Rexel Matador

I just this moment logged in to ask if anyone could identify this bass that my friend says he bought a while back for £10, and stumbled across this thread. Similar unbranded headstock, same unusual truss rod cover and two single coil configuration - what are the chances?

I'm never working with Zebrano again. The plane just rips it up. Thankfully it's a very thick top so I might be able to sand it down to something usable. Pics to follow when/if I get anywhere with it!

Started a new build today. The body is a poplar and I stuck a thin piece of mahogany with walnut veneer either side between the two pieces just for fun. I have a zebrano top too but this wood is actually quite nice looking so I might leave it as it is, maybe with a stain - I haven't used one for a while. This is going to be my first attempt at a set neck - the shape seems to lend itself to it. 24 frets, passive, J pickups (I'm undecided on exactly which ones as yet). I've made a few basses now, so I'm hoping if I go slow and really pay attention, I might even be able to sell this one. But if not, I'll be happy to keep it of course!

Ok ok, it's not as bad as all that. I've just got frustrated over the years by band members, particularly drummers, who don't seem to be interested in paying a little more attention to detail to get everything tightened up and doing the material justice.

One the one hand, yes, it comes across as rude, but I totally get it. The amount of musicians out there who can't follow instructions/process the most basic requests/suggestions has led them to this (and led me to resign myself to the life of a perpetual bedroom warrior). EDIT: The more I think about it, surely it would have made more sense to NOT reiterate the instruction. Instead of filtering out those who don't listen, they've given them a free pass. Now they're going to hire someone who needs everything explained to them twice, in all caps.

Thanks! These EMGs are loads of fun - I assumed I'd just be chugging away on the bridge pickup but since I finished it I've been doing nothing but jamming Sleep-esque riffs on the neck one with the tone rolled off - it sounds immense I think little Barry Baritone and his big sister Betty BEAD are going to be a sludgy, doomy match made in hell 🤘

I'm very interested to see how this turns out - I want to try something other than oil on my next build - I'm too clumsy and need something a little more hard wearing

Done - now I can get back to building basses as god intended. I find the final set up work quite tedious but I powered through and it plays very nicely. The lignum vitae nut seems to be doing the job fine. It might wear out, but I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. A few minor issues persist - most notably the horrendous miscalculation around the placement of the tuners and logo! The string pull is just about adequately straight, but the logo sitting right under the massive low B string is unforgivable! There was a bit of ground buzz when playing through my laptop interface which I wouldn't expect from EMGs, but I soldered the switch and jack myself so it might be something to do with that. I'll have another bash at it at some point. The front strap pin should either be higher up of in the back of the body. I thought the positioning might help with balance a bit (and I think it does), but the strap gets in the way a bit there. This is how we learn though, right? Other than that, I'm very happy with it.

I know this isn't quite what you're after, but could this be an option? It has the right number of holes, at the very least... https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/194264507947?hash=item2d3b11262b:g:CBgAAOxy4YdTTZyL

Fret dressing today, then, if time permits, wiring. Then it just needs a nut and it's good to go!

I thought I was really just having a little rant, but all the replies to this thread have been really insightful, thanks everyone!

I can't help but respect the misplaced ingenuity, though

With a headstock that could take your eye out

I genuinely think they had a truckload of Ellefson sig bodies, suddenly realised they're going to sell a hell of a lot less of them now he's no longer in Megadeth, and panicked!

When I think of the effort I put into trying to come up with an aesthetically pleasing design for my builds, I find things like this rather upsetting 😂. And presumably this is someone's full-time job!

I know, I suspect his guitar needs a good set up - but surely he should know that. Maybe I expect too much of people.

I knew somebody would say that!

I answered an ad for a punk band looking for a bass player. They already have a drummer: tick. Gigs booked: tick. The sent me some rough demos - pretty catchy and the singer can hold a tune: tick. I went to try out for them last night. They were lovely guys but my god they were terrible. The singer/guitarist/songwriter was fine, but the drummer seemed to barely know the songs and the "lead" guitarist was out of tune for the whole two hours and seemingly oblivious to that fact. I was still considering it on my way home though - it's just something fun to do of an evening and a way to hang out with nice people - that's clearly their approach. But I concluded that I can't bring myself to get up on stage as a part of that. I shouldn't be going to my first rehearsal with a band that's already played live knowing the songs better than anyone else in the room. Am I taking it too seriously? Do they just need some time to get it together? I feel like I'm too old to start from scratch like that and have been to a shocking number of try outs in this vein - people who just don't know the material or don't put in any effort to play to a decent standard. The leader really didn't seem to mind that these songs he's spent time putting together were being butchered - I would despair in his position! I by no means consider myself a remotely exceptional musician, but learning a song properly and playing it in tune is the bare minimum, surely?

What on earth is going on here? Is it because David Ellefson went toxic and they're trying to shake off the association? https://www.premierguitar.com/gear/reviews/jackson-x-series-concert-bass-cbxnt-dx-iv

No, but now I really want one 😔

Wait, so Fender claim installing a hi mass bridge will give you more vintage tone even though their old basses didn't have hi mass bridges on them? I put one on my MIM P and swapped back pretty much immediately. I can't guarantee it wasn't all in my head but it seemed to make it lose its edge somehow. So in my experience the effect on the tone is somewhere between nothing and slightly worse!

Also, you can do stacked coils for hum cancelling I think, rather than concentric

I've done it - it can be frustrating if/when the wire breaks but it's totally doable. I did it using a hand drill just like you're suggesting. I downloaded an app on my phone called Magnetic Counter. I stuck a neodymium magnet on the chuck of the drill, and then placed the phone as close to it as I could - it counts each time the magnet goes past so you can get an accurate count of the windings. You may have thought of this already, but it's a good tip if you hadn't!

Getting there - I couldn't resist screwing everything together to get a look at it, but it's far from finished. It's finished in oil and wax, the finish is not great, so I might give it a rub down with wire wool and apply another coat of wax or two, and see where I'm at then. Still to do: Wiring - mostly solderless thanks to EMG, but I'll need to solder the jack and the switch. Nut - I have a piece of lignum vitae so I'm going to use that as an experiment. If it's useless it's not a massive job to replace it with something else Control plates - there's one for the switch and one for everything else - they're made from the same wood as the top and attach with magnets. They're shaped but still need to be sanded and finished, so I'll show them in the next update. Overall I'm very happy - the colour really helps the "super-modern take on the earliest telecasters" vibe

Branding iron for me...