guybrush threepwood

[quote name='henry norton' post='1064549' date='Dec 20 2010, 01:02 PM']Unfortunately that's the 'coda' supplement to the original book - it's just got some updates, erratum and extra bits of information for users of the original book. Anyway, there are probably a few people on the forum who'll be willing to thumb through their copies for the benefit of a fellow forum user The board looks to be in fairly good nik from what I can see in the pictures which must have been a bit of a relief.[/quote] Yeah, once I sanded it back, the board appeared to be fine. Phew, no skimming for me! I haven't done much on it today, it's far too cold in the garage! However, I did check the veneers I've glued and they've turned out fine. I'll sand the glue back when it's a bit warmer. I also glued some more at the back.

Right, the first day of the 'restoration' has started. And before anyone panics, please remember that this is going to be a bit of a 'Heath Robinson' fix, on a cheapo bass that I acquired for free. If you're squeamish you may want to stop reading now... Firstly, I glued one of the splits at the edge of the veneers. After using a slither of sandpaper to clean out any glue residue, I filled the gaps with wood glue and clamped them tight. I'll leave it clamped for 24 hours and see how it's taken. Then, after inspecting the luscious fingerboard wear I twigged that this may not actually be ebony haha So I sanded the shoddy paint job back a little to remove the wear and key the original paint And then it received it's first coat of hardwearing black gloss My Dad wisely suggested that the tailpiece should be painted to match, as it looked a bit tatty So here it is after the first coat: That concludes day one, I really keen to get back to it tomorrow! In the meantime, to the pub!

[quote name='fonzoooroo' post='1060355' date='Dec 16 2010, 10:07 AM']Here speaks a luthier in "bodge" mode: Where the laminate's coming apart at the edges, use "titebond". (don't muck about with other glue!) chop a bit of old ply/mdf/whatever to make pads which cover the area to spread the clamping force. Use a couple of sash cramps. Try it dry to check your board pads don't exert pressure on the arching of the instrument - only on the area you're gluing. Cover boards in cling film so you don't glue them onto the bass(!) Glue liberally, clean glue off surface (water). Clamp. Make tea. Repeat process wherever the laminate's coming apart using appropriate clamps/boards. Shape boards to arching cntours if required. Replacing veneer is replacing veneer. chop what's there bcak to a clean edge, then add new veneer. Either laminate veneer to build thickness, or glue a thicker piece of wood on, and shape later (scrapers are your friend) Any instances of seams (fornt/back to rib joints) coming unglued are best tackled with traditional animal glue, (NOT titebond) and clamped continuously (clamps touching - many clamps required!) Fingerboard: If it's ebony it's going to be worth getting a luthier to re-attach it. Honestly. Don't use titebond! Please!!!! If you just want it gluing back on, and are happy to rub a bit of sandpaper (or a scraper) over the board to beck joint yourself, it'l be 30 mins. laboour, and leaving the bass overnight with them for the glue to cure in a controled athmosphere. It's not just a case of slapping glue on and waiting for it to dry! If the wear's bad on the playing surface, ask them for a price for a re-shoot. For me, The severity of the wear affects the price charged. Bridge fitting's a real skill. You may find there are guides online to show you how, but unless you're VERY confident, get your luthier to do it. It's the price of the bridge blank + a couple of hours labour. (blank prices vary hugely by quality)[/quote] Wow, that's quite a wealth of information, thank you very much! To be honest, I don't want to spend any money taking this to a luthier, simply as it was free! As long I can fix it up enough to make it playable I'll be a very happy boy. I'm now back at my folks house for Christmas, so the 'restoration' will begin in the next couple of days - I shall take photos as I go! Thanks to everyone for their help so far.

I really didn't get on well with the DR coloured strings - I found that I got friction burns when doing slides... They sounded great though!

[quote name='Rickylee' post='1051726' date='Dec 8 2010, 02:31 PM']Wow! what a lucky find. Looks like you have your work cut out with this project. I would tackle repairing something like this too! Even if only to learn from the experience. I am a carpenter to trade, but, never tackled anything like this. The veneer should be simple enough to repair, but any splits would need re-inforcing from the inside with an oversize patch, so you would have a firm foundation to close any gaps/splits which then could be repaired from the face side. Not sure what glue is used constructing an ADB but, may be horse-glue or something similar. I think the back would have to come off to gain access to the damaged areas....maybe a hot knife will help seperate the joints, etc. As I said, I'm only guessing. You might be able to find an old piece of veneered furniture as a doner source for the repairs. Would be cool to follow your progress. Udoubtabally speaking to a real luthier who is willing to give up his secrets, would be the best source of advice. Good luck Ricky[/quote] Crikey, I'm beginning to think that I might be out of my depth... To be honest, there don't look to be any 'splits' in it, but there is a small dent on one side... But I don't really want to open it up; I would definitely do more damage. I just want to get it into a playable condition, so I can use it for recording, maybe the odd jazz gig. I spoke to someone today, and they recommended getting glue into the veneers and simply clamping them, so I think that'll be my plan. Once that's done, I'll sand down the fingerboard a little bit, stain it, and glue it back on to the neck. I was telling my old man about it today, and he seems quite keen to help me out with it over Christmas, so it'll be going back to my folks with me for the festive period!

[quote name='derrenleepoole' post='1051149' date='Dec 7 2010, 11:23 PM']So, you fancy yourself as a DB luthier eh? [/quote] Haha, I wouldn't go that far, but I think it would be a nice project, and I already feel quite attached to it...

[quote name='dan670844' post='1050926' date='Dec 7 2010, 07:34 PM']Jeez thats a crime it looks like it has been done on purpose.![/quote] Hmm, you're not too familiar with the mentality of school kids then?... [quote name='3below' post='1050938' date='Dec 7 2010, 07:45 PM']All I get from school is free chalk and paperwork, some people have all the luck. Speak to your Design Technology team or technician nicely, ply them with wine or beer to taste. They may well patch the damage up with thin inlays + glue the fingerboard (or replacement) back on. Strip it back, stain darker, refinish. A fun knockabout DB for minimal cost. Result. Enjoy.[/quote] It was definitely a case of right place, right time. I'll go and have a word with our tech department, maybe ask them about borrowing a clamp or two; I'd quite like to do the work myself though, but that might be a step too far...

[quote name='Musicman20' post='1050218' date='Dec 7 2010, 09:38 AM']Another point, whether you choose Orange or Matamp, they are both stupidly loud no matter what. Ive used the OBC115 with the AD200b Mk3 at full volume rehearsals against a drummer, vocalist, and 2 guitarists with 4x12s. I had the gain on approx. 2/3 and the master on 1/3.....awesome dirty tone but you could really 'feel' it coming out of the 1x15....which was elevated.[/quote] +1 I did have another OBC115 on order, but cancelled it after my first gig. I've done a few gigs with it now, and even when just running off backline I've never had the master over 9 o'clock. It's a really efficient cab!

At work today (I work at a school) I noticed some of the site staff walking this outside towards the bins. I quickly piped up and claimed it, idealistically dreaming that I might be able to restore it somewhat (well, at least get it into a playable condition). The fingerboard has been completely removed, and looks very worn. There is a lot of damage to the body, and although most of it looks like superficial scratches, there are bits on the edge which look like they've been attacked by a beaver. One of the f-holes is damaged too. How would I glue these parts back together? (It looks like multiple laminates of would splitting apart from each other...) Obviously it'll need a new bridge and a set of strings As it's so beat-up, I was thinking it might be cool to go a bit jackson pollock on it and paint it all over, would this effect the tone / playability in a negative way?

[quote name='MatthewKeys' post='1040581' date='Nov 28 2010, 11:11 PM']thanks for the responses! If I boosted the mids on the active EQ on my bass, would it compensate for the mid scoop on the BDDI?[/quote] I have tried this, but it didn't really work for me

I've had both, and the one I still own is the VT bass. As with everything gear-related, it all comes down to personal taste; the VT bass does the Ampeg tone - warm flip tops and SVTs, whereas to my ear the BDDI sounds like a SVT with scooped mids. I found that I couldn't use the BDDI live, as it simply scooped too much out of my midrange. But if that's the sound you're going for, it'll be great for you. Me, well I just love mids! However, for recording, the BDDI is fantastic - it provides a great solution for most rock recording.

They look good, but they only have a sensitivity of 95dB... won't be the loudest of cabs

A friend of mine has the Wharfedale Titans, and they sound great! Really nice clear sound, with an impressive low end for 12s. They're really light too

I've just got one of the orange 15s, and I love it. Everything about it is great, apart from the weight. It's seriously punchy in the low mid, but still has a very deep, round and smooth bottom end, so it doesn't sound too aggressive. Not a great deal of high end, but it's not lacking detail or clarity at all, just sounds a bit 'old school' (you wouldn't be able to get the Marcus Miller tone with it). But even though it sounds a little old fashioned, the performance isn't... it's really loud!

Cheers for the help guys, I shall peruse those pages now! I really can't believe that I haven't made the leap earlier, it sounds incredible! It also looks as good as it sounds...

I've took the plunge, and after selling my lightweight rig, I've bought a valve head (an Orange AD200B). It's just had new power valves and been rebiased, but I was wondering if they have a 'burn-in' period like speakers, ie. shall I go easy on the amp to begin with? Also when should I think about replacing the preamp valves? The amp is about 2 years old...

It sounds like the fan should be coming on... My Markbass was always quite warm after gigs, but I wouldn't describe it as hot.

[quote name='tauzero' post='1004046' date='Oct 28 2010, 04:52 PM']Ampeg sent one of these back in time to him? That probably explains why it's so expensive.[/quote] Funniest thing I've read in ages.

Hmm, I've had 2 covers made by them, and although I really like them, I definitely would not order from them again or recommend them. Mine both took over a month to arrive, and contacting Shaun was, to put it politely, a right pain in the cock. Both times I ordered he gave me the excuse of moving shop too...

I've had a couple of CIJ Fenders, and both of them had 6 digits after the letter, starting with a zero. So I can only assume the zero doesn't count! The US pickups seem to be in the reissue models - I had a 62RI fretless jazz that had them, and my 70RI precision has a US pickup. A good place to look for specs is the [url="http://www.guitaremporium.co.uk/"]guitar emporium[/url], although he's not trading anymore, there's still a pretty comprehensive lists of models and specs.

I used to have the bass driver deluxe, and although I wasn't amazingly keen on the sound (recording with it was great, but for live use it chomped mids), it was simple to use, very intuitive, and a really useful bit of kit for 2 bass gigs.