carlsim

Does anyone know what years the PB 70 went from? I’ve seen a lot of the crafted in Japan model, PB 70s, which are typically early 2000s, I just wondered if there was something older?

Hi all… need a bit of P-bass advice… I have never been a P-bass kinda guy… always found the sound a bit limiting. But, time moves on and I find myself drawn more and more to owning a good one. can’t afford vintage, and to be honest, I don’t expect to play it that much as I mainly play 5 string anyway. But the first decent bass I bought was a 57 reissue p-bass that I sold to go 5 so would like to have one again. anyway… I love the 70s p-bass logo. Just looks so much cooler to me than the standard logo. I also have a bit of a thing at the moment for Japanese guitars so a MIJ / CIJ P-bass would definitely get me excited… does a MIJ p-bass exist with the 70s logo? older the better but not too fussed… I see the CIJ PB70 around a bit but they all look a bit too ‘new’ and would like something a bit more ‘broken in’! my thinking, what is the difference between a 57/62 and a 70s p bass? could I get any old MIJ/CIJ p-bass and add a 70s logo to it? Sand it down, add the logo and re-finish? Possibly with a tinted lacquer? Am I better off keeping my search going? do the 70s re-issues MIJ exist or is it a fruitless search? don’t get me wrong, would love a 76 (YOB) but at today’s prices, it just isn’t gonna happen! any thought would be most welcome! carl.

I haven’t as yet… I was going to leave but I have noticed a tiny bit of localised buzzing when sliding on the G string between 8th and 9th fret. So I am going to do a bit of block levelling to hopefully smooth that out. I think I will then go over the whole fingerboard and try an ebony stain. See how it comes out. I think I will apply a little bit to the fretlines first and then go over the whole lot. Hopefully it will even out and then I can tru oil over the top. will post pics when completed. Won’t be for a few weeks as moving house very soon!

Ross bought my Microbass II pedal from me. Very quick payment and very easy to deal with - defo a recommended basschatter!

Bought a Flyrig from Paul. Delivered quickly and exactly as he described. Recommended to all!

Ha!! I like it… maybe we can record it’s travels on here… @Happypants did anyone collect it from you or is it still in your possession??

Not a question, but some useful hints to repairing cracks in ABS guitar cases. I recently acquired a beat up fender hard case which was decent inside but clearly had suffered in it's life. It was thrown in with a bass I bought. I don't usually use hard cases but having done some touring recently, I did think that a decent hard case which I wouldn't mind if it got a bit more scuffed wouldn't be a bad thing. The biggest issue with the case was the feet on the bottom. All four had broken through and 1 had left a gaping hole exposing the polystyrene. Hmmm... what to do... So I tried the usual superglue methods... no dice. I tried 'plastic welding' the crack together. Ok, but no real strength even when try to insert staples within the welds. There must be a better way. Youtube - i came across a guy who had used an ABS slurry to repair his roof box. OK.... I will give it a try. Essentially it is dissolving plastic in Acetone. I tried first of all cutting up some tie-wraps (not all are made of ABS but worth a try) and stuck them in a jar of nail polish remover (I didn't tell the wife!). No luck - clearly not ABS plus I don't know if nail polish remover is neat enough anyway. So, a friend of mineworks for a screen printers and gave me a sheet of black ABS plastic. Perfect! Bought 1L of acetone from Amazon and away we go. He did say to me he wasn't sure if it was ABS or HIPS, but after some research, apparently they both dissolve in Acetone anyway. However, I had some black Lego bricks at hand as they are made of ABS plastic. So, a jam jar, 50g of ABS plastic sheet cut into small squares to get them in the jar and 125ml of Acetone - the next day I had what resembles a thick black tar. One hint - keep shaking and stirring! Also, get a wider jar rather than a narrow tall jar. Much easier to stir as it gets quite thick and stiff. Get an old paint brush and literally paint the stuff on. It hardens quickly although thicker coats I left overnight. I removed the inside polystyrene so I could coat inside and outside (small cracks could be done form the inside to save appearances) and I am left with a pretty solid hard case. It isn't pretty by any means, but the work is all on the bottom of the case so nobody is going to really see it. I relocated the feet and all is good. I have attached a couple of pics - as I mentioned it isn't pretty but it's solid and in a day of being more frugal, if I can repair it, I will! So if anyone is wondering, it is a great method for repairing anything of this ilk.

it's a real shame the rout wasn't on the rear - that would have looked very special!

A successful trade with Jason - his Atelier was exactly as described, well packed and quick delivery. great comma - well recommended to all!

So this is the case and the Yamaha being couriered. I think it’s pretty bomb proof - definitely courier proof I think! and all wrapped up in cardboard ready to go!

Let’s spread the word… I will post pics tomorrow. if someone wants it for postage purposes, they can speak to @Happypants to arrange collection.

I picked it up earlier from my pal, it’s certainly a bit of a beastly case so will be good for postage. It will add a few kg to the weight though! Saying that, a few extra pounds for extra weight postage wise is worth it for the protection.

I am starting this thread to see if we can get a 'pay it forward' kind of thing going on with a flight / hard case I have been given. I am about to send a bass through a courier and mentioned this to a friend and he told me he had a old spare flight/hard case in the loft he was going to bin. He offered it to me and I am going to be sending a bass to @Happypants using this case. I thought it could then be used by some one else who may need a more secure way of posting a bass. I will post some pics of it (inside and out) - hopefully it will have some use. It will be making its way to Orpington (SE London way) so will be free to anyone who can collect it from there. I did envisage it becoming a Basschat box - used by members to ship basses around the country - I may be somewhat deluded by this! Any thoughts on this? Am I deluded? Can someone ask a mod if there is a better place for me to post this? Thanks

Honestly, I refinished an Xotic recently with Tru-Oil and its looks amazing. It's great stuff and is a combination of an oil and a varnish so dries nice and hard. The process is well documented on the build diary here: I can definitely recommend it if you are after a natural finish. Lovely bit of timber by the way!

I thought I would contribute to this discussion a little and there are many valid points made along the way. From the perspective as a bass player (and this goes for any musician), I remember my old teacher telling me (he was a monster pianist) that basic keyboard skills are one of the best musical skills that any musician should have. They teach the fundamental building blocks of harmony in a much easier way than any other instrument. Grab an old keyboard - learn some basic chord construction and it opens up infinite avenues towards creating more interesting music as a bass player. As a music teacher myself now, I completely understand where he was coming from. Completing a grade 5 music theory class when I was 16 and starting out on bass was a huge eye opener for me - if you can find a course locally at a school or college, it's well recommended! Music Theory shouldn't be scary - I say to my students - having a basic understanding of music theory is central to the creation of music. Having said that, I am aware that good music can be created by people who have no musical knowledge - but imagine what they could create if they did? It isn't just about harmony either - key signatures, rhythms, melody, articulation, performance indications are all part of what makes music great. Plus it also makes it so much easier to communicate ideas in a musical setting. I still remember being a young bassist and doing an early resident band gig - the keyboard player started a song (luckily I did know the song a bit but it was a bit of a busker) and looked at me and stuck his hand out with 3 fingers pointing down - essentially telling me we were in Eb major. (3 flats key signature - fingers down for flats and fingers up for sharps). Once I knew that I had an understanding in my head of what chords and harmony were in the key and where the song might go. Obviously, it helps if it is a pretty straight forward song and not harmonically complex. Anyway, start simple - learn basic triad construction. They you look at chord extensions and how 7ths / 9ths and 11ths are added and how voicing is used. I love a dark and moody C minor 9 chord - voice the C, D and Eb together and you get this gorgeous clashy harmony which sounds amazing - esepcially when composing for a Film Noir soundtrack! Once you start with music theory, it can become addictive to want to learn more. It's an amazing world to embrace as a bass player who holds the root of the harmony. Sting said it best, "it's not a C Chord until I play a C!" Anyway... just my 2 cents!