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black & blond P makeover (etc)

#581
I'm not a Fender basher by any measure, but I have to slag this recent Fender branded product. Compare it to the the Hipshot KA and there is no comparison. It would be ok if it costed 1/2 the price of the KA... this one is being sold for (wait for it...) $99 ~!~ Looks like they won't be selling many of these once word gets out about the KA.

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#582
Yikes! The saddles look like pot metal. I hope they aren't. :) Its funny, I used BAs for a long time on pretty much any 4 string I had. Slave to the hype. Once the internet happened and I started having access to a wider variety of modern designs, the BA seems so backward by comparison to nearly any modern multi-adjustable design. This fender version seems to take it back even further... :(
 
#583
Beej said:
Yikes! The saddles look like pot metal. I hope they aren't. :) Its funny, I used BAs for a long time on pretty much any 4 string I had. Slave to the hype. Once the internet happened and I started having access to a wider variety of modern designs, the BA seems so backward by comparison to nearly any modern multi-adjustable design. This fender version seems to take it back even further... :(
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Exactly - I never swallowed the "Like Getty" hype/cult attraction to the crude BA bridge. Credit where due, it was one of the first aftermarket alternatives when new (late 70's? early 80's?) but as you correctly noted - there are far better designs that followed, especially the similarly old (80's) Schaller 3D which being a great design & well made is still relevant. The Fender does look like cheap pot-metal - just crap. I bet GL will put KA's on all his basses once he sees them! :bassist:
 
#584
This Omega looks to be nicer quality than the Fender and the cost is reasonable ($58.74 shipped), but it's a "notch your own" which isn't terrible for we who DIY but not for a novice, and once filed for a specific spacing & depth - that's it. Some BA's come with multi-slotted saddle rests but the KA like the Schaller 3D is exactly dial-able. Note that the KA has machined/cast screw barrel extensions as part of the saddle unit which frees the design to incorporate removable/adjustable saddles. This is where Hipshot made the most significant design improvement.

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The BA - un-slotted & multi-slotted. Price varies from $50 to over $100
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#585
Yeah, that BA bridge still offends my eyes. I guess I'm just an old lady. It reminds me of the sticker that came with my Lace Alumitone pickups.

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Really? I wouldn't even stick that on my case. Maybe my grandchildren will think it's cute or something.
 
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#586
mapleglo said:
Yeah, that BA bridge still offends my eyes. I guess I'm just an old lady. It reminds me of the sticker that came with my Lace Alumitone pickups.

fwtabk.jpg


Really? I wouldn't even stick that on my case. Maybe my grandchildren will think it's cute or something.
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That is awful! I don't think it has anything to do w/being old - just a LCD culture of popular crassness and accepted vulgarity. :rollno:
 
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#587
Got the electronics harness (post #567) today - pics tomorrow when it's light. Looks pretty cool - very visually intricate, like old school/high-tech robot zombie barnacles on a Flash Gordon space-ships hull! I've already attached it to the plate and it's a tight fit. Makes it look like a space-ship prop from Star Wars. Hope it sounds as interesting as it looks! :)
 
#591
mapleglo said:
Yeah, that BA bridge still offends my eyes. I guess I'm just an old lady. It reminds me of the sticker that came with my Lace Alumitone pickups.

fwtabk.jpg


Really? I wouldn't even stick that on my case. Maybe my grandchildren will think it's cute or something.
Click to expand...

JIO said:
That is awful! I don't think it has anything to do w/being old - just a LCD culture of popular crassness and accepted vulgarity. :rollno:
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I just found this sticker in my pickup packages again yesterday too.
 
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#593
Beej said:
OMG! That things looks almost steampunk. Too bad there's no way to make it visible... :D
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It looks like a confectionary! I'm such a visual person - I'm sure the thing that won me over w/this cool hand-wired product was more the way it looked than being sold on the stats. I mean, I place trust in the stats - and made a choice over a few different configurations - but this one was definitely the most 'attractive' to my eyes! (it's why I chose a bass over a guitar when I was 13!) :)

Will_White said:
Plexi back cover.
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with LED's...
 
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#597
MM maple P neck arrived today. Looks good - feels good… almost don't want to mess w/it. I'd still like to adapt it to carry the Ibanez 'heart-shaped' tuners - I just mocked the tuners/sleeves on the hs/neck - and as long as I fill the exact holes with a plug or appropriate spacer… the sleeves will cover the transition seamlessly. I think I'm going to opt to go this route and get this thing playable. Pics to illustrate in the AM. Oh, and brass nut also...
 
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#598
Will start by visiting my local hardware store to see if I can find anything which could be an easy 'drop-in' spacer for converting the peg hole size. I'm always in the multi-bin section of the store searching for re-sourcing something. You can see the tracing of what I'll need. My maple dowel is a bit larger than the hs holes - and if I expanded them I'll lose the stealthy fix.

IMG_0352_zpscbchtxuh.jpg
 
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#600
Hopkins said:
What is the OD of the Ibanez ferrule? I can try and see if I can find you the right size copper or aluminum tubing that you can use as a spacer.
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The tuner post is 9/16" and the hs hole is 5/8" - I bought black plastic washers this morning but just got home and they are not going to work. I'll need to revisit the hw store tomorrow morning, return these and hope to find ones that work. I figured I would stack them to the thickness of the hs and epoxy them in place. I still may be able to do this if I find the right plastic washers (either black or white) They had copper & aluminum tubing & spacers - just nothing those dimensions. Once I find something - it will be an ideal adaptor for such. Just may have to order it via catalogue (McMaster-Carr)
 

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