NBD!

[KenC]

My new-to-me 1982 L-1000 arrived today. I would love to say she's gorgeous and plays like a dream, but that day is going to be at least a couple of weeks down the road. The previous owner should be banned for life from buying spray paint. The seller was very open and honest about the condition, so there were no surprises - just reality.

I'll try to get some "before" pictures this weekend. The bass is all original except for a couple of screws, and the truss rod still turns. The fretboard is the clearest, blackest ebony on any of my G&Ls. That's the good news. Here's what a previous owner managed to do:

1. Refinished the body in the goopiest metallic burgundy paint I've ever seen/felt. I haven't test-sanded a patch on the body yet, but I suspect the finish was chemically stripped. Ripples from teh grain are very obvious on the finish, so he must have applied it to bare wood. I can tell he applied sanding sealer, but he didn't bother actually sanding it out. The paint still feels tacky in spots, even though I suspect the refinishing was done early in the bass's life.

2. Reassembled the instrument before the paint was fully dry. I was able to get the heel of the neck down to the original lacquer and the neck pocket down to bare wood this evening, but there must have been an eighth of an inch of paint sandwiched in there. It took a couple of minutes of careful pressure just to get the neck out of the pocket. I thought for a moment that it had become the first set-neck G&L.

3. Wedged the pickup at an unnatural angle. Viewed across the top of the body, the pickup looks like a sinking ship. One corner is flush with the body, and the opposite corner is almost out of the body. Two of the screws spin freely in place, and the other is rusted over and won't accept the screwdriver. Incidentally, this screw is the only spot of corrosion I can find anywhere on the instrument. Of course, this seems to have gone into a wet finish too, and I can't get it to budge. I was able to gently work a putty knife around the perimeter and separate the paint from the plastic, at least.

4. Lost four of the six bridge mounting screws. Hopefully I will be able to get direct replacements from G&L, if they haven't changed in the past thirty years.

5. Mounted the control plate with oval-head wood screws. I suspect the holes may be enlarged now, but I should at least be able to replace the screws with something that looks more like the originals.

6. Put multiple splices into the pickup leads. Two of them broke when I removed the plate, but at least it looks like everything is original and in order. For the time being, I have no idea how the pickup even sounds.

7. Turned the fingerboard into a disgraceful mess. He must have played this thing with a chocolate bar in one hand and a bunch of Doritos in the other. I spent a LOT of time cleaning it this evening, and will probably spend at least as much again before I'm ready to start with the walnut oil.

8. Let the strings rust off. I'm serious, the three that were still on the bass were literally rusting through. I have never seen anything like this before, and I only change my bass strings less than once per decade.

9. Locked himself out of the case, and broke both end latches to open it.

I'm guessing the bass sat in it's case for a very long time after the botched refinishing attempt. The only case candy (aside from the corner of a candy wrapper - kind of ironic, huh?) was a really skinny black and white checkered strap with a Dickies logo on it. I was in eleventh grade when this bass left the factory, and remember Dickies clothing being a the fashion of the day. Checker patterns were all the rage, too.

I'm not complaining about this bass by any means. I think it will be a phenomenal player after a little bit of work. I got a great deal on this for an early Wunkay with no destructive modifications or missing parts. After I've decided on a color I will practice painting on a lot of scrap lumber, and when that looks like a factory finish I MAY try refinishing this myself. The damage has already been done, so the most I would have to worry about was the prospect of sanding it again and going to a professional. The worst case I'll be looking at is a couple of hundred for a good paint job and possibly the cost of a rewind. A new L-2000 pup will also be an option if there are problems with the original. All in all, it will add up to be less than most Wunkays are going for these days.

Pictures will follow in the "Projects" section.

Ken

[louis cyfer]

did the seller pay you to take the guitar?

[KenC]

Just about! Even in the worst case scenario of needing the services of a top-end refinisher and replacement/rewind for the pickup, it will still work out to have cost somewhat less than the poorly modified ones are going for on eBay these days.

The neck on this one feels really close to my '69 Precision neck. It's hard to be sure without strings, but it may be just a little bit shallower. I'm sure I will get used to it though.

Ken

[darwinohm]

Ken, this sounds like a fun project. I have a bass that has been stripped for two years that is just waiting for me to catch up! Hope you enjoy it.== Darwin

[sickbutnottired]

Whoa. Did you say spray paint? And it gets worse!

I am pretty sure the (bass) guitar gods smile on those who make the labor of love to bring these abused instruments back!

Enjoy!

[KenC]

Jeremy,

I agree about helping good basses who didn't deserve their previous owners. My main bass was cobbled together from pieces of demolished instruments when I was in high school. I started out with a '78 Jazz body that had possibly been buried in a shallow grave at the beach (the control cavity and pup routes were literally filled with beach sand, and the wood had contracted/split at a seam due to heat). The maple fingerboard on that bass had been planed down and capped with rosewood furniture veneer. After somehow managing to play it for a couple of years, I found a '69 Precision neck that lost its body. The repairman who sold it to me got too upset to explain what had happened to the body, but I got the impression somebody had played with a router or a bandsaw. Add a couple of old Dimarzio pups that had literally been thrown away outside a local guitar shop, and you have a bass that has served me well for thirty years now. The L-1000 came into the picture when I realized I wasn't willing to risk theft or damage by playing out with my old hybrid.

My backup is an early SB-1, which I also love. It lack the headstock decal and has some sloppy (original) routing around the neck pocket. This makes me suspect it was a practice instrument for a new employee back in '82-'83. This one has very low-tension strings which work very well for some music, but not for what I'm currently playing. It was too perfect to change, thus the addition of the Wunkay.

I'm nowhere near the refinishing stage, but I'm already starting to ponder the choice between going with a period-appropriate finish (which would be black or candy apple red in most instances), or going with something more modern that I will really love - probably Belair green or something sparkly. All good things in all good time, I guess.

Ken

[KenC]

Darwin,

Thanks for the comment. On a semi-related topic, have you tried flatwound strings on your L-2000 by any chance? I know I will be using flats on this one, but I'm not sure which set to go with. I have old Rotosound ground wounds on my Fender hybrid and really love them, but they don't seem to be in production any more. Any thoughts on a good set to try?

Ken

[darwinohm]

Ken, I have used a lot of flatwounds over the years. Most recently I had used D'Addario stainless flatwounds. I have also used the Roto Grounds and they had a brighter tone than the flatwounds. If you like a nice mellow tone the flatwounds are perfect. They are also easy on the frets, necks and fingers. I like more growl and definition and have been back to using roundwounds. I prefer the tone for what I do and both my Stingray 5 and L-2500 are now strung with roundwounds. I had to use the Stingray 5 as backup a week ago when I had trouble with the output jack on the L-2500. it doesn't growl and have the definition that the L-2500 does. I did get the L-2500 back on the air after the break and I really prefer it. I have since replaced the output jack and it is back in business. I still have flatwounds on my American Deluxe Fender 4 string but rarely use it. It took a long time for me to decide which I really like best.-- Darwin

[KenC]

I guess I'll experiment. My first thought was just to get something cheap to put on and make sure there are no issues with the L-1000's neck before proceeding with the restoration. Rather than fighting DC traffic to get to a local shop, I took the lazy way and stopped by GC. The cheap strings were expensive enough that I went ahead and bought Rotosound 77s (jazz flats), but when I got home I realized I had payed twice as much as they cost at Just Strings. So, they will go back and I'll order a set online.

I'm hoping to find a set that have fairly strong tension and a fast attack without much in the way of overtones. I'm not looking for a completely thumpy dead sound though, as I will probably be putting gut strings on my upright for any numbers that require that. I want the electric bass to party like it's 1959...

Ken

[astutzmann]

Has anyone tried the Thomastik-Infeld NIckel wound steel strings? They get very high ratings but are very very expensive. (like $60)

I dont use my bass much but am thinking of a project. Its a fender MIM jazz bass and I am thinking of new pups, pickguard, new control arm and pots, new bridge (babicz) and then the strings.

Since I know nothing about the bass, its going to be a fun project, just want to see what it becomes after.

THx,

[Ken Baker]

Has anyone tried the Thomastik-Infeld NIckel wound steel strings? They get very high ratings but are very very expensive. (like $60)

There are TI Powerbass strings, TI Jazz Rounds, and Infeld Super Alloys. All are non-stainless round wound strings.

• Powerbass are medium guage, bright, and loud. I've used them on various basses including G&L L series. These actually caused a kind of over-driven sound with an L-2000 I used to have, which was cured by lowering the pickups and dialing back gain.
  
  Jazz Rounds are extra light and quite low tension. I tried them many years ago but didn't really give them enough of a chance. I play with a fairly light touch, but these were too light for me.
  
  Super Alloys are my string of choice for all the basses I play. Fat & juicy tone that stays remarkably consistent with age. Light/medium gauge & tension and easy to play. They sound great with MFDs - really make them shine. They also sound great with Nordstrand Big Splits. I've not tried them with classic Jazz-style pickups, but they should work very well.

TI & Infeld are not inexpensive, but they last a long time which offsets the cost. TI Jazz Flats are very expensive, but they get better with age and don't get tossed unless one is broken. I've got a bass here that I repaired for a friend of one of my kids, and it has an abused and badly grunged set of Super Alloys. They still sound pretty good.

Ken...

[KenC]

I was thinking about the TI Jazz Bass set ($62 at Just Strings), but the gauge is a bit lighter than what I'm looking for. I haven't played or heard any TI electric bass strings, but their various upright strings have excellent reputations. I just took my new set of Rotosound Jazz Bass flats back to Guitar Center to have them price match Just Strings. If I have time tonight I will put them on and see how they feel.

Playing upright really changed my perspective on the cost of electric bass strings. I've been thinking about switching over to gut strings on my upright, and the best deal I can find on a quality product is almost $300 for a set. The hybrid set (capable of plucking and bowing) was a bargain at $200. As Ken said, at least they don't need to be changed very often.

Ken