Shaggy

Wal-tastic gorgeousness - what are the wood facings, olive?

Bought some strings off Andy - smooth deal. Top communications, fast despatch, and great packing. Deal with in confidence

Bought a bass Pod XT off Andy - great communications, sent straight away and really well packed. Top guy to do business with - thanks!

[quote name='Wolverinebass' timestamp='1499509616' post='3331926'] Nice bass. Sadly, Warmoth don't do Thunderbird, explorer, sg or les paul bass bodies anymore. I believe Gibson hit them with a cease and desist about 3 years ago. [/quote] Damn shame! Kind of ironic that Fender took issue with the original Thunderbirds as being too "Fender-y"

[quote name='Mossiebass' timestamp='1499119459' post='3329409'] So I've been seriously GASing for a Fenderbird recently, and came across the Bach version, but they don't seem to make them any more. Due to my inexperience with woodworking, I'd rather not go the DIY route. Does anyone actually produce a Fenderbird style bass? [/quote] Easy to go the DIY route with no woodworking skills - Warmoth (and probably others) do a very nice T-bird body in a range of woods with a Fender neck pocket you can directly bolt a Fender neck on, with choice of either T-bird or P/J pickup routes. See - http://basschat.co.uk/topic/173719-fenderwarmoth-fenderbird-price-drop-l500/page__p__1656844__hl__warmoth__fromsearch__1#entry1656844 - that one mine, now fitted with nickel '66 Thunderbucker p/ups, '60's Gibson type T-bird bridge and tailpipe and Epi T-bird neck, but about to be restored to a Fenderbird as I've a very nice flamed maple P bass neck for it Dead easy to do, and gives far more scope for personal preference - TBH none of the production Fenderbirds do much for me But hope you find a nice one!

[quote name='3below' timestamp='1499294977' post='3330645'] Greg, the reason for selling at the time was a mandolin. Glad that you are enjoying having it back. Now if I can only find the 58 EB2 I p/xd for a precision in 1977........ [/quote] Ah! It probably was - my mandolin GAS has known no bounds recently, traded a Wal for one recently! Hope you're getting on with the Jazz bass Francis. I feel your pain with the EB-2 - they were generally regarded as old tosh back in the '70's, but I've always liked 'em

Very foolishly sold my Steve Smith custom "EB-2" semi to Francis (3below) of this forum around 4 - 5 years ago for reasons I can't even remember - the only sale I genuinely regretted in 100's of deals over the years. Total gent that he is, Francis agreed to trade it back to me last month, so happy bunny here Couple of pics 2nd post down: http://basschat.co.uk/topic/243502-semi-hollows/page__st__60__p__2533666__hl__steve%20smith%20semi__fromsearch__1#entry2533666 As far as I know, a complete one-off from the late '80's. Steve Smith was a luthier for Goodfellow in their early days, then set up on his own in Southend doing repairs and custom builds (here's another: scroll down page for pics: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-Steve-Smith-lined-fretless-headless-6-string-Heart-Heartwood-Goodfellow-/280959868104?_trksid=p4340.m1986&_trkparms=aid%3D555001%26algo%3DPW.CURRENT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D29%26meid%3D1960185178530633263%26pid%3D100013%26prg%3D1013%26rk%3D3%26 ) - highly respected by the players he did work for but sadly no longer with us This (with TI flats) and a '77 Ovation Magnum 1 fretless (with s/s rounds) is all I'm using these days

Met up with Francis in sunny Swansea today (it actually was, for a change.....), for a deal typical for me these days in that it involved a trade to get back gear I've previously owned. One day I'll learn.... Great guy, great communications, and he did all the running around in diverting off his route. Thanks fella!

PM'd re Gibson bit....

Looks like Gary's been as busy as Del-boy recently! Met up with him at a sunny M4 Cardiff West services on Tuesday for a trade involving me acquiring a rather nice fretless P neck from him. Total gent, a real pleasure to communicate and deal with - hope to meet up again soon! :-)

Fabulous - very Bernard Edwards (except for lack of frets....) Really miss my old Custom Shop NT Eagle; unique basses, and definitely at the top boutique end of the market when this one was made

[quote name='neepheid' timestamp='1492109596' post='3278085'] Broken headstocks are the fault of the user or clumsy person who last touched the instrument, not the manufacturer. If it stays off the floor, it's fine. It's designed to give optimal break angle over the nut without using string trees, not withstand impact with the ground, and I for one have no issue with that. [/quote] Apparently the reason that Alembic put "points" on the bodies of their basses, so owners would have to use stands rather than leaning the bass against an amp etc, with ensuing risk of bass toppling over I do get annoyed by adverts for Gibson guitars and basses including "the usual headstock / neck break repair" as if it really was usual - of the stupidly many basses I've owned (currently including 8 vintage Gibsons: 5 basses and 3 guitars) the only one ever to have a headstock crack was a Fender

[quote name='spectoremg' timestamp='1491680824' post='3274800'] What's the Moog circuitry all about - this is new to me? [/quote] See: http://www.flyguitars.com/gibson/bass/RDartist.php

Pretty unusual for a neck break on these as body & neck are tough as old boots - 3 ply maple neck with a big volute - it's the mahogany necked Gibson basses without volutes that were fragile, T'birds in particular. Problems are more usual with the highly complex Moog circuitry, which was often simply swapped out Andy Baxter listing a couple around the £2K mark, so I'd agree with above - £1.5K max I've got a Fireburst one (same as this) and the bound CMT model - fabulous basses if you can live with the weight

Hanging around (Stranglers) - best 2 notes of bass ever...... Surprised no-ones mentioned "Walk on the wild side" (not my favourite)

[quote name='No lust in Jazz' timestamp='1487413878' post='3239577'] The whole thread saw we 90% though an electrical guitar order form earlier in the week. This didn't help.. http://youtu.be/K6G_hugwG0E [/quote] Just pure magic. Rob Dean's RD Artist guit*r is pretty cool too....... [quote name='NancyJohnson' timestamp='1487418816' post='3239640'] You know, his were custom build short scales. [/quote] Didn't know that, but makes sense - in all other respects the TB is about as polar opposite to the basses he was playing in the '60's as a 4 string bass can be. I'm assuming the "disco" bassline on "Miss you" was the TB

A certain Mr Wyman also a player of these of course....