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What are some aesthetically 80's basses?

Mine looked like this. I wish I still had it.
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I've made three mods to my B2V:

1. Pulled the frets out. This was a beater when I bought it -- paint was trashed and the pickups didn't work (read below), so a fretless seemed like a fun project. The slots were filled with rosewood dust and epoxy. I dropped in a little fluorescent yellow paint on the slots. With it being a thru-body, it's got a great tone. The low B sounds sweet and clear... not at all muddy.

2. Installed EMG 40P and 40J pickups. The original pickups Hohner installed were poop and mine were DOA when I bought it. These EMG soaps were the easiest thing that fit and that certainly worked for me as I love EMGs -- they sound great and they're reliable.

2. Fresh paint applied. When I pick up the bass secondhand, the bass had been sloppily stripped and stained and painted several times along with having a bunch of stickers applied and removed, thus ripping off some of the paint. It was in such sad cosmetic shape, I felt the need to do something so I stripped it and tung-oiled it, not knowing the grain of the maple was never really meant to be seen. So I went crazy with a bunch of paint pens, making it look like some fifth-grade art project. It was dumb move as I simply made this thing fugly and ridiculous. But I'm a fisherman... and a fly fisherman... and I just love the look of brown trout... so found someone who specializes in painting trout (Bob Batchik in Michigan) and had the bass stripped yet again and refinished as you see below. Bob did a killer job on everything. And btw, painting over the pickups did nothing to change the sound.

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Forgot the photos as I was on a Zoom call.
 
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1. Installed EMG 40P and 40J pickups. The original pickups Hohner installed were poop and mine were DOA when I bought it. These EMG soaps were the easiest thing that fit and that certainly worked for me as I love EMGs -- they sound great and they're reliable.
I've thought about EMGs, and I have a few other PUs to order from them in the NY, an HBCS for the XL2 (custom wiring) and a set for the Spirit guitar so adding another couple of 40s would save some postage costs. The previous owner butchered the electronics, removing the tone pot and adding a switch, and now I can only get the neck PU and 1 VC. I think I'd go DC/CS though or a pair of TWs.

Where did you put the battery box? Above the bridge?

and I just love the look of brown trout... so found someone who specializes in painting trout (Bob Batchik in Michigan) and had the bass stripped yet again and refinished as you see below. Bob did a killer job on everything. And btw, painting over the pickups did nothing to change the sound.
Fishing's not really my thing, but I bet within a month of moving home, I end up going on several outings with neighbours. When I lived there before some didn't like it, as I seem to catch a few, but as I sometimes have bad reactions to fish, they're dog food.

It's not a paint scheme I'd rock, but you saved a great and underrated bass, so I can forgive you.
 
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I appreciate you forgiving me. :D

The bass is thick enough that a 9-volt can sit behind the pots inside the control cavity with no issues.

I've thought about EMGs, and I have a few other PUs to order from them in the NY, an HBCS for the XL2 (custom wiring) and a set for the Spirit guitar so adding another couple of 40s would save some postage costs. The previous owner butchered the electronics, removing the tone pot and adding a switch, and now I can only get the neck PU and 1 VC. I think I'd go DC/CS though or a pair of TWs.

Where did you put the battery box? Above the bridge?

Fishing's not really my thing, but I bet within a month of moving home, I end up going on several outings with neighbours. When I lived there before some didn't like it, as I seem to catch a few, but as I sometimes have bad reactions to fish, they're dog food.

It's not a paint scheme I'd rock, but you saved a great and underrated bass, so I can forgive you.
 
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Reactions: mikewalker