SpondonBassed

...and let's face it, it's gotta be great for metal.

Sand blasting is a good one to consider if you like a dull grey metal surface. It has the advantage of thoroughly cleaning and keying the surface ready for clear coating. Here is a firm that does mobile sand blasting. If you do that, you might want to consider the further stage of powder coating for a baked on finish.

I think you should give the bare metal a longer lasting treatment than WD40. Over time you are bound to get rust due to condensation. It looks like you've put a lot of effort into getting the metalwork to that stage. It would surely be wise to apply some permanent surface treatment to stabilise the metal (mild steel). If you have the budget, galvanising would look awsome. Here is a firm that would quote for the job. That said, the rusty look is in at the moment. So much so that some people pay to have the appearance of rust airbrushed onto panels that are completely rust free.

Welcome Kalifabass.

Skiffle's cool. We wouldn't have our Ringo if not for skiffle.

Cheeky!

Your ex-bottom? When did you have the new one fitted?

Welcome Carlcoops. "Am I better off" depends on what you want from bass. For me, it is a hobby that I'd like to keep free of stress. I get stressed around teachers. I play along to YT clips mainly these days but I am happy to play with others as opportunities come along. TAB is as much as I need to get me going if I am struggling to get a line by ear. Reading notation is no longer on the cards for me for personal reasons. For many others learning standard notation and doing scales is very definitely the way to go. You'll have to try a little of each to find out for yourself.

Yes. You can get away with all sorts of stuff. For instance; everyone thinks that the photo on the left is of my bearded face. In fact it was taken immediately after I accidentally fell over into the tub in the bathroom where I keep my collection of spent belly button fluff. In reality, I have a clean-shaven and cleft chin that closely resembles Anneka Rice's bottom during the eighties.

Is that a different bass to what you started this topic with? There have been some sudden changes if it's the same one. Don't get me wrong, they're both lovely but I am missing the grey one, mainly because I liked the headstock a lot. I thought @Jimothey had secured the reputation for major mid-build design rethinkage.

I get this. Big time. I made lots of cabs for friends' stereos in my late teens and twenties. I'd buy the drivers, crossovers and terminals from Tottenham Court Road in London. I'd take the parts home to Dublin and put them in cabs that I made to order. I wasn't as well informed as folk are today about porting and cabinet tuning for individual driver sets but I always got a better sound than the boxes that my friends could afford from the shop. Lets face it, even today, it isn't difficult to improve on the speakers that come with all-in-one sound systems as standard. Made me a bit of pocket money too. Deeply satisfying. I'd love to do a few bass cabs but for the larger scale of the endeavour. I might do when I can reclaim some decent working space in the house again.

It's looking nicely scorched. Have you named it yet? How about Old Smokey?

That's going to feel lovely to the player's fretting hand. Thank you.

It's not often that I say this but I do like a good volute.

Welcome Gary.

You'd think that, by now, there'd be a pedal to give the effect of new strings.

Welcome Robbo.

It's amazing the number of non-oily things that have oil in them. In all seriousness, I'd never heard of peacock oil before.

+ = ! As if the above is horrifying enough, you want to pull its eyes out too!?! Nooooooooooooooooooo!

I remember where I lived as a boy, near Ravenstone village in Bucks, there was a quarry nearby. You could just see the conveyors on the horizon from our house. There was a constant low level grinding noise from it. It's not possible to say for certain but I am sure that was louder than the background grind that I sometimes hear as an adult. Of course now, I live near the city of Derby and there is a lot of local industry that runs plant day and night.

I can verify that. I got a set of five with a tapered B for my Steinberger Spirit XT25 from Newtone. He looked at the bass and noted the bridge/saddle tolerances then did me a light/intermediate set of roundwounds.

Thanks. Everyone says that about the Nordies. My Ibby was a good buy at about half the retail price pre-owned and in very good nick. For the same reasons as yourself, I am not in the market for new ones at this time but who knows... I may yet become one of Marco's customers.

When I read your previous post I wanted to ask you whether you'd replace the 506's pickups with Nordstrands. I am assuming that the 506 has Bartolini Mk1s like my 605 of course. Don't get me wrong. I have no complaint with my own. I don't gig though. I have read a few things that suggest I should check out the Nordstrands however.

You are Captain Birdseye!

From this example of a five string one sold by Bass Direct: "Secondhand UK made 1990s bass in great condition with light player wear that features a lightweight walnut body (the bass weighs 8lb 4oz/3.7kg), Status Hyperactive J pickups, Graphite reinforced 34.25” scale Maple neck, Rosewood f/b, pre shape eq with active treble cut and boost."