155100' date='Mar 11 2008, 09:37 AM']i'll wire it like an OLP.[/quote] Remember to use linear pots for that genuine "all or nothing" OLP tone!

[quote name='colda' post='154821' date='Mar 10 2008, 07:25 PM']Which just leaves the finish, during the past few weeks my mind has gone through many ideas from a standard black finish through to totally custom artwork but I've always held back until I knew the situation with the wood, now that it's been decided that a natural finish isn't going to happy my mind is in a state of confusion as to what to do with the body, I have the original single ply pickguard that I'm happy to replace, only thing is that it's a 14 hole thing rather than the standard 13 hole arrangement, am I right in assuming that I can still use a 13 hold standard pickguard and just have to make new screw holes where required? Any suggestions on the finish? - help me out with ideas! Am now itching to get it all together and start playing it![/quote] Yeah, pickguards are a pain. I've had success using MIM guards from WD Music. I filled the old holes with wood filler and sanded down, then placed the pickguard on the bass (having the neck attached and the pickups in place really helps to make sure everything's lined up well. I use a pencil to draw through the holes in the pickguard, drill them with a Dremel (well, B&Q's cheapy ripoff ) then you're good to go with some nice shiny new pickguard screws. Check out [url="http://www.manchesterguitartech.co.uk/lacquer.html"]Manchester Guitar Tech[/url] for lacquer and refinishing ideas. I've been using some of the lacquers from there recently and I've been impressed so far with the results.

Do you mean the grub screws that go through the saddle down to the base plate?