EdLib-3

I've recently been asked to provide some extra pictures of the dent and buckle rash on this bass, so here they are:

On 22/02/2021 at 07:55, Armchair Spaceman said:

Short-time lurker first-time poster here.

Aside from the BBOT stock bridge looking cheesy (which I could probably live with) , I'm finding the stock bridge on my 434 a tad uncomfortable under my hand when pick-playing hooky-style (which I am wont to do often enough).

I've just ordered a GOTOH 404BO-4 from an eBay seller in the USA (couldn't find one in my country, I'm in Australia). String-through or top-load, zinc body and big burly-looking brass saddles. Before pulling the trigger I measured everything on the stock bridge carefully with a pretty good  vernier caliper , as far as I can tell the screw holes and string holes should line up. That and the bridge has a nice chamfer on the string-through holes which will hopefully accommodate the BB string angle without having to take a file to the holes.  

Here's a link to the Gotoh product page:

https://g-gotoh.com/product/404bo-4/?lang=en

and the 5 string version

https://g-gotoh.com/product/404bo-5/?lang=en

OOh: Late update - just found this review on a US Luthier supplies page:

https://www.philadelphialuthiertools.com/bridge-and-tailpieces/bass-bridges-and-tailpeices/gotoh-404bo-4-4-string-bass-bridge-w-brass-saddles/#product-reviews

 

 

 

 

Hi @Armchair Spaceman did the replacement Gotoh bridge fit your BB434 without any necessary adjustments then?

23 hours ago, Kev said:

The geddy lee jazz basses are stunning.  Just to check, does this have the same neck profile as the pear inlay jobbies?

 

Very interested, but depends on sale of other things first (isn't it always!). Will be watching keenly!

Hi @Kev it's the same USA Geddy custom thicker neck profile, just with black inlays as opposed to regular pearloid

It's got a bit of a Liberace vibe going on. Great for metal...

It was a problem with the pickups - now all sorted 👍

Up for sale is my thunderously awesome Fender USA Geddy Lee Jazz Bass. As a result of a Fender factory mess up, the one I have (serial number: US15099634) is a USA Geddy with a neck with black fretboard inlays (meant for the limited run red version), rather than the standard pearloid inlays. This is a unique one of a kind USA Geddy. More details on how this came about, and some correspondence with Fender to verify this, can be found on this thread from the bass's previous owner:

Plays and sounds as good as you've heard these basses do, the pickups are absolutely huge and beastly sounding and the tone control is the most effective and wide ranging  I've ever experienced on any passive bass. The thicker-profiled neck has a unique and super comfortable oiled back of the neck finish in addition to the period-specific finish and binding on the rest of the neck. Comes with an ABS hard case with all the case accessories. Condition is overall very good with a dent on the bottom edge of the body, a bit of light finish scratching due to buckle rash and a couple of very small knocks on the headstock (please see photos).

I want £1250 for this which is what I paid for it - no trade offers please as I need the money. A quick look at the Fender website shows that these basses now retail at £2,349 new so this is a good deal on a bass of this quality. Collection or a meet up would be strongly preferred, or I could courier this in the UK only at the buyer's expense.

Here is my feedback from previous Basschat sales for assurance of an honest transaction:

https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/306417-feedback-for-edlib-3/

Any questions let me know. Thanks.

King Crimson - USA 

Led Zeppelin - How the West Was Won 

Miles Davis - Dark Magus 

So could be the jack and lugs...I will email a couple of local repairers to try and get a rough quote. Really useful to have a better idea of the possible issue(s). Here's the control layout for the front with skillfully added calligraphy 😉:

Thanks for the help @rmorrisand @John Cribbin- most appreciated. Using the pick up blend to either favour the P pickups or the J pickup still gives you the same buzz and crackle when touching the machine heads. One particular wire looks pretty unhealthy on a closer inspection. Looks almost chewed through as well as bent at an severe angle:

21 hours ago, rmorris said:

Having Tone Control Open or boosting treble (in the bass guitar sense) usually emphasises buzz.

It's not unusual to get a transient when you go from not being in contact with the grounded metalwork to being in contact. The machine heads may have a surface finish that doesn't give a great connection when touched and the partial intermittency can give a problem.

I have a similar thing on a bass where I have some coated strings and the contact is variable and results in transients / crackles.

The problem does imply that there may be a screening issue where you are acting as an antennae for noise and the bass isn't adequately screened.  What screening is there in the control / pickup cavities ?

Thanks - the tuners are regular chrome Gotoh tuners nothing atypical in the finish. There is definitely something askew shielding wise here; if you could hear the buzz and crackle, you'd agree with me. Plus the bass doesn't sounds that good with the treble backed most of the way off so it needs sorting. Here is what we're working with regard to the control cavities:

Is this normal looking for the control cavity? I don't want to mess with the pickups so I haven't removed them to check out the pickup cavities - plus I don't really know what I'm looking for; I've read that you really need a multimeter to find the specific cause of this type of problem . I think I'm going to have to grit my teeth and get this bass to my local guitar repairer. Hope it's not too expensive.🤪

22 hours ago, John Cribbin said:

Have you tried a fresh battery?

 

I like to eliminate the easy stuff before to much head scratching happens! 

Just tried the bass with a new battery but it made no difference unfortunately. The buzz with treble control all the way up is pretty loud as usual and the crackle noise when I tap the tuners is still there. Anyone had a similar situation where the buzz is brought on my having certain tone knobs up on full?? I'm happy to be provide any additional detail that may assist.

Hi all,

I have recently acquired a curious problem with my Ibanez bass; according to this article it is a shielding, (not grounding) issue:

https://www.notreble.com/buzz/2015/04/15/solving-bass-hum-problems-grounding-vs-shielding/

I have checked the leads and the combo amp, and used a different bass with the same setup in order to eliminate the possible causes; and it is the bass with the buzz problem. The bass in question has a high and low 2 band active EQ; when I boost the high tone control there is a pretty load buzzing when the volume knob is also turned up. It only occurs when I boost the high knob and causes a buzz and sometimes crackle which stops when I put my hand on the strings; when I tap the machine heads on the bass lightly with my finger tips there is also a crackle noise at the point of contact. Has anyone else had this type of problem? If so any ideas on what aspect of the shielding needs to be sorted in order to solve this?

Cheers,

Ed

I think I remember reading in a Bass Player magazine interview at the time that Matt Freeman used a StingRay for some of the recording of Rancid's 1998 album Life Won't Wait (I don't know which tracks though)... Matt Freeman rocking on a StingRay - it's enough to make a man pregnant!

This stunning cover has got to be on this list, although not quite as good as Manowar's I'd  grant you @Barking Spiders

6 hours ago, flippyfloop said:

Nice bass and you're local....

Do you know the weight ?

Hi @flippyfloop I've just weighed this on an unreliable set of bathroom scales. It is around the 4kg mark. That is in no way an approximate weight. Speaking from experience it's a very comfortable weight on the shoulder for long periods of playing. 👍

I'd be happy to consider sensible offers for this bass. Anyone interested, please get in touch with an offer 👍

18 hours ago, Vin Venal said:

Is this a 34" scale length?

Yes it's a 34" scale.

Total bummer! The Headhunters album was a gateway for me from mainly listening to rock and funk, to discovering jazz and fusion. My bass teacher turned me onto it when I was 18. Paul Jackson - what a colossal player!!

Hi all, this is back up for sale as a result of a reckless and inadvisable lockdown purchase that is about to be finalised. Sadly this little ripper now needs to go.

No trade offers please as I need the money.

1997 Ibanez TR200 Bass with 2 band active EQ (serial no: 6011374). I bought this from Japan, I've tried to find more details on these instruments, but this particular iteration of the TR200 only appears in a 1997 Japanese Ibanez catalogue, check the link for more details:

http://brochures.yokochou.com/guitar-and-amp/ibanez/1997/en_22.html

I have had the following high quality upgrades added: Kluson High Mass Bridge, DiMarzio Model P and J pickups, Jim Dunlop Straploks, and Gotoh GB528 Resolite lightweight tuners (pricy!). Includes its' original Ibanez gig bag.

The bass plays and sounds great, truss rod works fine and the neck is straight. In very good condition for its age; just a small unnoticeable scuff to the finish on the edge of both the top and bottom sides of the body, and a slight bit of finish loss by the bridge pickup when it was upgraded. All unnoticeable unless you look very closely and carefully.

Covid secure collection from the Preston Park area of Brighton is strongly preferred as the thin original Ibanez gig bag for this bass really isn't well padded.  Sorry but I don't fancy sending a bass that doesn't have a hard case as couriers won't insure them.

A meet-up within a reasonable distance from Brighton is also a possibility when lockdown rules are (hopefully) eased in the next week or so.

Here's my feedback thread for assurance of a clean and honest transaction:

https://www.basschat.co.uk/topic/306417-feedback-for-edlib-3/

Any questions, let me know. Cheers!

18 hours ago, nilebodgers said:

It’s funny, I have fancied getting a stingray since the early 80s but they have always been too expensive and I could never bring myself to spend that much. They are still too expensive 40 years later!

Yep. I've just had a look on Reverb for used Stingray and StingRay Specials;  the prices are pretty zany. Asking just around £200 less than what the bass would cost new even when the condition is decent is a new one for me. The cost of second-hand StingRays have followed the cost of the new Specials in going a bit crazy. I'm not pleased - not only are they discontinuing all the colours I liked in the range, but getting a used one in one of these colours costs ludicrous amounts of cash 

Really interesting  thread! I just worked out that I will have been playing bass for 25 years next month so below is the list of instruments I've got through between the ages of 14 and (almost) 39. I blame Basschat for forcing me to make the majority of the later purchases here against my pathetically weak will and better instincts.

I feel slightly embarrassed by the amount of gear I've got through in that time but to be honest, looking at some of the other epic lists that this thread has brought to light, it's not that bad! The basses listed in bold are the ones I currently own.

Anyhoo, here goes:

1996: 1995 Ibanez TRB70 bass

My first bass, decent bass for a beginner and looked very slick, got me through my first school bands. Very unreliable pickups with pole pieces regularly sinking into the pickup casings!

1999: Fender BG-29 Acoustic Bass

Bought for acoustic jams, very dull sounding acoustic bass and too quiet - pretty useless in hindsight, should have put the cash towards a better electric bass.

2000: Warwick Streamer Standard 5 string

Youthful ignorance compelled me towards this tone deficient  shocker in the form of Warwick's (then) newly produced budget Streamer line. Had a B string slack enough to use as a skipping rope. Awful bass.

2003: Music Man StingRay in Pacific Blueburst

My first quality instrument. Absolute beauty!

2008: Fender GB-41SCE Acoustic Bass

Another Fender acoustic... Way better than the BG-29 though, way louder, and the size of a house. Finding a case or gigbag to fit was a bit of a mission.

2008: Music  Man StingRay HS

The bass I regret selling the most. An absolute belter - the Jazz pickup coupled with the MM humbucker makes all the difference, but like wearing an anvil across your shoulder. Character building from a gigging perspective!

2014: Fender Aerodyne Jazz Bass

Lovely bass - neck just far too thin for my hands and very prone to bowing, so it got moved on

2015: Bassix EUB

Enthusiasm got the better of me with this one; bought from an extremely shifty American guy on Gumtree, who was about to leave the country. Got it home and realised there was a fault with the electronics and some not-obviously apparent damage to the body that the sneaky f*%£$$  wasn't upfront about.

2016: Stanford Robot Acoustic Bass

Indisputably the best acoustic bass in all aspects in that price range. A very lucky purchase!!

2017: Fender US Geddy Lee Jazz Bass

Awesome! An absolute beast of a bass and has the most amazing neck with a thicker profile that makes it super fast but also more substantial than your usual Jazz neck. Just wish I didn't have to take the neck off every time I need to adjust the truss rod. 

2018: Bridge Cetus Electric Double Bass

Lovely bass with a hollow body making it much more comfortable to play than a lot of other EUB type basses - sold hastily and regrettably as a result of repetitive strain injury and sudden change in circumstances.

2020: Ibanez GWB20th 5 string fretless

Bought on a whim to replace the Cetus. The quickest I've ever moved a bass on, owned for just a couple of months. String spacing was too close for my sausage fingers, ended up being an expensive way to come to the conclusion that fretless bass just ain't my thing. Sold at a serious loss too.

2020: Ibanez TR200 bass 1997

The bass I wanted when I was 15 but couldn't afford, bought in April last year; I've upgraded the bridge, tuners and pickups. Still persevering trying to get on with it, and get a tone I like out of it.

I'm currently listening to Talk Talk's Colour of Spring; specifically:

Also this tune, can't wait for the new Billy Talent album - who knows when it will be out in the circumstances:

On 05/12/2020 at 19:09, bottomfeed said:

Probably my favourite bass.... It does it all......  

Oh my word....that is a lovely, lovely bass! Looks great in natural finish without the pickguard. I'm all for Ibanez basses with chunkier necks 👍

I sold a set of DR acoustic bass strings to Tony: super fast payment, and a very pleasant and easy transcation throughout. Thanks! Enjoy the strings! Deal with complete confidence everyone.