I Want You Back!

 I really have to rethink picking the title for each post at the finishing point of the last, rather than writing the post then coming up with a title, because these titles tend to shift me into a parallel universe I had not intended to inhabit.

My initial intent was to play "I Want You Back" by the Jackson 5 (bass by James Jameson) with the finished Harmony H-805 Bass, teasing my good friend and bass donor Josh about how he's going to want the bass back once he hears its cool tone and sets his eyes on the bling chrome. Fast forward a month, and the bass had been done and barely played due to yet another Mother-induced unexpected emergency trip to Ohio. For those of you thinking "Put her in a home, already!" don't worry, the process is in place, no need to show up with torches and pitchforks with the other villagers. 

So, I might as well just get on with the slideshow, with a small sampling of the wired bass with two test strings and some "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" verse by Paul Simon. Sorry, I'm 1,286 miles from home and it was all I had on my phone! 





To pick up where we left off more than a month ago, time for some shielding:


Shimming the neck. The shim pictured was too thick. I ended up doing the old strategically placed rectangle of sandpaper trick.


Attempting to adjust the truss rod without the tension of the strings just revealed more scary fretboard separation. I could only take out so much of the neck bow, not quite up to the desired standard, but close enough.


The knobs cleaned up well, but didn't fit the new pots, so I ordered some P-bass style chrome ones. Funny thing is, I did the exact same thing with the exact same black volume and tone knobs on the Peavey. Guess this is just an ode to how great toothbrushes work for things other than teeth.


This was from a few steps ago, but I just want to point out that when polishing a decades-old guitar, bike, or other recreational tidbit: If you want to keep the logo, don't try to polish the logo!



I must thank Rye for all his help. It exhausted him.


And I should point out that, as much as I bitch about it, there can be some beauty found in the flat, boring Midwest.


So here's where we started:


I was super-stoked on finding a pre-shaped pickguard online (thanks Pickguardheaven.com) super-stoked on the final look with the '51 P ashtray and knobs, and super-stoked on the sound it gets with roundwound strings. With the grounding and a little fret filing, it plays with very little electric humming (depending on where you put the tone knob) or fret-buzz.

Although I got stuck in Ohio going through some rough shit, it gave me the opportunity to thank Josh in person, hang out, and listen to Doug's band prepare to record in the very studio the Harmony H-805 used to call home. Can't wait to get back home and play this thing!


Hopefully in the near-future I will be too busy playing to tinker for awhile. But you never know.

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