Through a friend of a friend I met and worked on the Bass guitar of a member of a serious musical collaborative outfit. (I been sworn to keep the name to myself....sorry.)

Long story short....the Bassist has only one Bass he uses for most of the music he plays....he has two spares and one practice. But as he calls it "His bread and Butter Machine", took a dive at WORK on Friday night. A strap button had been loose for some time and chose the end of a song to pull completely out of the bottom of the Bass. He said...lucky it was that one...the bass swung down and just mashed my foot...as he plays bare foot to feel the vibrations from the drums.

So some friends of mine were with the guys after the show and one mentioned that he saw the Bass take a dive. The Bassist said he really has to get it fixed and that he was going to try the matchstick and glue thing overnight. My friend suggested....NO...come see my mate. He is a nutter and would like to meet you and has about 30 guitars and Basses around his home....oh and he has lots of stuff to build and fix guitars with.

So early Saturday morning a quiet knock on my door interrupts a really badly played rendition of Sara by Fleetwood Mac I was playing on this Bass....the Ash Body P Bass.

I was quietly respectful with more over the top pandering....but the drooling on the Bass Guitar Case was a little obvious.

Man has that Bass seem some work....actual bare wood in large patches...so the problem was that the screws for his strap buttons...both of them...had come loose over time and had not been tightened. Both holes had been wallowed out and the neck strap button was not long for this world.

I has some hard wood dowels here in various diameters. I little drilling and a little gluing....I tried to keep the dowel size small enough to both fill the hole and provide an anchor, and also keep the repair under the big fluffy felt pads on the Fender Precision Bass he gave me.

I have a tiny test bottle of rapid dry TiteBond wood glue I got at a woodworkers show in Brisbane last year.....had enough left. It says 1 hour for standard dry....overnight for full dry.

Meanwhile...said Bassist had noted my current collection of 29 Basses and Guitars, one keyboard and one ukulele. I had my computer on downstairs and Rocksmith 2014 Remastered loaded and paused in the middle of that terrible rendition of Sara by Fleetwood Mac I had been playing.

From my workshop/spare bedroom upstairs I then hear the sound of that song going again....and then the sounds from my Roland CUBE 120XL Bass Amplifier slowly began filtering up the stairs.....then bang the song becoming louder and very vocal. The Bassist was using my Ash Body P Bass from this build and playing Sara by Fleetwood Mac. (Big grin.)

I came down after setting the glue pieces....and did a little intro to Rocksmith...and away this guy went. Firstly, he liked to stand with one of my wide leather straps and STRAP LOCKS. (Irony not lost on him.) Second he really enjoyed the Bass. He liked the action height...said he loved the rolled edges of the fretboard and the satin feel of the back of the neck. (I noted his Bass neck has been sanded to bare wood.)

He then played with my AMP settings and then found the push pull pot on the Bass itself. Then I saw the glint in the eye and a really amazing grin. This guy fired right into "The Thrill is Gone" by B.B.KING....and nearly took my head off. He loved the Entwistle PBXN pickups.

Enough dribbling now.....but his Bass ended up getting a number of hours to dry....I fitted the spring ends of strap locks (have in my collection a number of these) I had to his prime stage leather strap and mounted the strap lock buttons to the body of the Bass with no issue. So later in the afternoon.....now playing quieter as I live in a unit complex.....the Fender hit its straps....the Bassist looked at me and made a cash offer for my Ash Bass right then. I said no....but offered to make him one exactly the same....or however he wished.

He had to go as they played a little later....but I got a text Sunday lunchtime saying he would like to even just try the pickups in his Bass as an option...I texted him the link at PBG (currently out of stock.)

You know out of all of this.....nice guy to meet and all....I was proud that my skills, that have been assisted and honed by you guys here...made somebody elses day. I also loved that the stock PBG is supplying us has impressed a professional to the point that I think he will have me make one on commission for him.

So all around a pat on the back and confirmation to we that build, and PBG that supply us, that what we are doing is more than a hobby, and is a continuation of the ART of MUSIC. It honestly made me so proud of the journey I have undertaken with you guys as mentors. Thank you so very much.