bassaussie

[quote name='MB1' post='721671' date='Jan 22 2010, 10:26 PM']MB1.
A pair of Wals with many a story to tell!... however
...At Five Grand a Bass!.... The Bank Manager will be singing... "Dont you Forget about me!" [/quote]

That's a good point about stories to be told. He should be listing all the songs (especially big hits) that he recorded with the these, as well as tours and notable shows he did with them. It's one thing to buy a bass owned by someone famous that that person hardly ever touched, but a collector will be all over an instrument that was used to record major hits.

Interesting thread. I actually thought his pricing was about right. Wals are still attracting a lot of interest in the US, and then there's the connection with Simple Minds, which is helped even more by the fact that it's the original bassist who is now selling them. The only thing I'd suggest would be that he makes sure that the sale gets a lot of exposure in the US and Japanese markets, as I'm sure there'd be heaps of collectors willing to throw decent money at these basses.

[quote name='garethox' post='721653' date='Jan 22 2010, 10:06 PM']Absolutely! He was a pioneer. He helped create Rotosound strings, I believe he was the first to utilise the stereo capabilities of the Alembic's to their fullest too..... then of course there were the Status Buzzard's![/quote]

Yeah, pioneer is definitely the word. Actually, when I say I'm not a huge fan of the playing, that's probably not quite correct. When I consider what else was happening when he first arrived on the scene, and then compare it to what he was attempting, he was totally stretching the boundaries of playing. It's easy for me to sit here now and say "oh, not so great", but when I consider the historical influence he had, I think it's fair to say that bass probably wouldn't be where it is today without his contribution. I often think much the same about Chris Squire. I find the playing a little dated, but then I step back and think "OK, but what else was happening back then", it's easy to see what a huge leap these guys took with their playing as well as their approach to bass sound.

[quote name='Sercet' post='721646' date='Jan 22 2010, 10:02 PM']I was at that auction. I bought this...
[url="http://www.sothebys.com/app/live/lot/LotDetail.jsp?sale_number=W03875&live_lot_id=358"]http://www.sothebys.com/app/live/lot/LotDe...live_lot_id=358[/url]

My biggest regret is I didn't buy this as well...
[url="http://www.sothebys.com/app/live/lot/LotDetail.jsp?sale_number=W03875&live_lot_id=257"]http://www.sothebys.com/app/live/lot/LotDe...live_lot_id=257[/url]

Peter Hook was sitting in front of me and bought this...
[url="http://www.sothebys.com/app/live/lot/LotDetail.jsp?sale_number=W03875&live_lot_id=229"]http://www.sothebys.com/app/live/lot/LotDe...live_lot_id=229[/url][/quote]

Wow, that must've been a cool thing to attend. I saw that Wal, and the price it went for. With the way Wal's sell these days, I could easily see that being worth closer to 20K. It's one of the original basses made by Wal, it has the Entwistle connection. Amazing that it only pulled 2 grand.

Wow! That looks like an original Mark IV amp. I can't believe the prices these amps go for these days, especially in the UK. When I was growing up, I used to dream about owning a TE amp. When I finally got one, it was definitely worth the wait.

Courier - hahaha!! I pity the poor bugger who had to collect that and carry around the country side!

[quote name='garethox' post='721634' date='Jan 22 2010, 09:54 PM']As far as I know he didn't have a favourite between the two 'normal' headstock Explorer's/Exploiter's and I am only aware of him using the 'V' head in public once - on a TV show called 'Gastank'. Put that in YT and you should be able to locate the clip; it also features a great interview with John and Rick Wakeman.[/quote]


Cool, thanks. I'm just going through that link you gave about his gear, it's fascinating reading. To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of his playing, but I have a huge amount of admiration for the way he pioneered the way a bass should sound.

[quote name='garethox' post='721623' date='Jan 22 2010, 09:43 PM']No, he used a Gibson Thunderbird on 'Quadrophenia' and '...By Numbers'. I believe he changed to get a different experience than just playing Fenders.....[/quote]

This is great, you're answering a few questions I've always had about the catalog.

OK, there's 3 Alembics in there, the 2 Explorers and the Flying V. Which Explorer did he use the most (I always thought it was the one with the triangular headstock, not the split headstock) and did he ever use the Flying V?

[quote name='garethox' post='721577' date='Jan 22 2010, 08:49 PM']Yeah, there were two salmon pink basses. 'Frankenstein' and a.n.other. The other one went for £5,200 and Frankie for over £60K.

The catalogue is amazing! His collection was incredible for sure.[/quote]

I stand corrected on the price. But the Frankenstein is the Quadrophenia bass, right? That was always my impression, but I'm curious now.

[quote name='karlthebassist' post='721539' date='Jan 22 2010, 08:07 PM']I recall reading that a lot of Entwistles basses (I think he had 120-150 when he died) were auctioned off after his death. I think I'm right in saying that the salmon pink/fiesta red whatever you call it P-bass that was used on the quadraphenia (sp?) album sold for less than £5k, so quite a bargain for a die hard fan.[/quote]

I've got the catalog from that auction. It was through Sothebys.

You're correct, the frankenstein Fender was sold in it. You're a bit off on the final sale price, though. It ended up pulling £52000. There were a number of his Alembics, including the first one he bought, and heaps of Warwicks and Status basses. It was an amazing collection, he had a good eye for interesting instruments. He also had both a 1958 Flying V and Explorer, which were worth a small fortune each.

[quote name='Conan' post='715461' date='Jan 17 2010, 09:58 AM']I recently bought a five string fretted Curbow and I'm really pleased with it. Yet to gig it, but at home it sounds good and is nice to play. It only cost £322 brand new, with free delivery from Germany!![/quote]

I tried a few Cort Curbow fretless basses before I bought this one, and I thought I quite liked them. However, once I got this one, I felt that the sound was too modern for me, and that what I really wanted was a more Fender-ish sound. The playability on these basses is very good, and I doubt I'd get that from a Fender style bass, but the sound just isn't what I wanted.

[quote name='Conan' post='715441' date='Jan 17 2010, 09:27 AM']I'm impressed! Not just a pedant, but a thorough one!!

And another bump for a couple of great basses. If I sell mine I may well be interested in both![/quote]

Cheers for the bump. The Geddy has developed a lot of interest, the Curbow less so. I'll keep this thread updated of any changes.

[quote name='BottomEndian' post='714621' date='Jan 16 2010, 09:59 AM']I don't want to be a pedantic dick (which is a shame, because I am ), but your right forearm should actually go over the lower bout, unless you're attempting some extreme double-handed tapping gymnastics. "Upper bout" refers to the widening of the body nearest the neck, and the "lower bout" is the widening of the body nearest the bridge, thus (obviously it's an upright bass, but the same goes for all stringed instruments):

Anyway, sorry. Free bump![/quote]



Thanks for the info!! I've always throught of the upper bout as being the one on the "upper" side of the body, closest to your head, but your explanation seems very good. Maybe in future I'll just describe it as the place when your arm goes over!

[quote name='birdy' post='714543' date='Jan 16 2010, 02:33 AM']Hi Andy,

This bass used to be mine and also Mark (Bassaussie) owned it for a few months as well. I sold it to WaveyDavy and then somehow it's got to you.
One of the nicest Sadowskys I have played, cracking tone and super playable.
Just a couple of minor points which I may be wrong about as my memory isn't great but I think I bought it in August 2005 from a guy in the States who had had it about a month from new so I am pretty sure its newer than 2002.
Also, The VTC's were not factory fitted until more recently and if I recall correctly I got John Diggins (Jaydee) to fit it for me.

Best of luck with this - I think you should hold onto it!!! Also, please let me know whoever does get this as I need to know where it is for if ever I want to buy it back myself. I did about 60 gigs with this bass!!

Steve[/quote]

Yeah, absolutely correct. I thought it was a brilliant bass, and I only got rid of it as Steve offered to do a deal with me on another of his basses. I'd probably still have it otherwise. It created a very good impression for me of the Metro line in general.

What Steve has said about the age and preamp sounds right as well. I don't think the Metro line existed in 2002 - back then Roger had the "Sadowsky Tokyo" line, and they were more of a full-sized Jazz bass with a slightly different preamp.

Found this thread [url="http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=511403&highlight=sadowsky+tokyo"]http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.p...=sadowsky+tokyo[/url] look for mrphattay. He seems to think the Metros started mid 2004.

[quote name='Clarky' post='712513' date='Jan 14 2010, 02:11 PM']Suggests it hasn't been exposed to much sunlight as the red fades quickest

See 72P in my avatar which has a load of red in the 3TS too. Me like!

Re: overpriced, given it would cost £500 to replace bridge and p/u's with 70-s originals I agree[/quote]

Re. overpriced - the Schaller bridge is not a direct replacement for the original Fender as the screw holes don't match up, so the body would most definitely have additional holes in it.

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='712273' date='Jan 14 2010, 10:42 AM']How about a SUB Stingray in exchange for the GL + cash from me?[/quote]

Nah, sorry. I really like those Subs, they're terrific basses, but I need to clear stuff out.

WITHDRAWN

Fender Geddy Lee Jazz - very good condition. I got this in a trade recently, and although I like the bass, I don't use it. Not sure how old it is, but if it's important, I'll try and find out. £525 ono.

[s]Cort Curbow fretless - Ice metallic colour. Nice bass, although it's got a chip about one inch long on the upper bout (where your right forearm goes over the bass). Other than the chip, it's in good condition. I'll tentatively start this at £170, but am very open to offers.[/s] Sold

Both these basses are in Lisbon, so bear in mind there'll be freight on top. I'm happy to take the neck off either bass for shipping. As an alternative, I also have an SKB 44 case that's in great condition that I can sort out a deal on with either bass. I've already checked pricing, and it looks like the Geddy Lee in the SKB case would run around £50, so that's the most shipping would be - obviously without the case, shipping would be considerably less. Regarding import tax (I was asked this recently) this does not apply as both Portugal and the UK are in the EU.

Paypal is preferred. Not overly interested in trades, and especially not interested in anything I would have to add cash to.

I intend to put some pics up on the weekend.

WITHDRAWN

Bump.

Sadowsky outboard preamp. Latest version with the foot switches. In box. £150.

EBS Octabass, black label. In box. £80

Behringer Bass Overdrive and Bass Limiter Enhancer - £20 for the 2

All the pedals are in good condition (actually, better than good!). I've tested each this morning with both power supply and battery. The pedals will not be shipped with a battery.

Note that shipping will be from Lisbon, but should be around £5. If you want registered or insurance, I can do that, but it might add a couple of quid.

I'd prefer Paypal payments.

[quote name='Marcus' post='697767' date='Jan 1 2010, 12:02 PM']currency rate doesn't help[/quote]

Yeah, good point.

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='697536' date='Dec 31 2009, 09:06 PM']Optimistic, IMO.[/quote]

Right. I thought so. I've seen auctions for this seller before, although never this quantity in one go. His prices have always been pretty high in the past as well. I don't know if it's a cultural thing, but it seems to be quite common for some of the European sellers, especially Spain and Italy.

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='697519' date='Dec 31 2009, 08:45 PM'][url="http://shop.ebay.co.uk/bambibau/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p4340"]Wow... I wonder if he'll do a discount for the whole lot?[/url][/quote]

Are his prices a bit optimistic, or is the vintage market doing better?

[quote name='Bassassin' post='689714' date='Dec 20 2009, 01:19 PM']Can't imagine why someone would go out of their way to tempt litigation with such horribly mismatched ripoff styles. Didn't he try drawing it on a bit of paper first to see if it would work, before cobbling that malformed freak together?

But anyway - I'm sure he'll be fine when John Hall finds out & lets slip the Dogs Of Law - [url="https://christianguitarworks.com/Home_Page.php"]he's got Jesus on his team[/url].

Jon.[/quote]

That was the first thing I thought of - the people at Rickenbacker will be all over this the moment they catch wind of it.

Strange choice, to be honest - so many shapes he could've gone with, so he chooses the one that'll cause the most hassle.

PM sent Thursday. Would just like to know if you're interested or not.

Congratulations Beedster, that's an amazing bass, and the story that goes with it is brilliant. What colour is that? It has a slight turquoise look to it, but I've got a feeling it's going to be LPB that's aged.

[quote name='Shambo' post='680044' date='Dec 10 2009, 12:10 PM']One of the many overpriced guitars that click by unsold on ebay every week.

First inclination is to pour scorn, but then you think about it from the sellers point of view. The majority of them probably don't want to sell, but need the money. Then they think of how much they paid for it originally and think of a figure they would have liked to pay for it.. unable to comprehend just how much of a buyers market it is out there these days...

...but I think this one might just be trying his hand.[/quote]

Yeah, I'd agree with that, although another possibility is that these Washburn licensed basses tend to create a bit of confusion. The seller does the obligatory 37 seconds of internet research, and discovers that Status basses often fetch over £1000. Great, he thinks - this is a Status, but to move it quick, I'll price it just under that value. A slightly more cynical slant on that argument is that the seller actually knows the true value, but is hoping that he might find a buyer who doesn't.