Information on a Pass II

[jeff freund]

Hi...Ken, bought a PassII from you when you worked down the block frm me...was it 10th st? After 26 years it is still the finest instrument I've ever played...wondered if anyone could provide any information about it. Or point me to a source.

Serial # 149....1/8/84. Any favorite quirks that showed up over the years? What the original finish was? How many were finally made (I think you got more into active electronics after that)...do any brocures or tech sheets survive?

I'll attach an image if I can manage it...in the meantime, thanks for an instrument that turned out to be a lifer.

[Ken Smith]

It would be difficult to list all the versions of the PAS II we made as well as the S II Set-neck models that were made. I would guess about 30-40 neck thru's at most, from memory of course. I don't have records from back then but I do have pictures in my files. Maybe 70% of the first 200 basses or so, maybe more. I think we made more or as many in the set-neck (dovetail) models as we did in the neck-thru models like yours.

The neck center on yours is Mahogany. I made a few in 5-pc as well and some I remember may have been 3pc maple with 2 veneer strips around the center of a rosewood 'like' wood and color. I experimented back then and did them several ways, some with out without Graphite. I inlaid the Graphite fibers mixed in epoxy myself. It was not as safe to do back then but I managed. No one else in the shop would touch the carbon fibers.

Nice bass there and glad to see it's been loved so much for so many years. Puts a smile on my face every time I see one of the earlier basses still strong and healthy..:)

[jeff freund]

Hi ...have been playing a fretted Pass II since I bought it in 1984. Recently tho, I've been very inspired by playing my son's fretless Precision and have considered making the Pass II fretless. I'm wondering if by chance anyone out there has done this.

I'm not a luthier and I wondered if there was anything unique in the construction of a fretless vs a fretted model...i.e. if there is any reason I shouldn't do this. The Pass II is a lifelong love that I'd hate to ruin in any way. I'd very much appreciate your thoughts.

Thanks
Jeff Freund

[Ken Smith]

Hi ...have been playing a fretted Pass II since I bought it in 1984. Recently tho, I've been very inspired by playing my son's fretless Precision and have considered making the Pass II fretless. I'm wondering if by chance anyone out there has done this.

I'm not a luthier and I wondered if there was anything unique in the construction of a fretless vs a fretted model...i.e. if there is any reason I shouldn't do this. The Pass II is a lifelong love that I'd hate to ruin in any way. I'd very much appreciate your thoughts.

Thanks
Jeff Freund

A fretless needs to have the same board height as a fretted board so we would make the fb thicker to begin with. Dr-fretting this bass would make it too low for the bridge unless sunk in to the body. Then, the strings will be closer to the body wood as well.

On a bolt-on you can shim up or re-pitch the neck angle for the bridge height. On a Neck thru, it's done once, when it's made. Sorry..

[jeff freund]

aha...exactly what I needed to know...I would never have guessed that. Thanks very much for the good advice...guess I'll just have to force myself to buy an additional bass...aw gee :)

[Michael Wilson]

Any clips of the sound of that monster?

Mike