JohnDaBass

I have a Lindy Fralin Split '51 P 5% over wound Pup with @KiOgon loom of CTS V & T and 0.047 cap. I have found, just like @Cuzzie, that you have to treat basses with this Pup differently to other basses which have more modern design Pups. Firstly you have to remember that Lindy builds these Pups to the authentic, vintage specs. So using the same wire, form wear, winding style and hook-up wires. So in reality you are dealing with 1951 technology. The Pup has the two coils wired in parallel, which provides the most authentic sound from the Pup. So it is natural that you have to use different amp setups to get the most out of the Pup. I have found that the Fralin split '51 P delivers a much tighter and clearer tone than my Jess Loureiro Split '51 P Pup. The Loureiro is wired in series with the same loom & cap value. When switching to the Fralin bass from the Loureiro bass I find I have to cut the Treble. (12.00 to 9.00) and increase the gain ( 9.00 to 2.00) on my Fender Rumble 800 HD into a Barefaced Super Compact. The two basses have different characters and that's the joy of accessing different tone palettes. I would recommend spending some time tweaking your amp settings until you reach the tone that you are seeking. I guess @hooky_lowdown would suggest changing the cap value to 0.1 to roll off a little more top end and possibly deliver a smoother tone. But I would listen to what Lindy Fralin says first as he really does know his Pups. Happy tweaking!!!!

One idea is to use a Jess Loureiro split '51 P ( wired in series) to replace the stock Bronco Pup and add an EBO Humbucker in the neck position. Thus a BroncieWife 😂😂😂😂😂

That's a bute, well done looks fantastic.

Here's my 32ins scale Spector Performer 4 Classic Bitsa.

Well here is my Spector Bitsa. Hope I'm not intruding????

So made some progress with the control cavity screening and completed the wiring. Control is thro 3 position switch for Pup selection then through a @KiOgon volume & tone loom. Each Pup has a series- single coil- parallel switch offering a broad palette of tones from 51’P’ish, to Neck Humbucker, to Jazz’ish 2 single in parallel, to Jazz'ish single coil bridge, through to passive Stingray in series or parallel. The body was advertised as an old Performer 4 Classic and was an unused second surplus stock from China. Following some research I could not find any reference for the “Black Ice” finish Performer 4 Classic, basswood, Spector bass with a curved body. Production of the curved body Performer 4 Classis ceased in 2008 and production of Performer 4 was moved to Indonesia where only flat body, basswood basses were produced. So I am a little unsure of the true origins of the curved body. The 32ins scale neck from Retrovibe was a real gem of a find it is a typical Gibson EB3 type neck and the maple fret board fits in with my preference for “Black/ Maple neck” basses. I finished the neck with Tru-oil and the feel of the bass is very satisfying, indeed the acoustic sound of the bass is fantastic, vibrant, resonant and quite loud especially with the s/h Labella Deep Talking strings care of @Osiris of this parish. All in all I am really pleased how the Bitsa SpectorRayVibe has turned out I enjoy creating basses that are “out of the ordinary” with different tonal options. That’s for watching

Phil, @Phil Starr What are the draft dimensions of the prototype cab?

Daft Answer #1. It would probably be easier to buy the aluminium sheet, corners and edging and "clad" the outside of the cabinet rather than painting with Tuff Cab.

I'm considering the tweeteless combo cab having an added section above to accommodate a Harley Benton Block 300 amp. That could possibly be a small combo around 12kgs.

I have used DiMarzio Split P and Model J D123 PUPs. The J D123 are humbucking and offer a much broader tone palette than standard J Pups. With a good quality loom you can achieve a Jazz which is far more versatile than a the normal typical J bass but still retaining the J character sound. I have a V-bal-T control setup and I can get very close to P bass sound with the neck Pup solo' d. There's so much choice of Pups on the market I would suggest you do some serious research before spending your hard earned cash.

Plus there's no blood stains anywhere. 🤐🤐🤐

Hi Caroline, I understand your vision but before taking that route why not consider investing in a set of BEAD strings. When I joined a band who needed a low B for a number of their cover versions I considered investing in the 5 string bass. Borrowed one from a mate for a while only to realise 5's just weren't for me. Put a set of Labella BEAD on one of my Fender P basses with DiMarzio Split P Pups and everything fell into place. Having a BEAD P & and a EADG P at gigs made a great deal of sense and maintained my tone throughout the set.

To be honest I prefer the headstock shape. The positioning of the tuners appears to provide a better string to nut alignment. Is the neck any "thinner"?

PROGRESS UPDATE So as previously said the MIM Bronco neck was a no-go. Strangely enough the position of the bridge recess in relation to the neck pocket would have accommodated a 30 ins scale length. The MIM Bronco neck had previously been “fettled” to increase it’s overall length to suit another body, I was unhappy with the amount of neck pocket contact under the original neck. So I ordered one of these https://retrovibe.co.uk/product/retrovibe-bass-neck-32-medium-scale-20-fret-maple-blackwood/ Great Korean made neck at a very reasonable price. There was a little “fettling” to get the neck to fit the neck pocket but the finished result was great. Manufactured a couple of router templates for machining the Pup pockets and enlarging the bridge recess. The curved body of the Spector Performer Classic/ Legend makes the job a bit more tricky but I made the templates with supports that were screwed to the bases of the Pup pockets holding the templates level. Made a start on some screening and I plan to mount the Pups & controls early next week.

Received another fantastic loom from John today. Superb quality, great comms and first class service. It's always a pleasure to buy from John.

The next step maybe to swap out the DiMarzio Pups for the Split P DiMarzio Pups. I have enjoyed some very satisfying success with the Split P Pups. They are effectively 2 Humbucking pickups and are more powerful and have a huge range of tones on offer. Food for thought maybe?

Great job, looks absolutely handsome. Well done giving a well loved bass a fresh, new lease of life. Are Pups DiMarzio?

Anyone know where I can purchase a Spector branded Truss Rod cover for a Legend?

Purchased a set of 32 ins La Bella strings from Sid. Excellent comms, fast delivery great Guy to deal with. Thanks Sid

Anyone know where I can purchase a Spector branded Truss Rod cover for a Legend?

I completely concur with @Maude I'm definitely in the two hobby camp. I enjoy playing live and rehearsing with like minded mates in different bands covering different musical styles. The differing music calls for different basses which feeds the second hobby of acquiring basses that are uncommon and appealing to me. I enjoy building Bitsa basses which have aspects which would not normally be readily available inside my budget. I have been fortunate to acquire a few genuine vintage basses each one having a story of a particular point in my life. Every bass has a different character and special meaning to me so I don't suppose I'll be parting any of them while I am still able play. Apologies for the melancholy, endless drivel. 🤐

UPDATE The MIM Bronco neck is a no go. The historical mods to the neck sadly means it is not going to fit the Spector Legend body. So a Retrovibe 32ins scale neck arrived today and looks like the best way forward. Once I start the routering I'll post a few more photos.

Looking forward to following this new adventure.

What about this little Fella? https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_block_300b.htm But doesn't it look similar to https://www.thomann.de/gb/ashdown_original_hd_1.htm Anyone have either of these amps? Anyone know which Class "D" module are used in either?? ( Thomann Web site states that the HB uses the ICE module) Could it be the ICEPOWER 300AS1????