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NBD PB-70
- Thread starter JGbassman
- Start date
Well after the first 12 hours here is my take.
I've given the bass a good cleaning, oiled the fretboard, fixed the roughness in the tuners, and given it a nice setup. It plays and sounds amazing.
The bass was well setup when I received it, and I was especially impressed with the flawless fret job, to include the fret ends and polished frets. There isn't a mark on them, so it's had a recent fret job done, which was impeccable. The neck has a rolled fretboard, so it's smooth and comfy. The fretwork/neck/nut is on par or better than any US Fender I've had in my past or have. I can't stress enough what a huge difference this makes in how a bass feels to a player. I do my own work, and with about 90% of the basses I get, they take some work to get to where this bass was once I got it.
The tuners had some rough/tight spots when turned, which is fairly typical of older tuners. I take them off, take them apart, clean them, then apply a little anti-seize compound (the kind you use for spartplug threads in aluminum heads) in the wear/contact areas, and it will smooth their action right up.
Next I took a peak under the hood, where the electronics are all original and the solder points are in good shape. I did have to put a small piece of foam under the pickups to take away the spongy feel the pickups had when I played over them (yes I know, I'm very picky) once they were correctly adjusted for height.
Normally, I change out the strings and pickups, as a favor the EMG Geezer Butlers for precisions, but the pickups in this bass I'm going to leave alone. They are a little less midrangy than the EMG's, but in a way I like. A/B testing with this and my other EMG equipped basses tell me there is some nuance differences, but I like the stock pickups in this bass. Where the EMGs get very growly and breakup when pushed, these seem a little more warmer and polite. Not weenie polite, more like "putting a nice suit on Mike Tyson" polite. I have practice today, so I will test how they sit in a mix.
At this point I'm very impressed with the feel, sound, and look of this bass. While this might be a copy of a mid/late 70's p bass, this takes from all the good points. The level of craftsmanship, attention to detail,and asthetics all come together in an absolutely killer bass. I cannot think of any reason to buy an actually mid 70's bass when this one is such a value. I'm not a collector, so buying a bass that sits in a case waiting for the value to go up is not what I'm interested in. I'm a player, and my basses all see stage time. The only mod this bass will be seeing will be a hipshot D tuner. Those are mandatory for me, lol.
I can post more pictures later if anyone would like, but not I've got to polish up on some songs for practice today.
Peace..
I've given the bass a good cleaning, oiled the fretboard, fixed the roughness in the tuners, and given it a nice setup. It plays and sounds amazing.
The bass was well setup when I received it, and I was especially impressed with the flawless fret job, to include the fret ends and polished frets. There isn't a mark on them, so it's had a recent fret job done, which was impeccable. The neck has a rolled fretboard, so it's smooth and comfy. The fretwork/neck/nut is on par or better than any US Fender I've had in my past or have. I can't stress enough what a huge difference this makes in how a bass feels to a player. I do my own work, and with about 90% of the basses I get, they take some work to get to where this bass was once I got it.
The tuners had some rough/tight spots when turned, which is fairly typical of older tuners. I take them off, take them apart, clean them, then apply a little anti-seize compound (the kind you use for spartplug threads in aluminum heads) in the wear/contact areas, and it will smooth their action right up.
Next I took a peak under the hood, where the electronics are all original and the solder points are in good shape. I did have to put a small piece of foam under the pickups to take away the spongy feel the pickups had when I played over them (yes I know, I'm very picky) once they were correctly adjusted for height.
Normally, I change out the strings and pickups, as a favor the EMG Geezer Butlers for precisions, but the pickups in this bass I'm going to leave alone. They are a little less midrangy than the EMG's, but in a way I like. A/B testing with this and my other EMG equipped basses tell me there is some nuance differences, but I like the stock pickups in this bass. Where the EMGs get very growly and breakup when pushed, these seem a little more warmer and polite. Not weenie polite, more like "putting a nice suit on Mike Tyson" polite. I have practice today, so I will test how they sit in a mix.
At this point I'm very impressed with the feel, sound, and look of this bass. While this might be a copy of a mid/late 70's p bass, this takes from all the good points. The level of craftsmanship, attention to detail,and asthetics all come together in an absolutely killer bass. I cannot think of any reason to buy an actually mid 70's bass when this one is such a value. I'm not a collector, so buying a bass that sits in a case waiting for the value to go up is not what I'm interested in. I'm a player, and my basses all see stage time. The only mod this bass will be seeing will be a hipshot D tuner. Those are mandatory for me, lol.
I can post more pictures later if anyone would like, but not I've got to polish up on some songs for practice today.
Peace..
That he does. It's something you don't see everyday.
One more question. When your bass got delivered, did you have to pay the delivery service any import duties or fees?
I had one of these. the neck shape is wonderful. Unfortunately, mine had a ski jump, loose frets, and a super sensitive truss rod. I ended up having the upper frets filed, but could never get the neck adjusted how I wanted it.
I agree. I always take lots of pictures to document when I get a “mail order bride”. It helps in case anything is wrong. In this case I thought it would be good to show how to properly package a bass for continental or international travel.
i'll bet it does!
you did your due diligence with an honest, conscientious broker and you still got lucky! cool story/experience! congratulations on your new instrument!
Nope. I signed for it and that's all they needed. It was actually free shipping.
I've been tweaking the truss rod a little today. It settled in to the climate here with a little back bow, so I took a quarter turn out. Looks like a bit too much, so I'll put 1/8th back into it and let it sit for a bit. I should have it dialed it tonight. I'm heading to practice right now or I would finish it up.
Just saw you live in Nixa. I used to live just west of you on 14 in Clever. Later on in Crane. I worked at a place based out of Galena. It's been quite a few years since I've been there, but will never forget Lamberts Cafe.
Can you share the seller? I’ll admit to being a bit concerned ordering from Japan. But with your experience, that seller looks to be very reputable. Type of person I’d love to do business with.
hi guys
Origami? You mean the weed Italians put on their pizza?
Without kidding: It' s not a swan! The origami swan has a shorter "tail"!
edit: actually it' s the long legs (left side in the pic) of a crane, not it' s "tail"
It' s a tsuru (the japanese word for crane)
The crane is a symbol for a long life, happiness, good luck and peace.
Not only for the one who receives it, but also for the one who folds it!
Fold 1000 cranes and you will be granted a good wish.
Nice P bass btw! 
Happy NBD!!!
greetings
Wise(b)ass
Origami? You mean the weed Italians put on their pizza?
Without kidding: It' s not a swan! The origami swan has a shorter "tail"!
edit: actually it' s the long legs (left side in the pic) of a crane, not it' s "tail"
It' s a tsuru (the japanese word for crane)
The crane is a symbol for a long life, happiness, good luck and peace.
Not only for the one who receives it, but also for the one who folds it!
Fold 1000 cranes and you will be granted a good wish.
Nice P bass btw! Happy NBD!!!
greetings
Wise(b)ass
Last edited:
hi guys
Origami? You mean the weed Italians put on their pizza?
Without kidding: It' s not a swan! The origami swan has a shorter tail!
It' s a tsuru (the japanese word for crane)
The crane is a symbol for a long life, happiness, good luck and piece.
Not only for the one who receives it but also for the one who folds it!
Fold 1000 cranes and you will be granted a good wish.
Happy NBD!!!
greetings
Wise(b)ass
Well that is awesome! I love learning new stuff here! Thanks!
