MoonBassAlpha

WD40 oil should do the trick. You might need to grip it with some small pliers to get it moving. Use a bit of card to protect the bridge.

+1 to a Jack bass, they are so well balanced and light (mine is 7.5 lbs) you hardly notice they're on. They're so cheap you could leave one at the church and not worry about it! They have a jazz width neck too.

[quote name='HLAVA' post='734100' date='Feb 3 2010, 02:45 PM']well, i did not ask but if you want to tell us....[/quote] Well, I think it is quite likely it's the guy I go to, Steve Kendall of East Hanney, Oxfordshire. It's just that I remember him saying he had done a new body in zebrano for a Travis Bean for someone. I believe the original body had split, or something. Later, he saw it up on eBay being passed off as original and had to correct the seller. When I was talking to him, I assumed it was a guitar, but it is too much of a coincidence. I'm sure, if you contacted him, he'd give you the full history of the job. www.stevekendallguitars.co.uk/ Hope this is of interest/help cheers Jules

[quote name='HLAVA' post='732415' date='Feb 1 2010, 11:49 PM']no, this is a 1:1 zebra-wood replica body made by an uk luthier.[/quote] I think I know who made that zebrano body if you're interested (and don't already know, of course!) Jules

Ricky, Butchered?? [attachment=41440:images_9_.jpg]

The body looks a bit like one of the Alembic shapes now, can't remember which one though. That's a LOT of work for someone to take on, with a questionable outcome!

One tip my luthier recommended, especially applicable to rosewood necks, as they tend to splinter more as you remove the fret, is to glue each splinter back in position as the fret is removed so you get a perfect fit and no blurring of the line when you fill it. I think he used superglue to do this. I've used Plastic Wood woodfiller to do 2 basses now - Pine colour for a maple board and Mahogany or "Dark Wood" possibly for a rosewood one where I didn't want the contrast to be too contrasty. This way you can still see the lines if you need to, but from a distance it looks pretty much like a plain board, which is tons cooler looking (imho). A fretless neck I had supplied specially was done with black lines on Pau Ferro which also looks nice, but nearly invisible under low lighting. If you look at Jaco's bass, specifically the picture on the front of his Biography, you can see he's just ripped 'em out with pliers and filled the slots with lots of evidence of splintering. Looks fine on a Mojo'd bass, but you might want to make a better job of it on something you're proud of.... or might want to sell further down the line! Cheers Jules

[quote name='mansfield' post='726019' date='Jan 27 2010, 08:30 AM']Thanks for that Jack, I'd already taken a look at the list - but as you say there's none actually in Oxford. As I don't have a car, and have 3 basses that need looking at, I can't really get very far with them; so someone in Oxford would be rather useful![/quote] There's got to be a few members in Oxford who would at least look at them for you. What are the specific issues? I'm playing the Port Mahon on Feb 4 and the Wheatsheaf on the 5th. If you were to bring one along, I'd happily take a look for you. Cheers Jules

[quote name='dangerboy' post='725910' date='Jan 26 2010, 11:42 PM']nom nom nom nom nom[/quote] So DB, how good are these, as one who knows?

Has Steve Kendall, near Oxford (East Hanney) had a mention yet? He only works part time luthiering and does a nice job for a very reasonable price. He also specialises in Valve amps pre 1980. He's done a tricky repair, some nice fret end finish, and a Laney Supergroup 100W head repair for me. He builds the occasional bass and guitar too. [url="http://www.stevekendallguitars.co.uk/"]http://www.stevekendallguitars.co.uk/[/url] cheers Jules

Phew! that's a relief!

Side or front?

The original medium scale ones sound a lot "planky"! If they were produced new today they'd probably get slated as being rubbish, but hey, they're vintage now so they must be good. I'd imagine these new ones at 34" scale would probably knock an old one into a cocked hat, sound wise (the old Hofner necks are quite comfortable and I love the Striped inlays though) but not having tried one I can't say for sure, but it is something a tiny bit different from all the other Jazz clones out there. £200 aint a lot for any bass really.

I've done side dots in it. They need "charging up" with bright light for a bit, but do show up when it is REALLY dark. These were fretless basses.

[quote name='bumnote' post='724534' date='Jan 25 2010, 08:40 PM']i suppose how loud is loud really your problem is that combos are inherently going to be weighty. i got rid of my eden metro to get lighter weight but more trips. The Trace elliot blx 80 is phemominally loud for 80 watts and built like tanks why dont you go to your local music store and ask them to lend you or hire you a kickback or if I am not mistaken if you buy mail order you are entitled to 'change your mind' and send it back[/quote] I found the BLX 80 got a bit farty when you pushed it, which you would need to in this context. I have a friend who used a Laney (150W?) wedge style amp, sorry, don't remember the model, with a 15" which is fine for practice with his covers band. Theyre pretty compact and I should think dead cheap. Cheers Jules

Can anyone point me to any youtube stuff with Jeff Beck on it that they really rate? - I've only heard a very few old things he's done and I never understood why he was so lauded, (and no, I don't mean Hi Ho...) but maybe I didn't hear the "good stuff". Cheers folks, I'm sure you won't let me down!

I really liked all that. Good stuff chap!

CDex works but does give you rather too much choice if you don't know what half the stuff is. It does OGG Vorbis too! (Clue - it's NOT Lithuanian porn)

[quote name='thepurpleblob' post='712655' date='Jan 14 2010, 03:17 PM']I'm learning new things here. Is that even possible??? [/quote] Hope you didn't Google that at work... I do like the idea of someone saying "we've booked DVDA for our 25th anniversary" though.

[quote name='J3ster' post='712340' date='Jan 14 2010, 10:45 AM']1 girl 4 boys!![/quote] DVDA

I had one in about '78. The body seemed more like pine than maple, almost like a cheap Ikea table, but the wood on this looks a bit better from the poor quality photo. Tone wise, not too bad, but sounded a bit cheap. The pickup is not very good, as others have said, but any humbucker size one should fit and be an improvement. These are really nothing special, and certainly not some amazing closet secret wonder find. I wouldnt pay more than a ton for it (unless you're really into the look, in which case a bit more) Hope this helps J

[quote name='oldslapper' post='697163' date='Dec 31 2009, 01:27 PM']Only started playing live again this year after 15 year break, would an old vid count? [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUkDrrGlOyk"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUkDrrGlOyk[/url] It's worth the laugh for my mullet alone. John[/quote] love the boots too John!