Here's a sunburst RC Stromm P-Style four-string bass that's been sent in for an evaluation and repair estimate minus a gig bag. Although I've immediately noticed quite a few issues that need to be addressed, the owner is only worried about the high action and general unplayability. Well, brother, there's a whole lot more to be worried about.
As the bass still has strings on, I've plugged it into an amp just to see if it works. The good news is that it does make a sound. The bad news is that the output stays the same with the volume control dimed, fully off, or anywhere in between. There's definitely something wrong with the wiring, the volume pot itself; or both. Watch the short video below, and you'll see what I mean.
Now that introductions are over and done with, let's take a closer look at the hardware. Starting at the headstock end, you'll notice that the tuners and lone string retainer are cruddy and in dire need of servicing. To make matters worse, all sixteen mounting screws are terribly corroded.
Tuners and String Retainer
Rusty Tuner Mounting Screws
Moving on to the strap buttons, there's a remarkable similarity in condition when compared to the tuners and string retainer. All that corrosion and crud suggests that this bass has been sitting on a stand or hanging on a wall collecting dust. Which makes a lot of sense since it doesn't even have a gig bag.
Upper Horn Strap Button
Rear End Strap Button
Think I'll take the three-ply pickguard off now and see if there are any surprises lurking underneath. But wait, I can't even unfasten the screws. Guess why? Yes, sir, it's because the slots on all eleven are too corroded for a screwdriver to get a firm grip on. Half-an-hour later, and I've managed to unscrew the lot. There's rust spots and loads of grime on the underside of the pickguard, but nothing a good scrub with soap and water can't take care of.
Eleven Rusty Pickguard Screws
Underside of Pickguard - Image 1
Underside of Pickguard - Image 2
Underside of Pickguard - Image 3
The bridge on this bass is a typical vintage-style with four barrel saddles. There's a nice blanket of cobwebs and dust coating every square inch, so thick that it looks like fur. Let's unscrew the saddles and see if anything needs to be serviced or replaced. Well, I can't say I'm surprised. The intonation screws, springs and height adjustment hex screws are cruddy, discolored, and corroded. It's a wonder I managed to get them off at all.
E and A Saddles
A, D and G Saddles
Saddles, Screws and Springs
Cobwebbed Bridge Plate
Close-Up of Bridge Plate
Rear End of Bridge Plate
Back to the pickguard, then. As expected, electronics comprise nondescript volume and tone mini pots, as well as a generic open frame output jack. The wiring has been duly checked, and found to be sound. This being the case, the root cause of aforementioned output anomaly is definitely the volume pot itself.
Mini Pots and Output Jack
Close-Up of Volume and Tone Pots
Close-Up of Output Jack
The split P-style pickup is most certainly in working order, as can be heard in the video at the beginning of this post. Are there any issues of concern, then? Oh yes, there are. For one, there's the sheer amount of dust and grime coating the covers. Then again, those rusty height adjustment screws and pole pieces cannot be ignored.
Grimy Pickup Cover and Rusty Screw
Rusty Pole Pieces - Upper Pickup
Rusty Pole Pieces - Lower Pickup
Last but not least, something needs to be said about the fretboard and frets. Yes, that's a pretty cruddy slab of wood we're looking at. The tarnished frets, meanwhile, display the typical discoloration brought about by oxidation. If you guessed that whoever used to play this bass never bothered to wipe down the strings and fretboard after use, you're spot on!
I've got to admit that until the day it came into the shop, I'd never seen nor heard of a "Spear" bass. But here it was, all rusty and grimy; and begging for some TLC. A little research on the web revealed that "Spear" refers to "SPEAR Gitarren Händler Deutschland." Yes, that means it's a German company. This bass was not manufactured in Germany, though; as it says "Made in Indonesia" on the back of the headstock.
Let's take a quick look at this four-string bass' features, then. The body seems to be solid wood, and sports a Fender-style bridge and P/J pickup configuration. Electronics are pretty straightforward, two volumes and a master tone; and a barrel output jack. All three pots are full-sized (24mm), kudos to Spear. There appears to conductive shielding paint in the pickup and control cavities.
The maple neck is bolted to the body via four recessed screws, so there's no need for a neck plate. Truss rod access is at the headstock end. The fretboard is rosewood with a 34" scale, 14" radius, 24 frets; and whitish dot markers. Meanwhile, the headstock is angled and fitted with four proprietary "Spear" sealed tuners in a 2+2 configuration.
As received, the bass was dusty, grimy, and totally unplayable (corroded strings being the main culprit). The electronics didn't work either, and the cause was traced to shorted wiring. The fretboard and frets? Well, let's just say that not wiping down your strings and fretboard after playing has its disadvantages.
Everything was taken apart and serviced. The electronics worked fine after lots of contact cleaner and a full rewire. The fretboard was scrubbed clean and conditioned with lemon oil, and the dull frets introduced to good old Autosol. After reassembling the bass and setting it up with Ernie Ball Regular Slinkys, I put it through its paces using my little Joyo MA-10B practice amp. The fonky tones that emanated from the Joyo's 5" speaker had me grinning from ear to ear. Don't believe me? Well, do hop over to SoundCloud and judge for yourself.
Sometimes instruments are sent to me for the bare minimum due to cost concerns. Such is the case with this Clevan PJ four-string bass. It lives in a jamming studio and has been used and abused by countless would-be bass players since day one. So, it's no wonder that the bridge is a rusted wreck; and the pickups dead. I've been tasked with replacing the bridge and rewiring the whole thing. And if the pickups are well and truly dead; replace them. The thoughtful studio boss has even provided me with a set of P and J pickups, plus a replacement bridge.
Well, I've replaced the bridge after lots of careful measurement. You know, measure twice, cut/drill once; that sort of thing. As for the pickups, lo and behold -- they're still alive and kicking! Turns out it was shorted wiring that put this bass in a coma. Sometimes, less is more when it comes to the amount of solder one uses. Use too much, and the overflow/drip can create unwanted connections; shorting out your pots or other electronics. I'd have liked to have done more for this bass, like replace those tiny crappy pots with Alpha A500Ks; and the output jack with at least a Neutrik/Rean NYS229. However, the bottom line is that you do what the client tells you to do -- no more, no less.
I'll consider this to be a "custom" four-string electric bass, 'nuff said. It features a solid wood body, natural satin finish, tilt-back 2+2 headstock, rosewood fretboard, jumbo frets, maple bolt-on neck, twin humbuckers, monorail-style bridge, passive electronics; and zero shielding. The control configuration is two volumes and two tones, and the output jack is of the barrel variety; buried in an angled recess on the front of the body.
So, what's not to love about this bass? Lots, according to the owner. The "electronics suck," said he. There was no master volume to turn down during breaks -- he'd have to turn both volumes down, and in the process; lose pickup balance when he came onstage again. He was also apprehensive about using it live because of inconsistent signal strength and various annoyingly-audible snaps, crackles and pops. That, plus a setup that wasn't comfortable for slapping and popping (his favored style). I told him I'd have a look and get back to him ASAP.
What I discovered made me a very unhappy man. The routing and woodwork was generally slipshod and rough, pots were of the 3-bucks-apiece variety; and the wiring iffy. Next, I tried to remove the barrel jack in order to check it; but there was no way to do so. There was no access route, no nut; no nothing. I had to dig a hole through the control cavity wall to get to it and push it out from the inside. When it finally came out, totally mangled and unusable; I had a Eureka moment. The builder had simply drilled a hole from the front of the body and shoved the jack in, with just a piece of strategically-wrapped paper to keep it in place!
With this new-found knowledge, we had a no-holds-barred discussion and decided to retain the pickups, upgrade the electronics, shield the cavities and back plate; and change the control configuration to pickup blend, master volume, and master tone. I'd also be plugging the existing output jack recess and one pot hole, and drilling a new hole in the side for a new barrel jack; amongst other woodwork-related tasks.
That being taken care of, it was time to address the setup issue. Thank goodness the truss rod was working as it should, and tightening it up little by little over the course of a few days allowed for less relief and lower action. I strung her up with Ernie Ball Regular Slinkys (50-105), set up the monorail-style bridge (a real PITA) and called the owner to take her for a spin. He was happy about the positive changes in his best girl, slapping and popping to his heart's delight; but nowhere as happy or relieved as I was :)
