PROJECT: Status Energy Matrix Bass 4 (graphite neck)

Last updated on 9 years ago
J
jimitee
Member
Posted 9 years ago
Thought I would just share a few pictures about my latest Status acquisition.

I bought this bass off eBay on Christmas Eve as a project over the Xmas holiday.

Double click the images for high resolution.

i.imgur.com/VKUsA8n.jpg?1[/img]<br />
<br />
[img]http://i.imgur.com/rr01A0l.jpg

i.imgur.com/enNErFs.jpg

It looked pretty rough and the eBay post didn't give much information but I managed to get it really cheap so it was worth the risk.

On arrival the strip down inspection started - other than the black previous refin - the bass was in surprisingly good condition.

These basses don't take long to strip down:

i.imgur.com/QnDKRVC.jpg

Both the body and neck have the number 1417 the bridge has number 1700 on it.

i.imgur.com/n5YUU3Y.jpg

i.imgur.com/vQcsbTl.jpg

Out came the detail sander and about an hour later all the paint was carefully removed - ensuring that I kept the shape and contouring intact.

i.imgur.com/Yx6Orxp.jpg

i.imgur.com/AqYQPcL.jpg

i.imgur.com/4mf7mct.jpg


The next step was to finish the body preparation going down to 400 grade wet and dry sandpaper for the final finish. I then polished the body with fine wire wool to ensure that the body was as smooth as possible before refinishing.

i.imgur.com/wqVFFxK.jpg

i.imgur.com/2njFdiO.jpg

I chose to use Danish Oil to finish the body - I love this type of finish and it has the benefits of being relatively cheap, quick and you can touch up and repair patches if you get any knocks or marks in the future.

The Danish oil was applied using a lint free cloth - the initial coat soaked in well. I applied a liberal coat and then wiped the body down after about 30 mins to remove the excess ( this is very important or the finish will take a long time to dry. Its all about carefully building up the coats and making sure that they dry between them.

Whilst the first coat was drying (6 hours). I stripped the hardware off the neck and clean everything thoroughly with WD-40 and a nail brush. The neck was surprisingly dirty but is in exceptionally good condition when you consider this bass was made in the early 90's.

i.imgur.com/l4apes0.jpg

I then reassembled the neck hardware and returned to the body.

A second coat was added and again any excess was removed. I then left the body to dry for 24 hours.

Reassembly was again surprisingly quick and as I had ordered new black strap locks and a set of 30 - 90 Nickel Bass Strings these went on at the same time.

I must admit I was really happy with the results.

i.imgur.com/oRE7x1w.jpg

i.imgur.com/eZvWTDs.jpg

i.imgur.com/n1tao3g.jpg

Obviously the neck has no truss rod so there was no adjustment required there. The action and intonation were adjusted and the bass plays ok but the strings maybe a bit too light as the neck needs more string tension to get the correct curve - there is currently a bit of back bow. I will leave it a while and see how it settles down.

I had cleaned the pots with switch cleaner and replaced the battery for a new one so the active circuit works well and overall I am really surprised with the quality of the sound and the durability of the components.
Edited by jimitee on 04-01-2015 09:24, 9 years ago
R
rob_89
Junior Member
Posted 9 years ago
Nearly had a bid on this myself, good job! Looks lovely
J
jimitee
Member
Posted 9 years ago
Thanks Rob, its pretty hard to take a sander to one of these :) . . . .
N
nibbit
Junior Member
Posted 9 years ago
looks nice, good job!
Status S3 6 string
headless 32"
burl maple top
alder body black
B
bassbus
Fusioneer
Posted 9 years ago
I like this, a job well done.()
MertonMerton
Senior Member
Posted 9 years ago
Superb job, nice one!
www.bitd.co.uk
merton.bitd.co.uk
Retroactive J / Ashdown amplification and BarefacedBass cabs
J
jimitee
Member
Posted 9 years ago
Thanks for the nice comments everyone :). Just as a follow up, I had to change the strings from 30-90's to 35-95's. With the ultra light 30-90 strings there was too much back bow on the neck and I couldn't get a reasonable action. I know that Rob normally set his basses up for 40-100's but I tend to find them a bit heavy for my liking. Once the 35-95's were put on the neck flattened out beautifully and the action came right down to about 2.5mm at the 24th fret (1.75mm at the 12th fret). It is great to see a non adjustable truss rod graphite neck performing so well after 20 years and it really is a testament to Rob and all the team at Status.

This has turned out to be one of the best basses I've ever worked on and after 20 years of use and abuse all it needed was the refinish on the body and cleaning and resetting up. The only visible signs of wear are on the pickup covers and the frets which are now 8/10. What started out as an Xmas project has turned into a keeper !!!!

Jimitee
BLUNDERTHUMBSBLUNDERTHUMBS
Senior Member
Posted 9 years ago
DAMN IT !!! I was looking at this and dithering about buying it. The only thing that put me off was the dots on the neck. Wish I had bid on this it looks the DOG's JACOBS. Great job well done.
i259.photobucket.com/albums/hh304/blunderthumbs/IMG_0785.jpg
J
jimitee
Member
Posted 9 years ago
Its funny I hadn't really noticed the marker dots - I cant find another one on the web with them. I assume this was an optional extra? I think this range of basses utilised some additional graphite necks that Status had at the time. The marker dots actually look like they are for a different string spacing . . . Maybe someone on the forum knows.
You can view all discussion threads in this forum.
You cannot start a new discussion thread in this forum.
You cannot reply in this discussion thread.
You cannot start on a poll in this forum.
You cannot upload attachments in this forum.
You cannot download attachments in this forum.
Moderator: Administrator