NBD - Burny (Fernandes) LSB-80

[neepheid]

I have got to keep my neb out of Facebook Marketplace.  But it was too sparkly, and only 2 and a half hours away in the car.  May I present this Burny (Fernandes) LSB-80 I just bought, simply because it was there, and I fancied it. 

 

 

I have plans for this bass.  It's had a life, and it's been modded already (active stuff it would have originally come with is long gone, for example), so I'm going to be making some changes.  It's not bad as is, but I think I can make it more to my liking.  It plays really well (previous owner did a banging job of setting it up, recrowning frets etc) and it seems solidly made.  Developments to come, stay tuned...

[80Hz]

Oooohh, this’ll sit really well alongside the Greco! And I know of no better justification than it was there and you fancied it 😄

[Pea Turgh]

2 soap bar pickups?  Black hardware?  That would be ace.  As would changing the strings!  🤮

[neepheid]

2 minutes ago, Pea Turgh said:

2 soap bar pickups?  Black hardware?  That would be ace.  As would changing the strings!  🤮

 

I have an idea regarding pickups which does not require breaking out the router.  Hardware will be staying chrome (for reasons which will eventually become apparent).  But yes, the strings will be going - amusing as they are, I'm a die hard D'addario XL nickel round user.

 

First job will be to change the tuners - I suspect someone in the past has nicked the Gotoh GB7s it would have come with and replaced them with some generic units which aren't great to use - quite a lot of play in them and jarringly clanky play at that.  I have the tuners which came off my Epi Les Paul bass which are decent so will reuse them.

[neepheid]

Spent a few hours on it this afternoon - changed the tuners, oiled the fretboard, general polish up, new strings (my beloved D'addario XLs of course) and a tweak of the setup (intonation mostly).

 

 

Also, found some hidden treasure on the neck heel - no serial number, but model number confirmed and other mystery letters...

 

[neepheid]

More setup shenanigans - I can't get the action low enough.  That Fender bridge is not designed for this bass as it stands.  I could shim the neck, but I'm not wedded to the bridge either... measurements and a decision will be made tonight.

[neepheid]

Heh, I can't leave anything alone...

 

 

I also swapped the bridge for another one which let me get the action a touch lower but I'm still not wedded to the chunky high mass bridge look on this bass...

[Pea Turgh]

1 hour ago, neepheid said:

 

 

Perfect!  10/10!

[neepheid]

Hmm, it would appear that my bass has seen some sun.  The letters on the neck heel ("SL") and this page of the Burny/Fernandes catalogue from 1991 suggests that when it was new, it was silver...

 

 

It's gone a bit gold/green/yellow depending upon the light.  I love finding out stuff like this

 

[Cato]

I prefer it in the 'new' colour, adds to the retro chic, as do the lipstick pickup covers, it looks amazing now, like a forgotten entry in an old Danelectro catalogue 

[PinkMohawk]

Ohh those lipsticks look sharp, I like that a lot. Personally, I'd be looking at a two piece bridge, LP shapes with typical bass bridges always look off to me. I recently picked up an LTD bass that uses a two piece design, just feels right on this shape. 

[Mykesbass]

Could you go full retro with a trapeze tailpiece?

[neepheid]

Wonderful ideas, people, but I don't want to attack this bass with power tools any more than it already has - it's already had holes filled and redrilled for F pattern 5 screw bridges.  My ultimate goal would be to obtain an original Fernandes BB-8 bridge and return it to how it was designed in the first place.