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PaulKing

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Everything posted by PaulKing

  1. Byo - you mean the gorgeous two-tone red-lined Kay branded case? Yes, for full price only.
  2. Big Jim ... I scored an original 50s blonde. Mortgage demands I make space for it in the bass room!
  3. Nope it's still on eBay ... Am I allowed to link to it from here? Same ad anyway!
  4. It's beautiful isn't it. Yup, short scale.
  5. **SOLD** [attachment=211621:IMG_5043.JPG] [attachment=211622:IMG_5044.JPG] [attachment=211623:IMG_5046.JPG] [attachment=211624:IMG_5047.JPG] [attachment=211625:IMG_5048.JPG] [attachment=211626:IMG_5049.JPG] [attachment=211627:IMG_5050.JPG] [attachment=211628:IMG_5051.JPG] [attachment=211629:IMG_5052.JPG] [b]£575 [/b] [size=4][font=Arial][color=#000000][b]Classic vintage 50's looks and sound, with 21st Century design and build. [/b][/color][/font][b]Based on the original classic Kay K162 as used by Howlin' Wolf's bassist, and now the must-have bass for all serious US blues players.[/b][font=Arial][color=#000000][b]This beautiful looking bass stole my heart 4 years ago, and is what got me on the search for an original 1950's model. Now I've found that original bass, I have to reluctantly let this one go. [/b][/color][/font][/size] [size=4][color=#000000][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][font=Arial]Owned by me from new, this guitar has been meticulously looked after, and is beautifully played-in after 4 years light use playing blues and swing in London. It has played at Glastonbury, Soho's Ain't Nothin' But blues bar, Ealing Blues Festival and many other venues. Crucially it has also benefited from several essential upgrades from the factory model - which would cost around £200 to do again. These include:[/font][/font][/color][/size][list] [*][size=4][font=Arial]Replacement [b]Kluson tuners - [/b]perfectly smooth operation, tidy string ends, and more in-keeping with the classic 'Kelvinator' headstock design than the stock tuners supplied.[/font][/size] [*][size=4][font=Arial]Replacement [b]Duesenberg trapeze tailpiece[/b] - vastly improved sound and sustain (removed the tinny mid-range ring), and looks much more like the original Kay tailpiece than the Chinese-made Hofner Beatle-bass stock tailpiece.[/font][/size] [*][size=4][font=Arial][b]Hand-made ebony bridge[/b] - improved sound, stability and sustain compared to the flimsy crappy softwood fret-wire bridge supplied as stock ... which are renowned for not working very well (strings fall off!). [/font][/size] [*][size=4][font=Arial][b]Labella Deep Talkin' flatwound [/b]strings (HBB Beatle Bass)[/font][/size] [/list] [size=4][font=Arial]This bass is renowned for the deep, full thumping sound from its classic single-coil lipstick pick-up - which is enhanced even more by the famous low-pass tone switch that kills the top end to give you that double-bass thump at a flick of a switch. [/font][font=Arial]Perfect old-school bass for Blues, Soul, Country and RnB, it plays like butter, easy on the wrist. A brilliant, clean-sounding studio bass too. I've never played it without getting jealous comments from every bassist in the audience. Even guitar players want to have a go! It just sounds and looks so cool - although you'll struggle to look quite as good as Sheryl Crow does with it.[/font][/size] [font=Arial]These basses are still available brand new (costing up to £600) from one or two suppliers in Europe (none in UK as far as I know), but remember they come without all these upgrades - and have been known to come with minor manufacturing defects.This one is perfect, pimped, set-up and gig ready. [/font] [font=Arial]I'm very reluctant to let this go but cant afford to keep both. Cash on collection (from West London), or I'll pack meticulously and mail if you pay direct. [/font] Also on the bay...
  6. dincz ... that is awesome. Thanks. He'll know this bass for sure, loads in Slovakia. I like Slovakia, worked there for a while.
  7. Yup indeedy 1961 Jolana Basora 1963 Hofner President 1965 Kay Speed Demon 1966 Harmony H22 reissue Kay 162 1937 King Mortone 1938 Kay M2 1968 B+H Excelsior
  8. Maybe I'll never get the appeal of a proper bass. Meanwhile these are what make me feel happy. Some of them sound OK too. Thumpy. Mmm. [attachment=202628:5basses.JPG] [attachment=202627:3 uprights.jpg]
  9. Family [attachment=202625:5basses.JPG] [attachment=202626:3 uprights.jpg] Jolana update ... frets dressed. Wonky neck ... how to remove neck held by single 4mm square bolt, recessed into heel...? Moment of revelation ... old wind up clock! Winding key fits bolt perfectly! So, neck off, slight shim to one side inside joint, neck back on. Not quite ... off... on .. off ... on etc. Finally, dead straight, good angle, lovely action. Sounding sweeter all the time. Looking forward to rewire and 1 or 2 new staple tops....
  10. http://youtu.be/jaM3Z1_rf3g
  11. Sorted out buzzing here and there, action set nice, playing beautifully. Robert (seller) even sent me original wiring diagrams... Cheers. I need to straighten up the bolt on neck. Gone a bit skew. YouTube below...
  12. 2 pups yes ... Ones long lost. No mountings either ... So will have to drill into top... The headstock really is full on gold glitter. Sex.
  13. [quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1444289973' post='2881828'] I'll be interested to hear if it can be made to sound as good as it looks. [/quote] Me too! Loud acoustic, warm tone. Old pup looks seriously ropey, sealed up... but the speed bump pup on my old Kay was dodgy and it sounds amazing now. Klira? That's a new one on me. There's something Framus-y about this one. Steelwork... Maybe time for a proud family portrait later ... Jolana, Kay, Hofner President, Harmony H22, Kay 162... 162 seems outta place now, reissue .. No longer getting the love!
  14. 1961 Jolana Basora, soviet era Czechoslovakia, since you're asking.
  15. Right, vested interest then! I've been keeping tracks on the seller for a while, he had a couple of these 2 years ago... pounced when I saw it. Beautifully packed and delivered to door in 9 days. Instant jobs ... Filed nut grooves down, removed carpet squares (😳) from under pickups, adjusted action down from like an inch, replaced old roundwounds with lovely Labella flats. Plays really nice, action still high, and buzzes on the 16th on top string... all in good time. Wiring and pickup engineering is fabulously clunky ... and fallen apart. Nothing attached to anything else, pickups are welded to side of scratch plate. Start again. Doubt the existing pup works, but will try to save it. Planning to put hofner staple tops on instead. And rewire. Front switch a 7 position toggle switch ... blender between pups? Anyway I love it. Cosmonaut bass.
  16. Mine all mine... just to get it working now.
  17. I've settled on Standard gauge for my basses, so here are a couple of lightly-played sets I tried out along the way, available for string dabblers out there.. [attachment=201959:photo 2.JPG] [b]0760M 1954 Original Jamerson XL scale[/b] 052-073-095-110 38" to silk, trimmed to between 40-42" total length THUMP!!! [attachment=201958:photo 1.JPG] [b]760FM Medium gauge XL scale[/b] 049-069-089-109. 37" to silk, trimmed to between 40-44" total length THUMP TOO! £36 new, will pass these on for £20 each set, plus £2.50 p+p I will turn the packets the right way round before mailing,
  18. I just read that back. Actually a remarkably accurate summary of getting on for a decade of online discussion in one post.
  19. Crikey how times have changed. Or not. Back in the day there was not just a thread devoted to this topic, there was an entire forum, with hundreds of members posting non stop all day. Remember rockabillybass.com anyone? From what I remember this was the consensus: Gut is best. Or steel. Or if you prefer, nylon. Of course personal taste may lead to a combination, or you can make your own out of lawn mowers. A high set up is best for slap, although super low is best too. Pull the strings hard straight out, or sideways, with one finger or two or whichever you want, or your whole palm. Call the techniques whatever you want, only Joe Zinkan and Kim Nekroman really know their names. Pickups are important, on the bridge, under the bridge, behind the neck but never a mic. Unless you use a mic. Don't need a bow ;o)
  20. Hi slappers. Just chiming in here. Pretty much +1 to what Rabbie's been saying. I never got on 100% with plain gut E, or A for that matter. They certainly have appeal ... but overall they just don't cut it. Pizz is hopeless, definition and articulation limited. They pretty much ONLY sound any good for acoustic slapping ... then they are the real deal. I've been really happy with Cordes Lambert for a long time, the GT47 wrapped E and A, while as fat as plain gut, give better definition and sustain than plain gut, slap nice and easy, and match plain gut (or nylon) G and D better than anything. I currently have them with a Lenzner D and Lambert G (cos the Lanzner snapped, damn) and they are almost indistinguishable from each other. But this week I pulled the trigger on the new Evah P slaps - well jut the E and A. Straight out of the packet I was blown away. A few days later I [i]think [/i]I'm sold, with a few creeping reservations. The sound is not quite as full and strong as Cordes Lambert, very slightly less fundamental thump. The slap is perceptibly cleaner and less woody, a bit more clinical like wrapped gut. For acoustic work, you can just about hear the difference. But overall, they offer much better pizz - more precise, defined and articulated. I don't find the E dead at all ... funnily enough I'd say the A is the slightly weaker on my bass. I'd say they were more lively than Lamberts ... albeit it slightly lacking that room shaking thump. Overall a tad weaker, but more focussed. As ever I think it's a trade off .. I need to try them amplified to make a final judgement. For the money ... probably not worth it if you can get your hands on Cordes Lambert and you want to play lots of acoustic slap. But definitely worth it as a multi-purpose string. I can also highly recommend [b]Innovation Braided Solo (140BS) .. [/b]they are remarkably similar to the new Evahs in look feel and sound, fraction higher tension even when tuned down to concert pitch, but practically identical tone. The click is crisp and restrained, compared to the plasticky boing you often get with SilverSlaps or Rockabillys (and the harsh clank you get with most steel wrapped strings). Much cheaper than Evah's too, though you might have to buy a full set ... which is similar in price to the E and A Evah P.
  21. +1 for Korg Pitchblack, great tuner, clear display even under dodgy stage lights.
  22. Which edition were these, can you remember? They look like pretty early versions with that plastic covered clamp on the loop. They aren't from the most recent GT or GT-47 sets, that's clear. Do they have either the rough-textured surface, or the gut-twist effect surface? Or are they baby's-bum smooth?!
  23. I've got a set of these which aren't original to my bass. So they're going to come off. Original 70s. I'm not a Rickenbacker type, but I expect there are people who'd find these tuners nice to put on a project, or a vintage 4001 that needs pimping. I'm an upright kind of guy really so don't know much about geetars, esp Rickenbackers. Is this the best place to find the Rickenbacker crowd?
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