miles'tone

[quote name='bonzodog' timestamp='1401810994' post='2467132'] Thats odd as I only emailed them last week and they said they dont offer them at all direct or through dealers. [/quote] Yeah, that is weird.

[quote name='Number6' timestamp='1401809592' post='2467112'] JHS could make a good few quid if they offered replacement scratchplates on their Vintage range. I had to replace mine (V96) which a friend cut for me in brass on a flowjet. A lot of b locks for a scratchplate though. [/quote] They do, you've just got to order through a Vintage dealer. I got a replacement Tony Butler sig scratchplate through my local dealer for 20 quid. Bit much I thought but you can get them.

I bought a USA JB-2 in 2001 and I was so unhappy with it I returned it and exchanged it for a Fender American Standard jazz which felt and sounded leagues better. The G&L cost £900 but felt cheap in comparison to the Fender.

Well, I contacted Yamaha to see if I could get some Super BB pickups and as of yesterday (typically) you can't get replacement pickups from them directly anymore. They put me in touch with a company called Sontec, based in Norwich, who does all the Yammy spares now. Annoyingly, the P pickup from the BB2025/1025 (same parts code according to Sontec) is not available to buy anymore but they can still get the Super BB J type bridge pup for £55. I only wanted the P pup. Arse.

I picked up a Yamaha BB415 here on BC for £200. KILLER B string. The bridge even has an extension for the B to increase tautness. And it's black. All black. \m/

[quote name='hamfist' timestamp='1401689437' post='2465764'] Are you sure ? My comments came from the BB424 I used to own. I'm sure the pickup was about 5mm or so nearer the nut (or 12th fret, which is another std place that many folks measure from). I'd never measure from the fretboard end for the reasons you mention. Fender's will be pretty much 11" from the 12th fret to the centre of the P pickup where the two pieces meet. Maybe someone here can measure their BB's ? [/quote] Edit: Ah I'd previously gone on the fact that a Fender P pup looks to be equidistant from the end of the neck to the top of the bridge, ie, bang in the middle. Just measured properly and.. My BB415 measures 11" and 10/16ths or 295mm. Maybe the BB's P pickup is actually further back than a Fender P? Might explain why it sounds clearer if it is. Wish I still had my old P bass around to check just out of interest. Does anyone reading this have a P bass (feel silly even asking that one!) that they could measure just to see?

[quote name='hamfist' timestamp='1395561603' post='2403608'] IMO, the 400 series Yamahas will never quite get the Precision tone. They are more versatile due to having the two pickups but getting that exact P sound - they're not quite there. A key part of this equation is that the neck pickup on the Yamaha is a bit nearer the neck that the Fender P sweetspot, so the tone from that pickup will always be a bit rounder and darker than most P's. I think the Yamahas are great basses ..... but they are not a Precision. So, in answer .... If you think the Precision sound fits what you are looking for, then get a Precision. I can't comment on the CV as I've not owned one or even played one for more than a few notes. Simply play as many Precisions as you can and choose the best one. The quality of the body and neck woods and the efficacy of the neck/body joint will have a large effect on the tone of each one. Thankfully, quality P pickups can be pickup up for only a few quid so I'd simply pick the one that is the most resonant and simply feels the most "right" in your hands. They're all different. Oh, and a final comment .... try and avoid Basswood bodies. IMO they do not make a nice P at all. Ideally Ash (with Rosewood board) or Alder (with maple board) to get the ideal balance of "spank", "guts" and "heft" (which are all completely useless and subjective terms I know). [/quote] Bit of a resurrection, but I thought I would just add that the Yammy BB P pickup is actually in the same sweetspot you'd find on a Fender/Squier P. It just looks closer to the neck because the Yamaha has 21 frets instead of the Fenders 20. If you measure from the 20th fret on the Yammy, it's the same.

I have always used 2000 grit wet and dry. Moisten it a little and just rub it up and down the neck. Takes about 20 secs and it just takes the hard shine off really. Leaves the neck smooth and super fast to play. Wipe off any residue with a clean cloth and you're done. Piece of pi$$.

Thanks very much dannybuoy, that's brilliant!

The Fleece is throwing a free entry party tomorrow night in thanks of all the support they've received (38,000 people have signed the petition so far) and to raise further awareness of their situation.

[quote name='Evil Undead' timestamp='1401188563' post='2460886'] Of course. Maybe he has been sold it as he describes it. Mainly, I'm just seeing how my "Fender-identifying" skills are coming along [/quote] Sorry there Mel, my comment was meant towards the people who wanted to see the pots and date marks. As for your Id skills they are coming along just fine. Well done for questioning the body shape, you were right to.

To be fair to the seller, they do state to contact them regarding any queries. They may even be up for an in person inspection from a buyer. Don't know til you ask!

The body does look quite slabby doesn't it. Fender's back then were all shaped by hand on sanding machines so they weren't as consistent as our CNC basses of today of course. Maybe it was a friday avo bass May be legit. Looks bloody lovely mind. Edit.. The "70's" logo as it's known was used from '68

Signed and shared too. Love The Fleece, had many a great night there.

For anyone who's interested, here's the Chili Peppers jamming on a Funkadelic track with The Roots after the drum off. I'm hearing more tuba http://consequenceofsound.net/2014/05/watch-red-hot-chili-peppers-plug-in-their-instruments-deliver-surprise-performance-on-fallon/

Got 9 year old Super Slinky's on my Charvel Surfcaster semi.. Sounds amazing!

[quote name='lou24d53' timestamp='1400846287' post='2457460'] Dunno if it's on the YouTube link provided, but they were interviewed before they done the drum off as well, pretending to be each other. Pretty amusing, especially when they're talking about the charities they are donating to. [/quote] Will Ferrell and Chad Smith Talk About Their Riva…: http://youtu.be/EsWHyBOk2iQ Made my morning

[quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1400761196' post='2456713'] Here's a couple of quickies.... [center][/center] [/quote] Oh yes please!

[quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1400751458' post='2456570'] Thank you everyone for your time and helpful advice. Basschat comes up trumps again [/quote] Awesome stuff! Glad it was nothing major. Now, let's see some piccys of the whole bass! The little we have seen looks gorgeous.

Can you take a pic from further back to see how the strings run along the whole length of the neck - from nut to heel and a bit of the body? Might still be that easy fix (neck looks to be leaning to the right a smidge to me). The nut seems to be cut properly from what you say. Fingerboard and frets looks lush by the way.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1400704730' post='2456346'] Surely there shouldn't be any room in the neck pocket for the neck to move in the first place? This isn't a 70s Fender we're talking about where the pin router templates were so badly worn that there was plenty of play. I've not owned a Fender but none of the other makes of bass (or guitars) with bolt-on necks that I own, have any play whatsoever at the neck joint. This isn't a cheap bass. Send it back as being of substandard fit and finish. If people don't complain then Fender will never take their QC seriously. [/quote] The neck pocket is mostly open on the treble side of a Fender. Enough for it to move a smidge no matter how precise the rout. It may be a CS bass but it's still a load of bits screwed together. Of course it's all up to the OP to do what he feels most comfortable with. Best of luck with it all.

[quote name='KiOgon' timestamp='1400686717' post='2456113'] If it was only the alignment of the strings equally on the neck that was the problem, the first thing I would suspect would be the neck had received a jolt during shipping. Even a very good neck/pocket fit can be nudged out of alignment quite easily. I would have slackened the strings then slackened the neck bolts & 'got a feel' for where the neck wanted to sit in the body. Then tightened the lot up & checked again, if it's wrong it always will be but chances are things would have seated themselves in the right place for the sake of 5 minutes with a screwdriver. Easier than sending it back [/quote] This, and what Paubass said. These basses come a long way and a little shift in transit is all it probably is.