ash

Ha! Ha! Nice try mate, I have a bit of time on my hands so I will be able to look at all those YouTube tutorials I've been avoiding!

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1402597482' post='2475210'] Wow, stunning bass!! Interesting mix of hand-made vintage vibe and custom work, too! We're going to need proper, extensive pics asap, please! Very nice indeed - excellent work. [/quote] I'll do my best, if I can find my camera. I'm recovering from an operation on my Achilles' tendon so I'm not very mobile at the moment!

Well here it is fresh out of the Hiscox case - certainly worth the wait. This is a custom build based on my old Shergold Marathon 6 built by Jon Letts. The bass differs from the Shergold as it has slightly wider string spacing than the original. The pickup was hand made by Jon and sounds very near the original. The control plate, pots, strap buttons and 'shield' logo were taken from a long defunct Shergold of mine which had been trashed and then used for various parts. The bass is made from swamp ash using my Marathon as a template. The binding is ebony rather than the usual Shergold plastic! My next project is to use one of my original Shergold 6 string necks and get Jon to build an exact replica of the Marathon.....I need to save up some more cash though.... The bass sounds great and plays really well. The balance is great despite the scale and large headstock and it's very light.Currently it's strung with La Bella Bass VI strings an octave down from a guitar but can be strung B-C. I forgot to add that the pots are from my old Shergold too! Some basic iPad pics to give you a flavour.....

He's not the quickest to reply but he will get back to you eventually. I think it was around £35 - £45 it's a while ago. Certainly cheap enough.

I had two vintage Rick pickups rewound by the Creamery and I'm having a couple of Hofner '64 staple pickups repaired Jaime is a good guy and the work he did on my gear was great at a very reasonable price.

[quote name='2x18' timestamp='1402486245' post='2473991'] Hi Ash Glad you Like it! --- I have a DiMarzio Model one somewhere in my bits ( and also an original early 60s nickel plated Gibson EB2 " Mudbucker " ) Will. [/quote] Mmmm pm me with pics/details if you want to, thanks Will!

Thanks to 2x18 and his pm I got one of these. What a deal. If you have the readies don't hesitate. I've been looking for a Rivoli or EB2 for years. My mate got one of the top of the range 335 basses but I preferred the set up of the original mud bucker and mini pickups on the Midtown. It has a great sound from old school thump to more articulate funk sounds. Thomann delivered in three days for free and the bass came with all the bits and a very nice Gibson case. The action needed adjusting to my tastes but contrary to what some have said about QC on this forum there were no construction or finish flaws. In all my years of playing this is the first brand new bass I've ever bought (yes really) so it was a real thrill to get that fresh out of the case smell of a quality instrument. Another criticism of Gibson basses is the three point bridge but again on my Midtown the intonation is spot on and the action easy to adjust although you have no control over individual string height. If I were to change anything I may eventually change the neck pickup for a Dimarzio (if I can find one).

The headstock looks like either a grafted Burns Sonic or a Zenta type Japcrap thing. What a mess if it were a reasonable price I'd have a punt for the body and pickup for spares but.....

Fabulous looks fantastic does he do slab '66 P basses or Telebasses do you know?

Oh dear

£300 start?

That's good also I reckon he would do better if he put the option for the buyer to organise their own courier too. Also it's worth noting that he will have to pay fees on the postage price too as eBay have changed this recently. Thanks for inboxing him.

It's a nice bass but £75 postage.....? And that's 'economy' delivery!

I have a Cheyenne 4004CII and it's just so classy I don't generally like gold hardware but against the jet glow finish this is now known as my 'John Player Special' bass. The humbuckers sound great not as cutting as the 4003 but still manage to give that characteristic Rick grunt. I admit I have GAS for the walnut 4003 after seeing geofio's demo though

Spotted and messaged today see what happens eh?

[quote name='ape' timestamp='1399108644' post='2441054'] Never thought of that, different to using a rag to apply, could be worth a go [/quote] Yes because they are lint free and don't absorb as much as cloth you get more control over the amount of 'take up'. Gives a really pro quality even finish.