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From Russia with Love - Tonika project

#102
joeLowB said:
This is so cool @JIO! Thrilled this bass SOUNDS so good! I was sure you'd get it to look good... but what a bonus it plays and sounds great!

What a terrific story! Happy for you!

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Thanks! :) As a relative story, I recently refurbished and re-finished this late '60s Japanese long-scale (Tempo) bass that was like the one I started my bass journey playing in 1966. The neck was glued into the body and once freed and the heal repaired, it needed to be steamed and straightened along with alignment work and it's now playable and looks good. The action is a little high, probably much like my first bass and it sounds ok but it doesn't have the magic. (not that I have any memory of what my 1st bass sounded like good or bad!) It serves a personal purpose as an example of the bass I started on, so it's a keeper even if it doesn't get a lot of playing time.

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#105
Love this stuff - commonly found at auto supply stores. It's acrylic lacquer which I don't know how it is allowed in CA, but it acts like lacquer drying very fast and covering in multiple light coats. I shot a number of coats on the neck, wet-sanding between coats and will re-assemble tomorrow after an overnight cure.

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#108
DaveParker39 said:
I name all of my basses after James Bond movies/characters/etc.

My P-Bass with block inlays is "Casino Royale"
My Grey P-Bass is "Thunderball"
My NS-1 is "Dr. No"
And my Spector Doug Wimbish is "From Russia With Doug"
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Most excellent - and are you "Gold-Finger's"? :D :bassist:
 
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#114
Just perused this thread. Stellar work on the recovery, your amount of patience and skill greatly overshadows anything I've ever done or would conceive of doing.

But that body? It's like a car accident, I can't look away. Not that it's good or bad, just beyond explanation. And I still can't wrap my head around the "why" for that shape. Either an inebriated design team or an effort at an early "travel" bass are the only things that make sense.

It's definitely a conversation piece. :thumbsup:
 
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#118
WI Short Scaler said:
Just perused this thread. Stellar work on the recovery, your amount of patience and skill greatly overshadows anything I've ever done or would conceive of doing.

But that body? It's like a car accident, I can't look away. Not that it's good or bad, just beyond explanation. And I still can't wrap my head around the "why" for that shape. Either an inebriated design team or an effort at an early "travel" bass are the only things that make sense.

It's definitely a conversation piece. :thumbsup:
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Most of the time I just do something and hope for the best and the more I do it I start to know if I can do it or not.

Yes, it's a lump of a body.
 
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#119
joeLowB said:
@JIO , that neck is just beautiful!! Not surprised you found it played so well. It's just gorgeous.

And the rehab on the body (plus electronics) is first class and preserved what was originally made.
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:) Thanks! The electronics are pretty much as-was - just needed to solder a loose ground-wire.
 
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