Eccles guitar

[Andie84]

Hi, 

I have an Eccles one price fretless guitar, custom made In the 60s. Anyone have any information on Eccles guitars please? 

[nilorius]

Eccles guitar, sorry never heard of it. Maybe some will help!

[BigRedX]

2 hours ago, Andie84 said:

Hi, 

I have an Eccles one price fretless guitar, custom made In the 60s. Anyone have any information on Eccles guitars please? 

 

Is that the one that was for sale in The Gallery some time in the early 2000s?

[Andie84]

No. Was made for my dad in the 60s. 

[Aidan63]

Might it be by Chris Eccleshall ? Very renowned British luthier of the era ?

[BigRedX]

@Andie84 Can you please post some photos?

 

There was an Eccles one-piece fretless bass in for sale in The Gallery some time around 2005. IMO it looked more 80s than 60s. At the time I couldn't find any information on it either. IIRC @ped or @Kiwi might have some more information?

[Kiwi]

5 hours ago, BigRedX said:

@Andie84 Can you please post some photos?

 

There was an Eccles one-piece fretless bass in for sale in The Gallery some time around 2005. IMO it looked more 80s than 60s. At the time I couldn't find any information on it either. IIRC @ped or @Kiwi might have some more information?

Sorry, I can't help.  I remember a bass up for grabs at some point that was one piece from mahogany but I never paid it much attention as I think that approach to building creates more problems than it solves.  I don't know if the instrument I remember was the one mentioned above.

[oldslapper]

Sorry can’t help. But love their cakes. 

[Aidan63]

squished fly eater

[Russ]

I know the ones. I remember trying them back in the mid-90s in one of the Denmark Street shops. 

 

Short scale, fretless, apostrophe-shaped plates around the control knobs, custom-made bar pickups, tuners you had to use with an allen key.

 

Stunning looking things, body and neck made from a single piece of wood. Very light, but not particularly good sounding. I've got a photo somewhere, I'll have to dig it out. 

 

Other than knowing of their existence and having tried a couple out, I can't tell you much more about them, alas. 

 

 

[Russ]

Found the pic. Is this it? 

[Kiwi]

1 hour ago, Russ said:

Found the pic. Is this it? 

That's the bass I was thinking of. 

[Russ]

3 hours ago, Kiwi said:

That's the bass I was thinking of. 

I thought it was a remarkable looking thing, a lovely piece of sculpture, and I definitely appreciated the thin-ness and light weight, that all the hardware on it was completely custom (including a metal piece extending out from the top horn to hold the strap, which you had to tie on like an acoustic strap) and the unusual construction. I was just underwhelmed with its sound, which is a shame. 

 

Apparently the shop in Denmark St (I think it was Hank’s) got one of them in every six months or so - Mr Eccles apparently only made a couple of them a year, so there can’t be many of them out there. 

 

Eccles basses were definitely not made in the 60s though - early ‘90s at the earliest. I think he stopped making them in the late ‘90s. 

Edited June 7, 2022 by Russ

[Bassfinger]

No cake puns yet? You lot are losing your touch.

[Mykesbass]

21 minutes ago, Bassfinger said:

No cake puns yet? You lot are losing your touch.

I was trying to fit a Goons comment in.

[oldslapper]

58 minutes ago, Bassfinger said:

No cake puns yet? You lot are losing your touch.

I refer the honourable gentleman to replies no. 8 & 9 

[BigRedX]

10 hours ago, Russ said:

Found the pic. Is this it? 

 

5 hours ago, Russ said:

I thought it was a remarkable looking thing, a lovely piece of sculpture, and I definitely appreciated the thin-ness and light weight, that all the hardware on it was completely custom (including a metal piece extending out from the top horn to hold the strap, which you had to tie on like an acoustic strap) and the unusual construction. I was just underwhelmed with its sound, which is a shame. 

 

Apparently the shop in Denmark St (I think it was Hank’s) got one of them in every six months or so - Mr Eccles apparently only made a couple of them a year, so there can’t be many of them out there. 

 

Eccles basses were definitely not made in the 60s though - early ‘90s at the earliest. I think he stopped making them in the late ‘90s. 

 

If that wasn't the one I tried in The Gallery in about 2005, then it was very similar.

 

And I would totally agree with @Russ's comments. I thought it looked great and tried very hard to like it because of that, but I found the sound very underwhelming, and I wasn't that impressed with the playability either. Construction-wise, to me it looks as though it could have come from the late 70s at the very earliest. 

 

@Andie84 is that what your Dad's bass looks like?

 

[Andie84]

Ooh, very similar.  Maybe  I miss understood him. I can’t ask him, he died a while back  

[Russ]

2 hours ago, Andie84 said:

Ooh, very similar.  Maybe  I miss understood him. I can’t ask him, he died a while back

  

Yep, definitely an Eccles. I think that's a slightly newer one, without the metal bar in the top horn and with a proper strap button. It also looks like a "slap plate" has been fitted at the end of the fingerboard.

 

Beautiful looking thing though, a proper piece of objét d'art.

 

@Andie84What are you planning on doing with it? Hang it on the wall, play it, or sell it? 

[Andie84]

Yes, that’s the question.  Should I keep it cos it’s my dad’s. I can’t play the guitar though.  Should I sell? Seems a waste to be sat in a box. It’s been up the attic passed 16 years. I’ve no idea what it’s worth or where to take to sell it. Your thoughts on value.  Is Eccles one and the same as Chris Eccleswaithe(?  Not sure that’s is correct name) 

 

[Andie84]

My brother says it was more mid 80’s than 60s.

[Russ]

4 minutes ago, Andie84 said:

Yes, that’s the question.  Should I keep it cos it’s my dad’s. I can’t play the guitar though.  Should I sell? Seems a waste to be sat in a box. It’s been up the attic passed 16 years. I’ve no idea what it’s worth or where to take to sell it. Your thoughts on value.  Is Eccles one and the same as Chris Eccleswaithe(?  Not sure that’s is correct name) 

 

I say learn to play it.  You're on the right site for hints and tips! 

 

If you did want to sell it, I think the one that The Galley had up for sale a few years back was up for £1200 or so. It was up there for a while but it sold eventually. 

[Andie84]

Thankyou for your help. Much appreciated. 

[BigRedX]

42 minutes ago, Andie84 said:

Yes, that’s the question.  Should I keep it cos it’s my dad’s. I can’t play the guitar though.  Should I sell? Seems a waste to be sat in a box. It’s been up the attic passed 16 years. I’ve no idea what it’s worth or where to take to sell it. Your thoughts on value.  Is Eccles one and the same as Chris Eccleswaithe(?  Not sure that’s is correct name) 

 

I thinks it fairly safe to say that Eccles and Chris Eccleshall are different luthiers, as their instruments have almost nothing in common.

 

36 minutes ago, Russ said:

I say learn to play it.  You're on the right site for hints and tips! 

 

If you did want to sell it, I think the one that The Galley had up for sale a few years back was up for £1200 or so. It was up there for a while but it sold eventually. 

 

IIRC it was for sale at around £850 when I tried it. That was over 15 years ago though, and it had sold by the time I went back 6 month later.

Edited June 7, 2022 by BigRedX

[Andie84]

What’s IIRC?  Completely out my depth here on this site.