Zemaitis bass....

[BassBod]

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9uafFaHEm_0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Not one you see very often...sounds great in the video. No doubt it will cost a fair bit, but I'm too scared to even look!

Edit - techno failure..lookup Vintage and Rare's UTube channel. Or someone clever will probably fix the link....

Edited February 27, 2015 by BassBod

[Jazzneck]

This one?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uafFaHEm_0

Might have to sell the Mrs.

[BassBod]

Yep, that one! Its a Les Paul copy with a P bass pickup...but what a range of sounds!

[Bassassin]

Really wish I'd had Tony Z build me a bass for £200 back in the early 80s when he was doing a "student" range! Could buy a house with what it'd be worth now...

Jon.

[KevB]

The main two sounds it seemed good at were 'farty rubber bands' and then (with the tone rolled off) 'muffled farty rubber bands'. Sorry Charlie, I won't be troubling you for this one

[BassBod]

I liked the sound..can appreciate the aesthetic but I remain puzzled by the reverence collectors seem to have for these guitars. It seems odd to me that most other UK luthiers' work is very under valued (other than Wal?). V&R have an 80's Manson going for £800 - I know it's a collectors market, not a players...but still...

[Jazzneck]

[b] Zemaitis Guitars - 'Art with Strings'[/b]

Holding one and playing it for a while might start the understanding.
Plus the fact that they are rare because once you have one you are very loathe to be without it.

Edited February 28, 2015 by Jazzneck

[BassBod]

Yes, I can imagine that- I've owned one or two basses that you just didn't want to put down. For me it's a resonance thing, some instruments have a response that makes playing music a real pleasure.

[BassBod]

Yes, I can imagine that- I've owned one or two basses that you just didn't want to put down. For me it's a resonance thing, some instruments have a response that makes playing music a real pleasure.

[Bassassin]

[quote name='BassBod' timestamp='1425152108' post='2704587']
I remain puzzled by the reverence collectors seem to have for these guitars. It seems odd to me that most other UK luthiers' work is very under valued (other than Wal?). [/quote]

It's probably because Tony Zemaitis died in 2002, all his guitars were unique one-offs and he only made a few hundred over his career. His high-profile customers in the 70s would have established the name & reputation.

I mentioned his "student" range - in 1982 my 17 year-old guitarist mate saved up £200 and had Tony build him this:

[url="http://www.zemaitis.de/index_gallery12.html"]http://www.zemaitis...._gallery12.html[/url]

As you can see, even his cheapos were beautifully made & finished. It played very nicely & sounded lovely, but if I remember rightly the intonation was a bit suspect...

Anyway, my mate was very badly strapped for cash in the 90s and was forced to sell this, can't remember how much for but a fraction of what it would be worth today. It went to a guy in the States, who apparently paid half what he'd agreed, then vanished. The guitar has appeared for sale on a couple of US vintage dealer sites over the intervening years, priced around $15000 to $18000.

J.

[BassBod]

If he only made 10 a year or so (one man, little production line working) that makes a lot of sense, and the superstar clients must have spread his name in the pre-interweb world. Sort of where Carl Thompson's work would be if it wasn't for the web (and Claypool).

Your comment about intonation doesn't surprise me - its an area where modern production instruments have probably improved a lot. I've got some hand-built instruments where you have accept a compromise...and it never seems to be quite right. Luckily its always in the higher dusty end, so it doesn't bother me.

I'll have to have a look at that web page later, and go bass spotting!