Rich

I made the pickup cavity using a drill and (very very sharp) chisels. No router involved. Don't let a lack of luthier tools put you off having a go!

Yes, very much so good old MS Paint

It's done very pleased with the result, quite surprised at how un-Raylike the sound is with the MM pickup solo'd but pleasantly surprised as it's a good usable sound -- very distinctively different to anything else in my wee collection, which was the entire point of the exercise to begin with, so it's mission accomplished the series/single/parallel switch makes for maximum flexibility too. It's passive V/V/T at the moment and I'll probably leave it like that.

True, true... although there are two factors: 1. I've had a look around on t'internet, specifically at things like the Sandberg PM4 which has an identical pickup configuration... their MM pickup is even closer to the bridge than mine, and I figure if it's good enough for them... and; 2. I've already been busy with the chisels, so it's kinda a done deal it's only dropped in the rough hole for the moment, I haven't cleaned any edges or tidied it or anything yet.

There are quite a few things I'd like to have -- e.g. Roscoe Beck 5, Chowny CHB-1 in sapphire burst, another Shuker -- but only two/three that I'm really itching to get my hands on: 1. Wal 5-string fretted, ideally Mk3 but a Mk2 would be just as good; 2. YOB ('65) Jazz Bass, from April that year if poss, ideally in candy-apple red with matching headstock. 3. Failing 2 above, a good replica (e.g. light relic Limelight) would be fine.

Ok, this project has taken something of a left turn... having a rummage in the ol' spares box, I came up with the old pickup from my OLP 'Ray. Hmmm... watch this space (Yes I know the MM needs to be about 1/2" further away from the bridge to be in the proper sweet-spot, but I really don't want to butcher that lovely pickguard if I can get away with it.)

My fretless Ray neck had the same in terms of side dots, i.e. where they would be for a fretted bass... I blacked them out with a sharpie pen and then put big white Letraset dots at the fretlines, which I painted over with a smear of car touch-up lacquer. You can just about make them out in this pic.

Yes, likewise... back in the day I had a Trace GP12SMX pre with a power amp whose name I can't remember and an SWR Triad cab. It was the most amazing sound but the cab alone was 95lbs... mind you, that Triad sounded great with anything, including the Eden WT400 I replaced the Trace with. Best sounding cab I've ever had by a country mile, but a total backbreaker. Twice the weight of my entire current rig.

We have a gig at the end of October... it's my son's wedding... as you can imagine, I'm really hoping that one goes ahead We have a few in the pipeline before then, but TBH I'm fully expecting almost all of them to be cancelled/postponed. As many others have said, I will gig when I feel it's safe to do so (venues permitting), not when the govt tells me I can. My health puts me mildly 'at-risk' so I'm taking no chances. God, I'm the opposite. It's like I've lost a limb or something. I cannot wait to get back out there, but only when it's safe.

Just checked the online store. Yowch... rather more than I was hoping/expecting, and the exchange rate does us no favours. Sadly I think I'm going to have to pass.

If my memory serves me correctly, back in the day didn't one of our number score what appeared to be a Marshall amp devoid of its vinyl at a boot sale for next to nothing, and said amp turned out to be an original 60s Super Bass head? Going back many many years here.

He does?? Oh boy, I might be in trouble. I'd love some nice ones for my Shuke.

Well... if you have a look at Volume 2 sub-section 2.12.43 paragraph xxvii of the Forum Rules, I think you'll find that you also receive the 10 lashes that you mistakenly attributed to Mr Wib. Oh dear. Someone is going to be a sore little binky.

Surely it's one and a half, counting the Wingbass?

I paid £330 for this in 1986.

I'd always assumed it was Gibbo. Ah well, you learn summat every day.

Just measured my Thunder 1A and the measurements are the same -- so your Spector 8 has what is basically a 4-string neck. Wow. I'd always assumed they'd be a bit wider than that.

By comparison, my Sire 5-string is 44 and 64.

Does anyone here have an actual factory-made 8-string? It'd be interesting to know the neck widths at the nut & 12th fret.

Good man. Yup, I've just moved it to Build Diaries, left a link in the original subforum.

@BreadBin, can you keep this thread running as a build diary plz? I'd love to see how this turns out, cos I've always fancied an 8-string toy and fleabay is chock full of cheap 5-strings...

74 is Bring Down the Birds

71 is What's Goin' On