Duarte

Congratulations! In the past month I've acquired 2 P basses, having never owned one before. It's true, they just work. Everything feels and sounds good on em!

update from the anodising shop...

Oiling has begun. There have been some very informative threads on BC about how best to do this - I must thank Honza992 for an incredibly detailed account of his telecaster build here: I am in the grain-fill stage, 3 coats of tru-oil applied. I am going to take it slow, and just keep going until it shines. It won't be perfect, it's an old bit of wood, but I am very happy with how it's going so far. I have a feeling the body will match the neck nicely in terms of colour and general 'vibe'. It's got some of the maddest grain I've ever seen on a body.

I think you're right. I think I will do this kind of stain on a future project, but this isn't the right bass for it.

It was a little wet still - here's experiment number 2. I did this between the neck and pickup, an area that'd be covered up. Slightly sanded, then again but dampened (I'm trying to imagine what it'll look like with tru-oil).

This idea really stuck in my head. I've tested a spot inside the neck pocket.

Hi everyone! Apologies for the slow updates. Work became crazy for a couple of weeks as we prepare for reopening as the end of lockdown is in sight, so I haven't had the time to dedicate to this project until now. I've ordered a custom made black anodized from a local luthier. I wanted to get a few coats of oil done before the next update, and I am almost ready to start applying the finish, but I need some advice before I do. The wood has a couple of spots, only on the sides of the body, that are discoloured. This is the kind of thing that would become significantly more obvious once oil is applied. After a considerable amount of sanding, and an attempt at cleaning, I can't seem to get rid of them. I'm not too bothered if I can't remove them, as I will embrace the finished bass regardless of imperfections. After all, it's been around a fair bit! However, I'm putting this out there to see if anyone here has encountered such a thing. Here is the worst affected area - otherwise the wood is beautiful. The bass is hanging out to dry after cleaning!

Aria pro II CSB-450. It's wonderful. The neck is the same thickness from the first fret to the 22nd fret, and it has this super aggressive sound and responds very well to a pick. I play this more than any of my other basses!

I'm all about the black pick guards. Single ply, of course!

Absolutely right, this is screaming for cream covers!

Great tips! I drilled pilot holes but I think they weren't deep enough on the ones I rounded out. That's what I get for being too cautious I guess. More updates soon...

Glad it's not just me! I find intricate tasks like this incredibly difficult - I'm as good as blind when working with things close up. Just have to order more screws and all is well though 🙂

Quick update - tuners installed, covering many ugly holes! Being a novice with extremely poor eyesight, I threaded 2 screws and lost another 2. Otherwise, perfect!

Exactly how I envisaged him!

A handsome pair!

Haha! I fled Bangkok and went to Koh Chang for a week to escape the smoggy lockdown and work from the beach. I'm back on the bass and about to apply the first coat of tru-oil. Pics soon. I did have a parcel from Japan waiting for me when I returned... Gotoh vintage style tuners, and they weigh an absolute ton. I love it.

Damnnn, so nice. EB should supply these knobs with the bass. Where did you get them?

Cool. Cream covers of course. Always fancied a bass with cream pickups. Not in Thailand! Bangkok's streets are paved with Dimarzios, babay. That is, I've seen some new pairs in shops recently.

This is how I feel. The best basses I've had were always the heavy ones. Weight has never concerned me, although that may change now my hairline has started to recede...

The combined knowledge and experience here never ceases to amaze. It's bonkers how informative this thread has been so far! Thank you all. In the event that I buy this old bass, would dimarzios be the natural choice of replacement pickups? I'd likely attempt to restore it to something close to its original state.

I think I'll go for it - it looks like a great base (bass) for experiments. Revert back to passive, refinish, etc. Well well well, I don't need a 1970s P bass to crop up after all...

That's stunning. I wonder why fretless maple boards aren't 'in' any more.

Great resource. Thanks for that! I'm not sure of the scale length or any details really - it's a mystery. Kind of looks like the RS824BB from the catalogue - with some modifications.

Interesting. I'm not too bothered by weight, I've owned some ludicrously heavy basses (Rays and Jazz basses are the usual culprits), but 99% of the time my basses are lounging around the house for impromptu jams and home recording. Heavier basses just stay in comfier locations! £6 - 700 means serious bass far as I'm concerned. Looks like I have a good deal on my hands. Interesting. I don't subscribe to the jibba jabba really - as long as it's a good bit of wood with some sturdy hardware, chances are I'll love it. A bit of modding is fine too, I can mod it further without feeling guilty about it. Perfect!

I'm constantly on the lookout for beat up old basses. A huge portion of old japanese instruments seem to wash up on the shores of Thailand, poorly modded or degraded by the tropical climate. I recently bought an old yamaha P bass and I've stripped the old finish and currently oiling it and replacing all the broken parts. That bass cost almost nothing but I've found that I'm quite good at this kind of project. So here's the next potential candidate, an 80s ibanez. I'd love to know more about the instrument - is the rear pickup modded? And this must be a refin? Are these things any good? I suspect they are. I've got a lot of tru-oil to get through before it dries up. What would you do? Asking price converts to £220. Is it reasonable? Cheers! Zak