MichaelDean

Got the clamps and inner tubes off today (thanks @Rexel Matador for the technique!) And it all looks good. I've just been busy getting the fretboard flush with the neck. 

I've just ordered some black carbon fibre tubing and stainless steel rod for the side inlays as well. 

I like to tinker...

On my Combustion, I've moved the neck pickup back to the middle position, sourced a new pickguard to hide that hole, and replaced the volume with a stacked volume and tone control. 

My Mustang needed a paint job when I got it. Then, in lockdown I treated it to a stainless steel re-fret and a set of hipshot ultralights because the old machine heads were shot and there is t a direct replacement. Nowadays, I can leave it for a few days, pick it up and it's still in tune. It also got a @KiOgon loom a while ago as the volume pot died. 

I didn't like the stock white guard that had aged unevenly on my candy apple red Revelation PJ, so I had a black one made. I was curious about the Fender high mass bridges, so one of those got fitted. Really nice, solid thing, with no side to side saddle movement. Oh, and I like flat top knobs, so I swapped those out too. 

Got the fretboard cut to rough size today and the glue is currently doing its thing... I'll be able to trim it down to actual size once I've unwrapped it tomorrow!

I was at this recording for The Offspring at Reading Festival back in 2002, which then appeared on Splinter. The crowd are credited.

Forgot to say thanks to @Phil Starr and everyone who lent amps to the shootout. I had fun playing them all, I hope what you heard was ok! 😂

Yes, thanks @scrumpymike for organising, and the scrumpettes for looking after us with food and drink! And thanks to everyone else, including what was the longest raffle I can remember!

1 hour ago, Happy Jack said:

Kutzall?

 

It'll mangle anything you point it at!

Ah, just googled that. No, not a Kutzall branded one. I got it off Amazon. 

https://amzn.eu/d/5HRNomn

3 hours ago, Hellzero said:

I like the way you're "rescuing" this old project @MichaelDean ! 👍👌

Thanks! I'd lost all momentum. It feels like it's really starting to come together now though. I've even managed to get the glueing done tonight!

Yes. It's a production PJ in 4 and 5 strings. If you've seen the videos, it's the white PJ with the gold pickguard and a black on black PJ 5. From stills, you can tell they don't have the headstock scoop that the Canadian Super Ps have.

I've got it rattling around somewhere that it would be a 2024 release. After the massive delays from announcing the Hellboys to them actually arriving, I've heard they're being a lot more cautious about full announcements until they're properly ready.

Back to it! I've had a holiday and then some other life stuff. So, I decided to treat myself with a morning off work.

Next order of business was to steam the rest of the fretboard off. This went a lot smoother and was actually pretty quick. So that's off and I've tidied it up a bit with a surform. 

As time is always an issue, I then attacked the heel with this nasty looking disc on my small angle grinder.

That was pretty successful! 

And then that needed to be smoothed out... It's not perfect, but it's a lot tidier than it was.

And I've done a bit more on the front, bringing the wrist contour towards the neck a bit.

It really feels like I'm making progress on it! I'll nip into Screwfix to some wood glue on my way to pick up my daughter from nursery later and I'll hopefully manage to glue up the neck splinters this evening.

I'll bring it along to the South West Bass Bash on Sunday so that you can see that any idiot with some tools, a bit of patience and a fair amount of trial and error can make something.

I had a Hohner Arbor series p bass copy. I fancied a p bass and was lusting after that one as it was apparently a birth year bass and the white/white/maple colouring looked cool. Didn't really like it. It felt like a wide neck to me (probably 44mm), heavy, tone wasn't great. Should have moved it on sooner, but I didn't lose any money. It had the look, but I didn't gel with it at all. Still haven't played another straight p. I do quite like my pj though. 

2 hours ago, BassAdder60 said:

This will stay put

So, 6 months till you decide you want to try something else again? 😜

It's not bass related, but I've got a keyboard stand that's in good nick that I just don't need. Happy to bring a bottle though if that's more suitable?

I don't mind doing some playing. It'll probably be like when you're trying to type and someone comes and watches you and then you forget everything, but as long as that's OK, I'm happy to do it!

1 hour ago, Bigwan said:

Waiting for the 5 string model that will inevitably appear! 

I'm pretty sure the Super PJ 5 on the bottom row is also an import..

@NJE I reckon you're probably on the money with those prices.

Just to add in, it might be worth considering getting a sack truck to help schlep anything you buy. It'd mean less actual carrying if there aren't loads of stairs to content with. I find it really helpful if I've got a bit of a way to go from the car to the venue. 

It has also been really useful to just own a sack truck. It's been used when white goods have been replaced - much easier to move them around on wheels! I think mine was an Aldi special buy a few years ago, but it's rated to 100kg so more than capable. It's a folding one too, so it isn't massive to store. 

The Bass Buddha shop in Denmark confirmed in their Instagram stories that it was an import super PJ. 

3 hours ago, Rexel Matador said:

I want to make another one of these (fretless this time) using walnut for the wings, but any actual "body blanks" I can find are crazy expensive. Where could I get a piece that I could use for this purpose. Can you go to a timber merchant and just buy one or two metres of wood, or is that just a waste of time for them? 

You'll normally have to buy a whole board from a timber merchant and they tend to charge by the foot length of the board. It probably won't be too expensive to buy though. Tends to be a lot cheaper than a blank for the amount of wood you get. 

Just take a saw so you can fit it all in the car!

5 minutes ago, gt4ever said:

Thanks for the replies. I knew there were alternatives but my knowledge of what would work with an active bass is limited and so I was unsure what alternatives would do the job, hence I was looking for a like for like replacement.

I’ve had it apart and everything seems secure.

I’ll  give the pure tone jack a try as I can’t find a like for like replacement anywhere.  It only a few quid so worth a try.  Many thanks 👍🏼 

 

Apolgies if you don't need this. Thought it might be useful just in case.

For most standard active basses, you will generally need a stereo jack socket, otherwise known as TRS (tip, ring sleeve). The usual wiring tends to be that the tip is the signal, ring is the negative battery, sleeve is ground. When you then plug in a normal mono jack cable, it grounds the battery (as there isn't a ring on the mono cable), completing the circuit and turning on the preamp.

If it isn't clear which solder tabs are which, you can usually follow the bit of metal you're looking at to work it out. Or, if you have one, use a multimeter to check for continuity between the tabs and connectors.

There's no reason to stick with the square plastic type just because that's what is currently in there. I'd aslo go with a Pure Tone stereo jack. It would be an upgrade over the stock one.

https://www.armstrongmusic.co.uk/electronics-and-pickups-c17/jack-sockets-c46/pure-tone-multi-contact-1-4-output-jack-stereo-p13440

https://www.wmguitars.com/products/pure-tone-stereo-multi-contact-1-4-output-jack-nickel

Reviving this thread. 

We practice in the live room of a studio. We're recording there next weekend and I took my cab (a Zilla Bass Fatboy 212), so I can leave it there with my amp to make logistics next week a bit easier. There's an Ashdown 810 that lives in the room, so I don't normally take my cab. 

Might need to start bringing mine more regularly...

I love that thing. Sounded loads better. Deeper, more detailed, more focused - just better all round. 

Shame the vocalist/second guitarist hasn't been able to make it for the last three weeks though. He's had all sorts of illnesses from his kids going back to school. Not the most helpful time for him to be missing practices, but at the same time, I don't really want what he's had!

I don't hate the idea of that. Not sure about the execution or price though! The bridge cover looks a bit weird. Doesn't cover the whole bridge, which looks to be a Kluson copy of the Fender high mass bridge...

This is amazing. Loving the updates!

I think the reason that pickups are tilted on most multiscale instruments is to even out the tone you get from string to string. Otherwise, you could get the lower strings sounding different tonally from the higher strings. Whether or not that is an issue may well depend on the positioning, the pickups themselves and the intended tone. 

It's definitely possible that you'll have an issue with angling pickups that are intended to be straight. I can't explain it after a couple of holiday beers, but try holding a standard pickup over the strings of your Dingwall and then angle it and see what happens. 

It might be worth building a test body with a swimming pool rout so you can try the different angles and find out which pickups work angled/straight.