Did you try wrapping other stuff? Does it work better for things where you only need to cover one side (like a pickguard, a box, phone case, notebooks?
If I needed a new pickguard I would probably buy a new one. If I decided to make a new one myself, it would never get done! Do you remember I mentioned I wanted to install Windows 11? Guess whether I did it already or not! But I will do it soon, eventually.
That’s nice! Have the people from the park asked where did you get this bass, since there’s nothing alike anywhere?
That’s by a way a nice bass model to play at a park, where strangers might ask to try it. Since this model isn’t expensive, it isn’t the end of the world if something happens to it (like, someone drops it). The bass can be replaced and the pickups and everything easily installed on a new one if necessary. I imagine after modding one bass, it would be easier and faster to mod a new one.
What kind of music do you play? Besides Kaizers Otchestra?
I wanted to wrap my girlfriend, so she could be the silver surfer! But she is German, so she does not have as much humour as us Dutch have. But, ok, who really has?
It’s not always easy to find one that fits. And often they are tortoise. Tortoise is terrorism!
Installing software is a different talent than working with actual real materials and tools. The fact that Jesus was a carpenter does not mean it’s a divine miracle to handle tools.
I thought I had two left hands and learned that actually I’m quite ok with modding stuff. You need to learn to improvise and not be afraid to make mistakes (that can be corrected), that’s all…
It’s more like: “is that REALLY a Harley Benton”?
The brand is on the headstock, so that’s the first thing people look at, when they cannot get a grasp of that bass. They are like … whaaaaaaaaat? Especially when they play it. It feeds my vanity, to be honest. I wish I could play as well as I can mod stuff now.
I had several requests to mod basses recently, but I only do Harley Benton, cause Fender stinks
It happened several weeks ago. I was like: WELL, SH#T! But then I remembered the whole philosophy of that bass. It’s a big (sounding) bad black bass … it’s supposed to be battled, torn, kicked, beaten … and leave the fight head(stock) up high!
Possibly I destroyed my other (fretless) bass due to overmodding. And I share your thoughts about it: if I can’t fix it I just get another one and make it fretless. No harm done. Sill I wont stop trying to fix it until I am defeated by my limitations to correct my mistakes.
Since yesterday I only play music from artists I personally know. I was at an event in the famous antifa Rote Flora.
100% of the people could have been my grandchildren. 50% of all people I spoke to were musicians (no bass player though). Most acts I saw were great, some good, one s#cked.
I thought it was all stupid playing-by-the-numbers boring rock bands here, but in the leftist scene here, a musical revolution is happening.
And I wanna be part of it - as a groupie that secretly covers their songs in the park…
Also, I found out that we have five or six music bunkers from WW2 (not being used for music back then) - and visited one around the corner to learn they have 40 to 50 gigging rooms each.
That’s a lot of bands making music, right? Maybe Hamburg is not so boring after all - I just looked at the wrong places.
Cheers, getting the correct size does sound sensible
The bass is suffering from more neck dive than I would like, so something light weight would be good. Maybe these, if I can find somewhere to buy them from - GRL510C-12 - G-GOTOH
Make sure that these are the right size. There are two imperial sizes close to 17mm, if I remember correctly.
Remove one Tuner and measure, just to be sure!
What also helps against the slight neck dive is a wide guitar strap, like the Lekato 3.5” 3d strap:
Look carefully for prices! They can differ wildly!
I get most of my stuff from Thomann, but https://www.public-peace.de is cheaper sometimes. Also they provide more details about dimensions, like diameters etc.
So even when you don’t buy there - it’s a great reference….
This actually was EXACTLY my first thought when you said you wanted to wrap other stuff but your girlfriend disagreed!
So I suppose it means this wrap material is not sticky, but rather like kitchen plastic wrap or other plastic materials that adhere to glass without glue. So it might be easy to pull off a pickguard without bending it.
I’m just curious, but I’m not planning to do any modifications to my current Squier. I think it looks good as it is.
It must be so nice to see their reactions
How long do you get to play in the park without people coming to talk to you?
I actually have no idea what you mean. Do they play only improvised stuff?
They sound huge! So many rooms. Are they in good condition? If things get ugly there might be need for them in the near future, though they probably wouldn’t stand modern warfare. But, I’ll try to erase this from my mind. Reading too much news lately doesn’t feel good. I hate the uncertainty of these times. But, moving on, these bunkers look awesome, specially if people are using them for playing music.
Now I’m known as the “bass playing cowboy”, so it takes a few minutes and people come over to chat. I got larger headphones now, so people can see that I’m busy.
Of course that means I don’t play over my speakers so often…
I tried to avoid too many people for a few years … and now I know why I did that
”Stupid playing-by-the-numbers boring rock bands”: just boring rock with overexcited singer/guitarists that think they are rockstars cause they have a mic in one hand and a guitar in the other. And the rest of the band just happy to play on stage, ignoring the ridiculous singer as much as they can.
”Schweinerock” (pig rock) as they say in Germany. Just boring charts cover rock.
Music that makes me change the channel and vomit on the neighbours cat …
Well, they have moved away most dead bodies from 1939-1945 and put graffity on the bullet holes. But that’s about it. It’s 1000% punk!
The British tried to destroy the largest bunker in Hamburg after WW2 … with everything they got.
We already have a plan when things go down. NOT staying in the city and make our way to Thüringen. Everybody we know there has guns … and there are forests to hide. And great sausages
Everyone should read this whole thread. NO EXCEPTIONS
All (or most) of the “don’t do that” advice was good natured and simply trying to prevent from doing things in the absolute hardest way possible, not discouraging modding or art
It all worked out in the end anyway
There’s both a success story and a cautionary tale here
Ha, so, funny story! I complained loudly to Thomann about the original simple string retainer and advised to change it to a version which is top loading, making it easier to change strings.
And … THEY DID IT!
At 2:10.
Thomann really listens!
Next stop: getting rid of that really stupid pickup selection switch and have proper VVT knobs…
In a few years they will have a all of my other mods, hopefully
Did you try wrapping other stuff? Does it work better for things where you only need to cover one side (like a pickguard, a box, phone case, notebooks?
Have the people from the park asked where did you get this bass, since there’s nothing alike anywhere?
