bigmuff69 Posted October 2, 2019 Share Posted October 2, 2019 Hi folks, does anybody know what model this is,I snagged it on eBay for £90,it weighs a tonne I think the body is a slab of maple,so is the neck,but it plays great,pots are a bit scratchy,any info would greatly appreciated 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyTravis Posted October 2, 2019 Share Posted October 2, 2019 Again. Another example of so ugly it’s cool. And £90 seems good? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigmuff69 Posted October 2, 2019 Author Share Posted October 2, 2019 It reminds me of my old rickenbacker 3001,and weighs about the same,it’s kinda growing on me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mickeyboro Posted October 2, 2019 Share Posted October 2, 2019 I had a fretless Gherson Jazz as my first ever bass! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted October 2, 2019 Share Posted October 2, 2019 Italian madness from the 70s. Your bass is a Picar, according to FetishGuitars: https://www.fetishguitars.com/castelfidardo-recanati/gherson/ There's a catalogue pic about 2/3 down the page. Gherson seem to have predominantly made decent quality copies, and original designs such as yours aren't too common. A proper weirdo rarity, and for that reason alone, I'd say you got a bargain! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skybone Posted October 2, 2019 Share Posted October 2, 2019 That's cool Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassfan Posted October 2, 2019 Share Posted October 2, 2019 17 minutes ago, Bassassin said: FetishGuitars Is that in soho next to the that other fetish shop? 😮 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted October 2, 2019 Share Posted October 2, 2019 I like it...is that the original bridge though? Looks a bit too hi tech for an old bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted October 2, 2019 Share Posted October 2, 2019 1 minute ago, bassfan said: Is that in soho next to the that other fetish shop? 😮 It's deep in the red light district of Recanati. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigmuff69 Posted October 2, 2019 Author Share Posted October 2, 2019 Thanks to all you aficionados, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted October 2, 2019 Share Posted October 2, 2019 (edited) 6 minutes ago, TheGreek said: I like it...is that the original bridge though? Looks a bit too hi tech for an old bass. Looks like it from the catalogue pic: Don't think it's ancient, might even be early 80s, when chunky bridges were starting to be a thing. Would like to see more pics of this, looks like the tuners might be Schaller M4S - Gherson used those on their rather decent Rick copy. Edit - just noticed it's actually called a "Finger Picar". How very odd! Edited October 2, 2019 by Bassassin observations Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigmuff69 Posted October 2, 2019 Author Share Posted October 2, 2019 Here you go,and it’s got 5 separate control cavities!! 1 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted October 2, 2019 Share Posted October 2, 2019 Amaze. Never seen anything like that before. I want one... Tuners are Schallers, or very good copies. Set-neck too. Quality. Wonder if that big black 8-pole pickup's a DiMarzio Model One? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KiOgon Posted October 2, 2019 Share Posted October 2, 2019 I have a Gherson Jazz bass, natural blond, I'm told they were only made in 1973. Long story short - '73 I went to that London determined to buy a Rick but every one I tried was NFG. When shown and played the Gherson I fell in love on the spot. It served me well for many gigs over many years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigmuff69 Posted October 2, 2019 Author Share Posted October 2, 2019 You could be in luck,ive just been offered my dream bass,so this one is probably going up for sale,though I don’t know what it’s worth??,any ideas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigmuff69 Posted October 2, 2019 Author Share Posted October 2, 2019 I did take a look at that humbucker,looks like the bottom is encased it epoxy resin, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyTravis Posted October 2, 2019 Share Posted October 2, 2019 19 minutes ago, bigmuff69 said: You could be in luck,ive just been offered my dream bass,so this one is probably going up for sale,though I don’t know what it’s worth??,any ideas When you’ve said you snagged it for £90... er...😂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikNik Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 9 hours ago, Bassassin said: Amaze. Never seen anything like that before. I want one... Tuners are Schallers, or very good copies. Set-neck too. Quality. Wonder if that big black 8-pole pickup's a DiMarzio Model One? Quite possibly an M1, given there is a micro-switch which came with that model. The coil was tappable. Can't see it being a pup selector switch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bassassin Posted October 3, 2019 Share Posted October 3, 2019 3 hours ago, NikNik said: Quite possibly an M1, given there is a micro-switch which came with that model. The coil was tappable. Can't see it being a pup selector switch. That's what I thought. I expect this would have standard DiMarzio red/white/black/green wiring & imperial hex poles. Should be easy to ID from those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NikNik Posted October 4, 2019 Share Posted October 4, 2019 On 03/10/2019 at 11:22, Bassassin said: That's what I thought. I expect this would have standard DiMarzio red/white/black/green wiring & imperial hex poles. Should be easy to ID from those. Interestingly enough, I almost bought the first version of that pup when it was issued around 1979. I had an Ibby 2388BDX and hated the weak single coil in the Mudbucker housing. I never figured why Ibanez put EB3-copy pups in the through-neck version but fitted more authentic-looking pups to the bolt-on job. Anyways.....I couldn't afford the M1 at that time and went with a double-rail humbler from Bill Lawrence. I'd buy that bass back in a heartbeat if I knew where it was. And that it had a new truss-rod nut!!😅 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
abarson Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 I bought a new Les Paul shaped Gherson bass in Israel in '81-82, just like the one on FetishGuitars. It was short scale and weighed a ton. I put long scale Rotosound strings on it because I didn't know better. It was well put together, though I did notice a couple of finish imperfections. It served me well for a number of years but what an anchor! I sold it in '86 before returning to the States. At the time I had a choice of a LP, Jazz (JB), or Rickenbacker (RB) shaped Gherson in the same shop, all about the same price. I was anti-Fender shape at the time, and I kick myself for not snagging the Rickenbacker copy instead of the LP. I think I was put off by the slightly odd burst finish. The Finger Picar wasn't available in the shop and knowing me I might have been drawn to the oddity. It is the only bass that Gherson designed (instead of copying) and is thus rather rare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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