uk_lefty

Updating the family pic... Left to right: Kramer striker 5 string fretless CIJ Fender jazz 75 Warwick Pro Series Corvette fretless MM Stingray (US 3band EQ) with drop D tuner Lying down... Aria Pro II Superbass Elite I. Bought as a wreck, now up and running after a neck repair, new nut, Kent Armstrong replacement pickup, Kiogon loom (giving more options off the pickup). This bass gives some classic 80s tones. While it doesn't feel as good as my Stingray, let's face it not much will, playing some Duran Duran and ABC just now and it's perfect.

I did say Hope! 😁

Is this just a special colour for a short period of time or testing the waters for more of these to come out? Was debating the value of buying new for collectors with a mate who's dad collects guitars.

While I understand the sentiment that no individual "should" have that kind of money, facts are someone has seen fit to pay it, so they expect to generate more than that amount off the back catalogue. Why not let Bob take his slice now? At least he created it. If he didn't take this slice now what would he get later? Same with footballers, they earn stupid money but if they didn't take it you can guarantee someone further up the corporate ladder would, so why not let them have it. We can only just hope that those with great wealth use it responsibly to benefit society.

The condition of that Aria looks superb, but I'm sure I've seen the same model go far cheaper. I think Arias from the 80s matsumoko era are having a resurgence (lucky I've got one!) but thought it would mainly be the SB ranges doing well on price... Then again I have joined an Aria SB Facebook group from which you'd think any Aria SB was worth a grand no matter what had been done to it. Speaking of which, for 800 there's a black Aria SB Elite I on Facebook in Northampton, lefty of course, looks in good nick. I really don't know if that's a good price or not, possibly not on ebay but maybe to an enthusiast?

Lonely this Christmas by Mud is my favourite to listen to. In an old band we had a reunion gig at Christmas and did Slade Merry Xmas Everybody which was really good fun to play. I've been trying to get my band, One Fat Finger, to record our own version of the Wombles Xmas song, but "we wish you a Fingering merry Christmas" might not be a family favourite.

Well, the bass has been through the mill a bit. I decided to sell it, it went on Reverb almost immediately, DPD lost it for a month, then it turned up for the buyer who had already been refunded, and I got it back minus the knobs and with the electrics fubar'd. So, considering the pickup was new I thought this has to be the wiring, so I got a Kiogon loom, took it in for a set up and I got the bass back today. It sounds amazing, I was never fully happy with the sound before. Though the new pickup was in for a while I never felt I was getting the best from it until now. Hers the dilemma... When I had it sold a few months back I kinda spent the proceeds.... But I've started an 80s band and having 6 basses is ridiculous...

Not yet! I have ordered a neck and I'm in the process of ordering a body. It will be a Fenderish PJ, nothing too adventurous. I just want to do it for the learning experience and hopefully to have a good usable bass at the end of it. I'm spending more than a Harley Benton but want to keep costs lower than a Sire P7 or V7... I'm spending 3x the money to get a UK made pre drilled body to remove some of the potential for disaster and the neck is already finished. I don't want this first go to put me off completely!

The buyer was on Reverb. They were quite good about it and rather than kick up a fuss they gave me a credit note for more than the value of the replacement knobs and a refund of my sale fees. I much prefer buying and selling through BC but as a lefty we can't be too picky.

Because I don't want to drive for three and a half hours each way to get back knobs that, although costing £25 for authentic replacements, would cost me close to that in fuel. Also, I could drive there but there's no guarantee he would be in, willing to talk to me, or willing to give the knobs back. But you make a good point if we turn it to couriers though: I should have driven the bass down there myself, got him to play it and agree he's happy with it, then left with the transaction complete.

Thank you, I think Danish oil sounds like the kind of thing I'd like to try. I'm tempted by some of the stain colours but don't want to get ahead of myself!

No innuendo intended. I'm almost ready to buy a bass body, unfinished. I've got options for Ash or Alder. Ash looks nicer naturally, alder bodies are usually painted I think. So, thinking about staining and or oiling. I'm awful with anything DIY so looking for whatever would be the quickest route through. I'm in this for the learning experience but not to do something so complex and fiddly I go on a rampage when things go irretrievably wrong. With an Ash body would it take well to stain, and would it then need some kind of sealing coat over the top? I've only seen stain demos on flame maple so not sure how Ash reacts or whether it works but it's a sh!t idea. What would be good for an easy to apply matt finish on an Ash body? Thank you

I'm embarking on something similar myself, this has been a great read. Hope the bass is exactly what you wanted!

Hi Matt, I could do that... Thing is, I'm looking for something I can do entirely myself. I'm very kack handed with DIY so a simple screw together of pre bought components and some final set up should be sufficiently challenging. I've also sunk a lot of money in to a knackered 80s bass recently in having other people do various bits and I have no way of knowing if it will ever work let alone recover its value. So for now I'm thinking to keep it simple, it will be hard enough as it is! I think my imagination ran away a bit, when really I should just be doing a single pickup bass and that should keep me busy enough, frustrated, and perplexed. Anything more complex will blow my mind and my wallet!

I think I won't end up with a jazz body PJ sadly, either a P bodied PJ or a 51 P bass... Mulling over my options before I order...

Well... I've bought a jinwan neck today. Heard good reviews of them on BC. Now I need a body. There's an ebay seller in the UK who says he can make anything, I'm after a J body but rear routed and PJ pickup config. It might be a bit ambitious at this stage and I want to keep costs down in case of a mess up. I may have to reign myself in. Am I thinking right that on a J bass with the really big wide route out for the neck pickup I may be able to fit a P pickup in there?

Long story short... I sold a bass to someone who didn't want it, he returned it to me but had nicked the knobs!! I'm waiting for the body supplier to get back to me but I'm after a rear routed jazz body set up for a PJ config. Would like to not have a bell plate or pick guard ideally. However, they do standard P and J bodies for a good rate so if they can't do my wacky idea then I'll have to just go for the ordinary

So, for the benefit of my mental health (!!! This could go either way!!!) I'm going to build a bitsa. The wife and I discussed it last night. I'm working, I'm very lucky to have a job that allows working at home, but I have to admit it being a bit full on to go from being woken up early every morning by my kids, once they're sorted I work, then when I can finish in the evening I've immediately got the kids until they're in bed and I'm exhausted. I don't get much time to myself and I'm someone who cannot mentally rest. For me mentally resting is turning my attention to something else, other than work or family stuff. So... A bitsa it is. I've found a supplier who will make me a lefty bass body with whatever routing I want. I have found a few neck suppliers but am veering towards trying to find a second hand neck from a reliable brand (E.g. A Fender or Squier neck unmolested, or an Allparts, Mighty Mite or Brandoni...) and I'm OK having a righty neck. I need to put together a parts shopping list so I can slowly but surely build up the bits I need to put this together. I've had a go below but would welcome any input: Body (finishing materials?) Neck (finishing may be required?) Nut Tuners String guide Neck screws and neck plate Pickups Shielding tape or paint Wiring loom (has to be a solderless Kiogon doesn't it?!) Bridge Strap buttons Cover for rear route with screws Strings and strap

That superb that it has been found and your buyer has been good to deal with. Amazing how things can go completely missing. Its very similar to my story of recently selling an 80s Aria to a buyer in Bristol, DPD lost the package for a month and the buyer was good as gold to start with, though requested a refund and said if it turned up he'd refuse the delivery. Well! He accepted the delivery and didn't contact me until 24hrs later when I had been informed the item was delivered and emailed him to check if this was true. He repackaged and returned the bass for me, but when I got it back he'd nicked the knobs!! What a complete bum hole of a person. I called him a few weeks later out the blue and he said "oh yes I have got them I've just not had chance to post them". He's obviously still "not had chance".

In all seriousness the heaviest strings I ever had were the Steve Harris Rotosound signature flats. Unbelievably heavy and tense but on a P bass with the Steve Harris sig pickup the sound was just BIG. Big, clear, bass sound. No grittiness or added character as such just a huge, huge, open and clear sound. The tension took a little getting used to and I had to have a tech set up the bass because I was scared the neck would snap when I first fitted the strings, but I thought they sounded excellent. Same bass with lightweight TI flats did not work for me.

Don't look at this if you're hungover, particularly if you've been on the bourbon or whisky.. LEFTY Bass Mods Custom 5-String bass (strung righty): Poplar top, Birdseye Maple Fingerboard, https://reverb.com/item/37317838-lefty-bass-mods-custom-5-string-bass-strung-righty-poplar-top-birdseye-maple-fingerboard?utm_source=android-app&utm_medium=android-share&utm_campaign=listing&utm_content=37317838

Booooo! Flats should be thick. Steve Harris signature all the way! 😁

Couldn't agree more, on this point anyway. I have no idea how you could cut yourself on TI Flats. Maybe it's supposed to be tongue in cheek but just not very well done? I do agree with a lot of the rest of the review though. I personally found TI flats incredibly disappointing but so many BC'ers love them. As with any bit of kit though it all depends on the rest of the gear in the chain whether that gets the best out of it or not.