Batfastard

The best thing to do is get some copper shielding tape and cover the back of the scratch plate and all the interior cavities. http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Electric-Guitar-Adhesive-Copper-Shielding-Tape-Kit_W0QQitemZ360199272452QQcmdZViewItem?rvr_id=235301979801&clk_rvr_id=235313402483&imp_rvr_id=235313402483&clk_rvr_id=235313402483&cguid=2d72c4951300a47a4451f0c1ffc13179 This is what I used. I also put a stip of tape over the bridge earth wire so it has a better connection to the bridge.

You could try going to a local engineering company with some measurements and get some flat bar shaped with a front plat to mount a bass hanger of your choice on. You don't ask, you don't get.

Good bloke to deal with.

I would kill for the sound Mr Swift has during Shoorah Shoorah with Betty Wright singing. And that thunderbird with the double scaloped head is bloody lovely.

Have you had a look at Wizard Pickups [url="http://www.wizardpickups.co.uk"]http://www.wizardpickups.co.uk[/url] They do rewinds and repairs.

Why do you want Noiseless pickups is it because of the hum? If so your best bet is to get some copper sheilding tape and do the cavities and the back of the scratchplate.

Cheers for the replies. The strings on it were a low gauge and on the Ibanez website it says they are elixirs. I have also just noticed that it has medium frets which I have never played on before so that probably added to 'off' feeling I had about it.

I played a BTB675 today and found that whislst the neck felt really good the tension of the strings was so low the the bas just felt off. [url="http://www.ibanez.co.jp/products/eb_page11.php?area_id=3&data_id=73&color=CL01&year=2011&cat_id=2&series_id=472"]http://www.ibanez.co.jp/products/eb_page11.php?area_id=3&data_id=73&color=CL01&year=2011&cat_id=2&series_id=472[/url]. Is it usual for these to have a such a low tension wwhen they are brand new?

I used most of the can and did it it in lots of coats to avoid streaks. If you spray it on too thick it will run and and you you have to sand it back untill the white streaks disappear. Remember it will take a few weeks to fully cure.

Sanding between coats or flatting will give you the best results just use a high grit sand paper. 1200 grit was the best for me. You can get satin clear coat sprays [url="http://www.manchesterguitartech.co.uk/shop/category/nitrocellulose-lacquer/clearcoats/"]http://www.manchesterguitartech.co.uk/shop/category/nitrocellulose-lacquer/clearcoats/[/url] this is what I used on my project and it turned out nicely.

I've got some on my 5 string, as I don't use a pick the coating has lasted ages. A mate has them and uses a pick occaisionally and says the coating is going fairly quickly.

A bit of an update for this seeing as I've had time to do some research here is the electronics spec:[list] [*]Electronics: [list] [*]2 band EQ [color=#0000cd]9-18v[/color] [*]Passive/active switch, treble roller & bass roller [*][color=#006400]Three 3-way switches: coil tap/on/off neck, coil tap/on/off bridge & coil tap parallel/parallel/series[/color] [*]Volume, Tone. Stacked pots: Bottom = bridge Top = neck [*]Side mounted Jack socket [*][color=#0000cd]EMG 40HZ humbuckers, Delano SBC 5 HE/S + TheXtender HE 5 ( to confirm )[/color] [/list] [/list] Here is the layout of the controls (identical layout, more functions) Ct= Coil tap [color=#0000CD]Need to explore options[/color] [color=#006400]May need to rethink options here depending on pickup choice[/color] Any advice on the ideas below is welcome: Oval scoop between the pickups 30mm wide 10mm deep ( for popping )? Thumb rest ( above B string ) between neck and neck pickup ( for reggae/dub sound )? Fanned Frets? 3 band EQ? Transparent block inlays and side dots with dim blue leds? Delano Pickups: [url="http://www.delano.de/products.html?&cHash=6fb847a9de&tx_smtdelano_pi1%5Bcat%5D=1&tx_smtdelano_pi1%5Bseries%5D=14&tx_smtdelano_pi1%5Bstrings%5D=6&tx_smtdelano_pi1%5Bsystem%5D=85"]http://www.delano.de/products.html?&cHash=6fb847a9de&tx_smtdelano_pi1[cat]=1&tx_smtdelano_pi1[series]=14&tx_smtdelano_pi1[strings]=6&tx_smtdelano_pi1[system]=85[/url] Bridge [url="http://www.delano.de/products.html?&cHash=e7ee8546d0&tx_smtdelano_pi1%5Bcat%5D=1&tx_smtdelano_pi1%5Bseries%5D=10&tx_smtdelano_pi1%5Bstrings%5D=6&tx_smtdelano_pi1%5Bsystem%5D=62"]http://www.delano.de/products.html?&cHash=e7ee8546d0&tx_smtdelano_pi1[cat]=1&tx_smtdelano_pi1[series]=10&tx_smtdelano_pi1[strings]=6&tx_smtdelano_pi1[system]=62[/url] Neck

Sorry if I came across as ignoring you mate. Have tried your advice of tightening the truss rod. I've read all the advice in this thread and appreciate it. At the moment the neck is strappedd to my bedframe and squashed against a wall with some packing to make the nut clear the wall in the hope that my improvised clamp will work otherwise it'll be a new truss rod or neck which i cannot afford.

only from an machinist/engineering point of view.

[quote]Have you tightened the truss rod with no string pull on the neck & applying hand pressure to relieve the neck before tightening? What happens> Can you feel the truss rod nut 'working' on the thread or not?[/quote] Yeah, and I can feel the thread biting. [quote]It's very doubtful. A tr is a dynamic device with a threaded section which in the case of a dual action tr, physically alters it's shape by shortening and lengthening in conjunction with a fixed bar. A single action tr will straighten out the tighter it gets - shortest distance between two points and all that.[/quote] Thats true, but there is the fact that the rod is a long thin piece of metal and it can be depresssingly easy to deform something like that.

I am just starting to learn about setting up basses, so am reliant on advice given and internet articles. My guess it that it was bowed for so long the rod took that shape.

No idea as I gave the old stings to my brother for his bass. The neck wasn't straight when I bought the bass but it was never this bad. The reason i modded it in the first place was that it didn't matter whether it went on a fire or got chopped about. The only thing is that when i first reassembled it as a fretless it felt good to play, the neck was still a bit fat for my liking but it was playable, now I'd like to keep it. Bits of plastic egdeing from and old computer desk as they were easy to trim to shape.

Yes mate, only makes it worse.

What the best way to straighten this out? [IMG]http://i912.photobucket.com/albums/ac323/Bat_fastard/2011-10-31110133.jpg[/IMG] I loosed off the truss rod before embarking on the modifications (see link in my sig) and the strings on it now are a lower tension than the roundwounds I had on it before the mods. I have no work space to speak of and Idonot have any access to clamps at the mo. Cheers for any advice.

I think the main problem is the British mindset. We're isolated from Europe, so we don't adapt like the other countries. Look at the fact the majority of British peoole still only speak english and in other european countries its common to speak two or three. British culture isn't as open to outside influence like the mainlad countries, meaning we miss out on a lot of stuff not just music.

My cousins band were booked for a birthday party in soham and invited a few poeple including me along. What my cousin didn't tell us was that it was a 16th birthday. And the band hadn't told the poeple throwing the party they would be bringing guests, also the lowest age in our group was 21. So we spent 3 hours in a pub round the corner.

And if you want to see how not to do a veneer look at my sig. Also handy tips on how to make your own clamp for doing a matching headstock.