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*** SOLD *** Rare Vintage EUB Collectors' Curio


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[b]SOLD May 2011[/b]

EUB fans.

I've just pulled the trigger on another vintage plywood upright, so the house is a bit crowded.
I'm considering letting go of a bit of EUB history.

I've got the remains of one of the rarest and most sought after EUBs, 1968 Ormston-Burns, British made less than a dozen ever built. Sadly, bodywork altered beyond recognition by a previous owner, now further frankensteined by me before I knew what it was. Still, neck, scroll, pegs, fingerboard, bridge, pick-up all original, what's left of body is original wood (!) with replacement controls, lump of wood I added as an upper bout (very hard to hold steady without it), and a home made spike. Sadly, no sign of original scratch plates or controls. It works, though in my opinion sounds rough. Especially with Innovation strings on, which don't drive the mag p/up very well at all. I use it as a silent practice bass. With some love it could easily be returned to a very serviceable vintage EUB.

Amplified, the old Burns pickup gives really warm upright tone, though also picks up a lot of body and finger noise - you have to play clean! It all works...





Originals looked like this ... this one sold for several £1000s a couple years back.



So here's a feeler ... anyone interested in inheriting this collectors curio?

OK, I read the rules: To a collector: £150

Edited by PaulKing
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Hi both. I'm in West London, just a couple of stops down the M1 from North Sheffield ;o).

Yes, it can be bowed, there's an arch to the aluminium bridge, and the bevelled fingerboard gives enough separation to the strings. Not as marked as on a DB, but it's there.

I think 'interesting beast' is damn good description. It's interesting, rather than much good. It's awkward to play, has a buzz in the pegbox that I can't sort, and the sound from the pick up is ... e-bassy. It's NOT a Stagg, or an SLB. But it's a cool bit of British memorabilia, and probably a serviceable EUB with some work.

I'm not selling it very well am I!? But I can't help thinking an EUB fan might kind of like it for interest's sake.

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[quote name='PaulKing' post='1198827' date='Apr 13 2011, 10:30 PM']Hi both. I'm in West London, just a couple of stops down the M1 from North Sheffield ;o).

Yes, it can be bowed, there's an arch to the aluminium bridge, and the bevelled fingerboard gives enough separation to the strings. Not as marked as on a DB, but it's there.

I think 'interesting beast' is damn good description. It's interesting, rather than much good. It's awkward to play, has a buzz in the pegbox that I can't sort, and the sound from the pick up is ... e-bassy. It's NOT a Stagg, or an SLB. But it's a cool bit of British memorabilia, and probably a serviceable EUB with some work.

I'm not selling it very well am I!? But I can't help thinking an EUB fan might kind of like it for interest's sake.[/quote]

I'm curiously interested, would yo ship to Yorkshire?

I don't think I could get excited enough to drive down 200 miles & back but for a few quid for a courier I might take a chance.

Have you any pics of the neck, scroll, back & front?

cheers

Keith

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[quote name='Mr Bassman' post='1198905' date='Apr 13 2011, 11:30 PM']I'm curiously interested, would yo ship to Yorkshire?

I don't think I could get excited enough to drive down 200 miles & back but for a few quid for a courier I might take a chance.

Have you any pics of the neck, scroll, back & front?

cheers

Keith[/quote]

Yep mate, I'll post details shortly. I did have a slideshow on ImageShack but it seems to have disappeared. Pics coming...tonight.

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Yeah, I never knew until a couple of years ago, someoe said 'hang on, I know what that looks like...' and I went 'DOH!!!'
Only solace is that it was well and truly altered before I got my hands on it.

I only know of one other, in the USA I think. It was posted on Talkbass.

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  • 3 weeks later...

[quote name='headofire' post='1222321' date='May 6 2011, 04:21 PM']Wow... ive got a sunburst one...... i think they only ever made about 50 though theres little way of finding out. I was told it never went into full production. Have you still got it?[/quote]

Wow another one! I was told only a handful, perhaps single figures, made first time round, '68. Then a second small run some years later. It ismentioned in a book on Burns somewhere.

Yup, it's still by my side.

Slideshow, completre with all the shocking disfigurement, [url="http://img853.imageshack.us/slideshow/player.php?id=img853/7515/1304448004f51.smil"]http://img853.imageshack.us/slideshow/play...4448004f51.smil[/url]

[url="http://img853.imageshack.us/slideshow/player.php?id=img853/7515/1304448004f51.smil"]here[/url]

Edited by PaulKing
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[quote name='GarethFlatlands' post='1230220' date='May 13 2011, 05:53 PM']What would need doing to it in your opinion to make it playable?[/quote]

Not much tone wise... It makes a perfectly good sound now, quite a good dark db sound, given the age of the electrics. I was surprised when I tried it out the other week, I hadn't plugged it in for years and years.
The body is a bit noisy though, not very dense wood so picks up all finger noise, so you have to play carefully. With the bolt-on upper bout I made to stabilise it that's even worse, cos I just used softwood.
To fix the noisy body ... I dunno, some damping under the pickup? Hmm ... maybe I'll try that actually.

Physically ... I find it awkward to play. Like all stick basses there's nothing to keep it steady except your left hand, and you kind of need that for other things. So without the upper bout added to hold against your body it's tricky to play. Not impossible, but limits left hand movement.
String spacing and arc is pretty authentic db style, though the nut has been hacked a bit so the spacing is a bit uneven there.

What makes it harder for me is that I've gone wholesale into low tension high action gut and nylon strings ... which this isn't really geared up for. So to my hands the steel strings (I've taken off the Innovations) feel stiff and cheese-wiry! That makes it hard to be really objective about playability.

Overall, I think it is somewhat of a project and mission of love if you want a pro-level stage-ready, performance bass. If you want a historic bit of interesting memorabilia for fun and making music, there's some easy mileage in it.

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