Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
You're probably right. But I found out that I can run the strap around the horn instead of the back of the horn, and this seems to move the bass a little.
Last edited:
It is a very curious choice to put it there. It seems that the resulting balance would sort of negate the advantages of a headless bass. I’d move it to the outside of the lower horn but that’s just me.
^^ It's not where I'd put it either, but with that shape there are few other options. Still with the two buttons on an almost horizontal line it's better than the more trad bass positions of body centre behind bridge and top horn which wants the bass to rotate neck towards floor. This is worse with a head.
I think you're wrong, by putting the back button near level with the front button you have put the majority of the weight in front. The bass will hang at best level, even a headless bass I imagine. The best place IMO is underneath the body, roughly where your right hand hangs, beneath the controls. That doesn't seem like it would work here, so why not use a classical style guitar strap or put a center pin in the back and clip it to a harness?
What a far out looking bass!...and a stark contrast from the instrument in your avatar! Playing that thing sitting down would be really silly IMO...I'm just guessing here but me thinks that thing was built for thrashing!
I love the wig, a bit of make-up and you could do a good Gene Simmons for Halloween!
Cheers and congrats on the new bass!
I love the wig, a bit of make-up and you could do a good Gene Simmons for Halloween!
Cheers and congrats on the new bass!
WHOA! You not only can play bass but you can go deer hunting with it too. Joking aside. Nice bass!
Previous topic here:
A strange beauty keeps popping up in a local marketplace
Well, now I'm a proud owner of this quite exotic and rare bass, so I can share my first impression.
First of all, pics. Cuz you know, no pics - did not happen.
View attachment 4116688
View attachment 4116689
View attachment 4116690
Appearance
It turned out that cosmetically this bass is, should I say, far from perfect (more on this later), so the price dropped to $250. The guy who brought it (a seller's friend, for seller lives in another city) told me that this bass for a long time was a main touring axe of some well-known local bassist, who played in a support band of some well-known local singer, so it has seen the whole former Soviet Union. Well, in this case it becomes "road-worn", which adds some glory.
The main worry is a long crack on both sides of the body. I don't know if it is even possible to do something about it save full refinish.
View attachment 4116706
View attachment 4116708
Setup
Almost perfect. Neck is straight, action is low, neck relief is small but exists, truss rod works, tuners work, saddles move. There's some fret buzz when I play with a lot of force, but this is to be expected with a low action.
Intonation is not perfect, but I'm going to work on it, maybe tomorrow.
Ergonomics and playability
Very convenient bass. The only thing I noticed is that the natural position to play fingerstyle seems to be over a bridge pickup, while usually I play mostly over a neck pickup. Well, this is my first headless - maybe they all are like this. I think this is a question of time.
Strings are double-ball end (Steinberger licensed). I may get an adapter for single-ball end strings, or replace a nut, or leave it as is. For now I'm inclined to latter.
It's not good to play sitting without a strap though. But since I always play with a strap, this is not gonna to be a problem.
Sound
Sound is very good. Growly, fat, heavy… some would say "ballsy". I don't know if headless basses were popular in hairy metal bands, but the sound of this bass seems to be just what's needed for the genre. I don't play a lot of this kind of music, but anyway. Slap sound is very impressive, too.
Electronics
Looks like somebody messed up with it. There's only one battery in a double battery compartment, a pot instead of a big switch, and an empty hole instead of a small switch. Pots are V-V-T. I did not notice any sign of preamp, but no battery - no sound. Probably active pups.
I've noticed that the bridge pickup is much quieter than the neck one. Also strings D and G sound quieter (and maybe duller) than E and A. Maybe pickups height should be adjusted.
View attachment 4116737
View attachment 4116738
So this is all for now. If somebody has an original wiring diagram of this bass, I would greatly appreciate it.
$250?? Congrats! Along those lines, I doubt it will ever bring a huge return on a resale down the line. I’d fix what ever needs fixing, body cracks, electronics, and nut, and not worry about any mods devaluing the instrument.
Truss rod nut turned out to be fine. One of Allen wrenches (3.5 or 4 mm) locks there as good as new.
I've checked the intonation again with a better tuner (BOSS Tuner app for Android). It's within 5 cents on all 4 strings, so I decided not to bother.
- Dec 21, 2007
- 15,225
- 45,037
- Disclosures
- Lark in the Morning Instructional Videos; Audix Microphones
An update:
To get rid of pickups/strings volume inequality I've replaced original pickup screws with these from Aliexpress:
Now they are as level as should be.
Also a new string set has been installed. Not cheap ($40), but double-ball end strings are never cheap. In this case China doesn't offer any inexpensive alternative.
As for pickups, now I know that they are EMG-LJ5.
To get rid of pickups/strings volume inequality I've replaced original pickup screws with these from Aliexpress:
Now they are as level as should be.
Also a new string set has been installed. Not cheap ($40), but double-ball end strings are never cheap. In this case China doesn't offer any inexpensive alternative.
As for pickups, now I know that they are EMG-LJ5.
To celebrate the second anniversary of this bass I've ordered a custom made t-shirt to go with it.
I've had one of these for 35 years. In fact, it's going to be in my lap here shortly. FWIW, if yours came with EMGs, those are not original equipment iirc. Also, you're missing the passive/active switch next to the LED. That said, I put EMGs in mine about 34 years ago and I've never looked back. I use la bella nylon wrapped flats on it, the black tapes. Sounds great even now.
I did discover that roundwond strings really chewed through the saddles, to the point that they made razor sharp protrusions that ate strings until I put a smidge of 2000 grid sandpaper under there. However, since I moved to flats, zero problems and I play it pretty much every day now (memory lane.).
I once heard there were fewer than 40 of these made, but I can't verify that's true.
I did discover that roundwond strings really chewed through the saddles, to the point that they made razor sharp protrusions that ate strings until I put a smidge of 2000 grid sandpaper under there. However, since I moved to flats, zero problems and I play it pretty much every day now (memory lane.).
I once heard there were fewer than 40 of these made, but I can't verify that's true.
