uk_lefty

Serious question. Is a Chesney Hawkes tribute band able to sing "I am the one and only" or would that cause the universe to implode?

Saw Nikki Sixx doing this on the last Sixx AM tour. The big draw was that he wraps a unique pattern of tape around each bass... Nonsense. Then again, at his age he must be just trying to fill the bank account as much as possible before the career ends. While I do think its tacky and I wouldn't do it, even if right handed and with enough cash to spare and a want for a bass used by a high profile player, someone obviously does buy this stuff. I think Dave Ellefson does it too. If nobody ever bought this stuff it wouldn't be offered for sale! It's not the same as a charity auction for a high profile player's much loved instrument used over a period of years on famous albums and tours. That is where I can really see the cash being stumped up and everyone feeling differently about it. But a bass you can buy for a few hundred quid used on just one song in an end of career cash-in tour? Not the same thing.

I play a stingray through Ashdown, love the sound. Not an older line 6 amp fan myself but as others have said you're getting a lot for your money with it.

I looked at buying a bass with the lowest 7 frets in but couldn't quite get my head around it. If you want the clank then maybe a slap bar at the end of the neck is the way forward? By that I mean a small metal strip less pronounced than a fret around where the 24th fret would be so you can still slap a clank out if you need to, or equally not when you don't want to.

Has anyone used or got one of these? What are your thoughts? It looks interesting for practice and recording, not that I do much if any of either!! But I'm willing to be tempted.

Probably why mine's pretending he's never heard of it!! 😂

They're good lads really. And nobody else would have me!

I know!!!

Same here! I get "what? Never heard of it." which is a shame as its a damn good song.

I was thinking about getting myself an 8 string the other day... Would love to hear this in a band context once you've got it recorded!

Sounds like you know and love the head you have, so I'd keep that if I were you and wait for a second hand cab to come up that suits your needs. I used to chop and change amps a lot until I settled on something easy to use that does everything I need plus more. There's "better" gear out there but the hassle of trading amps, having people who stink of BO thrash an amp in the living room of your flat (true story) then ask for a tenner off or whatever... Its just not worth it. Keep the gear you know and trust and spend your time and money on gambling and women.

Thank you, I have heard before there's someone in Finland who makes them?! Either way, with a single string fitted on a dodgy upside down nut it made some sound, I'm thinking a review of the electronics should be done by a professional when I get the neck checked out. However, if I need to replace it I'll be straight back in touch!

Playing it through a trace helps! Classic combination

There's loads of ways to do it. Back when all this were fields as far as you can see I just had a Cassette mix tape if all the songs I was learning playing on my stereo while I played my bass through an amp. Some of the older tech like the CD bass trainers can be quite cheap on ebay. I find just connecting my phone to an aux in, or more recently using a Blackstar BEAM to Bluetooth my music too and use as my amp works fine.

Wilkinson bridges are decent, I put one on an MIM Jazz and it improved things. I'm a bit kack handed with the DIY stuff also but I found replacing bridge, tuners and even pickups relatively straightforward. Best of luck with the project!

Someone on a Japanese guitars Facebook page has pointed me to reproguitarparts.com who do a pair of the knobs for 7.50 dollars, so that could be that sorted, though if anyone UK based answers my wanted ad then I'll go for that. Also just unscrewed the pickup because it seemed quite low at the bass string side... It doesn't move. Might be stuck to the foam beneath it, made a bit of a creaky crackly noise when wiggled...

Wish I got 400 for the one I sold many years back! Good amp but 99 is a realistic price, no more.

My thinking also. I'm not sinking cash until I know its a go-er. I think there's a few things I want a professional opinion on: state of the neck, is it cracked and needing repair and if so how much? Will the neck straighten? Frets, are they salvageable? If not this may go Fretless, the board itself is in OK condition as are the inlays. Electronics, what's going on? May replace the guts but want like for like ideally, and hopefully the pickup itself is OK.

Thanks I was tempted to do this even if not going for a refin just so it's more comfortable under hand and at the same time see if this crack runs deep.

So I managed this very easily with some dettol spray and a cloth. And cleaned the whole bass while I was at it. Very glad I could do that, now a clean headstock on my project bass. I'm doing a restoration diary elsewhere in this section of the forum if anyone wants to go "NOOOOOOOO!" before I do something catastrophic to this already mistreated bass.

On closer I section it seems like the fingerboard is coming away at the top end and the play in the neck feels like it's just that, though one of the cracks appears a bit more sinister than I had thought at first. I've tried the truss rod, it turns. There's no strings on now so not wanting to push it but I got a quarter turn each way, back and forth, with only a slight cracking noise from stiffness then not too much of a push required. My Fender jazz had a stiffer truss rod so hoping this is a good sign that the neck can be straightened out.

The pickup works! Not great but working at least. I fitted an old string to the bass and used a right handed bass nut form the spares box to prop it up and I'm getting something from the pickup. However, both pots seem to be volume only and the switch just saps volume altogether... Needs more investigation, I expect the whole guts need replacing then starting again really. I've seen far worse conditions inside a control cavity before

I think it's the angle of the photo making it look worse than it is... Hope / think.

Thanks. I'm not bothered about the yellowing too much, think it's just been out in the sun a lot in the last 35plus years!

Some of the frets are rough as hell and quite worn... This may be going Fretless at some point in time. On inspecting the headstock lacquer cracking what do you guys think of this? I've given it a firm woggle and there's some play in there, but not sure if that indicates a structural crack that needs repair (something I can't do) or if it's just normal because it's a thin neck? The bridge is tarnished but the springs are still springy, I reckon it's still working.