73-28 Bass

[rv_bass]

I think the top is walnut; core walnut, mahogany, koa, other? Back walnut, mahogany, schedua, other? Neck walnut and either beech, birch or maple.  Would be cool if there was an actual record for 73-28

But 73-28 looks a lot like 73-43 and the ad online for 73-43 says body woods schedua and mahogany, so Greg may be right.

[rv_bass]

I'm guessing #73-28 is a;


mahogany core, schedua top and back, and walnut and birch neck layup. The headstock face could be a couple things... Califorina Claro walnut maybe? It looks a lot like McVie's #27, whatever that stuff was. Totally different logo.


Agree, the routing work done is 'factory'... man, this bass has stories.

Wow, so this bass was right after McVie’s? Cool

[rv_bass]

Update on progress:

We have been testing all of the circuit solder points.  So far all very good.  We have found three minor issues so far that are easy to fix:

1. The volume pot wire for the bridge pickup was detached from the board.  We soldered it back in place and now everything works fine for the bridge pickup and controls, sounds great.

2. Found a broken resister associated with the neck Q switch, we will replace that Wednesday night. So once the resister and Q switch are replaced the neck pickup controls will be fully functional (hopefully).

3. The neck Q switch that someone replaced at some point is falling apart, we will replace that Wednesday night as well.

Everything else seems to be working fine. So by Wednesday night if all goes well it will be back in full working order.

I will provide another update later next week.

[KR]

Sounds good.

[David Houck]

Good progress!

[JimmyJ]

Excellent report! 
You're gonna like this bass.
Jimmy J

[rv_bass]

Update:  Success!


We replaced the broken resistor tonight and after testing found that the neck Q switch that was previously replaced works fine.  So all it needed was reconnection of the bridge volume wire and broken resistor replacement.  It now works perfectly.  Can’t wait to try it at practice this weekend


P.s. I think I will leave the finish as is for that 50-year vibe

[StephenR]

Excellent news Rob! Agree about the finish, the body isn't damaged and it has a kind of patina that only comes with age. Looking forward to your observations about the sonic qualities after rehearsal this weekend.

[JimmyJ]

There ya go!  "Air gaps" don't work well in this type of circuitry. 

I would hope you'd eventually get a replacement switch for the mismatched one.  In my mind that would finish off the resurrection of this bass.  I also dig the finish and am glad you're going to leave it as is.  You're doing a great job bringing it back to life!

Jimmy J

[KR]

Glad all worked out. Let us know how it sounds in the mix.

[flavofive]

Nice, congratulations!!

[edwardofhuncote]

#73-28 plays on. 

[rv_bass]

Thanks,everyone, I’m pretty psyched!

Jimmy, I have an extra new Q switch with paddle shaped toggle for Series in my parts box and may install that in the future.  The objective this phase was a do no harm approach to getting it up and running.  Replacing a Q switch on a PF5 is a little different than a PF6, with greater potential to mess up the connections between components on the board.  I’ll enjoy it for now and think about that switch replacement for the future…”and the band keeps playing on…”

[JimmyJ]

Yes indeed, the main thing is it is making all the right sounds!

I think the switches for the PF-5 were a bit different in that they had long lugs - maybe called "through-hole"? - which, along with the trimpots, are what held the board in place.  See the pic below which I grabbed from that other thread.  I bet these boards were assembled on a rig which held those four components in place while the board was soldered to them.  That makes it a bit trickier to replace just one of the four parts...  But it can certainly wait because it's time to play music!

Carry on and enjoy that axe!
Jimmy J

[rv_bass]

I’m going with Koa top and back, the grain pattern and all those tiny dark spots are characteristic of other koa instruments I have seen (including Mission Control and 75-A013).  But, I still don’t know what the core wood is, the distinct grain lines don’t seem typical of mahogany to me.


Update, Greg set me straight, I’m going with mahogany core