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[quote name='neepheid' post='345984' date='Dec 5 2008, 12:28 AM']Did you even get Musicmaster basses in 1964? In any case, they would have a different headstock logo and different tuners. Although the finish looks in good nick, it's had a replacement pickup and a thumbrest fitted in a rather unusual place which will have made holes where they can't be covered. Price is maybe a little optimistic.[/quote] No, they didn't. This is a common mistake with people selling "60s" Musicmaster basses. The Musicmaster guitars date back to the 50s, so people seem to assume that the basses date back that far as well. In fact, Musicmaster basses were only available from around 1970 (I can't remember the exact year, but it's very close to this). I had a dealer in Lisbon try to flog me a "1962" Musicmaster bass!! When I told him that that was impossible, he then told me it was a prototype. I then pointed out that I'd actually owned the bass in question previously, and that when I'd owned it, it had a different neckplate on it! He was not a happy bunny! EDIT: Looks like 2x18 beat me to it with some more accurate info.

[quote name='Prosebass' post='338204' date='Nov 27 2008, 11:58 AM']I did get that "oh my god what have I stumbled across" feeling when I opened the case, but a quick look at tuners, pups and scratch-plate certainly made me think that it was a replica but I was not sure if the neck may have started as a Fender item. I am sure it is not an SX as the quality is better and the headstock shape is different (SX is pointy on the right side and not rounded) but thanks for the suggestion. I will probably improve the bass a little (wiring, shielding and maybe the bridge) then it will be up for sale.[/quote] Fair enough. It's difficult to judge from internet photos, and as I said, I was mainly basing my though on the colour, which is probably distorted anyway. Regardless, if it's a nice bass and the cost was low, sounds like you scored well! [quote name='Prosebass' post='338204' date='Nov 27 2008, 11:58 AM']And don't worry about "offending" tell it as it is, the truth will always out, as the saying goes..... [/quote] I just hate to be the guy that kills the dream!!! You see stuff like this over and over on these bass forums, some kid comes on thinking he's got the deal of the century, only to have his bubble burst when he finds out that Fender never made a Stratocaster bass in 1962, or that James Jamerson's bass said "Funk Brothers", not "You Funked Me Over", or that the 1945 Jazz Bass prototype he just bought might possibly be a fraud!!! I like to help guys out with my knowledge (limited as it is), but I hate killing someone's excitement about an instrument.

[quote name='Prosebass' post='337692' date='Nov 26 2008, 09:47 PM']I would love to know the makers of the neck as they can make necks for me if this is typical of their handy work. It is without doubt a stunning neck and lovely to play. The action at the 12th is around 2mm now I have given it a bit of a fettle and is perfectly straight along its length.[/quote] I don't know if this will help, and I didn't want to say it above for fear of offending (I got the idea you thought this may've actually been a Fender), but my initial impression of the neck was that it might be an SX neck. Something about the headstock shape and the colouration reminds me of their goods.

I'm sure others will chime in, but at the very minimum the tuners and string guide on that bass are not Fender. They're Korean, and fairly recent. I'm also not sure about the neck itself, the headstock looks the wrong shape. I'm not that well versed about 80's Fenders, so maybe other more experienced people could add something.

[quote name='Josh' post='334470' date='Nov 22 2008, 03:52 PM']And whats worse is that I want another one already.[/quote] I've got two, and that's exactly what happened to me. I bought my second within 12 months of buying my first.

FWIW, there are other examples of instruments that have become collectible for similar reasons. In bass terms, the most obvious would be Carl Thompson basses. The main difference being that he's still producing. Mention Carl Thompson to most younger bass players, and Les Claypool's basses will nearly certainly be the first thing mentioned, followed quickly by how much the player would like to sound like Les. For me, though, the brand that really epitomises collectable-through-association is Zemaitis. Take the price you might expect to see a Wal go for, then add a zero at the end. Then multiply that by 2 .... or 3!! All because Ronny Wood used one in that damned "Start Me Up" video!

[quote name='vlad335' post='334892' date='Nov 23 2008, 02:04 PM']THanks for the informative reply. What you guess the years of manufacture for these cabs?[/quote] I'd say early to mid 90s. Does it say what series they are on the back?

[quote name='vlad335' post='334751' date='Nov 23 2008, 10:32 AM']Thanks for the replies! I don't think I am going to buy the GP11 preamp but I was scouring the local Guitar Center and found these. Two old Trace Elliot cabs that I got for a steal. they were sitting there for months and were not selling due to the ohms being mismatched. The bottom cab is a 8ohm 18" that I don't know the model of.( The info is worn off on the back plate) and the top is a 1044H. These go quite nicely with my early 90's SWR Big Ben and the Alembic F1-X. Very nice! Biamping with the crossover at 70hz and I can drive the daylights out of them and they will not break up. Beautiful sound in the low mids that I never quite heard before and the highs are clear and effortless. Not harsh like a lot of horns. Of course, two 18's move some serious air and I got lowend to spare. Can't wait to get this to rehearsal![/quote] I think TE used to call the 18" boxes the 1818. The naming convention (roughly) was 18 (18") 1 (1 speaker) 8 (8 ohms). The other speaker box you picked up is 10 (10") 4 (4 speakers) 4 (4 ohms) H (horn). This doesn't work with all their cabinets, but it's a good place to start. As the other guys said, the GP11 was solid state. Awesome preamp, very highly regard when it first came out.

[quote name='OutToPlayJazz' post='334316' date='Nov 22 2008, 11:41 AM']Actually, I did the first session with "Blondie UK" the other evening & they absolutely loved the tone & sound of my Status SII... Do I need another bass? LOL! Rich.[/quote] Slightly off topic, but are you playing "Atomic" with that band? I always loved the little solo the bassist did in the centre of the song, with the OTT compression. As for Sadowsky basses, I have two, and love them. That's about all I can add.

My impression of the Wal market is this. Wal's are very good basses, and have a wonderful electronics package in them that can achieve a wide varieties of tones. However, the prices they are currently fetching has very little to do with their ability as an instrument, and more to do with American interest in them since Flea used one on BSSM and Justin Chancellor's use of them. On so many occasions I've seen people talk about the "Wal" tone, and reference Chancellor, and yet for me, I don't think his tone is particularly indicative of what a Wal can do, and further, I think you can achieve a very similar tone to his with other, far more readily available instruments. As for the Flea/BSSM connection, although I know it's a Wal that he used (yep! I've seen the video ), every time I listen to that album, it just sounds like a Stingray to me. Add to this the fact that there's constant doubt over whether Wal will ever produce any more basses, and this adds to the desperation of people who simply have to sound like their idols. I'd love to own a Wal, but not while there's this fanboy culture around them that has pushed their prices up to ridiculous levels. Just as a matter of interest, when I first came over to Europe in 1997, I can remember seeing 2 or 3 Wal basses in the Bass Gallery/Bass Centre for just under £1000, and I'd also see the occasional one come up in classifieds for far less - maybe around the £600-800 mark. The point I'm making here is that those prices were prior to the huge interest that started in them, and I think they reflected what the English market thought of them - good quality basses that were still in a price range that gigging bassist's might be able to afford.

Absolutely giggable!! As long as the neck is in good nick (reasonably straight, has movement left on the truss rod for adjustments), there's nothing else you couldn't fix with a small investment. The worst thing you might find is that the pickups/electronics might be noisy, so you could easily replace pots, wiring and even pickups with something quite decent, and still have a backup for well under £100. Looks like a good buy to me.

[quote name='wateroftyne' post='333662' date='Nov 21 2008, 11:06 AM']Hi all! Quick string ID question... DR Sunbeams / HiBeams... do they have silk winding? If so, what colour? Also.. what colour are the ball ends? Ta![/quote] I've got Hi-Beams on a few of my basses. No silk, and the ball ends are a gold/brass colour. Absolutely amazing strings. I've used Sunbeams as well, and they're great too. I think I just prefer the extra snap of the Hi-Beams, but I'd happily use Sunbeams as well.

[quote name='EBS_freak' post='321955' date='Nov 4 2008, 06:00 PM']It's pretty safe. If you are flying, make sure you fly to the right airport. Don't be lured into flying to Frankfurt Hahn. It's over an hours drive away from Frankfurt. Best bet for accomodation is the Novatel straight opposite the Messe. You'll be able to get in there if you are going the public day. It gets a bit busy otherwise. Public transport in Franfurt is exceptional. The taxis are really cheap and the underground is very clean and efficient (like everything German). It's a pretty safe part of town. To be honest, when the cops have shooters, nobody tends to muck about.[/quote] Excellent, thanks for the info. I was intending to go via Frankfurt Airport (the main one), but thanks for the heads up about Hahn. I'll check out the Novotel as well.

Hey, I was hoping to get some advice about Musik Messe. I'm looking into going next year, and I'm trying to book accomodation. What I wanted to know is if anybody has been, and what they'd recommend about accomodation. For instance, is it better to stay really close to the fair grounds, or is the public transport adequate to get around town a bit. Also, what's the area around the fair ground like regarding safety etc (ie. is it a safe part of town or not)? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Cheers,Mark.

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='320651' date='Nov 3 2008, 07:47 AM']I had one of these a few years ago and I'd own another in a shot, but what ever you do get the schematic for the internal preamp dip switches (I may even still have the pdf) before you start messing about with the options! I had mine totally disassembled as it had quite a bit of flaking to the lacquer (not uncommon) and I was stripping the body wood back (bubinga) and oiling it. When I put it back together I started messing about with the EQ options and there are certain combinations of dip switches that give you a feedback loop not good if you have it plugged into your amp and turned up. If you are into headless style basses these really are a great alternative to Status etc. <edit> Mine was probably one of those few on eBay. [/quote] You lucky bugger!! I always liked the preamp/pickups in these, it's quite a different sound to other headless basses I've tried. Very "zingy" top end, if I remember correctly.

[quote name='Crazykiwi' post='320205' date='Nov 2 2008, 03:19 PM'][url="http://cgi.ebay.de/Schack-Carbon-B2-400-Headless-E-Bass-4-Saiter_W0QQitemZ220300017997QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item220300017997&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=66%3A2|65%3A1|39%3A1|240%3A1318"]http://cgi.ebay.de/Schack-Carbon-B2-400-He...%3A1|240%3A1318[/url] Kai Eckhardt was playing these basses IIRC.[/quote] These are sensational basses. I've only seen a few come up on Ebay (say, 3 or 4 over the last 6 or 7 years), and they always attract a lot of attention.

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='305119' date='Oct 12 2008, 11:09 PM']Recall some fuss being made about someone being after one of these. [url="http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/trace-elliot-horn-box_W0QQitemZ260299579752QQcmdZViewItem?hash=item260299579752&_trkparms=39%3A1|66%3A2|65%3A10|240%3A1318&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14"]260299579752[/url][/quote] As I think you suspected, that IS the bright box. Not sure why the seller has referred to it has a "horn box". Maybe that's how it makes him feel.

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='303025' date='Oct 9 2008, 02:11 PM']Paradox [/quote] It's an British based website - I had to give you something to have a laugh at!

[quote name='waynepunkdude' post='303012' date='Oct 9 2008, 02:01 PM']"The bass comes in a suitcase bass." Classic[/quote] This is a classic giveway of an online translator. In English, we usually put the adjective before the noun - eg. red car, large man, intelligient Australian ( ). In other languages (for instance, Latin based), the adjective goes after the noun - car red, man large etc. In this instance, the noun is "suitcase", the adjective is "bass" - hence "suitcase bass". Sorry for the grammar lesson, I'm bored!!

[quote name='Ray' post='303000' date='Oct 9 2008, 01:52 PM']I thought it was too good to be true.[/quote] Probably is, but still, it's always worth sending an email. Just stay sensible, and don't hand over any cash until the bass is in your hands.

[quote name='Ray' post='302965' date='Oct 9 2008, 12:24 PM'][url="http://www.gumtree.com/london/02/29446002.html"]http://www.gumtree.com/london/02/29446002.html[/url][/quote] Looks a scam to me. First giveaway is that the seller has used an online translator to create the ad. Second giveaway is that the seller (or someone just as industrious) is having a crack on a German website with similar details. [url="http://kleinanzeigen.quoka.de/musik-equipment/gitarren-zubehoer/v_1_cat_63_7110_ad_20654571.html"]http://kleinanzeigen.quoka.de/musik-equipm...d_20654571.html[/url] Third, any serious seller who knows enough about old Fenders to include the serial number, point out the Fiesta Red colour, and point out that it's a Feb 1962 bass also knows the value of this bass.