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Probably made by Schaller to Ric specs. Hipshot do a Ric replacement tuner which is very similar but doesn't have vintage features such as the paddle rivet and the large slot screw on the cog. https://hipshotproducts.com/products/hb5-bass-tuning-machine

Bought a Stingray pickguard from Adam, good chap to deal with, quick shipping (I had a tracking number within minutes of buying!), well packed and item as described. Pleasure to do business with. Thanks!

Cool, thanks

Is this the StewMac one you're thinking of? I can't see a cross-slot version on their website... https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tools-and-supplies/types-of-tools/wrenches/truss-rod-wrench-for-fender.html

It was on the bass when I bought it so not sure where it came from. You can get replacement Bronco pickguards from earlpilanz on ebay here - https://www.ebay.co.uk/str/earlpilanz/Bronco/_i.html?_storecat=25805454010

How much do you fiddle with the controls when playing live? If you mostly just set and forget then I wouldn't worry about it. A little crackle here and there is all part of the vintage experience!

The treble bleed in the Obsidian wiring is an additional cap+resistor on the vol pot which retains high end (which is normally lost) when you roll down the volume. It also slightly changes the taper of the vol controls. With both vols full up the treble bleed will have no effect on the standard Jazz sound. If you back one or other of the vols off to favour the bridge or neck pickup there will be a slight difference in sound over the standard wiring. Probably not enough to really notice unless you're listening for it.

Yes to both the above. A small tweak on the trussrod (one way or the other) will shift the resonance slightly, whether enough to make it go away will depend case by case. Detuning by a semitone will dramatically shift any coincident resonances. You will lose the old dead spots but might find some new ones! I think this is exactly right. I had a Zon with a noticeable dead spot, higher up the neck than usual due to the stiffness of the neck but it was definitely there. Variations in harmonic content and decay characteristics of individual notes will usually be found on any instrument if you listen hard enough.

The attached doc gives a useful scientific explanation of dead spots and is worth a read. They occur where resonant frequencies in particular parts of the neck happen to coincide with exactly the same position as a fretted note of the same frequency. Read on to become demystified in this much misunderstood topic! Dead_Spots_Bass_English.pdf

Thanks, maybe that's it...

Thanks for the link. I guess it could be, although the added cap mentioned in the HF rejection circuit goes direct to ground...

The schematics below show part of the Orange AD200B preamp circuit compared with the Terror Bass 500 Mk1 preamp. The TB preamp is supposedly based on the AD200B but there are some noticeable differences. One that jumps out at me is that the TB signal is fed back to the input of the valve via capacitor C5 (47p) which doesn't happen with the AD200B. Can someone explain what this 'feedback' loop does and why it's there? Thanks for any input from all you valve amp experts out there!

This article may help - https://www.fralinpickups.com/2018/11/12/understanding-guitar-grounding/

It's to do with improving comfort and reducing playing fatigue in the fretting hand. This page gives a good overview of different asymmetric shape profiles - http://www.kappi.com/blog/2012/10/asymmetric-neck-shapes/

+1! There are a zillion variants on neck shapes but the chart below is a useful guide for the most common traditional shapes. Assymetrical neck shapes are also available and can look similar to your drawing.

One on ebay - https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2004-Ernie-Ball-Music-Man-SUB-Bass-in-Textured-Teal-USA-made-Stingray-bass/193648065411 Price is on the high side but still great value for a US-made Musicman.

I'm very glad you didn't! 😄

+1 Musicman USA SUBS are excellent basses and incredible value. I picked one up last year and use it all the time. A Stingray in all but name, solid as a rock, plays and sounds great. You need to keep a lookout for them but they do crop up every so often on BC and pretty regularly if you scan ebay and gumtree etc. Well worth waiting for one of these if you want a quality bass on a budget.

This website is a useful reference for tonewoods - https://zinginstruments.com/guitar-tonewoods/ Alder Like basswood, alder is a lightweight type of body wood with soft and condensed pores. The grain pattern takes on a swirl, where the larger rings and sections around the outside enhance the strength of the body. The result is a guitar with a complexity of tones. It’s not too warm or too bright but lies somewhere in the middle range. However, unlike basswood, alder can retain high notes and provide space for low tones. Basswood tends to soften the high notes, on the other hand. Compared to basswood, an alder body comes with a wider scope of tones overall as well as fewer mid-notes than basswood. Ash Ash is one of the most common tonewoods for electric guitar bodies. Ash is a tonewood that comes in two main types: - hard (northern) - soft (southern), commonly called 'swamp ash' The most popular option is hard ash due to the bright tone and high sustainability. However, soft ash offers a warmer feel. Fender claims to use swamp ash in many of their guitars in the 1950s. Swamp ash tonewood comes from trees with roots below the water level in Southern swamps, so the wood is lightweight and porous. The creamy color and bold grain pattern are more visually appealing than other wood types, like alder. The scooped middle frequencies are bright and balanced, and the sound has more balance at the top. You can create a clean, transparent sound with single-coil pickups easily. However, swamp ash is more difficult to find than alder or new ash. Both types of ash tonewoods offer an open grain, which means the instrument also comes with a fair amount of preparation to make sure the grain is properly filled in the factory.

Basses that have been well used and loved, growing old gracefully ...

Looks like you've lucked out and found a lightweight one! Out of interest what does it weigh?

As a first step try entering the serial number here which should tell you the year, model and colour - https://www.music-man.com/serial-number-database