Bridgehouse

I think no matter which option I go for, given the neck rout and pickguard butchery, if I don't replace the neck cover then I'll need to have a new pickguard cut. Which may not be a bad thing.. but I'll have a scour around the net first to see if I can get hold of a cover - if I do then pretty much anything that fits will work

Those ebay ones are just a bit too short - but they are close tho! My other option is a 51 SD Quarterpounder as they fit in the rout but I'd need a new pickguard cut..

Yes, the Strat 6 string one (ET-270) had black trapezoid covers

Funnily enough, no.. it's really light. The body is ridiculously light. Almost Obeche light...

Tuners are also original - they work, but I think a re-grease is in order to make sure they do the job.

The bridge is original - but needs a strip and clean! Sadly the bridge cover has long gone.. but I'd not put it back on anyway

Covers are definitely original, as is the bridge pickup: But Epiphone did do some other models with different pickup configs..

Neck plate gives us a bit of detail, but they are tricky to date at best..and it's probably a 1980....or 79. Or maybe 78.

Here's the pickup cover after a bit of light cleaning.. will be fine. Just need another to match.. And here's the truss rod cover :

Pickguard was really grubby and had probably 40 years of grime on it. It's clear and painted black on the bottom with the epiphone logo stuck on. It's split, but glue will fix it fine. Virtuoso magic also worked on this: And as a set of raw components, they look fine and are worth £30 of anyone's money...

Body and neck, however, are more than serviceable - and lightweight too! Out came the Virtuoso cleaner and polish.. it's miracle stuff. Cleaner then Polish and it's quite good Before: After:

Let's get the obvious bit out of the way - the electronics. Someone has replaced the neck pickup with a Jazz Neck pickup. Not the end of the world, but it's going to have to go. So - I need a neck pickup cover. Anyone got a spare? @AndyTravis any ideas where I might get one from? The bridge pickup is a bit wrecked, but at least it can be rewound if necessary.. The electronics will be the big challenge. Probably 2 replacement pickups (one rewound) and a new neck pickup cover..

Dunno. Might have one built. The bit I really need is the pickup cover

I picked up a bass recently from another forum. It's an Epiphone ET-280. Short scale, twin single coil pickups. It fits into the odd period post Kalamazoo when Epiphones were rare, and made in Japan, before the big surge in production in the late 80's in Korea then eventually China. This is late 70's Matsumoku. It's not top drawer quality wise, but serviceable. £30 you say? Yep. But to be fair, it's going to need some work on it:

That’s had more refinishes than Cher...

Well, after a hard day working I got home and decided to play a bit of bass to relax However my flipping headphones have only gone and stopped working. The squarnch is awful, and it looks like the floggle toggle has snapped. I tried some left hand down a bit but to no avail.

If it does make its way to me, I’m over in wales on work (N Wales) so could drop it off with you very easily.

Was it that the stripes matched your top?

I am!

OP - playing the bass in this position requires a bow...

He’s sporting a nice squarnch hat tho..

I stopped playing for about 4 years. From about 2000-2009 I was in a band and we played a lot. Recorded a lot. Funnily enough I didn’t play bass, I played a whole heap of other instruments in it. Eventually I quit it as tbh the leader was a bully and my confidence was shot to pieces. I sold pretty much everything musical I had. 4 years later and I was frankly miserable. Mrs B said it was because there was no making music in my life. I told her it wasn’t that, but she persisted. So, eventually I bought a bass - the instrument I hadn’t played for probably 15 years or so. Sometimes we need a break to see what it actually means to us and how it fits into our lives. That’s natural. For me, the process was cathartic. I still have massive confidence issues - despite many telling me they are unfounded. I played my fretless at rehearsal tonight. It was the first time in front of anyone. I pulled it off - just about - the buzz was incredible, but I know perfectly well that only about 3 years ago I wouldn’t have even entertained having it in the house. Do what you think is right for you right now. Life is too short to worry about it. Your kids will grow up - there will be a time when you have more spare time and more spare cash - and opportunities aplenty to play if it’s right for you then.

On the fretboard forum

Gah. I’ve just got hold of a CTM 15 and it’s far more amp than I expected.. looks like I need to keep an eye out for one of these too now!

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