Actually the order says JB-4L.Originally Posted by wokkaboy
No photos of the old bass, but I remember finding a cassette tape a few years ago with a couple of 4-track recordings I'd made using it. I've got no idea where that is, but I'm still on the lookout for it.
It was just a standard right-handed 6 string guitar. I don't know what make it was because the previous owner had repainted it with garish red and blue enamel, but I could tell it wasn't a complete piece of junk. It wasn't a copy of any particular brand. The standout feature was it had a rocker switch engraved: " Rizm/Solo". It was only years later that I realized that was supposed to be "Rhythm/Solo"!
I got started when I saw some water-damaged bass guitar string sets in a disposal store. They were sealed in plastic boxes so only
the labels were damaged, but they were going for about $4.50 so I bought some. I made a new 4-notch nut from a piece of ox leg bone cut for me by a friendly butcher on his bandsaw! The pickups worked fine even though the strings didn't quite line up. I was a bit dubious about the machine heads but they tuned the heavy strings OK.
This was actually in New Zealand where I lived for about 9 years. I gave the guitar to a neighbour's kid when I left; figuring I'd get something decent when I got back to Australia. Better late than never!
Edited to add: As for the scale length, I suspect it might actually have been one octave higher than a standard bass, but it still sounded OK.
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