Hellzero

There's one pictured after it's been fretted, I need to put the correct photo and name all of them...

I'm definitely a fretless player, wanna proof? Check this... And a lot are missing...

In fact, the Marcus Miller and the Geddy Lee were introduced in ... 1998, not before, but it's a common mistake to date them to 1985 because of the A serial number and the Made In Japan that was used only for these two models, as the other models of the period were bearing the Crafted In Japan inscription. Nice confusion leading to some serious mistakes.

You mean there was something going out of it, right? 🤔🤪😉

No need to change the strings, just clean them, have the bass checked by a luthier as he may need to relocate the sound post as well as the bridge correctly, but it's a minor adjustment. At this price tag, if it's playable as it is without rattling noises, you can't be wrong. Storing a classical instrument for that long is quite common.

US means made in USA, which is supposed to be of higher standard, but that's certainly not true at all, especially with Japanese models being way better built with more overall consistency. That said a US model will always resell easier at a higher price tag as most people don't buy trusting their ears, that's why early JV (Japan Vintage) models are so sought after.

He is starting to play, so certainly air bass... 😉

It was in fact signed by Francis Rocco Prestia, and what you can't read is Kyda, meaning Keep Your Dreams Alive. Yes, Pino's son is named Rocco after Francis Rocco Prestia, who was the idol of Pino Palladino, ... small world when you think he also was Jaco Pastorius' idol too.

And here is the preamp diagram/wiring:

Check here for the wiring of the preamp inside the battery compartment: https://my.hohner.de/t/hohner-b2a-spare-parts/1060 And here some photos of the XLR preamp wiring:

I hope you bought a non Chinese one this time, they are more expensive, for sure, but way better in terms of quality. French ones, like Aubert or Despiau are excellent. 😉

@Stub Mandrel, my post was meant to set the record straight, because people were claiming false assertions about this signature model...

First of all, the Icon (relic) Pino Palladino model was made in 15 copies, not 10! Second, his original model had a non correct value treble pot of 500 kOhms reversed log instead of a 1 megohms reversed log, giving less treble and a tad bit more mids, hence his slightly different tone. Third, the bass comes in a premium G&G case with a black shell and gold fur lining. Fourth, the body is poplar, not ash (or alder, which was rare in pre Ernie Ball models), like many of the 1979 models. Fifth, there's no information about the opamp used in the preamp, which should be an LM 4250 CN, and nothing else to recreate the original tone, alongside tantalum capacitors. Sixth, good luck to find a 1979 fretless Stingray these days (mine was found by a friend who knew I was wishing to have one and at a silly price). https://www.music-man.com/instruments/basses/pino-palladino-icon-series That said, if I was looking for another fretless Stingray, I would buy the Pino Palladino Artist model as the price tag is decent for what it is, just check the price of the Artist Jaco Pastorius and you'll understand. https://www.music-man.com/instruments/basses/pino-palladino

Big Pino Palladino fretless player fan here, and for those who are astonished by the use of poplar as body wood, CLF who were building the Music Man instruments up to very late 1979 (November), when Leo Fender left (CLF), have been using poplar intensively back then, just like they were finishing the instruments in nitrocellulose, polyester and polyurethane finish upon what was available... So a quite ugly multi pieces unmatched poplar body was the norm and Pino's signature model has it ... sadly.

The Sean Hurley Fender mute is quite similar...

The formula is very simple: length x sin(degree), so assuming the length from the nut to the end of the neck is 59 centimetres, you'll get an elevation of 1.03 centimetres at its end with a 1 degree shim.

Yes, they will Darren. With a 1 degree shim, you'll have to raise the bridge around 1 centimeter, so around what you need. 😉

You could try those shims dedicated to 4 strings basses, Darren. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Electric-Ensures-Proper-Contact-Eliminates/dp/B0F62G3F3C/ The 1° shim should be good, but you can stack them, just in case.

I played it this afternoon, it's really excellent and different from all my other basses, that clarity and definition, alongside the inherent reverb and the total homogeneity sound wise, are so amazing that you can boost the EQ to the maximum and it still remains musical, simply with more bass, mids and treble without becoming muddy. The Richter preamp is also the most transparent one to date, and I think I tried almost everything available on the market, but I already knew it as I had a few basses equipped with this wonderful preamp. And the blend is so progressive that it's the first time this pot is really blending the two pickups homogeneously without loss, really impressive. I wanted one for close to 3 decades as it was love at first sight and now I can say it's love at first touch (you know what I mean).

In the copper colour, it was on a Portuguese site. I found the owner before the copper edition and thanks to him and Heiko, we were able to date it: October 2000, so one of the last without truss rod. Here are the four colour stages, pickups and preamp modifications of this bass from 2000 to 2025.

Fret dressing, action and intonation for £40 must be so badly done that the instrument must be unplayable as it takes a lot of time to do it perfectly, including adjusting the neck to the fitted string tension (simply putting the neck super straight without strings on it is an heresy as it doesn't take the laws of physics into account), protecting the fingerboard, dressing the frets, crowning them (a huge time consuming process) and then polishing them (which takes a bit of time too), plus setting intonation and action... Maybe this £40 price tag for that job was in the 80's or 90's?

So, that is how it went to Heiko, and it came back last week, but I had to do my part of the job, as we agreed that I'll do all the reassembly. It's now fitted with a brand new BassLab/Richter 3 bands with variable mids preamp, the mandatory Richter status LED between the Delano SBC 5 HE/S pickups, some new ETS knobs, a new output barrel jack, a set of Dunlop Straploks instead of the usual Schaller ones, a new Gotoh battery box, the BassLab identification brand that was removed/missing on the bow, the official side "dots" with the F-clef at the octave on the front, a new "bracing" for the top, a new zero fret, some repairs in the carbon that were needed and the pickups support correctly glued as well as the ETS tuning system put the right way round with the correct screws (check the photos). It's now tuned E to C; the action is very low going from 1.2 to 1.5 mm at the octave with the perfect neck relief; the playability is, of course, amazing and the tone is really huge with a kind of permanent reverb, even dead flat or in passive mode, and becomes immense when you start using the 3 bands EQ with variable mids preamp. It's also hyper ergonomic and very light at 3.445 kilos. The colour is the official Maserati Yellow. It took around 5 months to Heiko to finalise the resurrection of this extraordinary instrument, but it was worth it as it's almost as new, even if it's a very early model without truss rod or serial number, so from 1998 or 1999. Enjoy, and especially @Dazed!

Too late, it's already sold. 😉

Did anybody notice that the two photos are showing him playing exactly the same thing exactly the same way ... or maybe he always freezes in this position for photos?

My deepest condolences @Tinman. May @Mrs Tinman rest in peace.