Pete Back 8 string Jazz Bass

[hillbilly deluxe]

This bass belongs to the singer in our band,it was allegedly built for the band Saxon.It is through-neck,Jazz width with Flying V headstock with Schaller machine heads.The body is slab construction.Im assuming that the bridge pickup has been replaced at some point as has the nut.All the electrics work apart from one mini toggle switch.Im assuming that the mini toggles are coil taps ? The bridge is adjustable for each string.IMO the neck has been shaved down,and the neck has twisted (although its still perfectly playable)because of this.The weight,almost 13lb.
Im guessing the early 80's as a date.
Any info on this,or a pic of it in use with Saxon,if it was indeed used by them would be great.

[Ou7shined]

Haha so many levels of wrong.
Guitar pup, 4 string nut and a bridge that's been fitted a couple of clicks further north than it should be.

Hang it on the wall and just tell everyone it used to be Saxon's.

[hillbilly deluxe]

The guitar pickup actually sounds ok.The nut can be replaced.It intonates too.Im sure that the bridge is a replacement.The bass will never be for sale,(dont ask me why,i dont know) wether it belonged to Saxon or not.
I think that the whole concept of it is wrong,but it has a massive array of tones and plays well strung up as a 4,but god knows what it would be like as an 8 with that narrow spacing.

Edited October 16, 2010 by hillbilly deluxe

[Ou7shined]

[quote name='hillbilly deluxe' post='990037' date='Oct 16 2010, 11:21 AM']The guitar pickup actually sounds ok.....[/quote]
What, even the E string?

[hillbilly deluxe]

Yup,for some reason the sound is even accross all 4 strings.

[Ou7shined]

That's pretty surprising considering it misses the pup.
The original pups look interesting though... especially the humbucker. Dimarzio?

[hillbilly deluxe]

Im guessing Dimarzio for the neck and Jazz pickups.Very few of the pole pieces line up with the strings,so it should IMO sound unballanced,but it doesnt,the sound is massive on each of the pickups.

[Stacker]

[quote name='hillbilly deluxe' post='990037' date='Oct 16 2010, 11:21 AM']The guitar pickup actually sounds ok.The nut can be replaced.It intonates too.Im sure that the bridge is a replacement.The bass will never be for sale,(dont ask me why,i dont know) wether it belonged to Saxon or not.
I think that the whole concept of it is wrong,but it has a massive array of tones and plays well strung up as a 4,but god knows what it would be like as an 8 with that narrow spacing.[/quote]

I remember seeing this bass player a band in Edinburgh when I was a teenager who had an old Rick 4001 and he'd put a Strat pup in where the foam mute used to be. He said, as I recall, that it "brought out the highs"! What utter bullshit! I think he just had it in there as a conversation piece!!

[mcnach]

[quote name='Stacker' post='991408' date='Oct 17 2010, 06:28 PM']I remember seeing this bass player a band in Edinburgh when I was a teenager who had an old Rick 4001 and he'd put a Strat pup in where the foam mute used to be. He said, as I recall, that it "brought out the highs"! What utter bullshit! I think he just had it in there as a conversation piece!![/quote]


sometimes you just have to nod politely and let them be...

[7string]

[quote name='mcnach' post='991461' date='Oct 17 2010, 07:07 PM']sometimes you just have to nod politely and let them be... [/quote]

Oh yes.....

[hillbilly deluxe]

One of the fender short scales had a Strat pickup in it,did it not ?

[dwh87]

[quote name='Stacker' post='991408' date='Oct 17 2010, 06:28 PM']I remember seeing this bass player a band in Edinburgh when I was a teenager who had an old Rick 4001 and he'd put a Strat pup in where the foam mute used to be. He said, as I recall, that it "brought out the highs"! What utter bullshit! I think he just had it in there as a conversation piece!![/quote]


Cliff Burton did this to his Rickenbacker and many Metallica fans have probably done it too.

[Doc B]

[quote name='hillbilly deluxe' post='992058' date='Oct 18 2010, 11:20 AM']One of the fender short scales had a Strat pickup in it,did it not ?[/quote]

It was the Musicmaster. IIRC it was Bassist mag that did a feature on hotrodding them with a SD Hotrails bladed Strat pickup

[EdwardHimself]

I think that "bass" is having an identity crisis lol.

[hillbilly deluxe]

Im the one thats having a crisis,i've just been given it.Rob some bits off it and bung it in the cupboard of no return.

[BigRedX]

That would be a cracking project to restore back to it's full 8-string glory.

What's the width at the nut? (it's not a standard Jazz neck I hope...)

[hillbilly deluxe]

It is standard Jazz width.

P.S,im not so sure about the bridge now,would there have been an 8 string bridge about in the 80's with individual saddles ?