Jono Bolton

Are the Bass Big Muffs any good? I don't know if that counts as OD or distortion, but I've seen a few for sale locally between £25 and £35 but I kepp missing out on them.

I think it's the same with any brand; there will be some who like them, some who hate them, and some who are indifferent. When I joined BC it was because I was thinking about buying an Ashdown and members of another forum suggested I canvas opinions here to see what feedback I got. Some said they were great, some said they were "woolly", some said they were unreliable, but mostly people said to try them for myself and make up my own mind, so I did, and I still have the same head now. Ultimately, if you like them and it suits the way you want to sound then that's all that's relevant. If other people tell you that you sound good, it's a bonus, and if other people don't like them then that just means you'll probably pay less in the second-hand market. Win-win either way I reckon.

[quote name='Pete1967' timestamp='1411988769' post='2564506'] You could colour it with a bit of black marker pen and then drop fill it with CA, or buy a small bottle of black CA which is available from some luthier supplies. Be careful with strip sanding. You can easily sand a hole. I'd stick with a small block. [/quote] Would this glue be suitable? [url="http://www.shop4glue.com/black-colour-thick-cyanoacrylate-adhesive-super-glue-superglue-stays-dark-black-when-set-gap-filling-543-p.asp"]http://www.shop4glue.com/black-colour-thick-cyanoacrylate-adhesive-super-glue-superglue-stays-dark-black-when-set-gap-filling-543-p.asp[/url]

[quote name='Bloodaxe' timestamp='1411980809' post='2564435'] Black nail varnish? [/quote] That did cross my mind, or maybe acrylic paint/model paint.

Thanks for the replies fellas. I'd seen the Dan Erlewine video after watching the one posted by HowieBass as Youtube had linked them together, it's very informative, I really like his videos. He does it differently though to the first video, where the dent is filled first and then sprayed over afterwards, Dan drops in a bit of colour first and then glues over the top before sanding. If I did it that way, what would I fill it with in terms of colour? Would I have to get a can of black laquer just for two chips? Bear in mind that the wood is currently exposed where the chips are, if there was any colour left I could have just filled it with glue and then blended it in.

My P Bass previously had a bridge cover fitted, which requires one small screw hole either side of the bridge. Now, whoever drilled these holes can't have been too handy with a drill, because they've caused the finish to split and chip away, leaving two circular chips about 5mm across. They're both down to the wood, although the wood isn't dented, it's as though the poly has just been lifted off the body. Is there anyway to fix this without resorting to a full refinish? The rest of the finish has a bit a of wear (the body's 15 years old) but it's mainly just scuffs and surface scratches, whereas these 2 chips are pretty unsightly. I don't want to go down the route of any ghetto solutions like black marker or nail varnish, I'd rather do it properly but I can't help thinking that it would be difficult to get that thickness of finish in such a small area. Could a luthier sort it?

Sorry for bumping up a 4 year old thread, but I've begun playing in a band where we tune to C# (that's all strings down three semitones, rather than drop C#) and I'm having some problems with the way the feel of the strings. I use heavy-gauge Rotos (50-110) on my P Bass when tuned to standard, and I'd read on here that they would cope with lower tunings, but the lower tension of the strings means that they vibrate more freely and there's a lot more buzz on the lower frets, even with the action raised. Would I be correct in saying that by using the DR DDTs, I could tune to C# and still retain the feel of my old strings when they were tuned to E? There's far too much flap at the minute and I feel like I can't attack the strings as much as I'd like. Also, how bright do these strings sound? My Rotos are steels and have been on for over 18 months now and I really like the tone of them, obviously new strings will be brighter to begin with and then settle down, but how do they sound out of the packet?

I've recently contacted the guys at guitarbuild.co.uk about a new P Bass body for my bitsa. They give you various options in terms of 1, 2, or 3 piece bodies, which wood you'd like, pickup layout and custom options and then CNC the body and sand it down. They don't do finished bodies, but put me in touch with someone that they recommend for applying a finish. I emailed him explaining what I was looking for, and he responded asking if I wanted a nitro finish. Now, I'd never really given this any consideration before. I'm aware of nitro finishes, but never had a bass or guitar with anything other than poly, if that's even the right term. I'm after a natural finish, would one of these lend itself better to a natural finish? What are the pros and cons of nitro vs poly?

[quote name='davedave' timestamp='1410336805' post='2548186'] I've used guitarbuild.co.uk a fair bit now. Good quality stuff. I can recommend Wudtone for finishing too. Nice any easy to apply. [/quote] Cheers davedave, their site looks decent, and I like that you can pick a pre-made one and see exactly what you're getting, there's some nice grains going on there.

It's relatively easy to find replacement necks for sale, and there's a wealth of information about which ones are good quality and give you bang for your buck, but there's not as much about replacement bodies. I've got a 'bitsa' P Bass with a body from an old Mexican Fender which seen better days; there's several dings and scratches which are fine by me, but there are a few unsightly chips in the finish, the worst being where a previous owner has tried fitting a bridge cover and caused the finish to split and chip out in a 5mm circle around the screw holes. I'd quite like a natural finish but as it's Mexican it's a bit Russian Roulette as to what the wood's like under the finish, so a refin doesn't seem like a feasible option, so does anyone have any recommendations for well made and reasonably priced P Bass bodies?

Traded a set of strings with Lozz, arrived well packed the day after he'd sent them, top Basschatter!

Paul sold me a set of (practically new) Elites Flats for a very good price. Paid him Monday evening, he had them in the post on Tuesday morning and they were waiting for me when I got back home on Wednesday! Top bloke, trade with confidence!

[quote name='Mattmit' timestamp='1407482286' post='2520888'] Is the blue CV precision still around? I could only get hold of the tomato soup red one... I got a Squier Mikey Way mustang for my sister and it felt more Vintage Modified level than the Classic Vibe I had, but I haven't tried those other ones you mentioned. I just found out there's an olympic white Matt Freeman P! Wish I knew about that when I got my tomato soup CV. [/quote] Nah, the blue ones been discontinued I think, I'm always on the look out for a decent second hand one though. To be honest I'd forgotten about the Mikey Way Mustang, and looking at the Squier site there are a few others as well that are about the same price bracket as the VM range, all coming out of the same factory in Indonesia. The Artist Series instruments made in China though are from the CV factory, and are every bit as good as the CVs, or at least the ones I've tried were, certainly not on the same level as the VMs. I guess the price tag would act as a guide.

[quote name='Mattmit' timestamp='1407334133' post='2519532'] It depends how good the matt freeman one is... is it vintage modified kind of quality or up to the classic vibe standard? my classic vibe precision was ridiculously good. [/quote] I'm led to believe that the Artist Series Squiers like the Matt Freeman Precision and the J Mascis Jazzmaster are at least as good as the CVs. They're certainly all made in the same factory in China, whereas the VMs are Indonesian-made IIRC. The Matt Freeman in black and the CV Precision in Sonic Blue both interest me more than any of these new ones.

On face value it all looks legit, and the decal is meant to replicate the one on Marcus' own Jazz as in the 70s Fender's headstock logos were all over the place. I just don't understand why you would want or need through-body stringing when there's already a Badass II on there. I take it the bridge is different?

How much weight would you save by swapping from the stock bridge (I assume it's stainless steel) to an aluminium one? Would it even be noticeable? They don't really weigh much as it is.

I've seen those necks on eBay, been thinking about getting one for a while. How is it? Do you think the neck not fitting is down to the neck heel not being wide enough or the routing of the neck pocket being too large?