tomthebass

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Electric-BASS-RAMP-for-finger-style-in-high-quality-naval-resin-Totally/154052763184?hash=item23de429e30:g:UVAAAOSwExJfPlqL

Amazing the things you can do if you have enough resin in your navel...

I think in Germany UPS is pronounced "oops" 

Just saying 🙂

Fingers crossed it's for real this time!

13 hours ago, AndyTravis said:

Sort those string ends out. It’s a beauty though...

You don't like antennae Andy? 😁

But yeah, I was in a hurry to have a play, headstock will be officially tidied up this morning!

12 hours ago, Cosmo Valdemar said:

Please tell us they didn't send it like that...

😂 well sort of. It was like that but in a box with polystyrene in a box with polystyrene in a box. So very well protected. Shipping with the neck off knocked a bunch off the shipping fees which were still ridiculous compared with EU shipping. Once in a lifetime!

And tada!

Survived the journey across the ocean... my first Smith after 33 years of playing!

What an awesome beast, absolutely lives up to expectation in tone and playability 🤩

Can you guess what it is yet?

😀

Just arrived from the US and on my way to pick up...super excited (and nervous!!) 😀

53 minutes ago, SICbass said:

Alternatively an OLP with upgraded pup and active pre-amp?

Like this one for example:

Cheap as chips and I’ve loved the ones I tried out.

Agree with you SICbass, bought a used OLP a couple of months ago for £200 inc postage, sounds and plays like it had an extra 0 on the price tag! In fact I love it so much I've just bought another to play around with as a project bass 😁

Just survived 9 days (yes 9 DAYS!!!) of no information from UPS for a NBD from Tennessee...finally arrived out of the blue yesterday and I haven't even seen it yet. Nailbiting! But there is hope...

1 minute ago, TheGreek said:

Nice....they are known to be heavy though...any idea on the weight?

Beat me to it 😄

😂 difficult to put into words... I guess it's the opposite of crisp! When I pick up a bass before plugging it in I can sense whether it responds dynamically or sounds dull. Like cardboard? No offence meant to lovers of rosewood boards of course!! Question of taste as ever.

Imho the finish is the limiting factor in your criteria - I'd be inclined to choose a gorgeous varnished bass and have it stripped and waxed by a luthier, shouldn't cost more than a couple of hundred bucks

On 06/08/2020 at 11:06, Bart Funk Bass said:

It's been always a debate that the maple neck is much brighter

For me maple fingerboard is snappy and crisp, rosewood is warmer but can be soggy... that's a consensus over at least 30 instruments 🙄

bump

Thanks Dafonky... will sit down and breathe for a while...

Yum 😍

Could you add a pic of the body without scratchplate to see the routing?

Thanks!

Hi Agnes,

Yes I used normal strings for it, actually the machinehead slot for the E-string is wide enough for the main part of an E string to fit, so i use pliers to crimp the string when changing (have only done this once as not much travel in the last year!).

Re the intonation, I've not noticed and changes. Because the hex bolts go into metal inserts the neck essentially always fits to the body exactly the same every time you remount.

Hope this helps,

Tom

Nostalgia attack 😢

1990 in a hot sweaty basement gig... I snapped my first G string, slapping like a mad thing, nearly took the guitarist's eye out 😂

Looks like a peachy example, glwts!

Dimensions (approx):

Neck - L 605mm, width 60mm at body end, 40mm at nut, headstock/machineheads max 130mm.

Body - L 430mm including strap buttons x W 250mm.

It fits comfortably in a 60cm suitcase (neck diagonally) but I think a 55cm case would be too much of a squeeze (especially if the total length includes the wheels, which most airlines enforce).

Hope this helps

Tom

Hallo Hermann

Kein problem, ich werde Morgen früh messen und mitteilen!

mfg

Tom

Yep, completely happy to have chats about the history of instruments, makes the whole experience richer 😊

Phew, that was a near miss for me too...😅

Those mad pickup positions have got me thinking though...a bit like some of the recent crazy Atelier's, could take a jazz body and rout for extra pickups one right up by the bridge and one right by the neck. Hmm...I wonder if there's a jazz body knocking around somewhere I could experiment on... 😁

Thanks Chris,

My eyes keep doing a double take, is it a jazz or is it a strat?!! 😂

Tom

Thanks for your comments Aero71.  Obviously I'm not deliberately trying to commit fraud here so here's what I know about the body.

Bought here on basschat as a complete bass a couple of months ago, the USA neck and serial number consistent with 1999 (not 1990 as originally advertised):

Some discussion and opinions from basschat experts on its authenticity:

And regarding the pick guard, there is no cutout because in the American Traditional neck the truss rod nut is in the headstock.

I believe American Traditionals were not strung through body.

So, plenty of evidence for this being a US body and none I am aware of supporting it being MIM.

Great condition fully loaded and just needs a neck, plate/screws and strings and ready to go.

Wood unknown but presumed Alder as was paired with a rosewood fingerboard.

Pickups have been replaced with Dimarzio by previous owner.

Paintwork has gently tanned to a lovely off-white and is very smooth and shiny with no significant scratches as per the pics; three small dings as per the photos which are not visible except very close up and don't detract from the clean look of this body.