Burns-bass

I guess when you see the scale and execution of a genuine Pollock (which are bigger than garage doors) you really can see the difference. Jackson defined the style so by nature his execution is the best. And there is huge skill in it. Maybe give it a try. (I did as part of an art course and much of Pollocks work is much more conceptual than it appears at first glance). Leo was a trailblazer who automated, systematised and refined his craft. He’s the Henry Ford of guitars. Beautifully crafted designs made from cheap components that are endlessly produced (and emulated). They’re things bolted together by low paid workers. That original ones have survived unmolested is surprising and that’s why they’re collectible.

They’re not comparable. A Pollock isn’t about a technique (see Ed Sheerans Pollock-esque paintings), it’s the value of the concept and the execution. I’m highly negative about the vintage bass market, but these all original models genuinely are rare and obviously highly valuable because of that. I don’t think it sounds any better than any other single coil P bass but that’s me.

Good point. This year I’ll have done around 80 gigs and only 5 on electric bass.

An experienced and trained friend sounds fully qualified to give some pointers. My guess is you'll tell a few people you play double bass and will be out gigging by May.

I find selling things is cathartic. There are two or three I really like but nothing (aside from people) is irreplaceable.

Bought a Rush book, probably struggling to make sense of it like me! Great buyer happy days.

I've been thinking about this a bit recently. I bought a double bass that was owned by Jack Bruce (not in the putative sense most vintage instruments are sold) but with provenance from Bonhams. It's 100% one of his, but it means nothing to me really. I bought it because I needed a great sounding classical bass and this was checked over by a friend and was given the OK. We assumed it would be out of my price range, but in the end it sold for half the original Bonham's sale price. I guess my point is that the "value" of celebrity ownership is probably temporal and that the celebrities of today are unlikely to mean much (if anything) to the generations in the future. Maybe a few will, but ultimately, we're all shadows and dust. Or 3 generations from irrelevance, as my mum put it when we were enjoying a walk.

Semantic point as we have to define value in this context. Intrinsic and extrinsic. If we agree that the manufacturing process adds value then ownership and age can do too.

What people sometimes forget about celebs buying vintage instruments is that they add value (which we can’t). A big standard 70s jazz is £3k. One owned by Geddy Lee is £30k for example. Buying them up also gives the impression they’re rare, which they’re really not. I can see the value in a completely original pieces, because they genuinely are rare. But the rest of them, not really.

The more I play the old ones I realise it's an entirely harmless indulgence, but an indulgence nonetheless. Some of these older basses can feel quite agricultural. We often ascribe onto them meaning, history and value that's not really there. These things aren't the history, it's the players. When I showed my dad one of my old vintage basses he appaised it and then said "It would look so much better with a fresh coat of paint. Why don't you make it look good again?" which made me laugh.