Rexel Matador

Nail polish remover on a cotton bud will get rid of it. And yes, the imperial threaded jack is annoying - I'd forgotten about that!

I can't comment on how it compares to the CS 62, but it's definitely a lot nicer than the QP. I play in a loud blues/classic rock trio and switched over to the GZR from the stock pickup in my 2015 MIM P, whatever that is. The band love it. The easy install is a massive bonus. To my ears, it's heavy but not modern. It sits beautifully in the mix and can do pretty much whatever I need it to do with the requisite tone knob tweaks.

On the other hand, while the solderless system is cool, there are definitely better pots out there - of course the pickup wires could easily be stripped and soldered to your pots of choice.

We take a couple of these to gigs in case the lighting's rubbish. Just stick it on the floor.

I wouldn't go and see my band (classic rock covers) because I don't massively love going to gigs in general these days, and on the occasion that I do, it's not to see a band like us. On the other hand, It's improved my playing no end and the people that do come to see us seem to dig it, which is a lovely thing to be a part of.

After years of trying to impose my creative will on others and/or playing to empty rooms in originals bands, this band suits me down to the ground as I gently lower myself into the sagging but still reasonably comfortable armchair that is middle age.

As I write this I realise how completely redundant it is because a) the OP has already made a decision and b) I'm already playing in the exact kind of band the OP is looking for. I'm going to post it anyway as rambling on Basschat beats working.

Your blues/classic rock band will turn up shortly - they're like buses.

I love a good hooked horn - looking forward to seeing how this turns out. Not so sure about the angled tuners - I think perpendicular always looks better. It's your bass though!

And that compound radius trick is potentially brilliant - can't wait to see the results!

If just polishing doesn't work, you might be able to do a drop fill with superglue https://www.stewmac.com/video-and-ideas/online-resources/learn-about-instrument-finishing-and-finish-repair/fixing-a-small-chip-in-your-guitars-finish/#:~:text=Dan Erlewine%3A Drop fills are,I've been doing here.

Working on an excessive volute...

Hacking away...

6 hours ago, tobiewharton said:

The company seems to actively avoid innovation and puts very little effort into marketing new products

Playing devil's advocate for a second (though to be clear I agree with everything you said), when they do try something new nobody wants it. Remember the dimension bass?

No, I'm still not getting it, surely then once you're at the point of radiusing a glued up fretboard the truss rod will already be in there, so you would have had to cut the area for the spoke wheel before that? I feel like I'm getting my wires crossed somewhere an hijacking your thread unnecessarily though!

Back on topic - I did once do a heel end trussrod adjustment on a neck through IIRC. It wasn't a spoke wheel though. Perfectly doable in any case, I think.

11 hours ago, Steve Browning said:

 

Couldn't agree more re Fender Japan. I've had several over the years and every one of them has been excellent. Superb build quality. 

I didn't even know there were different models coming out of Japan until now and now I am desperately coveting a California Blue Aerodyne Special Jazz Bass.

Isn't the point of a custom shop that you get something made to your spec and pay accordingly? How is a master-screwer-together-of-parts selecting a body and neck from a pile of bodies and necks 10 grand's worth of different to what happens in the Mexico factory?

I don't understand why you'd have to do it after the fretboard glue up. I'm sure it's obvious but I'm not getting it 😄

Edit: ok should have given this some more thought before posting - would it be because of glue squeeze out? Could carefully placed masking tape mitigate that?

Looks to me like a fret job and/or trussrod tweak would probably sort it - hard to tell without getting one's hands on it, but I very much doubt it needs binning. The neck relief is visible in one of the pics so it might be a bit too much - if that's the case, tightening the truss rod might be all that's required.

That said, I think I can see a bit of fretwear too, so if the trussrod adjustment isn't enough, a level crown and polish might be in order.

27 minutes ago, SteveXFR said:

 

Are you sure it's not a baritone guitar? That's what they look like and I know they make a range of baritone guitars.

https://www.solar-guitars.com/product/ab2-4c-baritone-carbon-black-matte/

38 minutes ago, SteveXFR said:

 

I'll check out that Solar. I could live without the G string. I'm playing stoner metal so don't get up that high. Probably 60% of what I play is on the low A# string

If you're looking for it online, they call it a baritone, confusingly, though it's definitely a bass, In the corresponding range to a baritone guitar, I suppose.

In my experience it definitely helps. I was playing in drop A# on a 34" scale bass with a .140 low string, then I built myself a multiscale 35.5" to 33.5" (my thinking being that in that tuning, the other 3 strings are actually a semitone higher than standard, so why not go slightly shorter on the treble side) and the slight increase in tension really did help.

Also, Solar make a 35" scale 4 string bass that is 100% built for this exact purpose and costs about £700, I think.

Edit: you said 5 string didn't you - sorry, ignore the last part!

2 hours ago, MichaelDean said:

How many innertubes did you need to glue the fretboard on? I'm short on clamps, but do have an innertube or two I could cannibalise...

Two tied together was plenty

52 minutes ago, bloke_zero said:

That may change when it's easier! I have basses where the better access encourages playing higher.

Indeed, plus I may end up building a bass for someone else one day, so should probably learn to do things other people like! I've still never made one with more than four strings for example.

Not sure why I went so all-in on the high fret access. It's not as if I use them.

A bit of progress. Frets are in, some finer body outline shaping, pickups and control cavities, tuner holes.

I'm never hammering frets in again. Definitely time to invest in a press/caul of some kind.

I wanted to route a roundover in the body but I need to wait for the imperial bolts required to attached the router to the table to arrive, so I'll have to wait.

Next up, carving the neck, heel, volute, body contour.

I've always resisted Stewmac, because they're pricey and ship from the US, but these little treats are going to make my life so much easier this weekend and arrived much faster than I expected.

In other news, I made the most idiotic mistake with the fretboard radius. My jig has a perfect 14" radius for the router to run over, but of course the bit hangs down below that, so it's ended up being more like 12, despite me going at it with a 14" inch sanding block. I'm just going to go with it, it seems consistent and level anyway. I tried to take a pic of the reflection on the sanded surface but it didn't really work...

As you can see, the 21st fret slot is very close to the end of the board. Another rookie mistake, but I'm learning as I go! Hopefully it will hold when the fret goes in! I've come too far to do anything about it now!

Given that the Rolling Stones continued to tour after Charlie passed away, I find myself wondering if they'll gradually all be replaced when the time comes and keep going forever.

No mention of Sugababes either.

I'm not planning on doing something exactly the same, but personally I like it as a solution to staining a neck thru bass without having to do the whole neck (also an option). The technique could have other applications too, like doing some kind of burst on a body.