JohnDaBass

OMG that's absolutely awesome. 1969 thro 1974 Antoria were the very best main brand copies. While at Uni in Cardiff I worked part time in a music store and tried loads of Antoria guitars & basses they were head and shoulders over everything else at that time and to see one in such good condition today is a real joy. You are a very, very lucky guy. Congrats on your find.

Harley Benton P/J Bitsa So the Harley Benton MM 84a SB Deluxe arrived safely last Wednesday. The reason for the purchase was to graft the body onto my MIM Fender Stu Hamm Urge 1 neck. I have tried in vain to find a suitable, reasonably priced body as the Stu Hamm is a 32ins neck. Having followed the various threads of the Harley Benton basses the MM 84a SB appealed to me as it had a 24fret neck on a standard body which had the bridge mounted closer to the neck to maintain the 34 ins scale length. From the photos on the Thomann site it seemed quite a cost-effective solution for my Stu Hamm neck. Fitted the Stu Hamm neck and I was incredibly pleased with the outcome. SO!!!! What to do with the spare HB 24 fret 34 ins scale neck?????? Well, about 25(?) years ago while visiting one of the musical instrument shows in the NEC I purchased an Alder P/J body for the princely sum of £5 from one of the bigger retailers who was having a “Fire sale”. I used the body, with some extensive “fettling” to a Squire Bronco neck, to create a “Mustang” short scale P/J. I chose to use the Seymour Duncan Pro-Active P & J Pups with the active preamp to match. The result was a decent short scale bass but alas it just did not get the use. I was so impressed with the quality of the neck off the MM84a that I grafted it onto the alder body and created a very versatile 34 ins scale bass.

Fender Stu Hamm Urge Ray So the Harley Benton MM 84a SB Deluxe arrived safely last Wednesday. The reason for the purchase was to graft the body onto my MIM Fender Stu Hamm Urge 1 neck. I have tried in vain to find a suitable body as the Stu Hamm is a 32ins neck. The history of the neck is another story that I may share on a thread of its own. Having followed the various threads of the Harley Benton basses the MM 84a SB appealed to me as it had a 24fret neck on a standard body which had the bridge mounted closer to the neck to maintain the 34 ins scale length. From the photos on the Thomann site it seemed quite a cost-effective solution for my Stu Hamm neck. I managed to secure a “B-Stock” which cost only £149 delivered. Having checked the bass over when it arrived it was in first class condition, sounded great and had a fantastic finish. Sure enough, the neck pocket was to the Fender standard and I fitted the Stu Hamm neck. The screws on the bridge were not quite long enough to allow for perfect intonation so until I source some longer ones, I temporarily added a Squire bridge to accommodate the 32ins scale length. The pre is “Okay” and produces some very familiar StingRay tones and the Rosewell Pups are really good, however the plan is to upgrade the Pups to Warman MM in the near future and maybe one of the fancy active Preamps that are around. All in all a fine outcoming having spent hours & hours trying to find a reasonably priced P or P/J body for the Stu Hamm neck. So here we have it my Fender Stu Hamm Urge Ray Bitsa.

Ordered one of these following the feedback on the MB-4. https://www.thomann.de/gb/harley_benton_mm_84a_sb_deluxe_series.htm Arrived Wednesday and indeed it is a very fine bass for £149 B-stock. Purchased for the 24 fret neck and the positioning of the bridge closer to the neck. I will post a follow-up on the Bitsa thread.

Barefaced probably do not have a vastly strong Balance Sheet so any deviation into new market segments have to be cautious. The Bass amp market place is very crowded with companies who are innovative enjoy huge balance sheets, resources and history. I think I understand Barefaced's direction of travel, they have established a strong bass cab range and reputation, they are developing a complimentary FRFR range of active cabs, so a front end range of pre-amps would be a "low cost of entry" into products which extend their brand value. Perhaps we were a little over excited with their possibilities without fully grasping their financial constraints. I feel that the biggest omission is a DI output but this maybe addressed with a sister pedal being a straight forward preamp DI with a variable HPF.

Dai Iawn.

What a lovely project and thread. Following with interest. Looking forward to more historical enlightenment. Thank you @Maude

Oh my Lord, what a fantastic rig. You are truly blessed, enjoy young man while you are able to immerse yourself in such heritage.

I'm chasing my Bass with a small Johnny Walker, luverly.

That colour combination is fantastic, congrats, enjoy it for a while before considering any changes.

Great work , looks very professional, excellent finish. Any chance of a couple of pixs showing the baffle? The Beyma SM212 is a great speaker. Congrats

Correct, around 1996/7 Fender offered a 'full' range of Midnight Wine guitars and basses. IIRC Jazz, P , Strat, & Telecaster were of Mex origin with Alder bodies, maple necks and white pickguards. They were mainly sold in the US market through a handful of major retail chains. I still own a Strat bought from Guitar Centre in San Jose in 1997 while working there. The MIM builds were of a surprising higher quality. The success of the exclusive deal with the major retailers prompted the demand for an entry-level range Squier Midnight Wine guitars and basses. Enjoy your lovely bass, congrats

Congrats on finding such a nice bass. There are lot's of aftermarket Pups and of course a @KiOgon loom with CTS to tempt you on an upgrade roadmap. Check out many of the Bitsa & upgrade threads of Bass chatters who may provide some guidance. For my 2p worth, Jess Loureiro split coil '51P (wired in series) or the Lindy Fralin '51 Split P, both really lovely Pups. Enjoy

I took a USA pro bridge off my 1992 USA Fender P Deluxe and replaced with a BadAss 3 Thro body bridge. It looked great ( it's the one on the right in my avatar) but I could not discern any difference in sustain or tone. I then used the Fender Pro bridge on my YOB '52 P Bitsa. It's simplicity & aesthetic sits really well on the bass. The thickness of the material used in this bridge is more than 3mm so it much thicker than the standard BOBT which allows for the grooves in the base for the grub screws to maintain alignment. The thro body stringing compensates for the three mounting screws and the string saddles have grooves for perfect string spacing. All in all great simple design that works and looks the part.

Well @Al Krow looks as if our black humour has prematurely killed this thread😂.

Strangely enough a local branch of SA ( Shortarses Anonymous) has just started in Tenby. It's run by a Miss S. White and is actively recruiting new members as it currently only has seven members. I'll get my coat 🤐

Now this is something that appeals to me. I have a passion for bass guitars that a little different from the main stream contenders. I have to admit I didn't know these ever existed. You live & learn😎

Next up try the DiMarzio Split P all you have but much more of everything, a huge sound.

@Al Krow Thank you so much for sharing your patches. DG B7K. RAT & TapeEcho are really fantastic and are definitely staying on my B1-4. You are a true Gent. ( & Tone Master )

Any chance of sharing your settings O Wise One, so we can all worship at the alter of Al Krow Lord of the Zoom B1Four Tone Master?😎