GarethFlatlands

Thanks Geek! I've always loved the look of Sunburst Fenders, I own a Japanese Jazzmaster in that finish and briefly owned a Squier Bass VI until I realised I would probably never use it. This is as close as I can get on a budget. This one too has cheapo tuners (they hold tuning fine but aren't well geared in that they need a lot of turning to make small adjustments) and a 2 saddle bridge. I'm going to see if I can intonate and set up OK with it before I consider new hardware.

[quote name='operative451' timestamp='1487442468' post='3239875'] Ladytron - saw them supporting Goldfrapp at the Eden Project in 2006. Sort of a female petshop boys with kind of Vulcan barely withheld cold rage... [media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JTTwlAT_AwU[/media] [/quote] I remember really liking that song and it's pie based parody back in the day! [media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xiyh-w2BsoI[/media] Heard of the Cardiacs as a friend is obsessed with them and the God Machine album cover is familiar but I've not heard of much else in this thread. I adored the first 2 Dredg albums back in the early 00's but I don't think anyone I mentioned them to had heard of them. There's already a lot on this thread to get your teeth into but this is one of their best if you've got the time to give it a try. [media]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZDTGCHeHZFI[/media]

As already posted in the Bass Guitars sub forum, I recently picked up a 70's Maya Jazz. There are things I love about it and a few I don't, mainly the sound which lacks clarity and is a little noisy. The control knobs are a mess too, the bridge p/u volume sits a lot higher than the others for some reason and the tone knob is cracked. I can't prize them off and when I took the control plate off, there was a resistor wired between the bridge p/u and control which isn't standard wiring for Jazz. Rather than take the whole thing apart, i ordered a new control plate with the intention of wiring up a new one. I already had 3 mini pots of the right taper and value and a .047 orange drop capacitor lying around, as well as 2 chrome knobs which meant apart from the plate and 1 more knob, I was good to go. I'm pretty bad at soldering so it took me longer that it should and isn't a particularly clean job, but here's the basics in place. I thought I had a metal mono jack somewhere but didn't, so might need to take the existing one and drop it in, or buy another one. I hope I've not made any massive errors but will check a wiring diagram before I put in in the bass. I snapped up a pair of MIM Jazz pickups from a Facebook musicians page and bought some aluminium tape, so next time I'll be taking the existing pickups out, shielding the pickup and control cavities and then wiring the whole thing up. Feel free to point out if I've done anything incorrectly or to put suggestions forward about what else I could do on the cheap to improve the bass!

Yeah, I think of it being a catch all term for any cheap Japanese copies but this certainly isn't crap. I'm probably going to keep the bridge cover as the saddle adjustment screws protrude a lot and I can see myself cutting my hand on them but the other one gets in the way so it's off. Everything is here for the rewire so I'll do that this week but probably keep everything else as it is bar a string change and setup.

Spied this in a local shop a few weeks ago and it stuck in my mind as I've never owned a Jazz before. Went in for a play today after chatting it over with Bassassin, really got on with it and ended up leaving the shop with it. It has a few cosmetic issues as to be expected from a bass that's 40+ years old but it played and sounded really good. I got a set of pickups from a MIM Jazz on Facebook which arrived today and ordered a new control plate and chrome knobs for a rewire. The scratchplate has been hacked around the neck pickup so I'm going to take it off and see how I like the look and consider whether or not to get a new plate made by Bass Doc.

[quote name='Rexel Matador' timestamp='1486326985' post='3230945'] I used to be a member of one in Brighton and dabbled in guitar building there. I used jigsaws, bandsaws, sanders, drill presses, blowtorches, routers etc etc, that I would never have been able to afford otherwise. I've now found one in Newcastle and am excited to get involved again. If you are, as your profile suggests, in Sheffield, I just had a quick google and it seems there's definitely one there. [/quote] Never heard of Hackspace but it's a fantastic idea. I am indeed in Sheffield and the one there is around 10 minutes drive away. I also have a friend who does guitar maintenance and techs for various bands who I'm sure would let me have a day or 2 in the workshop if requested. [quote name='Shockwave' timestamp='1486329682' post='3230971'] I bought their SG bass kit a few years back. Sent it back as the three point bridge was routed not inline with the neck pocket. The next one had the same issue so had to send that back as well. Pity, a full scale SG bass is my kinda thing. [/quote] That's a bit more worrying. Maybe their QC has improved in the intervening years but it still seems like a gamble.

Love mine, super useful in a lot of situations. I don't think they're transparent, they have their own sound which is great for the cash but I don't think you can bypass that to just use it as an EQ or boost.

That's part of it but as I've never done any DIY at home (rented accommodation for years so no need) I own very few tools. Anything in the kit that would need work, I'd probably have to go and buy and learn to use them. That's the main thing stopping me taking a punt at the moment.

Thanks for the video link, looks like my fears about the cost were justified. Prowla has given me some food for thought, might be worth a long haul approach getting bits when they become available and putting it all together over time.

Love that fretless! Did you go with warmoth or similar or just scour BC and eBay for the parts?

[url="http://www.kitbuiltguitars.co.uk/guitarkits/jazz-j-bass-build-your-own-bass-guitar-kit.html"]http://www.kitbuiltguitars.co.uk/guitarkits/jazz-j-bass-build-your-own-bass-guitar-kit.html[/url] These look interesting but seem a bit too cheap to be good. Has anyone tried them? I got some paypal money and wanted a jazz and also a project to work on, but I lack the woodwork skills to do much more than assemble a kit. And even that might be beyond me!

Stunning!

[quote name='alyctes' timestamp='1484410867' post='3215315'] I've still got that one. I don't need it, I should flog it. [/quote] Dibs on first refusal! Thanks everyone, checked out a few videos and they have a really nice P sounding thump to the attack but the price seems a bit steep, even for the convenience of being able to play it first and walk home with it. I'll pass for now and keep my eyes peeled for a cheaper example.

I've done some googling at it was probably a 1 or a 1A as Beer correctly suspected the II model is through neck. The weight might be a factor due to a back injury about 18 months ago, as may the neck dive (bad memories of a borrowed Epi T-Bird many years ago) but I'm definitely intrigued. I'll try and knock off work a little early to make the detour to try it out. Price seems about right for it but I'll be sure to check for dings etc.

Just popped into a local cheap and cheerful guitar place on the way home on the off chance they had any nice basses in and spotted a Westone Thunder (possibly an 11? Edit - single P pickup, 3 knobs and 2 switches, I think it was a bolt on neck if that helps) on the wall for £230. I know nothing about these basses apart from a few people on her extolling their virtues so is it worth a 2nd visit to try it out? If anyone owns or has owned one, can they please give me their thoughts? Thanks

Don't have a guitar one set up right now as I'm mostly playing bass but it was:- BYOC Blues Driver COG TK-421 Line 6 M5 (tuner and a few mod/tap tempo delays) MXR Carbon Copy I do miss my 80's MIJ Boss BF2 though, still don't know why I sold it.

[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Have a look at Fairclough guitars, I tried one blind and was so impressed with it at the £300 price tag I bought it. They seem to go for around £150 2nd hand.[/font][/color]

Thanks, I'll probably take it off his hands.

The guy unloading the 550x is also selling a Goliath Jr 2*10. Any opinions on them?

[quote name='funkydario' timestamp='1481129515' post='3189917'] [attachment=233579:Jupiter.JPG] I AM IN...JUST LOVE IT !!! [/quote] And that Cave In artwork.. Fantastic.

[quote name='spongebob' timestamp='1481217503' post='3190704'] ....and I don't have to haggle with some strange-smelling bloke with a unkempt beard to get it, either! [/quote] Hey, I have a name you know!

Sadly, I have to give my 550x head back as the owner is looking to sell it so it looks like it's time to get the Studio 220 fixed. If anyone's interested in the 550x let me know as I said I'd ask around on here to help him sell it as a thank you for loaning it to me for so long.

Picked up a Studio 220 from a local studio which sadly is in bad need of TLC and hasn't worked for a while. Good news is a guy I know through work is a bassist with a lot of gear so has loaned me his 550x as it's been sat gathering dust in his house for a long time. I love it, really easy to dial a great sound into it. It's one of the few amps I've managed to plug into and really dug the sound of. Funny Trace has been mentioned as the other amp I immediately loved was the house amp at a local gig which was a big old Trace combo. Very different sound, a little brighter and dirtier. I'd love to have one of each on the stage but I'm sure as hell not carrying them around!

[quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1479657264' post='3178167'] Nahh, if anything I'd imagine it's a way to quickly age your strings a week or so. [/quote] So they only last 11 1/2 months instead of 12 In all seriousness, I do it out of habit from playing guitar when at takes about 4-5 rounds of stretching and retuning to get them stable but I've found it never takes more than a couple of rounds to get bass strings in tune, and I've never done it immediately before a gig anyway.