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Luthier screwed up my P bass

#181
He sure did make lemonade out of lemons. Great axe, and that PJ EMG setup is terrific. Maybe I'm swimming upstream to some, but I'm sure I'm not alone in being willing to pay more for a Fender w/ EMG's. Great tone, exceptionally quiet electronically, and they skip the ground wire to the bridge, important if you sing on some iffy PA's from time to time.

Sorry for your bumpy ride, but I'd play the hell out of that thing, no problem !
 
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#182
[QUOTE="funkmaster p, post: 21384887, member: 224899"

As others have pointed out, by making this mistake, he was actually doing me a solid. Now, if I want to break out my voltmeter and check the battery level every month or every week, I will be able to accomplish this easily.[/QUOTE]

Get one of these & you can check battery without touching or removing it.

IMG_7521_1[1].jpg
 
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#184
Brad Johnson said:
Unfortunately that POV doesn't reflect the market. Mods typically don't add to the value, in fact they often affect it negatively.
Click to expand...

Oh I totally get that. I guess another way of looking at it is, I don't see a market, I see a keeper. I don't care much for selling things either. I'm in my 50's now and the searching is over for me. In my youth, I flipped a few basses, but not for profit, I was naive and purchased with my eyes, not my ears.
 
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#186
funkmaster p said:
The plot thickens. Here is verbatim what I texted to him.
Me: I'm thinking a battery box that still uses the regular 9v clip, instead of contact terminals.
Him: You got it.
Me: Let's go ahead with that.
Him: We're making lemonade out of lemons.
Me: Yessir
View attachment 3032718
View attachment 3032720
Him: Ready when you are.
Me: Loving the look of the installation from the front.
Me: When I mentioned the battery box without the contact terminals, this is what I had in mind:

https://www.amazon.com/Battery-Hold...00RZ41VQ6/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_pdt_img_top?ie=UTF8

Me: Is this feasible? My apologies for my lack of communication.
Him: Nope, it's a done deal.
Me: Thanks so much
Me: Oops! You saying feasible yes, or feasible no?
Him: No
Me: Ok

End of texts

I don't want to be hard to get along with, but as far as aesthetics go, me no likey!
Click to expand...


FWIW : in my opinion, his solution was the best (and probably only) option.

A plastic battery box, with swing out compartment (as Music Man basses have had since the mid-90's) is a much larger route in the woodwork, and would almost certainly have impeded the output jack - without a doubt it would not have been an option, due to the tone pot.

What he has instead done, is the same small route, and metal plate cover that Music Man basses used to have in the 70's, 80's, and early 90's (and which the Classic series still uses), which happens to be my preferred solution.

The tortoise shell finish is fun, and very apt - though personally, I would just go with a chrome plate.


I think, unfortunate incident aside, he's come up with the goods.
 
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#187
MotorCityMinion said:
Oh I totally get that. I guess another way of looking at it is, I don't see a market, I see a keeper. I don't care much for selling things either. I'm in my 50's now and the searching is over for me. In my youth, I flipped a few basses, but not for profit, I was naive and purchased with my eyes, not my ears.
Click to expand...

That's cool but when it comes to determining value, you're in the minority.
:)
 
#188
I can't argue that point. I treat my basses as priceless. I can can get another P.bass any day of the week. What I can't replace is my neck thru p-bass. My Modulus and Ibby Roadstar would be difficult. If a tech or luthier put a hole in through one of those, I'd never seek his services again.
 
#189
MotorCityMinion said:
I can't argue that point. I treat my basses as priceless. I can can get another P.bass any day of the week. What I can't replace is my neck thru p-bass. My Modulus and Ibby Roadstar would be difficult. If a tech or luthier put a hole in through one of those, I'd never seek his services again.
Click to expand...

I let an Ibanez Roadstar go years ago... would love to get that back!
 
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#190
Too bad about the mishap, yet I think your luthier recovered well (if not exactly how you would have spec'd it). Believe you said the mod is at no charge due to his screw up? That's good customer consideration and the right thing to do. Hope you love the renewed bass.
 
#191
Lowbrow said:
Too bad about the mishap, yet I think your luthier recovered well (if not exactly how you would have spec'd it). Believe you said the mod is at no charge due to his screw up? That's good customer consideration and the right thing to do. Hope you love the renewed bass.
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Thanks, Lowbrow. Really looking forward to using it on my gigs this week.

He did do the installation free of charge, and refused to accept my usual $10 gratuity. He apologized for the error and said that was the first time he had done that in 42 years.
 
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#200
deepestend said:
As long as the wood looks good. Oftentimes they will do a burst because the parts that are painted black don't look so good.
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My experience is pretty much the opposite. Solid colors, yes. Bursts and transparent finishes are the ones that show grain.

FWIW I have a P with no paint on it anywhere and I could care less about how the wood looks. It sounds good, it plays well and it feels good to the touch. Those are my priorities, YMMV. :thumbsup:
 
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