Boner Bass Club

[simoncroft]

It's the first thing I did after discovering that issue. I used the Schaller 3D bridge with roller-saddles - the only drawback to using that bridge on that bass is it's not the same footprint as the one on there. Great bridge otherwise.
Mine has gone thru a lot of changes -

Wow! I think it's fair to say you've had your money's worth from that bass. Do those dual-concentric pots mean you have an active preamp in there?

 

[Cutter8]

Thank you for the reply. I have the threaded saddles already, but they don't fix the problem with the G string, because the string goes at such an angle, it simply pulls the saddle over the plate, putting the string back where it was. Although I greatly prefer reversible mods, I might just bite the bullet and redrill, as you suggest. It's something I've done many times before.

I have replaced the bridge on each of my three Longhorns with the Schaller 3D bridge and have been very happy with the results.

 

[simoncroft]

I have replaced the bridge on each of my three Longhorns with the Schaller 3D bridge and have been very happy with the results.

Thank you for the input. Much appreciated. Today, I replaced the bridge with a Wilkinson costing £12.40, and the result is very good. OK, the plate's smaller than the original, but the marks in the paint don't really notice in real life. I must say the Schaller 3D looks very nicely made, and it does have adjustment options the Wilkinson doesn't offer.

 

[SeaDunk]

Can I join? This has been my dads for the best part of 30+ years and he has done many gigs with it in those years. This bass has been a part of my childhood watching him play it on Sunday afternoons around many different Pubs/Clubs round our area.

So I took up the bass in January (Much to my old man's delight) and have been enjoying it immensely. I have two bases (HB JB-75 & Squier Sonic Precision) which I'm currently using. They are great basses. I go round my Dads every Friday to Talk bass after I finish work. I will get the Jazz out and show him what I'm learning or how I'm progressing with something. He asked me if I wanted to take it with me. I was a bit apprehensive at first! It has real sentimental value too both of us and for him to offer it to me was kinda a big thing. I think he's just happy I'm doing something with music and to pass his bass he's had for so long on to me, must be a great thing, and for me to inherit it is pretty wild.

It's a E9 Serial#, Olympic White with the original Tweed case (Which has the travel scars to show its been used!) My dad vaguely remembers getting it maybe 89/90. It has a Tort Plate, but my dad still has the original 3ply white one. Its a bass that's been used, and has the character marks to show for it. I will re-string it at some point.

 

[JIO]

Wow! I think it's fair to say you've had your money's worth from that bass. Do those dual-concentric pots mean you have an active preamp in there?

Yes, it has a 9v Fender/Kubicki pre from the same years as my A/S. (early '90s) It sounds like a Kubicki Factor which is, great!

 

[JIO]

Can I join? This has been my dads for the best part of 30+ years and he has done many gigs with it in those years. This bass has been a part of my childhood watching him play it on Sunday afternoons around many different Pubs/Clubs round our area.

So I took up the bass in January (Much to my old man's delight) and have been enjoying it immensely. I have two bases (HB JB-75 & Squier Sonic Precision) which I'm currently using. They are great basses. I go round my Dads every Friday to Talk bass after I finish work. I will get the Jazz out and show him what I'm learning or how I'm progressing with something. He asked me if I wanted to take it with me. I was a bit apprehensive at first! It has real sentimental value too both of us and for him to offer it to me was kinda a big thing. I think he's just happy I'm doing something with music and to pass his bass he's had for so long on to me, must be a great thing, and for me to inherit it is pretty wild.

It's a E9 Serial#, Olympic White with the original Tweed case (Which has the travel scars to show its been used!) My dad vaguely remembers getting it maybe 89/90. It has a Tort Plate, but my dad still has the original 3ply white one. Its a bass that's been used, and has the character marks to show for it. I will re-string it at some point.

Super nice - don't see a lot of A/S's in Oly white. Looks good with a tort pg - better than white.

 

[simoncroft]

Can I join? This has been my dads for the best part of 30+ years and he has done many gigs with it in those years. This bass has been a part of my childhood watching him play it on Sunday afternoons around many different Pubs/Clubs round our area.

So I took up the bass in January (Much to my old man's delight) and have been enjoying it immensely. I have two bases (HB JB-75 & Squier Sonic Precision) which I'm currently using. They are great basses. I go round my Dads every Friday to Talk bass after I finish work. I will get the Jazz out and show him what I'm learning or how I'm progressing with something. He asked me if I wanted to take it with me. I was a bit apprehensive at first! It has real sentimental value too both of us and for him to offer it to me was kinda a big thing. I think he's just happy I'm doing something with music and to pass his bass he's had for so long on to me, must be a great thing, and for me to inherit it is pretty wild.

It's a E9 Serial#, Olympic White with the original Tweed case (Which has the travel scars to show its been used!) My dad vaguely remembers getting it maybe 89/90. It has a Tort Plate, but my dad still has the original 3ply white one. Its a bass that's been used, and has the character marks to show for it. I will re-string it at some point.

That looks cooler than a polar bear with an ice cream. Congratulations on your family heirloom! Great to know you can have such a lovely bass and make your dad proud too.

 

[JIO]

Thank you for the input. Much appreciated. Today, I replaced the bridge with a Wilkinson costing £12.40, and the result is very good. OK, the plate's smaller than the original, but the marks in the paint don't really notice in real life. I must say the Schaller 3D looks very nicely made, and it does have adjustment options the Wilkinson doesn't offer.

As you can see - I had the side marks also as the original bridge is wider than a standard Fender bent-plate bridge.
View attachment 5339522

The Wilkinson is basically a standard slotted Fender bridge, which always works. I can see in your pic the spacing is better than the original three-screw bridge which placed the E & G strings on the edge of the fb. The Schaller 3D from the early '80s/still made is one of the best bridge designs out there. Many thoughtful details; comes in five different finishes, the HM base is curved like a fb, they sell interlocking (base) risers/spacers if needed and the roller-saddles although not groundbreaking (examples from the early '60s appeared on Burns of London basses) are fully adjustable for precise side-to-side string spacing.

1963 Burns of London Vista Sonic roller saddle - I fabricated a brass clone to replace a missing E saddle.

 

[simoncroft]

The Wilkinson is basically a standard slotted Fender bridge, which always works. I can see in your pic the spacing is better than the original three-screw bridge which placed the E & G strings on the edge of the fb. The Schaller 3D from the early '80s/still made is one of the best bridge designs out there. Many thoughtful details; comes in five different finishes, the HM base is curved like a fb, they sell interlocking (base) risers/spacers if needed and the roller-saddles although not groundbreaking (examples from the early '60s appeared on Burns of London basses) are fully adjustable for precise side-to-side string spacing.

View attachment 5416804View attachment 5416787

1963 Burns of London Vista Sonic roller saddle - I fabricated a brass clone to replace a missing E saddle.

View attachment 5416788

Thank you for the input. You fabricate very well, sir! I know a skilled brass worker when I see one: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Brass-Instrument-Manual-Maintain-Trombone/dp/1785211811

 

[GBassNorth]

If yours has the micro adjust bridge (for intonation) HANG ON TO IT. Those are impossible to find anywhere. If you can keep it stock or at least not make any permanent changes to the bass you'll be better off. I expect these basses to double in price over the next ten years, they're already getting very difficult to find in pristine condition.
Congrats on your purchase!

10 year update, I posted the comment above about 10 years ago. Paid about $500 for the bass back around 2010, asking price on Reverb these days is $1500 and up. Looks like they exceeded my growth expectations. I haven't played mine in a while, need to dust it off and give it a good workout.

 

[JIO]

10 year update, I posted the comment above about 10 years ago. Paid about $500 for the bass back around 2010, asking price on Reverb these days is $1500 and up. Looks like they exceeded my growth expectations. I haven't played mine in a while, need to dust it off and give it a good workout.

I wasn't aware you had one George pic?

 

[simoncroft]

10 year update, I posted the comment above about 10 years ago. Paid about $500 for the bass back around 2010, asking price on Reverb these days is $1500 and up. Looks like they exceeded my growth expectations. I haven't played mine in a while, need to dust it off and give it a good workout.

TBH, I think these basses are still undervalued. They come from a period when Fender was really trying to up its game. Slab fingerboard, rather than a thin veneer, an extra fret and more ergonomic body design, generally great build quality… I wouldn't swap my Longhorn for the Fender Jazz I bought in 1974. I sold the '74 years ago, but I'm sure it would be worth more than $1500 today.

 

[JIO]

TBH, I think these basses are still undervalued. They come from a period when Fender was really trying to up its game. Slab fingerboard, rather than a thin veneer, an extra fret and more ergonomic body design, generally great build quality… I wouldn't swap my Longhorn for the Fender Jazz I bought in 1974. I sold the '74 years ago, but I'm sure it would be worth more than $1500 today.

I totally agree for a few reasons - and in the late '80s - early '90s, at least in the US - it was a US made bass. In saying that I don't mean to take away from the high quality MIJ Fender guitars/basses made in the early '80s, but it was a US made bass for what that's worth. It was also, as you pointed out - an innovative bass. Unfortunately this was its problem - Fender at that time was establishing itself (successively/monetarily) as "traditional" and sold itself that way. Somewhat of a conflicting philosophy when also attempting innovation. (re Jazz+, Fender/Kubicki Factor).

 

[guygorilla]

bought mine around 1992...changed the strings to black tapewounds and a couple of years ago I swapped the white pickguard for red...still my most versatile bass

 

[JIO]

bought mine around 1992...changed the strings to black tapewounds and a couple of years ago I swapped the white pickguard for red...still my most versatile bassView attachment 5471686

Excellent -

 

[simoncroft]

bought mine around 1992...changed the strings to black tapewounds and a couple of years ago I swapped the white pickguard for red...still my most versatile bassView attachment 5471686

That looks really cool!

 

[Suntory]

It's the first thing I did after discovering that issue. I used the Schaller 3D bridge with roller-saddles - the only drawback to using that bridge on that bass is it's not the same footprint as the one on there. Great bridge otherwise.

View attachment 5329619
Mine has gone thru a lot of changes -
View attachment 5329622

Someone's been playing the hell outta that!

 

[Suntory]

So I've decided to refinish my '93 American Standard J. It was in ok condition, but I'm having a '62 Burns of London Vista Sonic project bass finished in red and one red bass is enough. It is Lipstick Red and I'm going to aged Burgundy Mist Metallic with a mild relic. I'm doing the relic because the bass has been played for all of its 27 years and I want the body to look consistent with the dinged-up neck and worn hardware. It's a player and I don't want to fuss over it. I did some preliminary scraping at the neck pock edges and found this interesting layering. It appears there are as many as 7 layers; grey (primer), white, red, white, red white, red and clear-coat. - ! - I weighed it at 4lbs/8oz and can imaging once the paint is off I will lose a couple ounces. Not sure why all the layers.

View attachment 3786772
It is a heavy alder body which I lightened a while back. I've never had qualms about altering it - it's a good bass that sounds really good and is not precious - it's a player and one that I've tweaked to be better suited for me.
View attachment 3786792

My second bass was a long horn. Big mistake, I weighed 140lbs soaking wet, I never considered taking a drill to it.

 

[JIO]

Someone's been playing the hell outta that!

To be honest, it's a relic finish - MJT did most of it and I added some of my own since.

 

[leftyc]

Does anyone know of a 3 hole drop in replacement bridge? Looking at a Badass III but will it line up.