Who has a killer bass that they've neglected for one reason or another?

[Wolverinebass]

15 minutes ago, NancyJohnson said:

I've had this for a long time.  It's in incredible shape for a 40 year old instrument.  There's hardly any left globally (they didn't even have a model to photograph to include in the Hamer coffee-table book) and it's worth a small fortune (which is why it doesn't see much action).  Tonally it's lovely - I've not had the pickups out (not want to/see any reason to), so I don't know what they are, but considering it was 100% original when I got it, I'm assuming they're early-80s DiMarzio units.  Original hardware was chrome, have swapped out to the same units in black and have recently swapped the jack socket for a flat one made by a young chap locally.  (Kept the originals.)

 

Gigged it once - @Wolverinebass was at that one - I rehearsed with it a couple of times and it's been to a couple of SE Bass Bashes, but in general it spends most of its time in a case.

 

 

That bass sounded great. Then again, most things sound good when you play them squire!

[NancyJohnson]

1 hour ago, Wolverinebass said:

That bass sounded great. Then again, most things sound good when you play them squire!

 

Cheque in the post, sir.  I just remember after that one I had this intense pain behind my ears, only for one of the girls in the crowd asking for her Alice band with kitten-ears back.  Oh, and then there was the sound guy going off and doing lines while we were playing.  Jikes!

 

 

 

Edited June 30 by NancyJohnson
bwahahahaaaaaaaaaaa

[NickA]

My problem is owning a Wal custom fretless. 

 

I just look at my bass wall, on which also hang a fretted 4 string Warwick dolphin and a fretted 5 string Wal MK2 and think ...I'll just take the fretless Wal, it's just so £_&-ing lovely.

 

Now and then I do need frets or a low B, then the MK2 comes out.  The dolphin is nice at home, for playing classical music on... and when I come over all 80s and need to slap something.

 

Nice problem to have I admit.

[tauzero]

I have a 5-string which has been somewhat neglected despite having a superb neck, as good as my Seis. As it's not a headless, it's been getting somewhat neglected for a few years - first because I was playing fretless, then because I was using various headlesses. So it got taken out to the last gig I did and did the first set. It's an Antoniotsai with upgraded pickups and preamp (photographed prior to the upgrade).

 

[NickA]

Amazing looking bass!  Never heard of the make so looked it up. 

 

Your man Antonio doesn't get a good rap!

 

http://www.chionline.com/Antoniotsai/

 

Hope yours is a good one.

[tauzero]

1 hour ago, NickA said:

Amazing looking bass!  Never heard of the make so looked it up. 

 

Your man Antonio doesn't get a good rap!

 

http://www.chionline.com/Antoniotsai/

 

Hope yours is a good one.

 

The three five-strings are fine although the one I defretted has a rather short top horn (it's like the dragon one with a Thumb-length top horn), the 7-string had pickups that only worked across 6 strings (now replaced) and a rubbish nut (I shimmed it up as a temporary fix, still have to get round to sorting it out properly).

[jd56hawk]

Another one.

Have to sell it, I'm afraid.

[Rolf]

On 07/03/2024 at 10:39, lidl e said:

Craziest thing i have, and this has been sitting disassembled for 15 years probably. An 8 string flying V warmoth build, matte black with SIMs custom v shaped LED fret markers, side LEDs, and a headstock logo lower case e that lights up. It also has a laser in the headstock! I should put it back together, but i lost the nut somewhere along the way. I wish i had built it four string as i really have no use for 8. Crazy cool though. Id have to solder the LEDs up as well.

 

 

I love 8s, but I can feel the neck dive from here.

[Stub Mandrel]

I've neglected my Embassy. Not sure why

[12stringbassist]

I have a gorgeous and immaculate custom shop Warwick Thumb NT in walnut that I have owned for many years and it's too nice to take out very often.

 

[Bagman]

L2 Steinberger

 

i do all my practice sitting now so it’s not the best fit

 

Jams , Gigs, Recording still used 

[Stub Mandrel]

Anyone know what this underused beauty is?

 

[tauzero]

1 hour ago, Stub Mandrel said:

Anyone know what this underused beauty is?

 

 

A Kay. I wouldn't stake anything more valuable than a Polo mint on it, but I think they were also Teisco, and possibly sold as Top Twenty by Woolies.

[Stub Mandrel]

7 hours ago, tauzero said:

 

A Kay. I wouldn't stake anything more valuable than a Polo mint on it, but I think they were also Teisco, and possibly sold as Top Twenty by Woolies.

 

Yep. Known  as a Teisco Tulip in the US.

 

I haven't heard of a Woolworths version before.

 

Thin plywood body. Basic pickups. Misaligned bridge. Short scale.

 

Needs more tweaks, but sounds killer... as basic overwound pickups always do (a bit of P90 dna?)

[BigRedX]

7 years ago I took a long hard look at my collection of almost 50 guitars and basses and ruthlessly sold all the ones that I wasn't using.

 

I'm now down to 9:

Two guitars (Gus G1 and Fretking Esprit) that were custom made for me and which get occasional use when I am writing songs.

Two Gus G3 5-strings - a main and a backup for one band I play in 

An Eastwood Hooky 6-string bass which I use in the other band I play in and a Burns Barracuda which is its backup.

A Squier Bass VI, Ibanez Firebird copy and an ancient Kimbara acoustic which will all get sold when I get my act together and list them.

 

There were some real gems amongst the instruments I sold:

Two 5-string Overwater Originals, one of which may have been the first 5-string Overwater ever made from 1983.

A Pedulla Buzz

A Sei Flamboyant 5-string Fretless

A Born To Rock F4B

A Warwick MiK 5-string StarBass II

And a load of other weird and/or rare instruments

 

However I wasn't using them, and wasn't likely to be using them in the near future for anything other than noodling at home, so I sold them all.

[meterman]

14 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

Anyone know what this underused beauty is?

 

It's a Kay Tulip isn't it? Or Teisco Tulip? The pickups on the guitar version weren't as bad as folks made them out to be, either.

 

Mind, I have happily owned Jedson and Shaftesbury basses so I'm definitely not to be trusted 😂

[Stub Mandrel]

2 hours ago, meterman said:

The pickups on the guitar version weren't as bad as folks made them out to be, either.

 

As far as I can see, they were identical. I got this in 1980. It has indistinguishable pickups to the mid-60s tulip.

[meterman]

3 minutes ago, Stub Mandrel said:

 

As far as I can see, they were identical. I got this in 1980. It has indistinguishable pickups to the mid-60s tulip.

I think I've seen that SG copy on here before, it looks bloody ace to me ❤️

 

I did have one of the same pickups and tried to get it installed in the neck position of one of my Fender Teles, but the guy who did my repairs and tech at the time refused, saying, "I don't want anyone finding out that it was me that put one of those pieces of s*** in a vintage Fender" or something to that effect. Eventually I found someone to put a Mojo Gold Foil in it later on anyway.

 

Well, somebody's got to devalue vintage Fenders so that future generations can afford them, right? 😂

[bogleshake]

I’ve a few basses I’ve ‘shelved’ since going solely to Mustang’s, especially since I got the JMJ. But my most neglected is definitely my Olympic white Fender American Standard Jaguar. Haven’t gigged it in over a decade but did use it in the studio last year for half an hour. I love it though and could never bear to part with it, and if I could find a way to stick my Mustang PJ neck on to the Jaguar body, I’d be going that. It’s my perfect combo. 

[msb]

Playing mostly shortscales so I have some classics that are not getting played much. 

[jazz bob]

There was a nice Ibanez short-scale electric bass guitar; built like an SG in the shape of a Les Paul, black with a blond neck & rosewood fretboard.  $215 & tax February of 2010.  Purloined by a father/son pair..like folk acting like they'll pee their pants or cry, if disappointed.

 

Hey, a funny thought?  A short-scale fretless electric bass guitar..

[SamIAm]

On 07/07/2024 at 20:01, jazz bob said:

Hey, a funny thought?  A short-scale fretless electric bass guitar..

I've a ubass like that, it is lovely to play and sounds great ... I must give it some more attention.

and I know of folks who have defretted Mikro 4s or 5s.

 

Sam x

Edited July 9 by SamIAm

[jazz bob]

On 29/02/2024 at 02:04, neepheid said:

 

Time for a clearout then?

 

Not that I'm eyeing anything up - I'm aff it.

Misread initially as "clear-cut" so that thinning the forest to a neat trio seemed appealing?  Even a sextet, really..oh well.

[Dood]

On 28/02/2024 at 13:33, Rich said:

To my utter shame and embarrassment, up until last year this beautiful, extraordinary Shuker custom build had spent a good 2 or 3 years shut away in my bass-drobe while my Sire V7 got all the 5-string gig action. I felt that the sound of the Sire suited the gig best, but it wasn't until I sat down and properly experimented with the coil taps and eq that I realised this beauty worked even better. As you'd expect. I mean, as great a bass as the Sire is, it's not this.

So now, the Sire is the one sitting in the bass-drobe. I occasionally wonder about selling it, but I won't for the moment because a} it's bloody good and b} we all need a Jazz in the armoury.

 

 

both of my Shukers are taking a long hard rest too, my current gig only needs two strings!! 
 

Which does mean I want a lottery win, so Jon can build be the ultimate 4 stringer!! 

[tauzero]

2 hours ago, Dood said:

both of my Shukers are taking a long hard rest too, my current gig only needs two strings!! 
 

Which does mean I want a lottery win, so Jon can build be the ultimate 4 stringer!! 

 

You mean one with two fretted strings and two fretless strings?