BlueMoon

Yes.....that is the classic, vintage Fender-style truss rod. Remember to adjust in only slight turns followed by a period to let the neck settle.

Likely it is not the real deal. I was of the understanding that Rickenbacker will only provide you a new replacement TRS cover if you supply them with your damaged/broken one first.

I agree. If you have sufficient paint depth and minimal "orange peel", you can create a lustrous finish with nitrocellulose-based paint. Progressively finer grit papers ( I prefer wet sanding) and finish with auto body fine polishing compound. Good to go.

Valuable learnings. Thanks for sharing!

My advice would be to change the strings and then check if the truss rod needs adjusting. Actually, it may not need adjusting. If you have never adjusted a truss rod it will be a great time to learn. It really is not that difficult. Welcome to the flat-side!!

I seem to recall reading a summary from Mike Pedulla about his decision to expand his business in the 1990s, I believe, when he felt further away from being a luthier and more like a business manager. He subsequently scaled back his operation so that he could oversee every build and went back to making only a limited number of instruments. He retired and didn't sell the business, if I recall correctly. The market prices of Pedulla basses is strong and I'm sure Wal is in that camp. I have no problems with that. I have a Pedulla, but not a Wal.

Maybe not in the next few years...............but, overall I agree with the market conditions you summarise.

My personal preference in all cases is ebony.

My '71 in sunburst has one.

It's actually not that uncommon to see some scuffing behind the nut on a fretless.............but that does look quite deep. I guess it really depends on how well it plays through the changing seasons. Could get tricky.

.................and most from that period were boat anchors weighing more than 10 Ibs

Stunning! Well done.

Thanks.! Mateusz keeps a little stock of (mainly) Japanese basses that he has worked on. Here is a link: https://restauracja-gitar.pl/ The Buzz was indeed a custom order and came in at just under €1000, all in. I really wanted a classic sunburst P in nitro, since I believe Mark at Limelight doesen't offer this unless you provide the painted body for him.

After the glowing review and recommendation by @such of his Buzz Hornet, I took the plunge and recently also sampled the work of the Polish bass builder (Mateusz Piotrowski) behind these creations. I was never really a fan of relic'd instruments, but somehow I seem to have now obtained a few in my stable (including Bravewood and Limelight), and so feel able to comment and compare. The Buzz has a Jazz-sized neck on an Alder P body, which is light and resonant. Damn........this bass is first and foremost a great "players bass"!! I appreciate that the aesthetics might not suit everybody [the relicing is stage 7 on a scale of 1 (none) to 10 (totally trashed)], but I really do not like some of the Fender Custom shop cookie-cutter examples. The build process was stress-free and took around 4 months overall. I have yet to use the Buzz in a band situation, but I am confident that it will do a great job, and I won't give a rip if it gets dinged up in the process. Here are some pics:

For those preferring a DIY solution, I've found that the threaded washer that tightens down on the wheel rim of a bicycle tyre valve is a great starting point for a "thick" washer. Normal old fashioned tyre valves are the ones I mean. Inner diameter is such that it slips over the truss rod threads and the knuled outer surface can be easily filed down to exactly match the outer diameter of the truss rod. I've used this approach successfully on a MIJ Fender bass.

You'll love it!! I have one too and it is the dog's danglies in a band set up.

I did the same thing as Doctor J. Together with some Sadowsky-branded (Dimarzio) pickups, my Levinson Blade came alive. I find the on-board Sadowsky preamp to be quite musical, and the VTC allows you to cool things down if you need to do some retro sounding numbers. One thing to be aware of, the pickup blend control is wired by default the opposite to most other blend controls. So turning the pan knob clockwise prefers the bridge pickup and vice versa. You can mess with it if needed, but I soon got used to it. Go for it, you'll be happy.

I found that placing a ribbed rubber car mat between amp and cab fixed any wandering of the amp.

Totally agree about Bravewood. Best repro Fender I've ever played and the aging is spot on, in my view.

This^^^^^^^^^

The ones I last put on that had the famous "dead" E string were purchased about 3 years back from Thomann.

My 1999 4003 had bridge lift. Not dramatic, but was getting worse with time. I fitted a V2 bridge/tailpiece and TI flats. Sorted.