BlueMoon

A pop up device might work under the circumstances…..and it goes without saying that the vapour levels will increase if not evacuated by some form of extraction. Best to wear an organic vapour filter mask if not being used already. Nitro vapours in high concentrations can be nasty.

Any areas that are shiny can be restored back to a matt finish by using very fine wet & dry paper (2000 grade). You wont see any scratches, especially if you use the paper dipped first in weak soapy water and keep the surface moist while working.

Is this the guy in Finland? If it is, then I have one of his creations in a Wal style. Very nice bass. He posted on the US bass site a good many times under the MPU name, I believe.

Just to clarify….you are looking for low profile over-the-ear headphones that receive a signal for use in monitoring and provide some attenuation. Not in ears ((iem’s) or over-the-ear noise defenders that cannot receive a signal.

If you do not have access to above solutions, an aluminium soda pop can is a possible substitute. Cut some strips and use in an emergency.

This would be the most important thing on my list........being the totally shallow creature that I am.

I had a Fender American Professional I 5 string P bass for a while. Not a bad bass. The string spacing suits a switch from 4 string to 5 string and the neck feels very comfortable. I added a string retainer to the B string, which seemed to tighten the sound. The pickups as supplied were a bit "meh", so I switched to a 5 string Quarter Pounder.

Absolutely stunning!

Great score and a great bass. Enjoy!

Mods……….you might want to move this to the “Wanted” section.

Normal inspection as per any stringed instrument. The state of the fingerboard (surface condition, radius etc), neck (truss rod) and nut would be my number 1 comment. This is especially important if the neck has been de-fretted. Look for any ridges on the fret-lines and/or excessive gouging along under where the strings lie. The nut height is important if you want the lower action typical of a fretless bass. When trying the bass, first play it without amplification. This will help you discern if the notes sustain well, which helps a fretless bass sparkle. Personally, rolled edges to the fingerboard are a “nice to have”. Remember that a lot of the fretless sound comes from player skill and articulation. Good luck in your search.

Has anybody with Facebook access contacted Thomann themselves? I’m sure if they are made aware of it they would move to protect their legitimate commercial business interests. You guessed it……………I don’t have an FB account.

All the best in whatever comes next………and thanks for all the ongoing contributions to the low end community!

I’m biased and would recommend a Moon 😊. Early 90’s will likely have the Fender-style headstock and may be on the heavy side if ash bodied. The Moon Blackbird pre is simple and hi-fi quality, if that is your thing. It does 70s jazz sound in spades! Either way, an enviable situation and choice.

Danny Stewart runs Bass Direct Japan from Tokyo. He runs a search service for basses. Not sure if he does the same for parts. Maybe worth a punt. www.bassdirectjapan.com

They are a bit finicky to set up initially but I’ve found Ric necks to be very stable over time. Glad you got it sorted.

Bulletproof cases. I have several, both branded and non-branded, none has ever required repair or even adjustment. The teardrop examples (with Goodfellow logo) must be really early ones. A sad loss indeed.

Call me a convert. I bought a 4 string set to try out and was quite impressed. Well worth the price and compare favourably with some name-brand alternatives that cost 3-4 times as much.

With Rosemary Butler on bass. She is a cracking vocalist as well. She regularly sang bv’s for the likes of Jackson Browne, Linda Rondstadt, Boz Scaggs et al.

Phenomenal back catalogue (on guitar as well) and overall contribution. I think she also still does online tuition. What an underrated artist, and seemingly without huge ego problems.

That’s exactly what I thought. Sure looks like his jacket is covering part of the headstock.

Class act. Thanks for sharing.

Another shout out for Ishibashi. I’ve imported a few Japanese oddities from them. Clear communications; honest descriptions; fast dispatch and secure packaging. Never had a problem. I wouldn't hesitate if it is an instrument that is a Japan-only model.

I think the pickup is the same. The bezel is now on 2025 models direct from Rickenbacker in place of the classic chrome-effect pickup cover.