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Shaggy

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Everything posted by Shaggy

  1. Shaggy
    As I’m currently winding my bass playing down to a low level I’m putting some stuff up for sale, mostly my main gigging gear. First up; a unique and very lovely Custom Thunderbird bass, that I originally acquired here on BC as a Fenderbird with P/J pickups. However I gradually converted it to a more conventional Thunderbird format, as it’s probably my all-time favourite bass design plus I also wanted a bass to gig with that sounded and played as good as my 1965 Gibson T’bird IV, but that I wouldn’t have to be too precious about. Anyway, specs: Body: made by Warmoth in one-piece lightweight mahogany, with beautiful 2-piece book-matched Cocobolo facings (NB: a proper top, NOT a veneer) with ebony pinstripe in between; the pics don’t at all do it justice, I’ll take some better ones if the sun ever decides to come out in darkest Wales..... Glass smooth gloss poly finish. I’m pretty sure that Gibson stopped Warmoth making Thunderbird bodies a long time ago. Neck pocket dimensions are specifically to take a standard bolt-on Fender type neck, so it would be very easy indeed to turn this back into a Fenderbird if so wanted. Only bad point: the routing for the original neck P pickup was very slightly wider than the mounting for the Thunderbucker I replaced it with, so there is a small 1mm gap on one edge (just visible on pic). I was going to fill it with a sliver of matching hardwood, but never got around to it. Pickups: Dual Thunderbucker Ranch ‘66 pickups, imported from the US at a cost not much less than I’m asking for the whole bass. Again, I believe that these aren’t made any more. They’re “reverse engineered” from original 1960’s Gibson Thunderbird humbuckers, and I have to say sound every bit as good as my original ‘65 T’bird - which has the best tone of any passive bass I know of. Beautifully constructed, with solid nickel-silver covers (not plated). Bridge: separate bridge / tailpiece like the 1960’s design, in chunky chrome plated solid brass. Also imported this from the US. Controls: conventional passive V / V / T, chrome dome control knobs. Neck: YOUR choice of: Neck 1: this is the neck I’ve mainly had on it for its time with me, long scale (34”) Epiphone Thunderbird neck in maple, mahogany tint gloss poly finish, with rosewood board; slim Jazz bass type profile. I believe it’s an older Korean made one - great quality anyway. The chrome tuners are genuine Gibson logo Schallers, which being in-line probably came from a 1980’s Gibson Victory bass. Currently with a Gibson logo truss rod cover, but I have the original Epiphone one with logo removed. Only bad point: The Epi neck is very slightly narrower at the heel end than a Fender neck, so there is a roughly 1mm gap on either side of the pocket, but it’s rock solid when screwed down. Or..... Neck 2: Warmoth custom long scale (34”) neck in solid wenge, wax finish, with slab rosewood board and headstock facing, and a chunky solid brass nut. 3 + 1 type headstock, with “elephant ear” Hipshot Ultralite chrome tuners. Really lovely quality neck; I think the very individual headstock really complements the body shape, and makes for a unique all-Warmoth custom that’s not overly derivative of the original design. Slightly chunkier profile compared to the Epi neck, more like a Precision, and being Fender-fit the heel fits the body neck pocket like a glove. With well-padded Thomann Thunderbird soft case. Looking for £550 on this with either neck; the Warmoth neck is clearly a more expensive and higher quality one than the Epi one, but the vintage Gibson tuners on the Epi neck are ultra rare and easily worth £100+ alone. Collection from South Wales, near Swansea - I can deliver to Bridgend services M4, or possibly further for fuel costs. Postage a potential option, but I’m putting 4 basses up for sale and only have one box! Any questions or requests for specific pics; please message me.
  2. Shaggy
    gypsyjazzer looking for one of these:
  3. Shaggy
    I had a Paulman 5 string, which I only moved on purely because it was a 5 string; never seen another of his basses before or since. Really well made (if a tad heavy) with beautifully figured tonewoods, which I believe he had a reputation for using. Think he was based up in the North of England.
  4. Shaggy
    Some luverly bases there (speaking as a vintage Gibson nut), but ouch those prices! 😮 - I’d be wanting some really solid provenance. I wonder if he sold any? 🤔
  5. Shaggy
    This used to be mine; at least the loaded body was; I only moved it on as I’m winding my bass gigging right down, or it wouldn’t have been going anywhere. It’s both a truly astonishing design and a beautifully crafted instrument - the tonal range possibilities are almost infinite and at first seem slightly bewildering, but it’s really simply to use straight away as just about the nicest P bass you’ve ever heard, or the nicest J bass, and then start exploring the possibilities. I think whilst you could still order an Avenger 2 bass from Sims they were around £2K, but this body was ordered with several factory upgrade options: in 2-piece swamp ash (stock: mahogany), satin natural finish (stock: painted) and 3-band Glockenklang preamp (stock: 2 band) that would have taken it to £2.4K as a full bass. And of course, the seller is something of a Basschat legend that you can buy from with total confidence 🙂
  6. Shaggy
    Lovely bass 👍 - it looks to me like the facings are stained flame maple, not walnut, but the sticker inside the control cavity cover will confirm (I could be wrong)! Don’t think this’ll be around for sale long.....
  7. Shaggy
    Don't remember the “long” C90’s, but I do remember trying the C120’s as you know you’d be sure get a full long album per side (and many of the “prog” LP’s were long......) - unfortunately they’d regularly jam, stick, and / or uselessly fill your cassette deck with yards of unspooled tape....🙁. I think I used to favour BASF chrome C90’s. A bit of nostalgia 😎-
  8. Shaggy
    This thread probably says a lot about the age demographic on BC......😉 Still had my first car in 1985, a 1966 Bond Equipe GT4S (cost me all of £100) which being old was positive earth electrics, so I couldn’t fit a car stereo conventionally. Initially had a ghetto blaster on the back seat, them fitted a Blaupunkt stereo in a home made centre console (a nice bit of oak to match the wooden dash!) with the power lead going directly to the battery. I think I only had 3 cassettes, so played to them on repeat: - Simple Minds: New Gold Dream - Dire Straits: Making Movies - Best of George Benson. Mind, in the house I probably already had around 1000 LP’s - almost all gone to car boot sales now 🙁
  9. Shaggy
    Probably why I liked it.....😎 Beauty is in the eye of the beholder:
  10. Shaggy
    Bought a Levy’s strap off Ollie - smooth deal, great price, fab communications, fast despatch. Top Basschatter 👍 - thanks fella! 🙂
  11. Shaggy
    Lush 👍. I used to have an ‘80 MM Sabre that was this finish before it was stripped.... Wasn’t it officially “Root beer”? (aka Walnut)
  12. Shaggy
    In no way a Jimmy Buffet fan, but where I work (as an NHS Radiographer in a Cardiac Catheter Laboratory) I’m always at the mercy of other people’s playlists, and I used to work with a Cardiologist who was a massive JB fan - this will always take me back: I did like the fact that most of his songs were about boozing.......🥃 RIP Jimmy
  13. Shaggy
    I have to agree. I always find these threads slightly depressing due to the utterly predictable Brit tendency to put down anything perceived as successful. I’m not a massive fan of the Stones (though “Gimme Shelter” will always be in my all-time top 10 songs), but their sheer longevity for both creative output and for putting on high energy live performances is staggering - I’m pretty sure it’s a feat that will never be repeated again in the world of popular music. Respect 😎
  14. Shaggy
    Yes please; PM sent 👍
  15. Shaggy
    Absolutely true; and for me the strongest associations are indelibly linked to my romantic life. Fiction Factory’s “Feels like heaven” completely takes me back to bittersweet memories of early 1984 when I and the first real love of my life were going through a rocky time.....🤔 My all-time favourite album, takes my right to the best summer of my life doing voluntary work at a Marine Biology station on a tiny island off SW Ireland 🙂
  16. Shaggy
    Just noticed it looks like that site I mentioned for the TRC does the knobs you’re after as well: https://reproguitarparts.com/#!/Electra-Westone-Volume-and-Tone-Knob/p/199597582/category=1391098 edit: also just noticed they’re sold out, but if you contact them I bet they could source some more
  17. Shaggy
    Great score bartelby 👍 - as for the TRC I guess you can carefully touch up the logo; if not, these guys will make one for you: https://reproguitarparts.com/#!/Electra-Westone/c/1385115 They custom made a creme version of the TRC for my Thunder II, which is now also part of their catalogue.
  18. Shaggy
    We had the same experience a couple of years ago when clearing our parents home; ended up giving away their lovely old iron-frame upright piano for free. Nobody wants them; I guess they take up too much space and the modern compact electric pianos are so good. There was also an antique harmonium in the house (technically mine, as I’d bought it on impulse from a junk shop when in my teens....) which had a slightly more interesting exit. A Finnish heavy metal band touring the UK and passing through Cambridge happened to notice it posted in the Freeads, took it away, and used it that night as part of their act. I assume it was probably destroyed with a flame thrower or something (which was a shame as it was a beautiful thing....), but I guess better to go out in a blaze of glory than mouldering away in a garage somewhere.
  19. Shaggy
    Absolutely lusted after this rig back in the day - sadly I think I’ll still have to just lust after it......😕 Amazing how modern and classy it still looks; GLWTS 👍
  20. Shaggy
    Prather a poor shot of me also playing a natural RD Artist (my first RD). Cab behind me is a Mesa Boogie Diesel 2x15 Road Ready, so I was clearly keen on heavy gear back then......
  21. Shaggy
    Probably a dull question, but I assume it’s an old ‘un rather than the Krist Novoselic reissue? Tricky one, as vintage prices seem to be all over the place right now, and “rarer” doesn’t necessarily equal more desirable / valuable, in fact it can work the other way. Might be worth looking at Andy Baxter recent sales, as he sells a lot of vintage Gibsons and seems to have a pretty good handle on realistic pricing. Personally I wouldn’t go above £1.5K, but then again personally I’d be holding out for an Artist model anyway - much nicer 😉. (I’ve owned 4 of them, so am a bit of a fan....)
  22. Shaggy
    Lovely, though it’s aged to a kind of a shoreline gold! 👍 As I recall, Benjamin Orr of The Cars used to play one with that finish.
  23. Shaggy
    A proto-Warwick really....... I rather like it, other than the pine body being a bit 1970’s kitchen unit 🤔 I used to own a ‘60’s Framus Grand Star 6-string acoustic jazz guitar which was fabulous.
  24. Shaggy
    Now up to £33..... looks like the bones of a good bass there, minus the very silly pickup surround - you’d have to take the neck off to adjust the truss rod (or route a notch by the neck heel of the body to access), but I’ve had a few bitsas like that.
  25. Shaggy
    Really beautiful bass - I put Thunderbucker ‘66 pickups in my custom Warmoth T’bird, put together so that I wouldn’t have to gig my 1965 T’bird IV, and can confirm that they actually sound better than the originals. Something really special about a white Thunderbird; plus I’m sure this will be the equal of a Mike Lull for a lot less dosh - GLWTS 👍
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