I'd like to say I've got a fleet of boutique basses and top-of-the-line amps in the east wing of the estate, but the fact of the matter is, bass is a hobby for me. I recently got back into it after a many year hiatus, and while I normally jump in with both feet on a new or renewed interest, there's always that chance that the realization that I'm a sub-mediocre bass player will discourage me and I'll move on.
So, my instrument expenditure to this point has been modest. A good deal on a nice bass, and a couple of $50 Craigslist refugees. The SX P-Bass I scored is very nice -- unmolested, beautiful wood, and when I'm done tinkering, hopefully a nice sounding player.
What I picked up yesterday, also for $50, may be a different story. It's a ESP LTD B-105. It was, let's say, abused.
Reasonably pretty on the outside from 10 feet away, but once you get her in your hands, it's like, whoa- some serious issues. Her daddy was not good to her at all. The fact that the lower strap pin had been ripped out of the wood and a strap DUCT TAPED to the body of the bass (only about 20 sq inches), all of the pots jiggled in the control cavity, the tuners flopped like Dumbo's ears, and it had been missing a string since it was closet stored a few years back. Lots and lots of surface scratches that should polish out, and I'm pretty sure the bridge is black and not dust colored. Will take some work to get that back up to snuff.
I may not be able to play that great, but I like the equipment to be at least presentable and functional.
When I got home about midnight, I opened the control cavity to see what was happening. The pots were mostly just loose, but apparently little vandals had invaded and CUT WIRES FROM THE POT TABS. At this point, I have no idea what goes to where, and I'm hoping I can track down a wiring diagram for these passive soapbar pickups. A quick look at the manuf site and they seem to be sorta clueless about how to date your instrument, much less something as sophisticated as a wiring schematic. I may put $100 into this bass, but the lion's share will be labor and sweat.
But enough about my woes. I'm curious who else out there has salvaged something that was wretched to something that was a source of pride? How did you find it and what was wrong? What did you do to remedy it? And of course, where is that bass now?
Here's what I'm working with ...
So, my instrument expenditure to this point has been modest. A good deal on a nice bass, and a couple of $50 Craigslist refugees. The SX P-Bass I scored is very nice -- unmolested, beautiful wood, and when I'm done tinkering, hopefully a nice sounding player.
What I picked up yesterday, also for $50, may be a different story. It's a ESP LTD B-105. It was, let's say, abused.
Reasonably pretty on the outside from 10 feet away, but once you get her in your hands, it's like, whoa- some serious issues. Her daddy was not good to her at all. The fact that the lower strap pin had been ripped out of the wood and a strap DUCT TAPED to the body of the bass (only about 20 sq inches), all of the pots jiggled in the control cavity, the tuners flopped like Dumbo's ears, and it had been missing a string since it was closet stored a few years back. Lots and lots of surface scratches that should polish out, and I'm pretty sure the bridge is black and not dust colored. Will take some work to get that back up to snuff.
I may not be able to play that great, but I like the equipment to be at least presentable and functional.
When I got home about midnight, I opened the control cavity to see what was happening. The pots were mostly just loose, but apparently little vandals had invaded and CUT WIRES FROM THE POT TABS. At this point, I have no idea what goes to where, and I'm hoping I can track down a wiring diagram for these passive soapbar pickups. A quick look at the manuf site and they seem to be sorta clueless about how to date your instrument, much less something as sophisticated as a wiring schematic. I may put $100 into this bass, but the lion's share will be labor and sweat.
But enough about my woes. I'm curious who else out there has salvaged something that was wretched to something that was a source of pride? How did you find it and what was wrong? What did you do to remedy it? And of course, where is that bass now?
Here's what I'm working with ...
