love of Ampeg and other Scroll Basses, Part 2

#8,301
Bruce Johnson said:
Hi gang! I'm back on my feet, approximately......These last few weeks have been very frustrating.

Basically I was unable to walk, even with crutches, for about two weeks. And it was caused by a side effect of a drug that my Cardiologist put me on. Five days after I started on the drug, my right foot became swollen and inflamed. In a few days, that spread to my right ankle, and became almost like tendonitis. In a few more days, it was into my left foot and ankle. It was like having two badly sprained ankles. It was really painful to walk or stand, even with two crutches. I went to my regular Doctor to try to get some help, but she really had no idea what was going on. Only when I went online and did my own research, I found that this was a known common side effect of this drug (Amlodipine), and that if you have these side effects, you should stop taking it immediately and consult your Doctor! I stopped taking it and now, a week later, the swelling and inflammation is mostly gone. I'm up walking around without crutches, although my ankles are still a little swollen and sore. I have to take it easy and not spend too much time on my feet.

I don't want to get into a big rant about Doctors and prescription drugs for old men, but I'm obviously pretty angry about this. I've had two other potentially serious medical issues this year, which were directly caused by these drugs. I stopped taking the drugs on my own decision, and the problems cleared up immediately. I'm getting sick of this. But let's not talk about this on this thread.

The important news is that I am able to work in the shop again! Today I'm finishing up the last details on the String Lathe. And I hope to get back on poor old #018 tomorrow.
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Glad your doing better. Your health is very important to many others besides yourself. I have been dealing with similar problems on my wifes condition.... side effects, meds to control side effects causing other side effects... it's enough to make a person crazy. :)
 
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#8,302
lance panda said:
While everyone awaits a status update for #18 I thought I would take the opportunity to show off my new replacement AMUB-1 case.

I had posted last year that the OHSC was rendered unusable after some sort of flood (way before I got it). I was struggling to find something reliable to carry the bass in…

Feedback from the hive mind indicated options were bleak to non-existent for a decent traditional case.

Anyway, fast-forward a year and by chance I met Mr. Iwamoto of Iwamoto Case at a guitar show in Tokyo and described my plight. He said of course he could make a case for it - as if the suggestion that it would be too difficult or onerous was a slight on his honor.

New Case Day.

Great quality, quick, very reasonable cost.

Fwiw Iwamoto Case offers a range of materials and hardware to suit your needs and whims.

Arigato gozaimasu Iwamoto-sama!
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Hello Lance;

That's a nice looking case! Classic design, well made. And a reasonable price. That's what I call a Gibson-style case, similar to how Gibson has been building their cases forever. A straight rectangular plywood box, where the lid is much thinner than the base. Classic furniture-type hinges and latches. Black textured cover material, plush lining over fitted wood blocks. Here in the US, TKL's cases are similar to that. Last I knew, TKL will make one up custom-order to fit an Ampeg.....for about US$700.
 
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#8,303
I actually got back to work on #018 yesterday! It felt good. My feet and ankles aren't completely healed, still hobbling around slowly. But the work on #018 is mostly sitting down at the assembly bench.

Test fitting the newly-redesigned pickups in #018's pickup cavity:

IMG_0593B.jpg


Here's the treble side of the new pickup mounted down in the cavity. I worked out a combination of longer screws and stacks of brass washers to get the adjustment working in the right range.

IMG_0594B.jpg


Here it is adjusted all the way down. The straightedge is resting on the fingerboard. The pickup surface is down almost 1/8" below the straightedge. That's good for the range of travel. Normal setup is with the pickup just touching the straightedge. The ebony cap should be flush with the fingerboard for the optimal sound. Then either side can be lowered and tilted a little bit, if needed, to even out the string-to-string levels.

This all looks good, and I think I can declare this engineering problem solved! Tomorrow I'll be wiring up the pickup halves and mounting them, and checking the fit of the pickguard. Then I'm going to get #018 all reassembled, finish up a few little details, and string it up. Give it a good test run.

If all tests out well, then I'll pull it apart again and make the corrections to the paint on the body. Then back together, test again, and off to Ed!
 
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#8,304
From

Jason Newsted is selling off part of his collection!​


"
Multi-Grammy-winning musician Jason Newsted is parting with several pieces of his personal guitar and bass collection for the very first time, right here on Reverb.
Set to open its doors on July 24, the Official Jason Newsted Reverb Shop will be filled with over 60 items from throughout the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer's illustrious career.
[...]
He's also parting with an original Ampeg AUB-1 Scroll Bass in stunning condition
"

^ (emphasis mine)

Brief glimpse here, another here at the end, a dedicated look here:
 
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#8,305
HaphAsSard said:
From

Jason Newsted is selling off part of his collection!​


"
Multi-Grammy-winning musician Jason Newsted is parting with several pieces of his personal guitar and bass collection for the very first time, right here on Reverb.
Set to open its doors on July 24, the Official Jason Newsted Reverb Shop will be filled with over 60 items from throughout the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer's illustrious career.
[...]
He's also parting with an original Ampeg AUB-1 Scroll Bass in stunning condition
"

^ (emphasis mine)

Brief glimpse here, another here at the end, a dedicated look here:
Click to expand...

Jason Newsted is selling some of his bass collection on Reverb​

Here's the listing - less than 10 thundos and it's yours:
(Um, do I need to clarify I've no connection to either seller nor intermediary?)

Whoa, there's all kinds of good stuff on the block:
A '56 (SCPB) Precision, a '59 (tetris) P, an original Fender V, a Rickenbacher Electro 'Spanish' (roundback, to-be-played-by-fretting) from the '30s...
 
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#8,308
Bruce Johnson said:
I actually got back to work on #018 yesterday! It felt good. My feet and ankles aren't completely healed, still hobbling around slowly. But the work on #018 is mostly sitting down at the assembly bench.

Test fitting the newly-redesigned pickups in #018's pickup cavity:

View attachment 6983051

Here's the treble side of the new pickup mounted down in the cavity. I worked out a combination of longer screws and stacks of brass washers to get the adjustment working in the right range.

View attachment 6983052

Here it is adjusted all the way down. The straightedge is resting on the fingerboard. The pickup surface is down almost 1/8" below the straightedge. That's good for the range of travel. Normal setup is with the pickup just touching the straightedge. The ebony cap should be flush with the fingerboard for the optimal sound. Then either side can be lowered and tilted a little bit, if needed, to even out the string-to-string levels.

This all looks good, and I think I can declare this engineering problem solved! Tomorrow I'll be wiring up the pickup halves and mounting them, and checking the fit of the pickguard. Then I'm going to get #018 all reassembled, finish up a few little details, and string it up. Give it a good test run.

If all tests out well, then I'll pull it apart again and make the corrections to the paint on the body. Then back together, test again, and off to Ed!
Click to expand...

Bruce,

When I was in your shop to pick up #018 on June 12 only to be disappointed with the lack of completion due to unforeseen issues with pickup height, you promised you could send the completed bass to me within a week of solving the pickup problem. You declared a resolution of that issue on July 17th. When may I expect completion and shipment?
 
#8,309
Ed Bloom said:
Bruce,

When I was in your shop to pick up #018 on June 12 only to be disappointed with the lack of completion due to unforeseen issues with pickup height, you promised you could send the completed bass to me within a week of solving the pickup problem. You declared a resolution of that issue on July 17th. When may I expect completion and shipment?
Click to expand...
Ed Bloom said:
Bruce,

When I was in your shop to pick up #018 on June 12 only to be disappointed with the lack of completion due to unforeseen issues with pickup height, you promised you could send the completed bass to me within a week of solving the pickup problem. You declared a resolution of that issue on July 17th. When may I expect completion and shipment?
Click to expand...
Ed, just checked “AEB Parts” post yesterday in the Luthiers Corner forum. and some dude asked how Bruce was doing. Bruce responded there by stating that his ankles are just starting to mend . It was posted yesterday around 3-5 pm .

Rich
 
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#8,311
Ed Bloom said:
Bruce,

When I was in your shop to pick up #018 on June 12 only to be disappointed with the lack of completion due to unforeseen issues with pickup height, you promised you could send the completed bass to me within a week of solving the pickup problem. You declared a resolution of that issue on July 17th. When may I expect completion and shipment?
Click to expand...

Hello Ed;

Oh, man. I've been unable to work in the shop for a month. Both my feet and ankles became swollen and inflamed, and I could barely walk with two crutches for several weeks. Trying to work in the shop like that was miserable, and I only got a few hours' work in through July. Very frustrating and I'm quite angry with my Doctors. I was in really good health in June, and was all ready to have a good productive summer. This shutdown was unplanned and unanticipated. I only got about a half hour of work done on #018 back on the 16th.

My feet and ankles are healing, slowly. This week, I'm able to shuffle around without crutches, and I'm getting a few hours per day of work done in the shop. I can only be on my feet for about a half hour at a time before I have to lie down and rest. I completed several small metalworking parts jobs that Jeremy and Keith were waiting for. I haven't gotten back to #018's pickup system yet this week, because I just haven't been in the mood. I need to concentrate on that job and do it carefully. I hope to get working on it again on Thursday.

That's what's happening.
 
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#8,313
Bruce Johnson said:
Hello Ed;

Oh, man. I've been unable to work in the shop for a month. Both my feet and ankles became swollen and inflamed, and I could barely walk with two crutches for several weeks. Trying to work in the shop like that was miserable, and I only got a few hours' work in through July. Very frustrating and I'm quite angry with my Doctors. I was in really good health in June, and was all ready to have a good productive summer. This shutdown was unplanned and unanticipated. I only got about a half hour of work done on #018 back on the 16th.

My feet and ankles are healing, slowly. This week, I'm able to shuffle around without crutches, and I'm getting a few hours per day of work done in the shop. I can only be on my feet for about a half hour at a time before I have to lie down and rest. I completed several small metalworking parts jobs that Jeremy and Keith were waiting for. I haven't gotten back to #018's pickup system yet this week, because I just haven't been in the mood. I need to concentrate on that job and do it carefully. I hope to get working on it again on Thursday.

That's what's happening.
Click to expand...
So sorry to hear about this. Sucks getting old.

I have a friend in his 70s having the same problem. It just came on about a month ago - one foot/ankle was so painful he had trouble walking. After that cleared up the other foot/ankle started acting up. He did have a heart-attack which lead to a stint and a bunch of medication, the latter which I suspect is the issue but that's just a guess.
 
#8,314
Bruce Johnson said:
Hello Ed;

Oh, man. I've been unable to work in the shop for a month. Both my feet and ankles became swollen and inflamed, and I could barely walk with two crutches for several weeks. Trying to work in the shop like that was miserable, and I only got a few hours' work in through July. Very frustrating and I'm quite angry with my Doctors. I was in really good health in June, and was all ready to have a good productive summer. This shutdown was unplanned and unanticipated. I only got about a half hour of work done on #018 back on the 16th.

My feet and ankles are healing, slowly. This week, I'm able to shuffle around without crutches, and I'm getting a few hours per day of work done in the shop. I can only be on my feet for about a half hour at a time before I have to lie down and rest. I completed several small metalworking parts jobs that Jeremy and Keith were waiting for. I haven't gotten back to #018's pickup system yet this week, because I just haven't been in the mood. I need to concentrate on that job and do it carefully. I hope to get working on it again on Thursday.

That's what's happening.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the update, Bruce! I'm sorry to hear that your doctors have been less than satisfactory. I'm guessing the metalworking projects were small things you could easily do to tell yourself that you were still busy. I've been in that situation and it stinks. I hope you continue to improve. Unfortunately, at our age, we all heal slower than we think is normal.

Best,

Ed
 
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#8,316
coy garcia said:
Hi Bruce,....Sending positive thoughts for a speedy recovery. My wife Sylvia has been doing much better since you last saw her. I hope you get well and we visit in the near future..
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Thanks, Coy! Get Sylvia well again. She's a keeper.

I'm making progress recovering. I'm walking around and getting some productive shop hours in. I still have to limit my time on my feet and take regular rest breaks.

Today, I'm working on the infamous String Lathe. Again. It's back for hopefully the last bit of modification/upgrades. I need to get that finished today. Gabriel needs it back ASAP. It's his only string lathe, and his whole business is shut down waiting for me to get his machine running again. He brought it to me in June for a major overhaul/rebuild that was supposed to take about a week. I got most of the work done before my feet/ankle problems started. Then it had some problems that needed more work. It's been back and forth here in my shop, over the last few weeks. And me trying to get it fixed, working on crutches. Adding to my misery. It's almost there, and I think this work today will finish it.

So I can get back to everything else......Like poor old #018.
 
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#8,317
Some actual progress on #018!!!

It's been a painful week. My ankles are still giving me trouble. Good some days, then they get inflamed again. I'm being really careful, but they just don't seem to get healed. Aargh. And the String Lathe is still giving me some fits. More modifications and upgrades over this weekend.

But I did spend some time today working on #018. I finished the installation of the new pickup, soldered it into the harness, and tested out the system. All looking good. It fits well and is making the right sounds.

IMG_0632B.jpg


A final trim of the brass shell tabs and the pickup halves set right in there. They are screwed in to the right working height here. Either half can be moved down at least 1/8" if you want to play around with the string-to-string levels.

IMG_0631B.jpg


Plugged in and testing. Yup, it works.

Yeah, the paint looks kind of weird in this picture. Those are reflections of a row of parts drawer cabinets that are mounted right above the assembly bench.

Tonight, after some ankle-rest, I'll be fitting the pickguard back on. It needs a tiny bit of trimming because the new pickup is a little wider. An engineering change.

Then, finish up the nut, re-install the bridge and tailpiece, and get some strings on it! Some full testing. About 9 weeks later than I planned......Grrr.
 
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