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Basvarken

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Posts posted by Basvarken

    Thunderbird pick up

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    Congrats! Those are very good pickups.

    Can't see any pictures. Broken links.

    if it's a 1967 Gibson NR Thunderbird pickup, it should be chrome plated. The earlier ones (196301965) were nickel plated.

    It should have only two screw holes. The ones from the seventies have three screw holes (and the casing is taller).

     

    Gibson RD Artist Basses announced for 2018

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    Specs:

    Series Limited Run Basses
    Body
    Body Style: RD
    Back: Maple
    Top: N/a
    Weight relief: None

    Neck
    Neck: Maple
    Neck profile: Rounded
    Nut width: 1.60”
    Fingerboard: Rosewood
    Scale length: 34”
    Number of frets: 20
    Nut: Tektoid
    Inlay: Acrylic Dots

    Hardware
    Bridge: 3-Point Full Contact BABICZ
    Tailpiece: N/a
    Knobs: Knurled Black Chrome & Flat Black EQ Knobs
    Tuners: Grover Shamrocks
    Plating: Chrome

    Electronics
    Neck pickup: Rhythm EB Bass
    Bridge pickup: Lead EB Bass
    Controls: Vol / Blend & High/Low/Parametric, w/ Mini Toggle (Active/Passive)

    Finish/Quantity
    Finishes available: Antique Natural, Ebony
    Case: Hardshell
    Quantity available: N/a

    Price: € 1700 (probably not the streetprice)

    Thunderbirds!

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    [quote name='Skybone' timestamp='1487798646' post='3243109']
    Does anyone know if there's ever been a "wide neck" version of a Thunderbird?
    [/quote]

    The Greco Thunderbird has a wide neck. Comparable to a Stingray neck.

    NBD :-) BaCH Semi-acoustic long scale bass (New photos)

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted · Edited by Basvarken

    I switch between short scale basses and long scale basses all the time. They each have their own pros and cons.

    The balance between the neck pickup and the bridge pickup on the long scale antique red one is fine. I like to dial in just enough of the neck pickup to give the mini humbucker at the bridge some support in the deep end. But I guess that is a personal preference.

    She can definitely roar!
    https://youtu.be/ttj6KtY8_2U


    The short scale blonde was turned into a Gibson Les Paul hybrid within two hours when I received it. It was an impulsive act ;-)
    But I haven't regretted it for one second. This was my main axe throughout 2016.

    BACH BASSES

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    BaCH has a small shop in Hodonin, Czech Republic.
    The wood work of all their instruments is done there.
    Except for the the [b]bodies[/b] of the semi acoustic guitars and basses, which I think come from South Korea. These are joined to a Czech made neck in Hodonin. And then finished etc.

    The hardware comes from South Korea as well. And so do most of the pickups, which are from the Artec company.

    Because their workshop is so small, they only make a small series of each instrument. About 25 is the max.
    Which is the reason why some of their instruments seem to be sold out forever.

    Working with them has been a nice experience. Sometimes a bit frustrating because of the language barrier. A lot goes lost in translation...
    But they're nice folks and they know how to build a good instrument.
    Just to remind you; the best violins were always built in Prague. They do have a long tradition of building stringed instruments.

    BACH BASSES

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted · Edited by Basvarken

    Guess I'm late to the party.
    The semi-acoustic bass that BaCH built was actually the second project I did with them.
    The first project was the Non Reverse Thunderbird (aka BaCHbird). I initiated that project about ten years ago. The original NR Tbirds were fetching top dollar over at Ebay and Gibson was not making any moves to reïntroduce them to the market. As a Gibson fan I desperately wanted to have a Non Reverse Thunderbird. So I asked BaCH if they could make one for me. They said they could do it, but I'd have to order a small batch of 25. Now, as much as I love to buy basses, I don't need 25 of them. Let alone 25 the same ;-)
    So I asked around on a few bassist discussion boards if there were any other Gibson enthousiasts who would like to join in on this project.
    I gave BaCH all the information; drawings, measurements, specifications, photographs. The works. I even suggested they made the bridge a little wider than the original to allow for proper intonation.
    And after several months the first prototype was ready. BaCH had f•cked it up. They gave it an Ibanez headstock! So I rejected it. It took another few weeks till they finally got it right.
    And the result was stunning. The first batch went to all the friends that had signed up. And soon enough BaCH made a second series. Slightly changing the specs (thinner body, narrower neck).
    I didn't make a penny with all this by the way! But my email box kept flooding with requests for a BaCHbird, which I forwarded to BaCH. So after a while, I decided to start selling them. And there came a third, fourth and fifth series. After a couple of years the market for the BaCHbird seemed to be saturated and the sales came to a halt. BaCH quit the production. This was long before Gibson sent them a cease and desist letter. And long before Gibson decided to make a reissue.

    Shortly after I started my collaboration with BaCH, I asked them to do a semi acoustic bass. The EB-2 or Rivoli. Just like with the BaCHbird I gave them pictures, measurements, photographs and specifications. And [i]again[/i] BaCH managed to f•ck up! They accidentally made it long scale! And they just couldn't get the bridge right. The hardware manufacturer in Korea that was going to make the bridge went bankrupt. And the entire project came to a grinding halt. The rejected long scale prototype (without bridge) was put in a corner and it stayed there for about two years.
    One day I asked them to send the rejected prototype to my address in The Netherlands anyway. I had just completed my first self built bass and I was rather confident about giving it a go to complete the long scale semi acoustic. I installed a Duesenberg two point bridge with separate tailpiece. And I was impressed with the build quality of the bass.
    So I asked BaCH to pick up the project. And this time I asked them to not only make the short scale version (like the initial plan), but also to make a long scale version (like the prototype).
    BaCH did make a small series of both the short scale and the long scale. But the bridge just never saw the light of day.
    So this bass never showed up on their own website. They couldn't sell an incomplete product.
    But I did sell quite a few via my own website. And I installed the bridge myself on all of them. On the ones that I sold, I installed a regular three point bridge. And for most of them I cut extra tall nylon bridge saddles. I did this because the angle of the body and neck on some of the semi acoustic basses was rather big. With standard saddles the bridge would have to be raised too high on the bridge posts.
    They didn't quit these because Gibson told them to. They quit because they couldn't get the bridge right. All the semi acoustic basses were sold to me (except for the one that Graham bought apparently)
    (by the way the center block was a normal feature on the EB-2 and Rivoli).

    Another project that I initiated with BaCH was the Fenderbird. After the John Entwistle hybrid Thunderbird/Fender P.
    But again BaCH managed to ruin the opportunity. They gave it the wrong colour; Ferarri Red instead of the Salmon Pink / Fiesta Red that I asked for. And more important; they gave it the wrong pickguard.
    I refused to buy these basses off them because I was pissed off they had ignored the specs I sent them for the third time in a row. As a result they got stuck with those bases for years. ;-)
    Eventually I did sell a few, because people kept asking for them. When the Chinabuckers hit the market I even sold a few upgraded ones.

    Another project was the Telecaster bass. I suggested to do a bass with Telecaster body. They made it short scale. Which was rather nice. They still have them.


    The BaCHbirds are all sold out. The semi acoustics are almost sold out, The Fenderbirds are sold out.
    It was fun while it lasted.

    BaCH did quit to make Gibson (guitar) models about two years ago. After they had received a cease and desist letter.
    But all my projects with them had stopped way before that happened.

    Would you be interested in a Gibson Bass Book?

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    In the meanwhile the PDF is off to the printer. I decided to take the leap of faith and place the order.
    I'm expecting the books in week 47.
    The website is up and running. You can already sign up (and pay) for your copy of the book.
    [url="http://www.thegibsonbassbook.com"]www.thegibsonbassbook.com[/url]

    At tuesday december 13 I'm releasing the book officially for a select audience.
    The nice folks of Gibson Europe have invited me to use their showroom on the 10th floor of the A'dam tower in Amsterdam.
    (with a magnificent view over Amsterdam).
    None other than Rinus Gerritsen (of Golden Earring. He recorded the hit Radar Love with a Gibson EB-3) will be there to receive the first official copy of the book.

    Would you be interested in a Gibson Bass Book?

    in Bass Guitars

    Posted

    [quote name='12stringbassist' timestamp='1477499099' post='3162632']
    You may want to look at how much it would be to self-publish via Blurb, like I did with my 4 Slade live photobooks. Print on demand means you don't have any outlay and boxes of them lying unsold around the house for years. Blurb do all of the customer service (including the inevitable 'lost copies' that can send you spiralling into loss) and you set your own profit figure. They are signed for on delivery, so that sorts that out.

    They can also put them on amazon.com for you.
    [/quote]

    Thanx for the tip. I will look into that too.

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