PaulKing

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...

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.

[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!

1961 Jolana Basora, soviet era Czechoslovakia, since you're asking.

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.

Mine all mine... just to get it working now.

Probably not.

I just read that back. Actually a remarkably accurate summary of getting on for a decade of online discussion in one post.

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)

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.

+1 for Korg Pitchblack, great tuner, clear display even under dodgy stage lights.

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?

Yeah I knew that was for sale, I wuz gonna post here but never got round to it. Welcome to the club! Mines still main gigging bass, with lamberts and underwood. I think I'm the reason yours is set up like that too Nice score.

Ah you're gonna love that bass. I had exact same model direct from factory. I think they all sound like that, really powerful. I think in 10 yrs they will sound amazing. If I hadn't got into fancy vintage nonsense I'd still playing it.... What strings you going for?

No-one ever plays the bass properly, like Willie Dixon did on original Listen to what he plays over the 5... and his 8th notes that drive the pace now and then. And of course the thump of an upright... ;o) That's what makes it NOT a substandard 12bar blues rock song, like what most of us churn out.

View full screen, you can see it all... Look at bridge at the start, he's bashed it on the way, sitting at crazy angle, he's looking at it thinking 'uh-oh', then sure enuff the whole thing goes boom and drops out, leaving his strings flailing about. Smile and carry on... Ah the https:! Posting from work, that'll explain. I tried the embed link and cut and paste and insert link and none worked. But now my foolishness is rectified, many thanks!

Even the gods get caught out. Just smile and keep playing ... watch Ray Brown's face... How do I embed in this goddam forum?? [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4rQYlXQYk8#t=104"]https://www.youtube....rQYlXQYk8#t=104[/url]

Thanks Rabbie - I'd love to try those too! Hey, Debouchet's in a different league to amateurs like me, but cheers!

... and then if I like them more than Lamberts ... those other 2 basses will need them on too. Agh

[quote name='Clarky' timestamp='1411641577' post='2561403'] So is he no longer associated with Cordes Lambert? And out of interest are the new Pirastro strings guts? [/quote] He still stands by Lamberts as best full nylon/whacker set. He's working with Pirastro to develop an affordable E and A to balance perfectly with a selected plain gut G and D, specifically for slappity slappity. He's gone for a wrapped synthetic (nylon) E and A (rather like, err...Lamberts I guess .... pulls quizzical Austin Powers type expression) So this'll be the next 'must have' string for me, but I'm guessing it'll come in around £250-£300 a set, for a fractional improvement on Lamberts. I better start saving, cant resist...

Just chatting with Nic Dubouchet, french slapper extraordinaire, about his new/soon-to-be-released Pirastro signature string set (exciting!!) Remembered this little Dubouchet tribute I did by copying a little ditty he posted online once. Wish I could get stuff like this in live... ;o) [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZrufPYrMPo&list=UUrOlaBkAkN1yrRQLtUmRGxA&index=10"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xZrufPYrMPo&list=UUrOlaBkAkN1yrRQLtUmRGxA&index=10[/url]

... and make sure everyone is prepared for the upright to lack the punch and definition you get with e-bass on stage. Amplifying this beast is not for the faint hearted, and getting anything like the power of a loud electric is quite a challenge. Don't give up though, its worth it... I've started doing some rocksteady in my jump blues band, it caught Gaz Mayall's eye and he took us to Glastonbury because of it!! [url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4jz-x-OrCY"]https://www.youtube....h?v=l4jz-x-OrCY[/url]