HowieBass

Gorgeous looking bass and I can well imagine it sounds as good as it looks! Happy NBD!

My 2000 era Tanglewood Curbow 5 has a luthite body. It was made by Cort and other than the curly 'T' on the headstock it's exactly the same bass as a Cort Curbow from that year... these are early run instruments with EQ fully active in both on/off slap switch settings.

It's 'distressed' isn't it? Mind you, I'd be distressed with a head that shape...

I wonder if this is on the pub's jukebox? http://youtu.be/eGBPa5SAhok

Ummmm, before I did my art degree course I did a degree in astronomy at UCL (way back in the 70s) and at the end of the second year we each made a small metal cannon... a turned steel barrel, brass carriage, steel wheels... had to learn how to use a lathe, make some pieces accurate to a few thousanths of an inch, even made our own threaded brass bolts - in the years prior to my course they even bored out the barrels, put black powder in and fired them!

Polymorph... I don't need any but now I'm trying to invent problems that need solving with it LOL YouTube video on it here http://youtu.be/iBZj2rtRjMw and cheaper on eBay than Maplins http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/500g-17-6oz-Friendly-Plastic-Polymorph-Pellets-Mould-Craft-Shape-By-Hand-/170766494186?pt=UK_Crafts_Other_Crafts_EH&hash=item27c279e9ea

[quote name='surfguy13' timestamp='1398952325' post='2439352'] I acted on HowieBass' suggestion and spoke to The Plastic People about the possibility getting them to make me a bridge cover but have just had an email back and.........over £80!!!!! Blimey! Brilliant idea but I think just too much dosh. [/quote] OUCH! Time to get creative then - before I looked for a company to make a cover for you I'd been wondering about vacuum forming - I did an arts degree course at Salford University and we had access to a vacuum forming table... the device heats a sheet of plastic up and then you can mould it over a suitable former on a vacuum table (which could be a shaped block of wood made to the size you need a bridge cover to be). You might think about getting in touch with your local FE colleges or universities and ask if they can help (maybe make it a project for one of their students even LOL). Or even seek out a local car repair shop and see if a panel beater can fashion a metal ashtray for you?

I've got two Squiers so I'm halfway to a Fender...

In your best Carlsberg advert type voice "Basschat, we don't make beer but if we did... Basschat, probably the best bass players' community in the world"

There's an East Midlands luthier called Colin Keefe http://www.keefeguitars.co.uk/ I've no personal experience of his work but if he builds guitars and mandolins he'll definately be able to do the fingerboard levelling and sorting the nut for you (and maybe refinish the headstock).

[quote name='ahpook' timestamp='1398789841' post='2437633'] Always baffles me why people seem to prefer the bridge pickup to the neck, but each to their own... [/quote] Part of my reason for getting hold of a Precision was the fact that I prefer the rounder tone of the neck pickup on a Jazz... however, when you roll off the treble and beef up the bass with the bridge pickup it sounds pretty good...

Assuming it's mostly badly tarnished and not actually riddled with rust the vinegar should work fine; there are plenty of YouTube videos on this subject.

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1398862557' post='2438386'] I assume "white vinegar" is distilled vinegar? [/quote] Yes, the bottle I have is Sarson's Distilled Malt Vinegar 5% acidity - looks like water (don't drink it!)

Try white vinegar, buy a big bottle from your local supermarket; then fill a bowl with it and submerge the whole bridge. Leave it for a day, then remove, rinse and dry.

Another +1 for no problems playing when seated (and no strap); there's enough of a lower horn to hook it over your thigh.

[quote name='theyellowcar' timestamp='1398809124' post='2437938'] I'm glad it's still behaving! [/quote] I've recently gone all out reducing the relief on my four fretted basses (just to see what was possible) and both Squiers have taken to the adjustment exceedingly well (in fact the others have too happily) and there's no hint at all of any uneveness in the level of the fingerboard/frets and the action's wonderful

I couldn't be happier with my Squier Vintage Modified Precision (bought from theyellowcar!). The fit and finish is excellent and the Duncan Designed pickup delivers as much output as my active basses. I've set up the bass myself; I have quite a low action with no unwanted fret buzz and I can honestly say the neck is great.

One of these days when I feel like treating myself I'll buy a set of TI Jazz flats... but at over £40 a set not yet as my car's just cost me £276 to get it through its MOT

A growl...

Maybe see about getting somebody make a thick plastic ashtray to your specification? This company http://www.theplasticpeople.co.uk/ says "Our plastics are suitable for home projects as well as display, design, commercial and trade applications. We supply low cost, cut to size plastic as well as sheets of Acrylic, Perspex, Polycarbonate, PVC, Correx and many other plastics. We bend and shape plastic too, making many different products and bespoke items so if there is something you require please email us your drawing and we’ll reply with a quotation."

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1398786631' post='2437594'] A (P) ashtray doesn't fit over a Badass (III), I've tried :-( [/quote] I've tried looking for the dimensions of the various Badass bridges (couldn't find what I was really after) but it seems the first Badass (I) bridge (which is the type in question here) is a little narrower than the later 'II' and 'III' versions but I suspect it's going to be the height that presents the problem for a standard P type ashtray (though I've read that using velcro to mount it, using strips on the body of the bass and on the 'wings' of the cover are sufficient to give clearance over the bridge).

You'd probably have problems trying to fit an ashtray over that bridge wouldn't you?

That Rob Allen has a piezo bridge and I think piezos have a sound of their own, though you might get close with careful blending of the neck and bridge pickups on a Jazz. You might like the idea of an unlined neck but there's nothing wrong with having lines either; it's been said before but if lines were good enough for Jaco... well having them doesn't mean you're any less of a fretless bassist! As suggested you can probably pick up a Squier Vintage Modified fretless Jazz going secondhand fairly easily; get a decent amp to play through and you might also consider running your bass through a chorus pedal - fretless playing always sounds good with a tough of chorus

Out of interest how stable are the strings over those saddles? None of them seem to have a groove for the string to sit in (though having said that if you did groove the saddles the strings would sit a little lower and you seem to like the saddles/action adjusted to be quite high).

There's only one 'Little Sister' for me http://youtu.be/hGRqnNEOpe0