Status Six-String Guitar

[WHUFC BASS]

Well, this is a new one on me. Never seen one of these before ...

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Super-rare-Status-6-string-graphite-and-exotic-woods-headless-guitar-for-sale/132640758092?_trkparms=aid%3D333200%26algo%3DCOMP.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20180409081753%26meid%3D3cc9ebe9fe3b4d6dac48daeada1f4a7b%26pid%3D100008%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D12%26sd%3D264123492862%26itm%3D132640758092&_trksid=p2047675.c100008.m2219

[TheGreek]

I think one came up for sale a couple of years ago - somebody posted details here. Could even be the same one.

[bassaussie]

If you want to see one of these in action, try to find some episodes of a BBC show called "Rock School". It's from the early 80s. It was a tutorial sort of series, I think there was only about 6 episodes made. Anyway, in at least one episode the female guitarist used a Status guitar.

I did some research on these at some point, and if I remember correctly, there were only a handful made.

OK ..... so being the OCD person I am, I found the video on Youtube! Go to about 2:00 for a good view.

 

Edited January 15, 2019 by bassaussie

[WHUFC BASS]

Thanks for that!

I remember Rockschool really well as it goes and watched it when it was on TV - I was about 13 or so at the time. I remember Henry Thomas and his Westone Thunder III as I had a Thunder IA at the time. They interviewed some great muscians at the time. Shame there's nothing like that on TV now as it was really popular.

[bassaussie]

30 minutes ago, WHUFC BASS said:

Thanks for that!

I remember Rockschool really well as it goes and watched it when it was on TV - I was about 13 or so at the time. I remember Henry Thomas and his Westone Thunder III as I had a Thunder IA at the time. They interviewed some great muscians at the time. Shame there's nothing like that on TV now as it was really popular.

Mate, I was exactly the same! Henry Thomas and his cool basses! I always remember when they had Larry Graham on, explaining the funk. Absolute God.

I think by the time I got to see the series (this is in Australia, mind you), a few years had passed since it had been made. So by that time. I'd already discovered and fallen in love with Status basses. I remember the episode seeing the Status guitar, and I was absolutely gobsmacked. This was after years of gluing my nose to the TV every time the video of Tears for Fears "Shout" came on, which had some of the best shots of a Status bass ever in a music video. Or Killing Joke's "Love Like Blood", with Raven rocking a Status Series II.

God the 80s had some cool bass gear!

[WHUFC BASS]

I remember the interview with John Entwistle in which he explained some of his techniques on what I think was a black Buzzard bass (could be wrong). He reffered to slap bass as "that thing" and proceeded to launch into a killer riff. I also remember Ian Paice form Deep Purple on there giving a drumming demo like a boss.

I'm assuming you didn't check out Bros and their Status bass offerings from Craig Logan. I don't think I ever saw it plugged in! 

 

[bassaussie]

2 minutes ago, WHUFC BASS said:

I remember the interview with John Entwistle in which he explained some of his techniques on what I think was a black Buzzard bass (could be wrong). He reffered to slap bass as "that thing" and proceeded to launch into a killer riff. I also remember Ian Paice form Deep Purple on there giving a drumming demo like a boss.

I'm assuming you didn't check out Bros and their Status bass offerings from Craig Logan. I don't think I ever saw it plugged in! 

 

I forgot about him! I remember seeing him in another video, and he was using a Fender P, and I thought "what's he thinking?!!!!"

In my mind, at that time, if you had a Status bass there was no reason to use anything else.

After I put that post before, I decided to look up "Love Like Blood", and there's Raven with his Status in front of the classic Trace stack - AH500,, 2 quad boxes and 2 15s. The mightiest rig.

[WHUFC BASS]

There was something about Status basses along with a Trace Stack back in the 80s which was the pinnacle of bass gear excellence. There was a connection between the two companies too both being based in Essex, UK. I remember going up to Witham in Essex to get my Trace Elliot head serviced and in the factory were a number of Status basses that they used to test the amps out.
At the time, I'd go as far to say Essex was the centre of the bass universe - certainly in Europe!

[bassaussie]

8 hours ago, WHUFC BASS said:

There was something about Status basses along with a Trace Stack back in the 80s which was the pinnacle of bass gear excellence. There was a connection between the two companies too both being based in Essex, UK. I remember going up to Witham in Essex to get my Trace Elliot head serviced and in the factory were a number of Status basses that they used to test the amps out.
At the time, I'd go as far to say Essex was the centre of the bass universe - certainly in Europe!

I thought the same thing. It was so expensive to get their gear in Australia. I ended up getting a Mark V AH250 and a 4x10, and they were incredible. Never had a Status until many years later, and I had the priveledge to own fretted and fretless Series II basses from the 80s. Amazing basses, but I foolishly let the fretted one through my fingers - I could live without the fretless, I'm rubbish at fretless, but I should've kept the fretted one.