Burns-bass

It sounds like the soundtrack to a yahcht sales video. Guessing that’s the 80s production.

They don’t all get old gracefully, sadly... I’ve had my fair share of great ones and duds from all eras. Plus, if this goes to a collecter it won’t get played either, it’ll just sit there doing nowt. Shame!

That’s a good point! It’s obviously a lovely looking thing, but it’s all about the condition and it’s scarcity than playability I guess. Personally, I don’t really like the colour!

Perhaps it’s just me, but I’m always a little concerned when someone only has near mint condition guitars from the 50s and 60s in stock. They’re so rare and the value so obvious you do wonder where they all come from...

Looking at it I think you had a lucky escape.

Martin Penning is a double bass legend. To give you some idea of cost, an overhaul of my functional bass (neck reset, new bridge, new tailpiece, rebuilt tuners, new soundpost etc.) was £500. And that was with Martin generously doing some work for free because he’s just a thoroughly lovely man. Cosmetic improvements will be expensive and unless this bass is a rare one or built by a named and in demand luthier it’s not going to be economically viable. this looks like a very effective get poor quick scheme.

The worlds best dust gatherers.

I listened to this today (not out of choice, I can’t really stand Prince, but it was on the radio), and there’s certainly a synth line underpinning it. 80s I spose.

Worthy cause and a great idea. Good luck, and I hope Ellen gets better soon. Horrible disease that has touched us all at some point.

It sounds like a potential con, but it may have been that his account was compromised (perhaps?). I can never understand why anyone would bother to make a few hundred quid, but perhaps that's me. What would be useful, if you're happy to do so, is to list all of his fake accounts and I can add them to my banned buyers list if/when I ever list anything again.

I know this store, it's (relatively) local to me. They had some other great old gear in there, including a pristine Wyman Bass and a load of old Vox stuff. I spoke with a member of the team and apparently it's an old man who wanted to get rid of it all, and they pay him cash. Whether that's true or not, I guess is impossible to know, but they have had some impressive vintage gear in there. Price wise this seems pretty much London retail.

Ebay is minefield for sellers nowadays. When I sell, I just mark it as cash on collection only. I'll always request a phone number and speak to the person if I can. And I'll happily meet halfway (although setting up an Eminence at Newbury Services was quite an experience!) Anyway, what this chap's doing isn't illegal, but it's disingenuous and using your images and description is just cheap. I don't think there's anything wrong in making a profit, but to sell something you don't own (drop shipping) is bad business. Sad you cant advertise it on here I guess, but good luck with it.

Haha, he wanted it for a tour. Lovely bloke, very talkative. Was in about 2003 I think, can’t remember. I’ve had all sorts of gear in and out of my place. The bass was lovely but the tracking on the synth unit a piece of crap. Would have liked to have kept it but it was all flight cased too, so massive!

I’ve had two of these. Great basses! I sold one to Phil Oakey of the Human League fame.

Would have been amazing... shame!

Recorded an album with Johnny Burns of Genesis fame (he worked with everyone in the 70s), mastered at Real World, signed a distribution deal in Germany and the record sold about 2 copies I think. I don’t even have one (but I do have a t shirt somewhere). Played the Albert Hall and some other big gigs and toured around on the prog scene with the big names for a bit. First ever gig I did was with Wilco Johnson (Norman Wattroy used my rig and we had a chat but I was callow and didn’t really talk to him about how awesome he was), and it got better from there. Arthur Brown was good fun, Carl Palmer was mad and the Australian Pink Floyd were thoroughly lovely. I remember a lot of optimism dashed against the rocks of reality. Nobody really liked what we did apart from the guy who knew the record company I think. Don’t consider this making it, but it was good fun. Never got paid, band was full of angry men and I knocked it on the head to start writing for a living which is a very similar proposition! When I was younger I thought I would have loved to tour the world and all that, but I don’t think I would have really. I enjoyed the booze a little too much and I’m sure I was a total (expletive deleted).

That would be one hell of a funky jam.

Definitely give them to a charity shop!