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Famous Basses...I wonder where that went?


witterth
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[quote name='Sercet' post='721646' date='Jan 22 2010, 09:02 PM']I was at that auction. I bought this...
[url="http://www.sothebys.com/app/live/lot/LotDetail.jsp?sale_number=W03875&live_lot_id=358"]http://www.sothebys.com/app/live/lot/LotDe...live_lot_id=358[/url]

My biggest regret is I didn't buy this as well...
[url="http://www.sothebys.com/app/live/lot/LotDetail.jsp?sale_number=W03875&live_lot_id=257"]http://www.sothebys.com/app/live/lot/LotDe...live_lot_id=257[/url]

Peter Hook was sitting in front of me and bought this...
[url="http://www.sothebys.com/app/live/lot/LotDetail.jsp?sale_number=W03875&live_lot_id=229"]http://www.sothebys.com/app/live/lot/LotDe...live_lot_id=229[/url][/quote]

Nice acquisition mate! Hooky got a nice one didn't he?

It must have been amazing to see all those instruments and belongings going under the hammer!

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[quote name='Sercet' post='721646' date='Jan 22 2010, 10:02 PM']I was at that auction. I bought this...
[url="http://www.sothebys.com/app/live/lot/LotDetail.jsp?sale_number=W03875&live_lot_id=358"]http://www.sothebys.com/app/live/lot/LotDe...live_lot_id=358[/url]

My biggest regret is I didn't buy this as well...
[url="http://www.sothebys.com/app/live/lot/LotDetail.jsp?sale_number=W03875&live_lot_id=257"]http://www.sothebys.com/app/live/lot/LotDe...live_lot_id=257[/url]

Peter Hook was sitting in front of me and bought this...
[url="http://www.sothebys.com/app/live/lot/LotDetail.jsp?sale_number=W03875&live_lot_id=229"]http://www.sothebys.com/app/live/lot/LotDe...live_lot_id=229[/url][/quote]

Wow, that must've been a cool thing to attend. I saw that Wal, and the price it went for. With the way Wal's sell these days, I could easily see that being worth closer to 20K. It's one of the original basses made by Wal, it has the Entwistle connection. Amazing that it only pulled 2 grand.

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[quote name='garethox' post='721653' date='Jan 22 2010, 10:06 PM']Absolutely! He was a pioneer. He helped create Rotosound strings, I believe he was the first to utilise the stereo capabilities of the Alembic's to their fullest too..... then of course there were the Status Buzzard's![/quote]

Yeah, pioneer is definitely the word. Actually, when I say I'm not a huge fan of the playing, that's probably not quite correct. When I consider what else was happening when he first arrived on the scene, and then compare it to what he was attempting, he was totally stretching the boundaries of playing. It's easy for me to sit here now and say "oh, not so great", but when I consider the historical influence he had, I think it's fair to say that bass probably wouldn't be where it is today without his contribution. I often think much the same about Chris Squire. I find the playing a little dated, but then I step back and think "OK, but what else was happening back then", it's easy to see what a huge leap these guys took with their playing as well as their approach to bass sound.

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[quote name='bassaussie' post='721660' date='Jan 22 2010, 09:15 PM']Yeah, pioneer is definitely the word. Actually, when I say I'm not a huge fan of the playing, that's probably not quite correct. When I consider what else was happening when he first arrived on the scene, and then compare it to what he was attempting, he was totally stretching the boundaries of playing. It's easy for me to sit here now and say "oh, not so great", but when I consider the historical influence he had, I think it's fair to say that bass probably wouldn't be where it is today without his contribution. I often think much the same about Chris Squire. I find the playing a little dated, but then I step back and think "OK, but what else was happening back then", it's easy to see what a huge leap these guys took with their playing as well as their approach to bass sound.[/quote]

Agreed. The early Who stuff John hated (the bass sound I mean), there was an attitude of 'it's only the bass' when recording. Live of course was a totally different matter - that's where he made the bass come alive.
He often played the studio takes pretty straight and then went wild on stage. A good example is the studio version of 'Squeezebox' and the live version of the same song - world's apart and riffing galore!
I often think that McCartney had the best bass sound in the 60's - it was good on almost every album they did. I think the best bass sound John got was on the really early stuff 'Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere'; 'My Generation' and 'Substitute' - the early stuff before Lambert took over....

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[quote name='garethox' post='721667' date='Jan 22 2010, 10:24 PM']Agreed. The early Who stuff John hated (the bass sound I mean), there was an attitude of 'it's only the bass' when recording. Live of course was a totally different matter - that's where he made the bass come alive.
He often played the studio takes pretty straight and then went wild on stage. A good example is the studio version of 'Squeezebox' and the live version of the same song - world's apart and riffing galore!
I often think that McCartney had the best bass sound in the 60's - it was good on almost every album they did. I think the best bass sound John got was on the really early stuff 'Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere'; 'My Generation' and 'Substitute' - the early stuff before Lambert took over....[/quote]

For me, "My Generation" is an absolute milestone in the evolution of the electric bass. He completely shook off the whole I/V bass style that was typical of the time, and threw the bass to the front of the mix, and in a hit single, no less.

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[quote name='bassaussie' post='721680' date='Jan 22 2010, 09:35 PM']For me, "My Generation" is an absolute milestone in the evolution of the electric bass. He completely shook off the whole I/V bass style that was typical of the time, and threw the bass to the front of the mix, and in a hit single, no less.[/quote]

Absolutely. Have you ever heard Townshend's demo? That is really interesting... can be found on YT as well. The stutter is there and the spaces for the bass solo.

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In his book White line fever, Lemmy said that his roadie damaged his favourite Rickinbacker bass and although it could be repaired, his roadie went mad, smashed the thing to pieces and was promptly sacked!
I`m not sure which one but he said it was his favourite at the time. I don`t think it was his famoue Rickenb*stard.


[attachment=40860:lemmyy.gif]

Jez

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[quote name='jezzaboy' post='722119' date='Jan 23 2010, 12:56 PM']In his book White line fever, Lemmy said that his roadie damaged his favourite Rickinbacker bass and although it could be repaired, his roadie went mad, smashed the thing to pieces and was promptly sacked!
I`m not sure which one but he said it was his favourite at the time. I don`t think it was his famoue Rickenb*stard.


[attachment=40860:lemmyy.gif]

Jez[/quote]
I wonder if it was the white one from the Overkill/ Bomber era? I think that Maple board one still survives. I was at a Motorhead gig a while back, and the Rickenbast*rd failed him, and out came old faithful.

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[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='722123' date='Jan 23 2010, 01:03 PM']Here's 'that bass'
[/quote]


Nowt wrong with that lad, a bit of gaffer tape and it`ll be ok!

The only one I have seen him play live is his signiture model.

[attachment=40889:lemmy_431x300.jpg]

Jez

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[quote name='Tee' post='721436' date='Jan 22 2010, 05:40 PM']Wunjo appear to have an [url="http://www.wunjoguitars.com/index.php?sid=4&mid=1"]Ox bass[/url] - a strange Fender neck/Charvel body Precision (second one down). Not sure if he ever played it though.[/quote]

Thought they could've spelt Entwistle :)

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Reading the description on the Wunjo website it appears the body was made for J.E. but there's no mention of him actually having a bass built with it or even owning it. I wonder what documentation they have of it. I was in there the other day & saw it - I don't recall any indication that it wasn't all fender and I think the sign on it just said something like "John Entwistle's Bass".

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Not "famous" in and of itself, but it did once belong to Boz Burrell.

He didn't get on with it, and sold it on through the Bass Centre (Wapping) He must've been nuts. Or after something different, 'cos it's a stonker!
Neck's got some nice birdseye going on. It's a 1990, so AlNiCo pick-up polepieces and NO quick release battery compartment.
Tried all the fretlesses in the place before I bought it, and it stuffed the lot.
Perfect condition. Cost me £1k. No provenance, alas....

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Very much alive thank goodness, and maybe not quite as iconic as some mentioned here, but does anyone know where Randy Hope Taylor's Modulus 4 went?

BTW, I think I've seen most of Lemmy's basses live; first saw them in 1980 and he was using his original Hawkwind bass (see the Ace of Spades video) and the white with black trim one IIRC.

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[quote name='Mykesbass' post='722524' date='Jan 23 2010, 07:58 PM']Thought they could've spelt Entwistle :)[/quote]

Yep, it'd have been nice!

Tried locating this bass in the Sotheby's catalogue and in Bass Culture - nowhere to be seen. That doesn't mean it's not right though - he did often have two of everything.

In Bass Culture there is a Charvel Ltd Edt P Bass that was custom made by Charvel, but it has a white/cream scratchplate; the thumb rest is below the G string and it doesn't say 'Fender' on the headstock. I'd be interested in seeing the provenance they have.......

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[quote name='4000' post='724504' date='Jan 25 2010, 08:19 PM']Very much alive thank goodness, and maybe not quite as iconic as some mentioned here, but does anyone know where Randy Hope Taylor's Modulus 4 went?

BTW, I think I've seen most of Lemmy's basses live; first saw them in 1980 and he was using his original Hawkwind bass (see the Ace of Spades video) and the white with black trim one IIRC.[/quote]


Wasn't someone selling that on here a while ago?

Edit: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=20168&hl=randy"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=20168&hl=randy[/url]

Edited by Matty
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[quote name='Matty' post='724565' date='Jan 25 2010, 09:14 PM']Wasn't someone selling that on here a while ago?

Edit: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=20168&hl=randy"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=20168&hl=randy[/url][/quote]

Many thanks for the link. None the wiser where it is now though sadly. :)

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