My latest "rescue bass" salvaged from the scrap heap and saved from a wasted existence!
This 1980 build came to me with no pickups, a rusted on bridge with no saddles, no preamp, a peeling headstock which i re-veneered and protected with multiple coats of gloss poly.
As i suspected, the truss rod was perfectly fine, but there was some ski ramping on the fretboard. The neck plays well now with a low action, after shaving down a bulge and ski ramp formed most likely from moisture damage, then refretting the top 6 frets and leveling as best i could.
The body had multiple scars and dings, so what i did was to buff out the worst ones on the sides and bottom, create a dark burst fade to further oscure them, and clear coat several times.
You can still see the scars of course, but the wood is now well protected from further damage.
I dropped in some Fernandes Burny T-bird type humbuckers that I veneered to match the headstock, coupled up with an under bridge piezo pickup all linked to a very unique preamp.
The preamp is a high quality Japan made one with extensive tonal control.
You have piezo volume, rear and front volume, mid, bass/treble and a 3 mode switch. 1.piezo only, 2. All pickups, 3. Humbuckers only. In addition there is a master tone, and onboard attenuation for the piezo response.
The piezo adds air and articulation to the sound, meaning you can pretty much use mode 2. as a crisp setting for slap or rock picking styles, and mode 3 for a more muted tone without having to touch the EQ section (once you set it to your taste).
The bridge is a Guyker high mass brass plate and is excellent quality.
The tuners are Gotoh gb350, the highest grade light weight tuners in their range.
The bass took a lot of work to get to a good playing state, so I'm pricing accordingly, as a high-end recycle bass.
It sounds amazing, really clean but aggressive and snarly. It makes for a good recording bass as it cuts through very well.
The only downside is the weight really, being 4.7kg but this makes for great sustain and string fundamentals!
