PaulKing

in for a penny....

Ha yeah I drew the outline ... it was quite exciting!

Rough / quick practice... Wickes ply is a bit more rosy coloured.

So err, quite familiar with ‘that’ bass are ye?! ;o)

Yeh I noticed ...! the 60s King I tried out a while ago (beautiful... see relevant thread .... still for sale) was very gloss. Kings were finished in nitro though. I’ve done a test in gloss and satin to see which I prefer. I’d prefer it to look worn rather than factory fresh, so think I’ll prefer the slightly knocked back sheen of satin finish. Using my Kay as a guide. The Sunburst pattern on early Kings (and Kay’s for that matter) was pretty crude ... I think even I can match that. Now, purfling ... that’s gonna be a different kind of challenge!

Checking nitro colour... nice. drawn on purfling, now that could be a challenge too far. At least it doesn’t bleed under the nitro... big shout to Steve at Manchester Guitar Tech

Wow love that tuba! Day 5:

Loads better, but only on the bottom 3 strings and a bit of the g... the sound is somehow, lighter, almost naked... ;o)

Stripper, 10mins, quick wipe with scraper, wire wool dipped in stripper.

Lower rib, C bout time for work ... turning blonde

Day 2...

No machines involved...

Ha, yeh I havent really started yet. Not like I got loads of spare time!

Never touch the finish on a vintage bass right? Right. Of course. No way. But if someone already beat you to it ... what's the harm in having another go?? 1937 King Mortone (sexy), previously refinished in simple light brown varnish (really quite nice, but, meh). Target: Strip varnish, replace with sunburst copied from original (nitro spray or hand rub TBC), add nitrocellulose top coat (gloss or satin TBC). If I can't get my hands on a glorious '37 King in original factory condition (you know who you are!!) ... well second best is to attack my own. How much of a disaster could it be?? (HA!) Step 1: Will the varnish come off clean? Verdict: Yes. See below (pic 1 of many more to come ....). How long will this take me? Place your bets now. Next steps - Disassemble bass - Complete varnish removal - Light sand - Practice sunburst application on blank plywood (trying nitro aerosol vs hand-rub water-based stains) - Practice top coat (clear satin or clear gloss nitrocellulose aerosol) - Probably no sealant ... wanna keep all those dings. - Sunburst pattern, light sand - Nitro top coat, 2 or 3 coats

Ha, I was moderated!!

You will be thrilled, nay, ecstatic.

Forgive this incoherent ramble, might be of interest to someone. First, an odd observation. I use f-hole plugs to stop feedback. Can't recommend highly enough. The other day I was pulling them out for some reason or another, or maybe putting them in, cant remember. Anyway, I started playing with JUST the G-side plug in place. Wow! For some deeply complex audio-physics reason, to my ears as player (which as we all know is not the optimal place to hear your own bass tone) it suddenly boosted the bottom end into a huge rich soft bloom. I pulled out the other plug and that bottom end faded away again. I tried it on another bass - same effect. Tried blocking just the E-side ... didnt work. Who knew? Wanna hear your own tone - block up the G side f-hole. Now, here's another thing. I've been a happy Fishman Platinum Pro pre-amp user for many years. Crucially, I also use a Line 6 wireless. I'd always known this kinda acts as as an impedance buffer, meaning you don't strictly need a preamp. But I like the EQ, and phase, and HPF and tuner etc etc all in one little box. So I stuck with the Fishman. But recently I started getting frustrated with those times when I couldnt quite cut through mix at gigs, and with the constant fight over honky mid range, especially when slapping. I know you should never make multiple changes all at once ... but I did. So first thing, I've switched from Gut/nylon combinations to EP Weich + gut G. Right from the outset, no surprise, I have much better definition to cut through mix. Have to change playing style a bit, and slapping is a bit more sensitive (cant beat gut for a nice slap tone). But then I noticed how the Fishman coloured my tone - for a start it cuts the strength of the signal, a lot. I dunno, it doesnt like what's coming out of the Line6 receiver or something. I'd always run it at full volume, with no trim. But if I plug the Line6 straight into amp, I get a much hotter signal. So, hmm I thinks. I dont want to lose the extra EQ control the Fishman gives. If anything I'd like a bit more flexibility. So I went low fi ... in fact back about 25 years to when I used a Polytone pick up with steel strings and a really ancient wireless set that needed boosting - so I ran through an EQ pedal and whacked up the gain. So I just swapped the Preamp for an old Boss GE7Bass EQ pedal. Then I stuck in another (standard) GE7 for good measure, and gained an extra 5 frequencies on my EQ chain. I dont need to touch the gain on the EQs becasue the signal from the Line6 is hot enough. Without the beloved Fishman pre-amp in the chain I'm actually finding the mid range much less problematic from the ouset. And in any case, with 12-band EQ (including multiple hi-mid bands) it's much easier to selectively tame when I do need to. I've compromised my authentic retro Willie Dixon slap tone a bit, with the EPs, but in all honesty that tone is at its best acoustic anyway. But what I'm left with, combining EPs with new EQ chain and wirless ... is really clear, punchy, beautiful rich tone. Rest of the band have all commented. So there you are.

I have a litlle tiny PJB 2x4 thing in my kitchen. (Its a lot of money for a tiny thing, but it does kick an impressive volume out for its size, great for practicing electric bass.) I dont LOVE its tone though, its a bit mid rangey, and when you kill the mid it gets wooly or scratchy depending on Bass and Treble setting. I use an EQ if want to dial in a really nice tone. I dont know if that's the same for bigger PJB stuff. It actually reproduces upright slightly better, and can definitely add a bit of volume in a small acoustic practice setting. +1 for Markbass for gigging. I use Markbass CMD121P (with 121H extension for louder gigs). I've played pretty big hall venues with it and it is always way loud enough. Also needs a tiny bit of help with EQ for my taste, but overall, love it..

How long was the sticker on for? Couple of years? Easiest solution, cover up the rest of the bass with opaque tape, making sure you leave the offending patch exposed. Open your curtains. Leave bass in full sunlight for 2 years. Bosh. Sorry, couldnt resist being a Richard....

Ooh, spiro weich slapped, criminal. Milt Hinton might get away with it but that’s no rockabilly sound. Evah Pirazzi weich sounds pretty good slapped if you can tame them with technique and eq. Give great pizz and slap. And Innovation braided solo gauge are good too. just don’t set the strings too low, you won’t be able to get purchase on them.

I recognised all that in the E I tried. It’s nice, quite soft and airy, very bright to begin but mellowed quickly. im suspicious I’ll prefer them to Spiros where I want a Spiro sound ... but all in all I’m digging EP weich for the sound I want ... clarity with a big nod to gut thump and fundamental

Evahs I enjoyed the Perpetual E, a very scooped airy sound, soft. Would be interesting to try amped to see how it cuts through. Otherwise very spiro like. But plumped for Evahs and got a set. EP weichs surprised me. I’ve actually paired EAD with gut G and the set is beautifully balanced, matched, and I’m very happy with the click for moderate slapping. They have great thump, so I’m not going to feel I’m missing out too much, but they have all the articulation and punch through of steels. For the 50s RnB Soul Blues Ska Jazz mix I’m playing mostly now I reckon they’re going to give me all I need. Trying out in anger Thu night, full band gig. See how they cut through. I tried Spiros live, and sure they cut through amazingly, but sounded a bit thin and modern to me. They’re great fun to listen to though ... completely new character to my bass! They will work with he BB King ‘Regal’ set I’m going to play.

Good signs ...

Yeh, but listen to the clip he made on day one, better mic placing... It also sounds gorgeous through his KNA pickup ... I'm minded to try mine out again. Though I think it struggles with scratchy high-mids, will really show up any raggedy slapping I might do with steels .. and is a bit feedback prone with big bottom end. Based on my single road test in live setting. Sweet sound at low volume though.