Beedster

Thanks both, this is what i think is a pretty representative soundclip [url="https://youtu.be/ZIEsqAivX9A"]https://youtu.be/ZIEsqAivX9A[/url] Also, here's a bit of history (and Greg, looks like you were right about the transducer, a Barcus Berry option at the time) [i][b]History of the Mark Series[/b][/i] [i]The year was 1975 and Ovation guitars were taking the market by storm. Born of the war in Vietnam and their parent company's aviation background, Ovation took a material used for helicopter radomes and turned them into modern guitars with bowl-shaped synthetic backs. A revolutionary pickup system made it possible to finally take an acoustic onstage with a rock band and still be heard without having to use microphones. The high-tech plastic back, use of a raised plastic purfling ring around the soundhole, and no pick guard created an entirely non-traditional look to the guitars used by popular musicians. Glen Campbell, Cat Stevens, Jim Croce, and many other artists appeared on stage with Ovation guitars.[/i] [i]Meanwhile, traditional guitar manufacturers like Gibson and Martin were struggling. In the 70's, giant corporations looked at the guitar industry and saw a product they thought they could reengineer and retool to make a tidy profit. CBS bought up Fender guitars and Norlin took over Gibson. The idea was that manufacturing a guitar was just like making "widgets." All you had to do was retool with modern components, streamline production, and crank out guitars to a waiting world. For the most part, the results were dismal.[/i] [i]Quality control problems plagued many manufacturers, including Gibson. Demand for traditional guitars was down. New upstarts like Ibanez and Takamine were creating foreign-built copies of classic instruments that rivaled the quality and undersold the established American brands. At the same time, these companies introduced numerous innovative and original designs that grabbed the attention of a new generation of players.[/i] [i]As the prices of most Gibson models continued to escalate, the Norlin/Gibson conglomerate tried to fend off the challengers with some new innovation of their own. Out of that effort came the Gibson S-1 and Marauder electrics, the Ripper and Grabber basses, and on the acoustic battle front, the Mark Series.[/i] [i]Emboldened by Ovation's success at marketing a very nontraditional guitar to a very traditional clientele, Gibson abandoned the classic dreadnought design for the Mark guitars. The guitar had a slightly rounded shoulder, a deeply curved waist (though not so much as a J-200) and a rounded lower bout. The shape appeared to be borrowed from the famous archtops of Gibson's golden era. The flattop's body was relatively deep and was graduated from the upper to lower bouts. Although this design had a fairly large sound chamber, the instrument was very comfortable to hold compared to a dreadnought or a jumbo. The smooth neck heel offered easy accessibility to the upper frets.[/i] [i]The headstock design was a unique shape for Gibson and the logo embossed on the guitars hearkened back to the old script of the "Orville" era mandolins and L-5 archtops. The bell shaped tuners were derived from the Les Paul guitars.[/i] [i]Some innovations were a direct challenge to Ovation. For example, Ovation guitars came from the factory with shims installed beneath the bridge saddle. If the player felt the action was too high for comfort, he could remove the strings, pull up the saddle and remove a couple of shims to lower the action to his preference, all without having to take the guitar to a luthier. The Gibson answer to this concept was to make the bridge saddle slide laterally into a slot, parallel with the bridge and open on the bass side. Three melanine bridges in varying heights shipped with the guitar and by simply loosening the strings (no removal required) one could slide the existing bridge out and install a shorter or taller one.[/i] [i]Ovation guitars had a unique appearance for their lack of a pick guard. To protect the top area most prone to pick wear, Ovation used a plastic, raised purfling ring instead of a traditional rosette. Gibson copied the concept and introduced a much more prominent purfling ring made of wood grained plastic that not only protected the top, but also gave the body more visual depth. However, knowing that some guitar players would want a pick guard, Gibson shipped the guitars with a thick plastic pick guard that could be attached to the top of the guitar with a non-marring, non-permanent putty.[/i] [i]Ovation's guitars were also renowned for their pickup system and a very balanced tone spectrum. Gibson teamed with Barcus-Berry and offered an optional "Hot Dot" piezo pickup system for about $100 more.[/i] [i]The Mark Series guitars used a very unusual Kasha bracing system and bridge design. The bridge flared dramatically over the bass end of the instrument and was rather high for an acoustic. A look inside the guitar with a mirror reveals a strange, asymmetrical bracing pattern unlike any standard design. Kasha was a physicist who turned his attentions to the transmission of sound through a membrane. His findings led to some very interesting experiments with piano and classical guitar. Gibson luthier Richard Schneider helped develop the designs that became the Mark Series. The intent is to more efficiently transfer vibration to the soundboard, using more area of the top to generate sound.[/i] [i]The Mark Series guitars achieved a breakthrough of sorts. The evenness of tone was remarkable, even from instruments fresh from assembly. The tone was steely, but not brittle; punchy, but not overbearing. Unlike bass-heavy dreadnoughts, the balanced tones the instrument produced made them suitable for fingerpicking as well as flatpicking. These guitars record wonderfully. (Ed. Note: Every recording session I've ever done with one has earned raves from the engineer.)[/i] [i]Unfortunately, although Ovation had successfully marketed a nontraditional instrument to a mass audience, Gibson's traditional clientele rejected the instrument. The Mark Series failed to grab any market turf and the instrument was relatively expensive to produce. The visible Kasha features were too much for aficionados of traditional designs that Gibson was famed for and for the most part, no "famous" artists openly played the instrument on stage. Without an artist endorsement, it was a hard sell to finicky younger guitar buyers. Some players felt the guitars lacked sufficient bass richness. Others commented that the guitar simply felt too heavy? (The guitar is very substantial and would compare in weight to an archtop instrument.)[/i] [i]Gibson discontinued the line in 1979. The instruments that remained in stock were sold to a company that turned them into CLOCKS! The Mark Series line, despite it's fine workmanship and excellent tone, remained largely ignored by collectors and the used guitar market. For many years, it was not even listed in the Orion Blue Book for musical instruments: the "bible" of used guitar appraisal by music dealers and pawn shops. Without a baseline for pricing, no one knew what to do with them. (I traded an old guitar amp and $150 for my first Mark 72. Brand new, it would have sold for over $900.) Periodically they show up on Ebay or other auction sites. They are an incredible value for someone seeking the quality of a mid-70s Martin or Gibson on a budget.[/i] And some more........ [i]Part of the fallout from the guitar boom of the 1960s was an increased academic interest in guitars that manifested itself in the 1970s.[/i] [i]This ranged from Ph.D. theses in musicology – yielding our best biographies of classical players such as Fernando Sor and Mauro Giuliani – to the involvement of scientists trying to improve the guitar based on principles of physics. The latter efforts were actually initiated in collaboration between Dr. Michael Kasha, a physics professor at Florida State University since 1951, and luthier Richard Schneider, an apprentice of Mexican luthier Juan Pimentel, that began in the mid-1960s. This collaboration eventually added a third partner from Kalamazoo, Michigan – Gibson Guitars – and yielded the Gibson Mark series of acoustics, including the beautiful 1978 Gibson Mark 53.[/i] [i]Michael Kasha became interested in improving the classical guitar circa 1965. Encouraged by the classical guitar establishment, including Andres Segovia, Sophocles Papas, Mario Abril, and Vladimir Bobri (the famous editor of Guitar Review), he began to measure the sound response of great classical guitars, with the help of one E.E. Watson. Convinced he could improve the response and volume of the guitar by applying scientific principles, he began working with luthiers José Fernandez and the young Richard Schneider.[/i] [i]By 1971, Kasha was publishing many of his conclusions, which were basically three-fold; 1) Kasha loaded weight in or near the headstock to increase the transmission of string vibration down through the neck. This was counterbalanced with a weight in the tailblock. 2) The soundboard received a radical revision to the bracing system. Systems varied for classical and steel-stringed models, but basically it involved two transverse bars under the bridge and above the soundhole, then a sort of hybrid X and fan system, X on the upper bout, fanned on the lower, with braces getting thinner as they moved from bass to treble sides. A few brace detours occurred along the way. 3) Finally, Kasha came up with an “impedance-matching bridge” that was basically wide on the bass side and tapered on the treble.[/i] [i]Other improvements were also attempted, including making the back more resonant, etc. These were hardly the first attempts at such improvements! Ever since guitars graduated from ladder bracing, and certainly since the time of Torres, luthiers have been trying to figure out how to get the most from the soundboard. Makers had been working on resonating backs at least since the 1920s. But this effort was probably one of the earliest to apply scientific equipment and principles to the task. While this whole process involved physical analyses of woods and movement patterns of various frequencies and so forth, the actual process was also heavy on trial and error. Art directed by science.[/i] [i]Around ’72, Kasha and Schneider worked together on Kasha’s classical guitar ideas and signed an agreement to sell them through the Baldwin Piano and Organ Company, owners and builders of Gretsch and Baldwin/Burns guitars. That arrangement lasted only about a year, and in ’73 the pair entered an agreement with Gibson to develop a line of scientifically designed acoustic guitars, with Norlin picking up the development tab. The result was the much-heralded introduction of the Gibson Mark acoustics in ’75.[/i] [i]The Gibson Mark line consisted of five steel-stringed models. All were jumbo-bodied, with more rounded shoulders and lower bout than a typical square-shouldered Gibson dreadnought. They could be had in either natural or a sunburst with dark upper bout and a fairly thin band of stain around the lower. All sported 251/2″ scales and had a plastic ring around the soundhole. The top of the line was the Mark 99 in spruce and rosewood with an ebony fretboard, gold hardware, and bow-tie inlays ($2,199). These were basically custom-made by Schneider. The Mark 81 was the top production model, differing only in large pearl block inlays ($999). The Mark 72, a plainer rosewood model with less binding, chrome hardware, rosewood fingerboard, and dots ($749). The Mark 53 was maple-bodied with rosewood ‘board and dots ($649). The Mark 35 had a mahogany body with rosewood ‘board and dots ($569). Cases were an extra $109. Two 12-strings were briefly offered, the Mark 45-12, probably made of maple (two made in ’79), and the Mark 35-12 (12 made in ’77). Another model offered only in ’75 was the Kasha B, probably a classical (21 made).[/i] [i]The Mark 53 is a fine guitar. It’s got the big, tight, booming sound you’d expect from a well-made jumbo, bright and crisp as you’d want from a maple guitar. The workmanship is excellent, with five-ply binding on top, a nice, flamey back, and a maple neck. It sets up great for playing.[/i] [i]All that said, does the science that created it make it special? Maybe it’s because once you get into the realm of manufacturing guitars, any edge derived from the science gets rationalized out. Maybe it’s because science only takes you so far when it comes to the art of building guitars. In either case, however good this guitar sounds and plays, it’s not really remarkably better than any other really well-made guitar. And Gibson Marks didn’t exactly fly off the shelves, though sales picked up toward the end.[/i] [i]The Mark guitars were only offered for four years, until 1979. Only one custom Mark 99 was ever produced and sold. Of the Mark 81s, 431 were produced. The second most popular was the Mark 72 clocking in at 1,229 units. The maple Mark 53 saw 1,424 produced. The most popular was the mahogany Mark 35, with 5,226 made.[/i] [i]Whether or not Gibson Marks would have ultimately become a successful mainstay of the Gibson lineup, by the late ’70s, Gibson was in turmoil and transition, including moving production from Kalamazoo to Nashville. And its parent company, Norlin, was showing definite signs of wanting to get out of the guitar business. So, Gibson pulled the plug on the Mark. Michael Kasha and Richard Schneider continued working together on well-respected, essentially custom-made guitars over the subsequent years. Richard Schneider passed away in 1997, and today, Gibson Mark series guitars are the primary evidence left from that hopeful time when dreamers thought science could trump – or at least, enhance – art. The jury is still out on that, but Gibson Marks are eminently worth seeking out.[/i]

Hi Greg, thanks for your help with the blonde (!), how is this mic for recording? Chris

I'd add some links later re the MK series, it's a really very interesting history - an object of ridicule among the Gibson Forum Fanboys, but increasingly considered a classic by grown ups

[quote name='silverfoxnik' timestamp='1464625538' post='3060933'] Lovely looking acoustic Chris! I assume it sounds pretty good too? GLWTS Nik [/quote] [quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1464626010' post='3060940'] Nice! [/quote] Thanks both, yes it is very nice, it sounds lovely, and can be quite growly by comparison with the SJ-200. Frankly I love this little guitar, but it's just another instrument I have around for sentimental and aesthetic reasons, and I have far too many of those at present! If the SJ-200 wasn't so extraordinarily good this would be staying, but anyone who's played the former knows that there's few guitars that can get near.

[URL=http://s80.photobucket.com/user/Beedster/media/IMG_1161_zpsbapzdwvl.jpg.html][IMG]http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j199/Beedster/IMG_1161_zpsbapzdwvl.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=http://s80.photobucket.com/user/Beedster/media/IMG_1162_zpsiqmygwdc.jpg.html][IMG]http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j199/Beedster/IMG_1162_zpsiqmygwdc.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=http://s80.photobucket.com/user/Beedster/media/IMG_1169_zpsqxwaeodp.jpg.html][IMG]http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j199/Beedster/IMG_1169_zpsqxwaeodp.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=http://s80.photobucket.com/user/Beedster/media/IMG_1164_zpsvmt9sb8c.jpg.html][IMG]http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j199/Beedster/IMG_1164_zpsvmt9sb8c.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=http://s80.photobucket.com/user/Beedster/media/IMG_1165_zpsdqfave6j.jpg.html][IMG]http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j199/Beedster/IMG_1165_zpsdqfave6j.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=http://s80.photobucket.com/user/Beedster/media/IMG_1167_zpswuqy4ss8.jpg.html][IMG]http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j199/Beedster/IMG_1167_zpswuqy4ss8.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=http://s80.photobucket.com/user/Beedster/media/IMG_1171_zpsqbcswl48.jpg.html][IMG]http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j199/Beedster/IMG_1171_zpsqbcswl48.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=http://s80.photobucket.com/user/Beedster/media/IMG_1173_zpsief9opm9.jpg.html][IMG]http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j199/Beedster/IMG_1173_zpsief9opm9.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=http://s80.photobucket.com/user/Beedster/media/IMG_1175_zpshfsnlgzk.jpg.html][IMG]http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j199/Beedster/IMG_1175_zpshfsnlgzk.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=http://s80.photobucket.com/user/Beedster/media/IMG_1177_zpshcfw7jjz.jpg.html][IMG]http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j199/Beedster/IMG_1177_zpshcfw7jjz.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=http://s80.photobucket.com/user/Beedster/media/IMG_1176_zpszubhv8so.jpg.html][IMG]http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j199/Beedster/IMG_1176_zpszubhv8so.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

I'll let you guys be the judge of the quality of the relicing, what I will say is that it ain't no coincidence, and as Custom Shop replicas go, it's a far more accurate account of Sting's instrument than they ever managed of Jaco's [URL=http://s80.photobucket.com/user/Beedster/media/Sting_zps63ohq0lk.jpg.html][IMG]http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j199/Beedster/Sting_zps63ohq0lk.jpg[/IMG][/URL] [URL=http://s80.photobucket.com/user/Beedster/media/IMG_1140_zpssbalki8e.jpg.html][IMG]http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j199/Beedster/IMG_1140_zpssbalki8e.jpg[/IMG][/URL]

[url="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/Beedster/media/IMG_1141_zpsylplvi5u.jpg.html"][/url] [url="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/Beedster/media/IMG_1142_zpsw8q7bmnq.jpg.html"][/url] [url="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/Beedster/media/IMG_1144_zpsriraydms.jpg.html"][/url] [url="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/Beedster/media/IMG_1145_zpswbmhu0r6.jpg.html"][/url] [url="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/Beedster/media/IMG_1147_zpswp67c0s9.jpg.html"][/url] [url="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/Beedster/media/IMG_1148_zpsgbrs7nbu.jpg.html"][/url] [url="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/Beedster/media/IMG_1156_zpszdowvfh7.jpg.html"][/url] [url="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/Beedster/media/IMG_1157_zpsuirbu1bo.jpg.html"][/url] [url="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/Beedster/media/IMG_1158_zpsjrtcbpwg.jpg.html"][/url] [url="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/Beedster/media/IMG_1159_zpszyfaqpvj.jpg.html"][/url] [url="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/Beedster/media/IMG_1150_zpsr5s6aeqh.jpg.html"][/url] [url="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/Beedster/media/IMG_1154_zpsqzunomn7.jpg.html"][/url] [url="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/Beedster/media/IMG_1139_zpsvs4zzgun.jpg.html"][/url] [url="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/Beedster/media/IMG_1138_zpsaxi5l4tf.jpg.html"][/url] [url="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/Beedster/media/IMG_1137_zpsop3cewas.jpg.html"][URL=http://s80.photobucket.com/user/Beedster/media/IMG_1137_zpsust7lqm8.jpg.html][IMG]http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j199/Beedster/IMG_1137_zpsust7lqm8.jpg[/IMG][/URL][/url]

Great price, is this the one on eBay? I've owned both this and the SLB-100, and this is far more DB-like. At almost £3000 new this is a good opportunity for someone. C

For about 4-years, and until my recent re-acquisition of my old SJ-200, this was my main acoustic. To my eye it's one of the most iconic and aesthetically pleasing acoustic guitars ever built, and to my ear a far better instrument than many of the web experts would have you believe. In fact it makes me chuckle that the consensus among many of the experts was that it was a commercial failure, having never really caught on anywhere "with the exception of Nashville" where it was apparently a highly rated acoustic among the session players. As our good friends in the US would say, "you do the math" This has been well played, both by me and previous owners. The soundhole thingy is a little loose and could do with a dob of cement, but apart form that it's in good functional condition, if not a little road worn. It also has an aftermarket transducer added (at least I assume it's aftermarket), with the output at the back strap button). I hate to sell this, as of all my instruments it's one of my favourites, but the SJ-200 is a far more versatile and powerful instrument, and I need some cash for another project. One pic below, will be taking a load of pics of this and other FS instruments this evening [url="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/Beedster/media/MK-35_zps43jjj4ss.jpg.html"][/url]

[quote name='chrisanthony1211' timestamp='1464596351' post='3060511'] You do sell some very nice gear, I gigged with the Ampeg on Saturday and she was beautiful, plenty loud enough for an un miked drummer, never got above 2 o clock on the volume, I'm digging the 64 channel...... [/quote] That's because I buy too much nice gear Chris. I'm so glad the B-15 worked, and I'm so glad that what sounded like an excessive claim that you could gig a 25w amp on 2/10 and still be heard with drums proved legitimate. There is no better amp for gigging, and given you've a '65 and a Flea, I doubt you could be happier. Although you could probably use a fretless acoustic for the occasional ballad Cheers C PS folks, I need to raise cash sharpish so this will go on eBay tomorrow if it doesn't sell here

[quote name='krispn' timestamp='1464598882' post='3060548'] Y'know that home studio you have Chris *wink wink* sound clips of the '55 [/quote] [quote name='Norwood' timestamp='1464616669' post='3060807'] Is it possible to have other pics? [/quote] Hi guys, just home, will sort some pics in the next couple of hours, keep watching Soundclips will take a while longer as my desk is not currently in the studio, but I may be able to get it in there tomorrow and do some. Andy Travis knows this bass well so may be able to add something, but my take on the tone is that it lies somewhere between a Jazz and a split PUP Precision (SPP), but with a slightly more aggressive edge than either. It's certainly more scooped than a SPP, but has a bit more grunt and body than a Jazz. It has a pretty decent slap tone, which is bright and present, and is very responsive to finger style. I've not tried it with either flatwounds or with a pic so can't speak for either. I can't think there's many genres that this bass wouldn't work in. I've had a lot of trade offers, and for some absolutely fantastic basses at that, but I'm sorry to say that these are for sale only. The only reason I'm selling them is because the bass I'm buying is one of the few instruments that I'd put in the same league as either, and because I want to sell my Chadwick DB to step up to something a bit bigger and a little more suitable to recording only. So whilst the gear I've been offered is outstanding, these are for sale only. I have a commitment to buy on the Flea at present. Thanks Chris

Bump for this

Thanks for the above comments guys. Yep, incoming Celinder Precision, something that I've always wanted, something that's rare as rocking horse pooh, and something that it appears may not be all that easy a thing to have built even if I had both the cash and the patience. I don;t imagine I'm going to be disappointed. The DB deal has gone south, but there's another possibility so I'll keep this thread live. I think the reality is that, all going well, I may only have to sell one of them, and I really could not decide which one if my life depended on it, they are both outstanding. Common sense would say "no point having three Precisions", but the '55 really is a different beast to a split coil Precision, and this one can do quite a lot of what I want from the Flea. Problem is, the flea is just SO easy to play, I almost feel dishonest playing it if you get my drift! Barrie, nice to hear from you mate, it's got the classic 50's neck, back of headstock runs almost in line with the back of the neck. You could play America's national sport with it - I imagine that's not what you wanted to hear, sorry! Should be able to take pics later today once the gremlin 1 and 2 have been packed off to bed! Cheers Chris

Thanks for the comments guys, looks like the DB may have sold, so whilst I'm happy to keep this FS thread open pending confirmation of that sale, if it transpires that it has gone I'll close this thread, buy the Celinder with what's in my bass account, stick with the Chadwick for a while, and keep my eye open for another large blonde 4/4 DB.

[quote name='Chiliwailer' timestamp='1464448189' post='3059551'] It's official, Chris has flown over the cuckoos nest. Two gorgeous basses you're selling there mate, I absolutely love my Modulus Flea and having had the 55 in my hands many a time I can vouch for the sheer top quality of it. If you're losing these two stunners then I can't wait to see the one that's coming [/quote] Cheers Dan, I'd say the incoming bass is that special mate. I'll keep you guessing a while, but the clues are above

FLEA BASS NOW SOLD ------------------------------------------------------------ Folks I have the opportunity to buy two extremely rare and special instruments in the same week (one electric bass, one upright). Following the initial falling through of one of these deals, I booked a family holiday with the money I'd put aside, and at the same time withdrew my Chadwick double bass from sale. So, I need to raise a little more of the folding, and I'm therefore listing the two basses that are most likely to sell quickly and to be made redundant by the incoming electric. Both are outstanding instruments, really outstanding. The Flea is, in keeping with all Modulus Flea Basses, a joy to play and capable of a phenomenal range of tones. I can play stuff on this that I can't play on any other bass. The '55 is quite possibly the best Custom Shop Bass I've owned, and I'm not joking, the best relic job I've ever seen, even better than many original heaving relics (it's the bass in my current avatar by the way). It was a special build ahead of Musiknesse a few years back and it's not hard to see whose bass they were looking to copy. It is also a wolf in sheep's clothing in every sense, this is not a C&W root/fifths instrument, this bass has tone and grunt on tap by the ton. If I wasn't 100% sure that the new bass - made by a Dane with a surname reminiscent of a kitchen utensil - would comfortably be able to take the place of both, at least in terms of what I need, I wouldn't be selling either. Link to the Flea is here [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/281646-modulus-flea-bass-blue-sparkle-traded/page__p__3026740__hl__modulus%20flea__fromsearch__1#entry3026740"]http://basschat.co.u..._1#entry3026740[/url] Looks a lot like this (with the exception that mine has matching headstock)..... [url="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/Beedster/media/Flea_zpsegafujhr.jpg.html"][/url] Link to the '55 is here [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/279999-nbd-fender-cs-1955-heavy-relic-precision/"]http://basschat.co.u...elic-precision/[/url] Looks a lot like this (anyone would think the Custom Shop did it on purpose.........) [url="http://s80.photobucket.com/user/Beedster/media/Sting_zps63ohq0lk.jpg.html"][/url] Both basses are breathtakers, open the case of the flea and it's hard to believe how they got such a vibrant and vivid finish. Open the case of the '55 and you get the feeling this thing has been gigged hard everynigh since, well '55 . Poor quality photos will do noether of them justice so I'll get the camera out tomorrow and take a full set of each bass. In the meantime there are great pictures of both basses in the links above. I'm pricing them at £2000 each, no haggling and no trades please, they are for sale only. I can courier to UK and Europe at buyers expense, and both will need to be insured. You are also welcome to collect from Canterbury as long as I've had payment ahead of time. Sorry, I don't have time at present to travel to meet a buyer. Chris

Folks, I bought this bass on its reputation and had it delivered by courier. This is exactly what you'd have to do if you ordered one from Chadwick in the USA, albeit a whole lot cheaper. I can understand that it's a lot of money for an instrument, but my commitments don't allow me to travel to meet people on spec, or to make arrangements for people to come and play it (especially as they may or may not show - speaking from experience here). So, as I've probably spent about a day to date on PMs, phone calls and emails about this bass already, I think the simpler solution is to keep it.

[quote name='Walker' timestamp='1464078826' post='3056286'] Hi Chris, Hope you are well. Do you still travel to Wales regularly? Cheers Chris [/quote] All good thanks Chris, but very much down in the SE these days. Hope all's well mate C