John Cribbin

Back in the day, before there was an expensive product for everything. It was common to drop stuff in a container of cola (full fat, not that so called healthy stuff) to disolve all kinds of crud. That's when we learnt what it did to your stomach ....

Well what do you consider vintage and what do you have? It seems to be generally accepted that a refinished vintage Fender will lose 40-50% of value due to a refin. If you have a valuable bass, you may respray thousands of pounds off the value ....

I've used Axecaster and North West Guitars for parts, both directly and through Ebay. Good service from both in my experience. Just remember, Asian and US pots have a different number of splines and diameter. So you may need to buy matching knobs as well ....

Welcome to the forum. Can you open it up and try to see the module number for the active unit, should be printed on the PCB. Ibanez have a tendency to use the same module in dozens of models over numerous years. It's probably easier to find the wiring for the active unit rather than the model.

In the words of Tom Jones, it's not unusual to see a MIM with flakey paint, ba daba daba da. Sometimes, the paint hasn't adhered properly to the wood and flakes away. Unless it's impact damage, there's a good chance the wood is perfect underneath. Saw a guy online somwhere with a MIM Telecaster with a similar issue. He pretty much stripped the body just by working a scraper under the paint and removing it in chunks.

Have you had a look inside to see what you have already fitted? That fan suggests it runs on US not UK voltages. However, Google Bisonic 4E 230 b, That may well be the direct equivalent for UK voltages.

That's a lovely looking basss. I don't know for sure, but I've thought for a long time that Thomann's B stock are mainly sales returned under their 30 day policy that they can't legally sell as new

Depending on the pickup construction. It might be an option to have the original rewound to the spec you're looking for. Sort out the spacing issue.

They were probably fine, until the internet told us they weren't .... A high mass bridge will change the tone of the bass, but it's only an improvement if you prefer the change. If you like the tone of what you have, there's no guarantee you will like the 'improved' tone. The only real test is your ears, if you can do side by side tests, you can judge if it's a change that suits you. There's probably millions of Jazz bass' running the original bridge without issue.

I can't believe a luthier did that. The grain's not even running the same way as the rest of the guitar .... IF, I was interested, those hideous pieces of wood would have to come off first and see what damage, if any is hidden below.

On a side note, do Fender no longer supply tools with new guitars? Bit naughty if they don't. Last MIM Fender I bought was a Telecaster and the truss rod needs 3/16.

I'd never use a ball end allen key on a truss rod except in an emergency. Far to little metal to metal contact. Get a decent T handle one.

Oh, try another lead, just in case there is a problem at the plug end.

That sounds like a jack problem. If you're lucky, it might be dirt or corrosion on the contacts causing a poor connection. Best contact cleaner is Deoxit, expensive, but a small can will last a lifetime. If you don't have any cleaner, you could try some spirit on a Q-tip to disolve any gunk. From your description, I'm guessing the contacts in the jack have probably weakened and are not making good contact with the plug. Being an active, the jack socket is probably in a tube so bending the contacts may be difficult. If you need to replace the socket, make sure it's good quality, something like a US built Switchcraft.

The key to this is small amount. Strings will hold the nut securely in place, the glue is just to stop the inconvenience of the nut dropping out.

Buying from China on ebay is the cheapest way to go. It's probably the same stuff you can buy from a UK supplier, but at half the price. Just need patience, delivery may take a month.

This one of those times when ebay is your friend. I get fed up of some of those far east screws with the consistency of congealed butter ... Stainless steel is the way to go, you can probably get a pack of 10 for a couple of quid and replace the lot in one go.

I've used Peek on stuff for years and it really deals with the tarnish nicely. My now secret recipe to keep the shine is ....... liquid car polish. It protects your car paintwork from everything nature can throw at it and does the same with the brightwork on guitars.

Personally, I'd drop an email to: [email protected] And ask them the correct size of screw.

First thing I'd check is the headphone socket. It's function is to break the link to the speaker and divert the sound to the headphones. A weak, broken or corrosion on the connectors and no sound. try contact cleaner first - easy solution if it works. After that, if you're confident ... open her up and with short piece of insulated wire, bypass the headphone switch and see if that gives you sound at the speaker. Normal caution, electricity can kill, don't go inside if you don't know what you're doing ...

At the very least I'd fork out £8 for one of these at Screwfix. I'd want to know the power supply is safe before anything else ....

Not sure where your bass is made, but if it's far east, metric stainless steel grub screws are easily obtainable on Ebay. My Ibanez uses 4mm dia ones, I guess that would be fairly standard for a bass. Obviously, if it's USA made the grub screws would be imperial.

Remember, this is the internet. It's full of people who will give you definitive answers based on nothing ... You want to know the best way to break in a Fane, simple, ask Fane for their recommendation.

I'd say it's just a shim for the neck made from a piece of Fender card.

Well, my gut reaction would be, why have just two pickup positions when three is more versatile. I have a Cabronita Telecaster one volume and a three way Les Paul type selector switch. Nice simple and uncluttered. You could probably opt for a mini three way switch if you wanted it to be more inconspicuous.