Shaggy

[quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' post='522859' date='Jun 24 2009, 07:25 PM']Not a bad amp, if you've got efficient enough speakers to work with only 100w. The Fender speaker, however,is absolute trash. The pictured model looks to be early 1970s. I don't know if they did a reissue, or if they did, why. It was a 2nd tier rig 35 years ago compared to an Ampeg V4, let alone an SVT. The Bassman 4x10 is a great guitar amp, useless for bass outside the studio. A pristine '59 is probably worth more than what you're driving, but only to a guitar player/collector.[/quote] +1 The 135 has quite a bit more grunt than the 100, but both such simple designs they can be maintained pretty much forever, and sound great through a decent cab - bigger the better. Part of the appeal of a vintage stack is having it matching though - I used to run my 135 through an old H/H 2x15, covered the grill with proper silvercloth and stuck a Fender logo on. There was somone selling an EV-loaded silverface Fender cab on here recently that would be really sweet.

I've got one of the heads, '91 vintage (being one of the 99% or so BC-ers who've bought gear off Shockwave.....) - fantastic little amp; amazingly compact and portable for a valve amp, very funky stainless-steel case. I thought it was all-valve with just the graphic EQ being solid-state - there are certainly a couple of small pre-amp valves in there - but could be wrong. Haven't yet found another amp that makes my fretless basses sound so beautifully buttery as the TV, and the pre-shape is instant '80's, but I barely use it now TBH as I either DI or use a big back-line. I've got the schematics on a pdf in the house, I'll post them tonight. [i]Edit[/i] - attached - hope it works I want a Quatra!

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='520928' date='Jun 22 2009, 05:33 PM']Gordon Smith guitars are awesome, didn't know they made basses.[/quote] They don't any more! Damn shame, much like with Guild

Not much help in this instance - academic now anyway - but I bought my Gordon Smith Galaxy semi off ebay purely on the strength of the one existing review (in Harmony Central, and wrongly in the guit*r section at that) – definitely one of my better decisions Sometimes you just have to let the force guide you……………… :ph34r:

[quote name='Johngh' post='517737' date='Jun 18 2009, 07:35 PM']I've got a Ritter RG7000 BG Gig bag and its very good. Loads of pockets and stuff. No idea what it would cost now though but I don't have a problem recomending it.[/quote] Only had experience with Ritter (generally use Hiscox hard-shell Liteflites whenever possible) but definitely the business

I liked the chrome but not the EB-ness of the p/u's, my intention was always to fit a replacement pickguard (still NOS ones on US 'bay) and Lindy Fralin bassbuckers - chrome T-bird replacement p/up's. But you could then fit black soapbars instead to be closer to the original - EMG's, Barts etc. Another option - NOS RD standard pickguard complete with p/ups: [url="http://cgi.ebay.com/1970-s-gibson-rd-standard-bass-pickups-and-guard-mint_W0QQitemZ360159724006QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGuitar_Accessories?hash=item53db3141e6&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A12%7C66%3A2%7C39%3A1%7C72%3A1205%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50"]http://cgi.ebay.com/1970-s-gibson-rd-stand...%3A1%7C294%3A50[/url] - a couple of different sources there. Darkstars [i]would[/i] be pretty cool though!

[quote name='The Bass Doc' post='506682' date='Jun 5 2009, 10:18 PM']With a handle like shaggy you should be very careful out there - one or two members seem to have rammed the point home quite forcibly.[/quote] :brow: [quote name='steve-soar' post='506730' date='Jun 5 2009, 11:52 PM']Ewe supply the velcro gloves.[/quote] Gumboots, a bucket of Felinfoel Double Dragon, a moonlit field, and ewe.........

Only if you try a little "sheep-love". Never knock something 'till you've tried it....

I remember these, didn't realise they were Welsh. Better'n a cowin' Fender isn't it, butt! Heard about the new Welsh motorbike......... ..............the Rhondda 500 (courtesy Shadwel)

Blimey, has that been stored in a bathroom? Nice work rejuvenating her neepheid, really impressed - what a lovely old Gibson

If you're happy with the bass then it should be a worthwhile upgrade that will dramatically improve tone and output. There's often quality ones for sale here cheap mind - bought and sold my last 3 or 4 p/u's on BC at a fraction of retail. I'd never contemplate asking a shop to do it though; just take the strings off, unscrew the pickguard and lift the whole gubbins off, have a look where the old wires go and mark where they're soldered to with tape or tippex, cut them at the lug they're soldered to (sloppy) or unsolder them (neat), old pickups out, new pickups in, and solder the new leads onto the marked lugs. If you've never soldered, good little project to learn on! Then put some new strings on worthy of the new pickups

[quote name='Rayman' post='495959' date='May 23 2009, 12:06 PM']Outstanding sir, very nice to see it brought back to life, good job.[/quote] Thanks for the good words Rayman, and again for the smooth deal. Although an impulse buy, really pleased - quite a different character to my other 2 fretlesses, even found myself playing some (gulp[i])......Jazz[/i]

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='495609' date='May 22 2009, 10:31 PM']If you just want to test some nickels out for cost effectiveness then check out some of the eBay offers on Hartke strings; I got 3 sets of strings for £12. Ideal if you have string eating sweat. [/quote] Just did the same, on your recommendation! Can't go wrong at that price really. I've always used s/s purely from habit - first rotos now DR's, but a couple of years back bought Walbassist's '73 P strung with Fodera nickels and loved the tone - maybe time to change now. Years ago I had a temp job in a metal plating works where new starters would almost inevitably develop an intolerance for nickel - so very thoughtfully management didn't warn them. Luckily I didn't.

[quote name='budget bassist' post='495581' date='May 22 2009, 09:32 PM']nice one, some good bodging there! any pics of how it looked with the old pickup?[/quote] If bodging were an Olympic event I'd be on the UK team! Click on the link in my first post - looking again it actually looks better than I remember! Hmmm.....

[quote name='neepheid' post='494901' date='May 22 2009, 09:31 AM']That's what I would have done - the restored pickguard would have hidden most of the repair and if a good job was made of it then it wouldn't be terribly noticeable imho.[/quote] I almost certainly will at some point - basically I had to do something quickly as I'd already sold the DiMarzio to Mr Foxen so there was a gaping hole there! I'd be using the original p/u (now the "neck" p/u) probably all the time anyway, it's in fact in the same location as the bridge p/u on a B302, with the neck p/u located very far towards the neck indeed.

Hardly a major project this, but quite a fun minor one. Last week acquired Rayman's '78 Guild B301-F fretless - or rather his mate's, ( [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=47830&hl=Guild"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=47830&hl=Guild[/url] ) for a song as it had an added DiMarzio model one p/u installed in the bridge position some time in the '80's - quite neatly as it turned out. To me the Model One looked wrong and sounded wrong (set flush with the body so way too low for one thing), so it had to go. Considered plugging the routed hole with a shaped mahogany block and making a new intact pickguard, but it would never look entirely unmolested and be a faff to do. So I reckoned a Darkstar was the way to go, hence my "wanted" ad. But last weekend it was persisting down with rain, got bored, and knew from experience that if I didn't do something with the bass now it would sit there untouched for the next 20 years. So as a no-cost temporary measure I fitted the only suitable p/u I had - a small chrome humbucker off a late '60's Kalamazoo KB1 (my very 1st bass, 32 years ago!) which I'd always assumed was Gibson - Kalamazoo being their budget brand at the time - but looks very like a Hofner unit of that era. Well made anyway, and I knew it would sound good. No p/u surround, so I made one out of mahogany to exactly cover the routed hole and cut-out in the pickguard made for the Model One. Probably rushed it a bit, and the eagle-eyed will spot a motley assortment of screws holding it on (all adds to the mojo), but an improvement I think, and the mahogany should darken with age to match the bass (as it will undoubtedly stay there forever). The pole spacing is too narrow, but the coils are full width and there seems to be no noticable drop-off on the E and G. A nice subtle "nasal" fretless tone that's quite different from the deep, woody tone on the original single-coil p/u. Main problem is the bridge p/u is much lower output than the neck one so is overpowered in the combined setting - usually my favoured one - so if it's staying I'll probably change the vol / tone control set up to vol / vol or vol / pan. Really pleased with her, and apart from the mod the bass is in amazing original condition, the poly finish almost immaculate - it's apparently been in a loft the last 20 yrs (back to Beedsters post!)

I've got one on a word file - PM me your email and I'll send it