No. 29 is underway. (GPB-4M P Bass Maple f/board.)

[ozzbike]

Pickup cover would probably detract and spoil the look.
Ashtray bridge cover can look good but has to be removed on every string change plus it robs you of the flexibility to do palm muting, if you're into that sort of thing. (obviously i do dabble in a bit of palm muting from time to time)

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You are correct. I have removed the Bridge and Pickup covers. So much easier to play....and palm mutes are a lot to give up.

[wazkelly]

Yeah, that pickup cover always gets in the way, same on a Ric too.

[ozzbike]

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.

[FrankenWashie]

That is an awesome validation of your hard work and the PBG products. Great story OZ!

You might find that after building him a bass, he may still like your one better!

[Sonic Mountain]

Heh great story. Be ready for it to snowball - this is my workshop a week after getting back from holidays - 5 guitars in for various tweaks, including the snapped head stock repair on the Epiphone on the bench. I have 3 more which I've asked to hold off on dropping around - I'm out of room!

One of the reasons I'm a bit quiet on here is the volume of stuff I'm doing for other people and it's all come about from building a few PBG kits.

At least my projects are getting plenty of drying time.....

[WeirdBits]

That's the kind of story we like to hear.

[ozzbike]

Thanks guys.....I didn't know if people would take the piss out of me. But it really made me feel good...and comfortable with what I am learning.

Sonic....yep...same here....cases lined up.

Weirdy....your electronic guidance is a very valuable resource. Thank you so very much.

###I seem to have made a connection with the Bass Player now. He sends me photos via facebook messenger.....suppose when you work at night in a different location three times a week...you do sit around a little. He has identified that one issue with strap locks.....you either have to have a set strap for that guitar....or go all in...and strap lock all your straps and guitars.

I suggested the second....strap locks on anything he cares about.

He lives in Melbourne normally and said he will speak with his Guitar guy when he gets home.....may try a spare P Bass with the pickups.

Now back to me.....what to do to mark number 30 in my possession.....looking at those Zebrawood P Bass kits....black out hardware....but maple neck and maple fretboard for contrast. Maybe a very bright colour to fill in the light wood stripes.....perhaps a Feast Watson prooftint stain.

Plans Plans....plans.

[ozzbike]

I had to order some bits from PBG and saw that they had some Ernie Ball flat wounds at a reasonable price....still dear compared to rounds.....so I ordered a set.

I fitted them to this P Bass today. I know they can take a few months to play themselves in....but not bad so far. They have a distinct sound, and very much more so, they have a totally different feel to play.

I find that they are more Bass than round wounds....the top end notes are just trimmed off...you do get sustain, just not ages of it. The sounds are very clear and not muddy which was my concern.

I have had to completely redo the setup on the Bass. The neck shim I had in place is now gone to be replaced with a thin sliver of the end of a business card. The string height, neck relief and even intonation have all changed. I checked them all before the string change.

I have to say, though, that I did sneak about an hour on them playing a list of 100% correct songs on Rocksmith 2014. Playing is really fun and new with these strings.

I will take a piccie of the packet and the strings on the Bass tomorrow. But, if you have multiple Basses can I suggest you try flat wounds on one of them for a different rounder fatter bottom end.

[dozymuppet]

Yep, I dig the flat wounds on my J bass. The lack of string slide noise is very nice when moving around the fret board.

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[Cliff Rogers]

I love flats, I use D'Addario Chromes on my Bass & my Epi 335, sliding is now very quiet.