NBD: finally landed a P5!

[Riff Ranger]

Bit off topic, but how do the Ultralites & the stealth string retainer work together? I've got a stealth retainer kicking around, but AFAIK the tuners need a washer & screw in post bushing set up, and I didn't think the Hipshots would work with it?

Any advice there would be appreciated, would probably push me over the edge into getting some ultralites!

Somebody just pointed me to a lengthy thread on these Squier VMPVs which may be another helpful place to ask.

 

[Keyser Soze]

Congrats, MB, she's a beaut!

 

[/\/\3phist0]

All this talk, I'm gigging mine Tonite!

 

[Ellery]

View attachment 3452473
As some have read here, I have found (non-boutique) 5-string P-basses hard to come by. Craigslist flakiness cost me a white one; last-minute eBay shenanigans cost me a red one; but Reverb finally came through! I wouldn't have gone sunburst-and-tortoiseshell if I could afford to be picky, but I pulled the trigger as soon as I saw it (figuring 'twas Father's Day Eve and I deserved it!), and I don't regret it. It might turn black-with-black-guard some day, as the wood under the burst doesn't look extraordinary, but I finally have this sound and feel in a five and I love it. Stay tuned for mods, though, haha.

Nice score. And yes that would look way better black w/ black pg. What style do you use this P5 for?

 

[Aaron Houts]

Bit off topic, but how do the Ultralites & the stealth string retainer work together? I've got a stealth retainer kicking around, but AFAIK the tuners need a washer & screw in post bushing set up, and I didn't think the Hipshots would work with it?

Any advice there would be appreciated, would probably push me over the edge into getting some ultralites!

I get it!
I went through the whole thing.
The stealth retainer will not work with MIM hardware but will work with MIA stuff. They screw together where the MIM tuners don't.
Does that make sense?

 

[Riff Ranger]

Nice score. And yes that would look way better black w/ black pg. What style do you use this P5 for?

You know how people ask about the "best bass for metal?" I've got that bass in my avatar, because metal is what I do, haha.

I'm going for something like Jeff Matz (High On Fire) tones, but I don't have a Dunable budget at this point, haha. I picked up the pointy thing in my avatar last year on a whim and ended up loving it, especially after switching to Gotoh hardware and a Lace Aluma-P (though again, the stock pickup wasn't half bad); despite all appearances, that thing plays and sounds like a P-bass. They didn't make them in 5s back in the '80s, and some of the stuff I write really requires a 5 (I have had a 5-string ATK since '95), so the search for a P5 began ... and has finally ended. I'm thinking black or mirror pickguard, cut for a chrome Aluma-P, possibly Gotoh tuners and bridge, and possibly painting it black (my other instruments are all black, but I maintain that most of those found me, haha).

 

[Hank Scorpio]

I get it!
I went through the whole thing.
The stealth retainer will not work with MIM hardware but will work with MIA stuff. They screw together where the MIM tuners don't.
Does that make sense?

Yeah, sorry thought from your post you'd modded the bass with Ultralites and the Stealth retainer together, thought you'd managed to make them both work together

 

[Bill Whitehurst]

Although I am inclined to leave stuff alone until it either breaks, wears out or
otherwise proves to be not up to the job, I can totally see a solid color on that bass.
A classic example of not trying very hard to match wood grain.
I'd start there and see if the tort PG really needs changing or not.

 

[Aaron Houts]

Yeah, sorry thought from your post you'd modded the bass with Ultralites and the Stealth retainer together, thought you'd managed to make them both work together

I've made them work on anAmerican Professional and an American Special
The Special had MIM hardware.
What I think happened is the person at Hipshot heard "American" and sent me the set for MiA replacements which are thinner posts than the MIM if I remember correctly. They're a little looser in the headstock holes, but they worked.

 

[Riff Ranger]

Although I am inclined to leave stuff alone until it either breaks, wears out or
otherwise proves to be not up to the job, I can totally see a solid color on that bass.
A classic example of not trying very hard to match wood grain.
I'd start there and see if the tort PG really needs changing or not.

I know tortoiseshell has its defenders and detractors, but I can kind of take it or leave it personally. If I go with the Lace Aluma-P (likely), I will likely need a new pickguard cut anyway; in that case I might economize with black, or get glitzy with mirror or gold anodized. I might go the SD QP route, which wouldn't require any modification and leaves me the option of just sticking with the original pickguard. The stock pickup has plenty of output and sounds pretty good with the right settings on the amplifier, but I'd like something with a bit less gank and swak (I like a good deal of both, but wow, gank and swak from this thing!) and a bit more low end. EDIT: I took off the new-ish strings that came with it (from a popular manufacturer whose strings I just don't like, as it turns out), replaced them with some broken-in-but-not-dead-and-kept-for-spares of my preferred Slinkies .045–.130 and at least through the headphone amp I have gank, swak, and low end in something much closer to my preferred proportions. Looking forward to hearing this through my big rig tomorrow.

 

[mattj1stc]

This gets my first ever that's dreamy. (And shows me that mirror pickguard with sunburst totally works.) Did that start as one of these Squiers?

Thanks, glad you like it. It's actually a Lakland Skyline 55-64. Pretty much everything on it is stock except for the pickguard

. I thought the stock one (white) was kind of boring, so I went in more of a Phil Lynott/Steve Harris direction. Here's a picture of the whole bass.

 

[mattj1stc]

The ghost of Phil Lynott approves.

So do I.

Mugre

Thank you! He was definitely an inspiration for me.

 

[Riff Ranger]

Thanks, glad you like it. It's actually a Lakland Skyline 55-64. Pretty much everything on it is stock except for the pickguardView attachment 3455282 . I thought the stock one (white) was kind of boring, so I went in more of a Phil Lynott/Steve Harris direction. Here's a picture of the whole bass.

Ooh, I didn't know about these. I kind of had my eye on those 55-01s but they've got a bunch of things on them I would barely use (bridge pickup, preamp).

 

[mattj1stc]

Ooh, I didn't know about these. I kind of had my eye on those 55-01s but they've got a bunch of things on them I would barely use (bridge pickup, preamp).

I've had this bass for 5-6 years at least. I got it new, and it quickly became my #1, then my only. Not sure if they make them any more, but I had one from the first batch in the US. At that time, the only options were the fingerboard (maple or rosewood). I'm a maple guy, but I think that most were rosewood. In terms of resale, I don't think that these come up too often (most of us think they're keepers).

Totally agree on the fancier Laklands - lots of good stuff there, but I'd never use it.