Shaggy

It seems to be a particular feature of German 1950’s - ‘60’s basses and guitars to have necks with very little taper from nut to bridge; also lots of pearloid!*. I had a 1960’s Framus Grand Star archtop 6-string with a near parallel neck, and the neck on my mid-‘60’s Vox Wyman is basically like a broom handle sawn in half lengthwise, which I believe was Bill Wyman’s preference at the time, being used to his Framus basses. Seems odd at first when you’re used to a conventionally tapered neck, but you do get used to it. * edit: also most seem to use the zero-fret design, which I’ve always thought quite a sensible one....

I'm nicking that for the epitaph on my gravestone, just to spook people..... Almost as good as that of the late, great Spike Milligan: "I told you I was ill".

I'm guessing J rather than P? Scorch mark from smokin' bass solo. Or a fag. Edit: may be an urban legend, but apparently when Eric Clapton took his Strat "Blackie" in for a set-up, the tech gave it a full clean, including removal of trademark burn on headstock. One totally p!ssed off guitar god.....

I think you’re doing the best thing you can, in posting on BC; it’d also probably be worth posting on FB bass gear and band sub-groups in the NW of England. I always envy people who are rational enough never to regret moving gear on. I incredibly stupidly sold a one-off luthier built bass so perfect for me it could my “signature bass” - a Steve Smith custom long-scale semi, but a couple of years later the chap I sold it too (one of BC’s good eggs 👍) was kind enough to trade it back to me....

Like, far out and groovy, man! 😎. Only another 10 years to catch up with the Stones.... Very cool band name too!

Hell of a find! As said above, control knobs non-original. Coincidentally; one sold only recently on here: Thats a Kramer 450B in the pic, I think he was more usually seen with the 650B (as in the TOTP studio footage of “Rat Trap” )

Bought a MM pickup from Alain, and as above post shows; he’s clearly one of the good guys on BC. 👍. Smooth easy deal, great communications, and pickup sent promptly and superbly packed. Many thanks! 🙂

In the used market it used to be accepted that: Antique = 100+ years Vintage = 50+ years but both now pretty meaningless, along with “classic” and “rare”

Wonderful, although indelibly associated with the air bass supremo........

Eee, you were lucky - I used to have a bedsit room next to a guy who I think had recently broken up with his GF, and played “Hello” by Lionel Ritchie almost continually all day, every day. Hell now holds no terrors for me..... Re the OP, apparently like others above I liked their earlier stuff up until around the X and Y album - in particular “Clocks” is a genuinely great song. Everything I’ve heard recently seems to be bland generic festival-fare; with that awful ubiquitous compressed beat and “anthemic” chorus.

Inspirational to my formative years, and still inspirational: ”Rumours”, Fleetwood Mac - John McVie doing nothing flashy, but totally underpinning each great song ”Secondhand daylight”, Magazine - Barry Adamson’s wonderful tone and feel absolutely key to the mood of the album ”Quiet Life” / “Gentlemen take Polaroids”, Japan - Mick Karn just finding a highly individual way to play bass, but again; the playing is always for the song rather than for itself.

Way back from when bands used to smile in pics That lady singer sure has some balls on her.........😉

The tort works for me.......👍

Without going the custom manufacture route I suspect you’re not going to get enclosed covers that will fit, also covering the poles will make the entire pickup unit deeper (so may not fit the body cavity properly). Personally I’d swap out the rather mediocre MEC’s for pole-less MM-type Barts or EMG’s. I upgraded the MM pickup in my Streamer LX Jazzman for a Nordstrand Bigman 4 with the staggered Jazz type poles, and the improvement in tone was astonishing.

As a member of Bass World with subsequent incarnations into Bass Talk and Basschat and also Finnbass I really enjoyed them all, found much massively useful info, bought some stonkingly good gear, and made some good friends - although now being an old fart (albeit still a gigging old fart....) I post very little these days. I particularly miss Lysdexia’s superb and very artful photos in the FS section of basses posed with young ladies (or was it the other way around?) - think these were mainly on Basschat. The occasional dip into Finnbass was like the rare visit to the favourite boozer from your younger years, and I feel the same sadness at its closure as seeing that old boozer bulldozed (a particular episode of “Whatever happened to the Likely Lads?” comes to mind) In these days of PC-ness, Sleb culture and global social media, it seems to me that any bastion of ephemerally British laddishness and eccentricity should be cherished 🧐

Updated link: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/265310625049?hash=item3dc5bedd19:g:CjcAAOSwP~5gpPjH This has now been listed so long that “Wal inflation” has made it the cheapest Mk.1 on t’bay. Who’d have thought it?

Looks like they were going for a Stingray vibe with that one, though it’s from 1980 the Magnum was pretty much extinct by then - shame, as they were lovely basses with design features ahead of their time. As far as I’m aware the 1 - 4 models actually had glued in set necks too, they just also had a “belt and braces” bolted neck plate.

I remember reading an NME (or possibly Sounds) review of a Magazine gig circa 1980 that I went to, which included: “....It was great that Barry Adamson’s bass was turned up high in the mix, as it really got the crowd dancing....” Those who feel the music will always notice the bass.

Bought some “rubber goods” (oo-er......😏) from Brian; smooth, easy deal, and a great guy to communicate with. Thanks fella! 👍