Marlin Basses

[d-basser]

Looking into maybe buying this bass off a bloke locally

[attachment=24454:marlin_bass.JPG]

It is a Marlin Sidewinder. Was wondering if it is worth a punt and how much they are realistically worth? Anyone got any info or experience?
I am looking for something as a bass for punk rather than my Sei or Dingwall. If I went for this I would upgrade the pickups at some point and maybe the electronics but the overall quality is my concern.
One of my other options is the PJ Fenderalike in the for sale section, looks nicer but will cost me a bit more and to be honest I really shouldnt be spending at all.

help appreciated

Dan

Edited April 27, 2009 by d-basser

[Guest MoJo]

As I recall Marlins had ply bodies, very cheap construction. Not really worth spending money on upgrading them. You'd be better spending your money on a Squier or even a Westfield.

[Delberthot]

My first bass was a Marlin Slammer.

Everything rusted and the chrome actually peeled off the hardware.

OK or a first bass and perhaps firewood afterwards

[d-basser]

thats the answers I needed, unless I get paid really badly bassman's fenderalike looks best bet.

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

Every Marlin I've seen has been cheap & nasty crap.

Not even comparable to the cheapest squier let alone the makes mentioned.

If you're going to upgrade the pickup & electronics you'll need to upgrade the bridge, tuners, body & neck while you're at it to make a decent bass.

If the strap buttons are in good shape & he wants a quid for it...

[stu_g]

my first bass was a marlin absolutely awful i smashed it to save some poor sod buying the unplayable chipboard sh*te

[sgt-pluck]

I had a Marlin Sidewinder super-strat back in the day. As the others said - it was crap. Not worth upgrading IMO.

Pluck

Edited April 27, 2009 by sgt-pluck

[bigjohn]

Ha Ha, glad to see some others have shared some Marlin misery.

I too had a Sidewinder, it was a Jazz one though. Huge body, huge neck fat neck, Terrible high action. Bloody awful bass it was (is?) - I gave it to a mate of mine. I still feel guilty about giving it away.

[lee4]

My first bass was a red sparkle Sidewinder,just like the one in your thumbnail shot.I miss it........Anyway,just off to take my medication!

Edited April 27, 2009 by lee4

[Lorne]

It wasn't my first bass,but to my shame,I owned a Marlin Sidewinder,fortunately it was around bonfire night,bye bye Marlin

[Bassassin]

Marlin, eh?

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtopic=27229&view=findpost&p=283004"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?s=&sho...st&p=283004[/url]

:ph34r:

Jon.

[Greene-Mann]

Ah i love marlin threads!...i learned to play on the one in my old school before i got my first...i'm so happy i didnt own it, i would have prefered to vomit in my own shoe then walk around in them for the day

Edited April 29, 2009 by Greene-Mann

[WarPig]

Am i the only one who liked his £20 Marlin Sidewinder???? Mine was red sparkle, with a P and humbucker pickup.

Edited April 27, 2009 by WarPig

[Greene-Mann]

the one i used was a sparkly one with the P-H config...and i think you probably are lol...each to their own i spose

[stu_g]

mine was a silver sidewinder with p bass pickup and the single j type and a warped neck and a crap sound and the crap marlin inlay on the twelfth fret that looked like someone slipped with a router i still hate that bass ha ha

[LukeFRC]

there is one in a pawn shop in edinburgh, the ticket price is 90 and im sure that could be talked down.... i doubt anyone would actually want it though!

[musicmutt]

Still got a my 1985 Slammer P Bass, originally made in East Germany and has a solid  basswood body .. Marlin were Sold in the UK by Welsh distributors British Music String Ltd (BMS) ..  in 1986 Marlin Contracted the manufacture of the guitars to Samick (Korea) where they renamed them Sidewinder  ..  the Marlin brand was sold to Hohner in 1989 .. hope this  bit of brief history helps   Diolch yn Fawr  Antz 

[luckman67]

Yes ex member of the Marlin Sidewinder KB-24 owners club. Ply body bad electronics & that dodgy 12th fret inlay.

[hooky_lowdown]

Wow, nothing like a ten year old thread. 🤔

[fleabag]

10 year Zombie thread revival champion.

[Stub Mandrel]

2 hours ago, luckman67 said:

that dodgy 12th fret inlay

Wow. I remember the pointy fish inlays!

[Delberthot]

11 hours ago, musicmutt said:

Still got a my 1985 Slammer P Bass, originally made in East Germany and has a solid  basswood body .. Marlin were Sold in the UK by Welsh distributors British Music String Ltd (BMS) ..  in 1986 Marlin Contracted the manufacture of the guitars to Samick (Korea) where they renamed them Sidewinder  ..  the Marlin brand was sold to Hohner in 1989 .. hope this  bit of brief history helps   Diolch yn Fawr  Antz 

My recollection was that the Slammer was the straight P bass copy and the sidewinder was a PJ and that they were available at the same time. I think that there was a later Sidewinder with a sort of double J pickup at the bridge.

My Slammer was bought in 1987 and binned in 1990 thanks in part to the peeling chrome, the dodgy defret I did after seeing John Deacon with a maple fretless on the gatefold sleeve of "Live Killers", trying to change the headstock to the '51-57 shape and chipping the paint off the body. Bad as it was, it got me started

[LewisK1975]

Same here - my first Bass was a Black body / white guard / Maple neck Marlin Slammer Precision copy.  I know now it was rubbish, but it got me started!  One showed up locally on FB for £60 and I nearly bought it, just for sentimental value....

[scannerman]

I had the PINK sidewinder as one of first basses back around 1990.  Bloody awful.

[bartelby]

I was given a Marlin Slammer a few years ago. The aim was to clean it up, fix the electronics and donate to somewhere. But the neck was totally screwed; twisted and had frets so lifted they'd folded back over the board. 

So I turned it into this:

Slammer body and sprayed pickguard, left handed Harley Benton neck (nut flipped), shitty Chinese MM p/ups. It actually plays quite nicely. But the £12 electronics let it down, unsurprisingly...