dogload Posted May 9, 2012 Share Posted May 9, 2012 (edited) Well for the princely sum of £21 (!) I got myself one of these beasts: Yep, a Marlin Sidewinder (not the horn!). I know they don't find much favour on these pages, and I think if I was looking for something I had to lug around every night to gigs I'd have doubts- it has a hundredweight of prime ply for a body. But otherwise it plays nicely, sounds brilliant (no, really!) and came with a brand new set of strings! It seems pretty similar to my Hohner Arbour (which is my favourite bass for recording) although the bridge pickup is much clearer and punchier. Not sure I'm keen on the single volume, but I can live with it for now. So, scoff and jeer if you will, I think: 'Result!' Pity about the fish on the fretboard. Sorry about the huge picture btw- it's the only decent one I could find on the web that wasn't on Gumtree or Ebay! Edited May 9, 2012 by dogload Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horizontalste Posted May 9, 2012 Share Posted May 9, 2012 Nice one, I like it. And 21 quid too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkG3 Posted May 9, 2012 Share Posted May 9, 2012 Nice,can't argue for £21! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckman67 Posted May 9, 2012 Share Posted May 9, 2012 My first bass was a Marlin Sidewinder KB-24, with the single J pickup at the bridge. Mine was the white one always wanted the red one though,for £21 you can't lose I liked it as a first bass if I could get one at that price I would if only for nostalga. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogload Posted May 9, 2012 Author Share Posted May 9, 2012 Hehe! I was actually looking for a fuzz pedal, saw this and stuck a bid on and forgot about it. The chrome's wearing off the tuners and there's a bit of rust, and i's got a couple of dinks and scrapes, so maybe I should list it on Ebay as a 'rare 80's relic'... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted May 9, 2012 Share Posted May 9, 2012 I hope that £21 included postage... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogload Posted May 9, 2012 Author Share Posted May 9, 2012 [quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1336549425' post='1647178'] I hope that £21 included postage... [/quote] Ahhhh, well... that was extra. Doesn't seem like such a bargain if I say it was [i]31 [/i]quid. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingrayPete1977 Posted May 9, 2012 Share Posted May 9, 2012 My mate had (has?) the guitar version, we called it the cod winder, It had some kind of active circuit with green and red leds, they did nothing! Still for £21 anything playable is good in my book. If it were mine Id take it to every gig waiting for the too cool for school mop haired youf to stroll up, "yeah man I had to come straight here on the tube, can I use your bass and sh*t?". "Certainly sir"....Ta-da! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted May 9, 2012 Share Posted May 9, 2012 finally got tired of my old bass eh ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ou7shined Posted May 9, 2012 Share Posted May 9, 2012 [quote name='dogload' timestamp='1336549138' post='1647169'] ..... maybe I should list it on Ebay as a 'rare 80's relic'... [/quote] Don't forget to mention it's a "lawsuit" bass.... it's all the rage you know. Hey if £21 gets you something you can play and make folk happy then it's all good in my book. NIce score. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogload Posted May 9, 2012 Author Share Posted May 9, 2012 [quote name='ahpook' timestamp='1336552104' post='1647233'] finally got tired of my old bass eh ? [/quote] Surely when one is tired of Hohner, one is tired of life? Anyway, I needed new strings, and these ones came with a free bass! [quote name='Ou7shined' timestamp='1336552142' post='1647235'] Don't forget to mention it's a "lawsuit" bass.... it's all the rage you know. [/quote] Oh yeah! Mustn't be as cynical as I thought... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grassie Posted May 9, 2012 Share Posted May 9, 2012 I had the very same bass only a couple of years ago. I even used to use it as a back up, and it would often get a couple of songs. The other band members christened it "Spandau"... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Posted May 9, 2012 Share Posted May 9, 2012 [quote name='Grant' timestamp='1336570926' post='1647681'] The other band members christened it "Spandau"... [/quote] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Why? Because they wanted to escape from it?[/font][/color] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luckman67 Posted May 9, 2012 Share Posted May 9, 2012 IIRC mine cost £87.50 secondhand back in August 1987, it was all I could afford back then. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grassie Posted May 9, 2012 Share Posted May 9, 2012 [quote name='Sean' timestamp='1336590968' post='1648149'] [color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]Why? Because they wanted to escape from it?[/font][/color] [/quote] No, because it was very red and shiny and 80's looking...you had to be there... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CBbass Posted May 9, 2012 Share Posted May 9, 2012 If that's solid wood I'll be very impressed! Congrats anyhoo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lee4 Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 My first bass.I miss it still(sob) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssentialTension Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 My strings cost more than your bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EskimoBassist Posted May 10, 2012 Share Posted May 10, 2012 [quote name='EssentialTension' timestamp='1336687494' post='1649680'] My strings cost more than your bass. [/quote] +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimBobTTD Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 The first bass I ever played was a Marlin. I seem to remember it as being shell pink with a scratchplate, but it might have been more like your bass. It was heavy. It also made me want to play bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogload Posted May 11, 2012 Author Share Posted May 11, 2012 Heavy is the word! Lovely big lump of resonant plywood! Thanks for the love guys Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrismuzz Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 Looks cool to be fair, nice find! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnDeereJack Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 I have a very similar one currently stored at my singer's house (along with an amp of course) for impromptu rehearsals! The only difference being mine's white (well off-white now!) and has a single JB pup at the bridge. I had it lying around gathering dust for years so I decided to dust it off, put a new set of strings on, set it up and it plays and sounds great! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roland Rock Posted May 11, 2012 Share Posted May 11, 2012 My first bass! Just like that, but silver. It survived many gigs and even sounded good on some recording! I won't hear a bad word against it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogload Posted May 31, 2012 Author Share Posted May 31, 2012 (edited) Sorry to resurrect this thread but I just wanted to report that I've been doing some recording with this bass lately and it does in fact sound very good. Quite tight and more 'hi-fi' than my bass of choice (Hohner Arbor); less growl on the front pickup but fuller on the bridge pickup and it takes effects better. Probably down to crap pickups and all that plywood Edited May 31, 2012 by dogload Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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