Guitar Nerds Anonymous

Cheers all. I've been playing this all day and it sounds amazing. Great tone and resonance. A much brighter sound than anything else I've played. Really love it.

Reader, I two two tees https://youtu.be/O7itvZO5IHI

Enviable skillz there - fascinating

Wow you lucked out there. They’re almost mythical. Is it a Nippon Gakki model with a red label inside? If it is, you really did well

Yes and no: it has the red label, but it’s not Nippon Gakki. It’s from the Taiwan factory, made early 71 from what I can work out. The Taiwan guitars aren’t as desirable as the Nippon models but there is apparently no discernible difference.
It is a great find. Justifies the 20 - odd years I’ve spent mooching around charity shops!

They’re barely discernible like you say. My understanding is the red label Taiwan models were made in Taiwan with the last of the stock from Japan. So they’re essentially the same guitars.

I had an fg180 a few years back, one of the only guitars I regret selling

Anyone got experience of stripping a gloss finish off the back of a neck?
My mustang is gloss but I want it to be smooth like my CS P-bass.
Some online posts are saying using a scalpel/stanley blade to scrape it off is the way but this seems fraught with danger, any proven techniques here?

I saw on revstar forum that going over it with a mild abrasive (wet & dry paper?) gives a smoother, less sticky finish. There's some risk with any approach, but I guess using an abrasive always leaves the option of completely stripping it off later.

Yeah. I'd go with the softly, softly approach. Start with a very fine grit sandpaper and just keep working it until it feels smooth enough for you. Don't go near it with a Stanley knife!

Can we get a pic of the CS P-bass? :)

Well, Thomann split my order into two packages:

1. Guitar
   
2. Everything else
   
   

Everything else arrived earlier this week, but guitar is still sitting in customs in Germany, which is ironic given it was being sent within Europe!

The amp has been sitting in the corner goading me into panic buying a used guitar locally, but annoyingly the only one in budget is the exact guitar I have ordered from Thomann!

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Nice looking amp!

Look at that varnish line in the floorboards - previous owner of your house must have had a Marshall stack I suppose.

Ha ha ha it was ugly old built in furniture

This. It’s also said that a buff with a green Scotchbrite pad will do the job.

Smart little amp, looks good.

The best way to smoothify a gloss poly neck is a very gentle going-over, along the grain, with superfine wire wool. Liberon brand, 0000 grade is the stuff. You may have to re-do it every 12 months or so, but that's much much better than the yawning pit of regret* that awaits should you strip the neck.

*too dramatic maybe

Some online posts are saying using a scalpel/stanley blade to scrape it off is the way but this seems fraught with danger, any proven techniques here?

Noooooooooooo! No blades. Trust me, it'll end bad and feel shite (15 year old me calling)

Echoing the above, super fine grit paper or wire wool and patience. Don't be tempted to "get the majority" off with something more abrasive like a heavy grit paper as you'll end up gouging into the wood and spending even longer trying to even that out.

Sure - I think I've posted it before but happy to show again!
2nd pic is trying to show how the neck is stripped/worn - makes them so nice to play!

Thanks for the suggestions - I'll give the gentlygently approach a go at the weekend (maybe - if I'm brave enough)!

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that is just perfect

Lovely.

Cheers - it makes you work for it (chunky '57 style neck & wide spacing) but it's a joy to play!

I was looking at P-basses for ages but I ended up getting myself a Player Jag bass for my birthday in the BF sales. Full-scale P/J with a Jazz neck and Jazz controls (v/v/t), basically. Also has a satin neck coating. Much nicer than I, a total bass noob, need. Feels very well made. Makes me wonder if I should have just got a Squier!

Excuse the mess, I’m in mid-sort-out.

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Looks good - probably get the best of both worlds out of that (solo'd P for P sounds or solo'd bridge pickup for honky honky jazz sounds)!

I wouldn't worry about the niceness - if it makes you happy when you play it then it's the right bass for you!

Cheers, yeah it’ll do the P-bass sound that I was after well enough, but with some extra options, hopefully. Not just the J-bass honky bridge sound! Blending the two is quite interesting. It’s also not as bright sounding overall as I was expecting, but maybe I just don’t know what I’m doing…