NBD - The Bass Which Dares Not Speak Its Name

[Happy Jack]

A Japanese bass with a Spanish name which bears an uncanny resemblance to an American bass with a German name ... what on earth could it be?

 

Personally, I blame @pete.young

 

[Woodinblack]

I still miss my Ibbenbacker that got stolen from me about 40 odd years ago.

[Schnozzalee]

El Maya

 

...and dibs😁

[SurroundedByManatees]

Fernandes Ricky?🙂

Edited 5 hours ago by SurroundedByManatees

[ezbass]

An old friend of mine had an Ibanez Ric back in the ‘70s.

[Happy Jack]

In truth, it didn't start with a Spanish name.

 

I recently joined a band that does an awful lot of Beatles stuff. It's a weird thing thing, but I grew up listening almost exclusively to The Beatles (essentially until I was about 15, which was 1971), they are and will always be my favourite band and the most important band in my musical life, yet I've played a ridiculously small number of their songs in all the years I've been gigging. So this band could be very important to me.

 

I already have a 1964 Hofner 500/1 Violin bass (yes yes, I know it should be a 1963, but have you seen the prices?) so what I needed was a Rick. Do I go for an early version of Macca's bass (1965 Fireglo) or a later version (natural refin)?

 

That's what sparked the 'Wanted' post for a decent Rickenfaker, and that produced a very nice bass from @Thor which - from a distance - is the spitting image of Macca's early bass.

 

 

The hand-drawn trc in sharpie is a thing of wonder, the rather more professional fake jobbie has to go and will be replaced by a Shaftesbury trc.

 

 

Bridge pickup cover has been replaced by the perspex bevel preferred by most Rick players.

 

 

 

 

 

Reasonable amount of wear to the body, and it's the real thing rather than a pathetic 'relic' job.

 

 

Tuners are much cleaner than you'd expect - usually these are covered with rust spots.

 

 

Only major flaw is the nasty crack where the wing is glued to the neck-through. It's been stable the whole time that @Thor has owned it, and it doesn't worry me. Even if it gets worse it's an easy fix for any competent luthier.

 

[Happy Jack]

I was, and remain, happy with the price I paid for this bass. On playing it I found it perfectly set up and totally playable from the first note. It's strung with rounds, which aren't my favourite but match the rounds on my Rickenbacker 4003/s5 so hardly a problem. It doesn't sound "like a Rickenbacker" but if you analyse what that phrase means, it tends towards the very distinctive 'clank' associated with players like Chris Squire and - of course -  that's not at all what McCartney has ever sounded like.

 

The bass just sounds great. It's a really nice, highly playable, very comfortable bass which weighs a little more than 8lbs.

 

At which point I received a WhatsApp from @pete.young

 

Oh dear.

 

Oh dear, oh dear.

 

Oh dearie dearie me.

 

Edited 3 hours ago by Happy Jack

[Happy Jack]

So Pete is in Hobgoblin Music in Cambridge and has stumbled across an all-original Maya which - from a distance - is the spitting image of Macca's later bass. You couldn't make it up. And the shop want silly money for it. As in seriously silly money in the right way ... it's like stumbing back into the 1990s.

 

What did I say? I said BUY! BUY!! BUY!!!

 

 

Bridge pickup cover is still in place and doesn't bother me at all. I can play the bass perfectly happily with that in place.

 

 

Someone has clearly tried to differentiate between the V/T for neck and bridge. Somewhere along the line, they've mixed up the knobs so that neck volume and tone are the wrong way round. There are no grub screws and the knobs don't just pull off so I'm not sure how to swop them around.

 

 

Original trc is utterly horrible ... but it's authentic.

 

 

This is a very nice piece of wood. No boxwood or ply was used here.

 

 

 

 

And the tuners are quality items.

 

Edited 2 hours ago by Happy Jack

[Happy Jack]

This bass also came strung with rounds, but I didn't like them - especially with the bridge pickup. There are a couple of setup issues that need to be addressed, one of which is the bridge pickup height, particularly under the E string. There's also a fair amount of tail-lift in the bridge and I may consider putting on a Hipshot replacement unit.

 

So I shoved a set of La Bella flats on there and the difference was instant - a vast improvement, and the greatest amount of mwah I've ever heard on a fretted bass.

 

I played it at rehearsal with the Beatles band last night for well over three hours and heard nothing but compliments. I'm a very happy bunny.

 

 

[Skybone]

Nice haul.

[Beedster]

Pretty much everything from Rubber Soul to Abbey Road sounds SO much better on a Ric, irrespective of what Macca (or not Macca) actually played on the track 👍

[Happy Jack]

1 hour ago, Beedster said:

Pretty much everything from Rubber Soul to Abbey Road sounds SO much better on a Ric, irrespective of what Macca (or not Macca) actually played on the track 👍

 

I've alway been fond of this photo - an antidote to the received wisom:

 

 

Mind you, Paul could have sent the entire Internet into meltdown if he'd played that Jazz using a capo ...