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Gibraltar make hardware for drums - these ones are tension washers for drum heads.

For info - I bought a pack of the Gibraltar Tension Rod Washers and they're 10mm OD / 6mm ID which is too big. I managed to get some M5 washers (ID 5.03mm) with a reduced outer diameter (9mm) from Accu. These are a very close match for the Fender washers. Link below if of any interest. https://www.accu.co.uk/flat-washers/404899-HRDW-M5-A2

Thanks ReggaeBass and PaulThePlug. The Gibraltar tension rod washers look good. As Andyjr1515 says, it's the small outer diameter that's important. A regular M5 washer is too big.

Despite some diligent googling, I can only find these for sale in the USA (eg. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/393312389818?hash=item5b933ecaba:g:al0AAOSwGK5hTAUI). Does anyone know where you can get them in the UK?

Surely there must be some sort of substrate material across the full strap width with the memory foam just being an outer layer?

Hofner staple pickups are generally pretty hot. Even at that distance from the strings you should be getting good output. Pic of my 185 below which had a similar pup/string distance and that was fine. How did you check that your pickup output was OK?

Thanks warwickhunt for the cab info.

Out of interest, what speaker set up were you using with the Handbox?

A tiny tweak to the trussrod (in either direction) can also help to shift or reduce a deadspot.

Saw Sting at the Palladium last night and there was a bell-shaped 'thing' with wires going into it on a post behind his bass cabs. See pic below (apoligies for quality). It's been bugging me ever since! Anyone have any idea what it is?

Here's a link to an old listing on Reverb for one that looks the same - https://reverb.com/item/40315677-bhk-bass-humbucker-neck-pickup

Swap in lightweight tuners and aluminium bridge. If that's not enough drill holes in the body under the pickguard. If that's not enough, remove more wood, make the holes a design feature 🙂

The 500k pot value is the problem. The EMG specs recommend 25k vol and tone pots for this pickup so I'd try a dual MN25K pot for the blend.

Removing the vol pot from circuit would make the tone slightly brighter with the tone pot two-bobbed.

👍 front edge of the nut

The only thing that doesn't look original is the fat white earth wire from the jack to vol pot. Looks like this has been added later. See pic below of original wiring on another '73. Soldering on the pot case is much tidier and the earth tag on the jack is unconnected (common with this era). One end of the tone cap goes to earth on the vol pot case so check that it's making a good connection. I'd be tempted to resolder that anyway and maybe dispense with the added earth wire. Or replace it with a black wire of the same gauge as the original wiring just to make it a bit tidier and consistent with black=earth.

Have you looked to see what cap it has at the moment and check the pot (should be 250k audio taper) and wiring?

Thanks basstone. I hadn't thought of giving it a clout, might try that!

The SB 700 wiring (top pic) looks very similar to the RB60 diagram below.

Another variation on a spaceframe body design from Paul Lairat

I'm sure this is exactly the sort of thought that goes into something like a Rob Allen. I had an RA Mouse which is a great example of a bass that has been carefully designed to work as a complete system, much like an acoustic instrument. The neck body joint is super tight, the body is chambered and the fixed bridge is bonded deep into the body with through-body stringing. The result is a bass that comes alive in your hands as soon as you touch a string. Rich full notes and harmonics just jump out of the thing. The whole bass vibrates like a living thing so there must be a lot of energy transfer going on, but in a way that harnesses and amplifies that energy to produce great tone. Fabulous little bass. It's the exact opposite of a rigid neck isolated from the body!