Manson Explorer Restored.

[G-77]

Well some of you might recall me getting this about a year a go,
it was in quite a poor state when i got it , the paint had reacted with the foam in the case and the neck was not straight, the Truss rod was all gummed up and the frets were in a bad way.









but after a lot of work from Paul_C the bass is transformed,







The body is 6 pice mahogany, made out of 3 different woods, with thru neck, the head stock has a lovely bit of wood facing on it, no idea what this is, and there is a thin layer of veneer between this and the headstock.

Paul striped down the paint, Replaced the rosewood fret-board with ebony & replaced the knackerd trussrod & a new Brass Nut.

Still to do is replace the gold machine heads for black, fit a u-retro preamp, and apply a load more wax.

I am still totally amazed by how this bass has turned out , it is stunning. What we cant work out is why such a nice bit of wood got painted red in the first place.

Thanks again Paul. :)

[ped]

Blimey Trev that looks amazing, I never would have thought it could be such a difference! Great work all round - should be brilliant with the u-retro, too!

[phsycoandy]

Smashing, great work. I wouldnt have given it a second look in that awful red, but now shes stunning, more pics when completed please.

[paul, the]

Wow, that wood is lush! What a great job! I've got to admit to liking the original logo though

[G-77]

Thanks guy,

I just wired the neck pickup to the jack, to see what she sounds like, and its good, so it going to be even better with the u-retro in there. The Pickups are Kent armstrong, in a black wood housing, i will get some close up .

[BassBod]

That's turned out very nicely! My Manson had a single Kent Armstrong just like those - a very nice sound, but I changed mine for a Bart. Hugh told me that he had some issues with them, sometimes they could be a bit electrically noisy (but he was selling me a Bart replacement at the time). I think the earliest Status basses used the same?

Get waxing.....

BB

[EdwardHimself]

[quote name='paul, the' post='31796' date='Jul 14 2007, 03:54 PM']I've got to admit to liking the original logo though [/quote]

that was the worst bit haha well that's a really bloody nice slab u got there, all mahogany i presume? As per most explorers.

[ped]

I reckon you should have some mahogany knobs made for the u-retro

[G-77]

[quote name='ped' post='31827' date='Jul 14 2007, 04:47 PM']I reckon you should have some mahogany knobs made for the u-retro[/quote]
I have always wanted a mahogany Knob

[ped]

Well matey with the U retro yer' gonna need 7, fill yer boots

[G-77]

here is a close up of the boody wood and pickups



you can clearly see the 2 shades of of the Mahogany and the thin strips between them.

[thumbo]

That looks awesome! Quite a severe face lift but it was clearly well worth it. Nice one

[bass_ferret]

What a spanking job!

[Paul_C]

It did come out rather well, though I'm not responsible for the lovely wood underneath

Trev, I forgot to take pics of the job, would it be ok to use (as in add to my flickr page) yours ?

[JPJ]

Wow, what a transformation, dont know why, but I'm thinking John "the Ox" Entwhistle just looking at it

[G-77]

[quote name='JPJ' post='31930' date='Jul 14 2007, 10:33 PM']Wow, what a transformation, dont know why, but I'm thinking John "the Ox" Entwhistle just looking at it[/quote]

Well i was thinking of having a flamed maple top on it if the body wood was not that good, but it looks so good it dosnt need it.

[JPJ]

I agree no need for a fancy top, it looks fine as it is and it shows off the through neck nicely too.

[Cornfedapache]

Hi there

I'm wondering if this is my old bass.

Did you, by any chance, buy it from Ebay and collect it from a property just outside of Crawley, West Sussex?

Thank you!
Neil

[Paul_C]

[quote name='Cornfedapache' post='458115' date='Apr 9 2009, 09:21 AM']Hi there

I'm wondering if this is my old bass.

Did you, by any chance, buy it from Ebay and collect it from a property just outside of Crawley, West Sussex?

Thank you!
Neil[/quote]

did yours have "MAC" inlaid on the fingerboard ?

[Cornfedapache]

[quote name='Paul_C' post='458136' date='Apr 9 2009, 09:50 AM']did yours have "MAC" inlaid on the fingerboard ?[/quote]

I think so but I can't remember properly...

[GreeneKing]

Nice work. Was this really painted from new? Seems a little odd.

Brave call to invest in the bass this way but well worthwhile once that woodwork was exposed.

[lemmywinks]

This looks fantastic now! It's gone from 80s cheese to modern day class in one fell swoop!

I thought it looked horrid in the original photos (gold hardware on orange/red paint?) but find it quite desirable now

How much did you originally pay if you don't mind me asking?

[G-77]

i got this off a BassWorld member about 4 or 5 years back, i think i paid around 300£ for it and then had paul strip the paint and replaced the truss rod & fret board. after a few PM i believe this is the same bass that Cornfedapache had sold on ebay about a year before i got it and he has told me it was built for the cutting Crew!

[NickThomas]

I nearly snagged that one on ebay some time ago. An old friend of mine has the identical sister to it . Looks awesome now, well done Paul !!

[NickThomas]

..

Edited June 21, 2015 by NickThomas