Dave Vader

Very much Ply inside. Here's a link to the flickr set I did of the TRC, it's got some kind of sticker inside, makes me think of fakery. Oh, and Jon, if you want to see what I did to your wonderful TRC work, I'm about to make a build thread on the Rickenbastard. It might make you cry...

[quote name='sprocketflup' post='886078' date='Jul 5 2010, 09:44 AM']Im a (relatively) new face - hurrah!! But I need to know - Dave Vader, what is going on in your avatar? It looks like the story of the Titanic remade using bass hardware [/quote] That is how to get a Jazz pickup out of a crappy bass from a car boot sale, when the screw heads have completely stripped. Drill 'em. and watch the mess. Was a shot from a project thread on another forum, I liked it enough to make it an avatar.

[quote name='Pete Academy' post='885719' date='Jul 4 2010, 07:26 PM']Is it a Talkbass overspill?[/quote] Yep, got tired of the yanks, wanted people who understand the british sweaty pub gig, and get Irony...

Didn't have a gig last night, but whilst at the end of year ball at the school my wife works at, i ran into telebass playing with the Rock 'n' Roll Outlaws. Ruined my usual entertainment of slagging off the band by being really very good. Nice to meet a BCer in the flesh as well.

Will be ripping it apart this week to get the pickups out, so will take the TRC off, and get some close-ups then. Watch this space.

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='885362' date='Jul 4 2010, 11:57 AM']Terminology snob? Me too, although I prefer to call it anally-retentive in my case! (A throwback from a Canadian g/f many years ago!) Now that's an impressive sounding technique, Dave. One step further on from classical guitar! [/quote] Might be why I do it, since I do play classical guitar as well. Steve Harris gets less impressive the more i hear about him mind you, I can't move two fingers that quickly, not without getting serious cramp.

Okay, so I got this by swapping it for a broken Jen Synthetone SX1000, with the guy who broke it. I could have got it for £20 two hours before he got it back in '97. But I had no money, and the guy who needed cash in a hurry sold it to my mate instead. Nice to finally get it. Over the years we've decided it's a hondo, but as it has a rick TRC added to it, we cannot be sure. So any help would be nice, also, if anyone (Hi Jon...) could identify whether the TRC is a genuine RIC one, that would be nice too. Here's pics... Now, I couldn't give a flip what I can get for this as a whole, 'cos I', nicking the pickups out of it, and the stereo output, slapping them in my Rockinbetter, having a kick-arse Rickenfaker, as opposed to the nasty SD pupped one I'm playing at the moment, and flipping the leftovers in ebay for whatever I can get. Now obviously, if that TRC is genuine, I can probably buy all the bits I need for my other project and have change lfet, which would be nice. So, is it a hondo? And does that TRC look like a real ric one to anyone? It's smooth and transparent, with all the colour and writing on the back, not like the raised ones that you usually see. Any help much appreciated.

As the awkward bugger I am, I'll have to say that I hit the lead note with my little finger and work back to my index finger. although I might be the only 4-finger plucker I know. Spent ages teaching myself to do it due to being mistaken while watching Steve Harris... he only uses 3 you know... I didn't Handy for speed though.

Playing with a pick finally knackered my right wrist a few years ago. Had to learn fingers properly, all new different kinds of pain... wish I'd kept the finger thing up 20 years ago.

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='883046' date='Jul 1 2010, 03:04 PM'][i]Dave's efforts in training his dog to "fetch the bass" were not as yet yielding the desired results - Will he run out of complete basses before he runs out of patience...? [/i][/quote] Not as bad as the chewed up brand new necklace we came home to find last night, wife not happy.... Rizla enjoyed it though, and her bass dismantling is coming along nicely

Okay, I'll play, got these took just before the rain started, phew! P-bass by the veg patch Mighty Dave fretless, leaning on a chimenea Rockinbetter by a BBQ Recently acquired Hondo on a tree Pair of Rickenfakers by a plastic table couldn't resist getting a picture of the 2 together. And my not quite finished/started summer P-project, with Rizla, my build assistant looking on

double snap, same colour living room, same amp head... Nice choices.

That is gorgeous, very jealous indeed. Just makes me want to hurry up on the maple boarded fretless P I'm currently frankensteining together in my garage. Pulled the frets and cleaned the slots so far... need it now...

If it had been proper classic Tokai, rather than the unfortunate thing is has become. The new korean/chinese made tokais bare no resemblance to the excellent guitars from my youth, although for some reason they do cost as much as the classics go for.

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='876634' date='Jun 24 2010, 05:17 PM'][url="http://shop.ebay.co.uk/musicgroundinc/m.html?_nkw=rockinbetter&_sacat=0&_odkw=&_osacat=0&bkBtn=&_trksid=p3911.m270.l1313"]COupla Rockinbetters at Musicground. One is lefty.[/url][/quote] Now when did Tokai sort out the pickup spacing on these? Thoot looks so much better than mine, which is probably why it's £200 more...

[quote name='Marvin' post='876253' date='Jun 24 2010, 11:45 AM']I'm too old - sobs uncontrollably into cup of tea Best of luck with your hunt, I had a quick listen to you stuff and liked it.[/quote] Me too, dagnammit...

I am the string buster man... Not as bad as I was, and the most recent time I remember was a rehearsal back in the super cold of december, busted an e and an a, month old set of flats, I was trying to see if I liked them, so only spare rounds, did not sound that great as a hybrid. Used to bust an E pretty much every time I picked up a bass and started pulling on the strings. Always have a spare, as I get too over-excited when things get loud and fast. Probably the ex-guitarist in me.

If you want the lovely old amber look, Manchesterguitartech.co.uk does a premixed tinted nitro lacquer. Spray over the frets, it peels off fairly easily, or get a proper fret crowning file to whip it off with, should be fairly simple. Trick with spraying is to do very thin coats very often, rule of 3s etc. go to reranch and have a read of their forums, much good advice.

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='860205' date='Jun 7 2010, 07:00 PM']I keep this around for any such problems. "The sound man said I could borrow your amp" "Yes you can, I'll just go get it" [/quote] Ooohhh! I used to have one of them, for some reason I really liked it, for playing guitar through. Was going through a 60s Hiwatt 4x12 though.

Mate of mine back in Bideford has to lend his Bass amp to Norman Watt-Roy every time they support Wilco Johnson, I'll be honest, he's quite chuffed about it. I recognise the OP is in a totally different situation though. As the guy who blew up a million amps, I must point out I always payed for all the damage I did, which is why my own gear is always crap. And I only blew up guitar amps, and I think they were all Marshalls, which deserved it as well. Had some of my own gear blown up, and that didn't get paid for, along with the millions of leads and straps that got walked off with while I wasn't watching. Glad I do the cover scene now, no 5 band nights where everything gets broken and stolen. And the moneys better.

Has to be maple, as it looks like one of the many 70s fenders that got away in maple, and thus makes me cry.... a bit, not a lot obviously, big bass players don't cry, and one of them definitely wasn't a '79 strat that I saved for for months until it was gone the day I had the money (only £250, it was the 80s).... MAPLE!!!!!

[quote name='Conan' post='854470' date='Jun 2 2010, 09:07 AM']Are they wired separately to the speakers or is it one complete circuit? Would disconnecting the tweeters stop the speakers receiving current? Should they be bypassed? :wacko:[/quote] Depends on how your cabs are rigged, mine just had a series circuit, the tweeters were wired in from the tabs on the main speaker (only a 1x15) so I could do the job nicely with a set of wire-cutters. Your 4 x 10 could prove more problematic.