anzoid

This has recently popped up at Bass Direct: http://bassdirect.co.uk/bass_guitar_specialists/Ibanez_SR1006_EFM.html at just under £600

This place is amazing - bass and plumbing advice in the same thread We did try some Mr Muscle but without a lot of success It just sat in the trap and came back up through the plughole. Weird thing was even before doing that the trap was clean and I had drained the pipe out and tried to snake it... There's a plumber working at my parents-in-law's place today just down the road and he's hopefully going to come and have a look. I've written a list of all the things that I've tried to do, so hopefully he'll have an idea. And on to basses... not seen that eBay thing before - for that money could be worth trying one of those bodies because if I mess it up totally then that's not too much money down the drain (pun mostly intended...)

I may well be asking a lot of questions... anyone know anything about plumbing (just as an aside...)? Spent some time (between bursts of DIY) costing out my proposed bass... probably should have done that first Wondering whether the best thing might be to get hold of an already mostly functional jazz bass and mod the heck out of it. I could get 90% of the way to what I'm looking for based on a stock Fender MIM Jazz - and the last step could be sanding down the body and doing my own paint job. Or does that sound dumb?

And thanks for all the comments, advice and encouragement. This may yet see the light of day!

Well, you guys have convinced me that I might actually possibly be capable of doing this... and my timing is so bad it's unbelievable... the project seems as though it might be DOA anyway Looks like we're going to have a large plumbing bill sometime in the next week. Bath won't drain, I've taken everything apart as far as can go (surprised myself on that one too...) snaked the top of the pip and there's no blockages at the top... will have to check in the garden when the rain stops... and then probably call in a plumber anyway. Such is life

You underestimate how absolutely cack-handed I am with a drill It is a thing to behold. As @BreadBin says - I'm down in Somerset, lovely little town of Frome. I think the most basic part of the project is getting the body sorted along with the neck with the holes in all the right places for putting it together. I'm guessing the body in NYC cab yellow is going to be the expensive bit I'm confident I can build it if all the guide holes are there - and can source most of the hardware as funds and time allow (this may be a long term project...

Not sure if this is the right place to put this and not even sure how this works on BC. I have an idea for a bass (a jazz bass) but have the technical skills and aptitude of a squashed hamster when comes to actually putting stuff together (I can do things like change a BBOT bridge to a Gotoh,, replace a passive wiring loom - really basic bits, but anything more than that and my confidence (and ability) dives. What I'm looking for is a Jazz Bass bitsa... Body - lightweight, sprayed in NYC taxi cab yellow (also seen called Hot Rod Yellow and Graffiti Yellow) Maple neck, maple fretboard. Hipshot Ultralight tuners in black Gotoh 201 bridge in black John East Retro-01 (black plate and knobs) SD Quarter Pounder jazz pickups Schaller strap buttons in black. White pearl scratchplate (or carbon fibre black...) - either way, standard Fender Jazz size/shape. Black neck plate, or, even better, ferrules and metal inserts on the neck for bolts. So, any thoughts on getting this done. I could put the parts together if everything was pre-drilled with holes in the right places (at a push I could probably install the machineheads from scratch - the bridge... not so much :D) Are there builders here who would be interested in this and could work with me to do this, or get part of the way there? Ideas as to cost of body painted to spec + neck (all the other bits I've got a rough idea of...) Thanks

Ooohh, most useful, thank you

Thanks JimH sounds like a good one Dumb question - does it sound like a Jazz (albeit boosted and active and stuff) or do the humbuckers make it into something else?

So, a month down the line - any good? Quite interested in one of these but can't find much in the way of reviews...

Now I need to go check mine to see if I've got the strings the right way wound...

Very nice! Quite a range of shades in the photos. You know where to send it when you decide to sell

I've got The Greek's old purple SB100 and there's no way he's having it back (sorry... not sorry :D). I did have his fretless too... but that is now elsewhere... somewhere near Trowbridge when last sighted (I realise I am just so crap at fretless :D)

Not to derail too far... I'll take a look, thanks

Currently four - visited Bass Direct last week and traded three basses for a Dingwall ABZ4 - not quite sure how we're getting on so far - fanned frets aren't a problem, but the four way selector is proving to be... odd. Also got a Sterling Ray 34 that came secondhand from Andertons - trans white and it arrived the day before my visit so never even made it to the website - lucked out on that one as it's wonderful! There's a Hudson PB5 that is waiting for some TLC on the fretboard and, last but by no means least, a Bass Collection SB100 in metallic purple that used to belong to The Greek and which is the only one that's not on the "might sell this" list. Max I've had at one time was seven, four still feels like too many.

Thanks Grangur, hadn't thought about painting it... will investigate paint options

@vinorange have seen a few of these crop up - in particular a 5-string Steinberger for £1.32... craazy deal Initially couldn't find a way of reporting - the eBay help docs talked about a button that didn't exist. So I tried bidding on the item and it soon disappeared - obviously the person putting these up doesn't want to sell on eBay so any bids kinda ruin the plan. I eventually found a rather long winded way to report but the item didn't disappear... so bidding seemed to do the job when the official channels failed.

I have a relatively cheap Hudson PB5 that has turned out to be quite a nice bass that I'm "stealthing" (photos will inevitably follow...). The fretboard looks to have been stained but the job wasn't very good and it's a bit streaky. I would like to make it as black as the rest of the guitar (and hardware). I found a thread on fingerboard staining: The OP talks about using "Fiebings Leather Dye" and says that it was oil based. I've found the oil based version on Amazon (at a price...) I would quite like to end up with a slightly shiny (think Ebanol) look so wonder if this would be suitable - the non-oil based version specifically says "it is very hard to buff". I've read that India Ink produces a good effect but don't know how it copes with play wear. So, looking for recommendations for a black stain that I can buff to a light gloss and which won't lift off on sweaty fingers (The Fiebings may be the one... but would like to be sure.)

I think there's enough paint over the luthite that the luthite is safe from harm, though when I see one for sale with chips through to the luthite I steer well clear - that stuff stinks even with paint over it... Would love a 5-string Curbow... but will pass on this one.

Couple of photos:

Just looked back through some photos and my older Spirit XT did have EMGs... so that's probably the version that is worth looking out for. The XT25's pickups were unbranded and quite rounded off compared to the EMGs of the four-string. As I remember it the sound was pretty good, but the pickups weren't high output by any means. I no longer have either bass

Yeah... don't bother with the latest version XT25 - low quality is an understatement. Pickups are weak, body shape is just wrong compared to the B2, and fit and finish is laughable. I bought a four string Spirit XT online and it went back the same day it arrived. Complete rubbish. That's the current batch. If you can get a slightly older XT25 then it might be worth it - you'd need to look for something the same vintage as the Spirit XZ series of bodied/headless basses so, I guess around 2012-13 (maybe even earlier... can't quite find a reliable date at the moment...). I think the pickups tended to be squarer, and may or may not be branded. You won't find one with EMGs that's for sure, pickups might be branded "Spirit" in their script style lettering, if it's "Steinberger" then that probably indicates a later model (to be avoided). They also used quite rounded off pickups for a while... they're kind of low output but not too bad. As you can tell, going by the pickups is a bit difficult. You really need to look at the body shape - the latest ones are just more squared off, slightly broader "shoulders" compared to older XTs and the B2s. The transition from the neck to the body is also rougher, not quite so refined on the latest versions - just doesn't look (or feel) as good. Personally I would absolutely hold out for a Hohner B2V as it will be head(less) and shoulders above the Spirit, particularly if you can get an active with EMGs in it.

bartelby - I ended up emailing the vendor of the Gotohs I'm interested in he said that 3L+2R was correct - so the eBay one looks like it's wrong. T-Bay - think I'll probably go for the Gotohs, the ones currently on the Hudson are... OK, not great on tuning stability for an otherwise very nice bass, and considering the price I got for, putting £50 into it for tuners isn't so bad. I put Gotohs on a Bass Collection SB100 a while back and was very pleased with the result... so probably worth the investment.