MNY

30 minutes ago, Terry M. said:

It would appear then that Sadowsky adopted the 4+1 headstock before Fender did.I've always preferred that personally over the 5 in-line design.

Hello Terry,

Having had a scout around this afternoon it would seem Marcus’s  bass is an early Sadowsky 5 made sometime mid to late 1980’s. These versions had 21 frets, electronics wise they were fitted with Bartolini pickups and circuit. I think you’re spot on with ref to the headstock config, the 1990 Jazz bass plus which was the first modern 5 string bass from Fender had 5 inline tuners, as opposed to Sadowsky’s 4+1.

1 hour ago, Terry M. said:

It's definitely Marcus mate I was just messing about. What's not clear on the video to me however is the headstock logo. Doesn't mean it's not a Sadowsky though. 

I just looked at the headstock shape and control layout and felt it was more than likely a Sadowsky. It’s a bit frustrating that the video is not very clear. 

49 minutes ago, Terry M. said:

OMG they've cloned Marcus!!! He has hair,he's playing a 5 string AND he's not slapping 😁

Yes I agree, very strange, the video isn’t clear but when you realise the drummer is Omar Hakim and the guitar player Hiram Bullock, two of Marcus’s close friends  it can’t be anyone else other than him, plus he played on the bulk of Spellbound along with Nathan East so it all seems to make sense. 

On 14/04/2025 at 17:47, Terry M. said:

Did Marcus play an actual Sadowsky or a Fender modified by Rodger?

I thought I had seen and heard Marcus playing a Sadowsky 5 string, check this out. Pretty sure he used this same bass on High Life by Wayne Shorter. 
 

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=1705956527472114&surface_type=vod&referral_source=vod_newsfeed_unit

Thanks to all of you who have taken the time to respond. It’s great to see the expertise demonstrated by members of this forum. Quite remarkable really. 🙏

24 minutes ago, lemmywinks said:

 

 

He's swapping the pickguard not routing for a J pickup, can just put the original parts back on. Looks like the bass is already missing the thumbrest and pickup/bridge covers so isn't 100% original.

I have the thumb rest, in fact I removed it when I got the bass a few weeks ago. I have the bridge and pick up covers as well. I think that one of the earlier posters is spot on about the colour, which has more of a yellow tone to the burst than one of the 60’s basses and therefore the black pickguard seems to match better. I have decided that I will leave the bass as is, it sounded excellent when I played it yesterday. I will just need to have the wiring checked as I think there might be a loose connection somewhere which is causing an earth buzz. 

11 minutes ago, Burns-bass said:

The value in an old Fender bass is its originality. They’re not prized for their weight, built quality or playability. 
 

That’s the vintage market distilled into two sentences.

 

If you want a vintage Precision, keep the lovely one you have. If you want a durable, versatile and lightweight bass that will perform for the long term, I’d buy a modern Fender Pro series bass.

 

If you start changing bits it’s not original and the value will lower, in some cases, significantly.

 

 

I bought it on a whim to be honest. I am not too bothered about it losing value as it’s no different in that regard than any other bass I have ever bought, there are some things that need addressing though which hopefully won’t compromise the originality. 
 

Cheers.

4 hours ago, diskwave said:

That looks like a minty fresh all original vintage P bass... why on earth would you want to mess with it. As soon as you de-solder it, its lost a ton of value. 

It’s not ‘minty fresh’ and does have some wear which gives it character. It’s fair to say that  I’m not too bothered about the value aspect, but I would like to cure the earthing issue and sort out the noisy pots. 

18 hours ago, Belka said:

Fender Precision Bass comparison USA vs MIM vs JAPANhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgzD3vcrExE

 

Check out the '77 in this video - by far the most aggressive sound.

This is more of preferred tonal reference and also Freddie Washington’s p bass, which I believe has had a Baroloini pick up for the majority of its working life. I love listening to Herbie Hancock (Paul Jackson, Ready Freddie,Eddie Watkins, Byron Miller) George Duke with Byron Miller, Willie Weeks with Donny Hathaway and Larsen-Feiten band especially the album Full Moon, Chuck Rainey on virtually everything he’s done but a particular favourite which is rather obscure is the track Djinji by Hirth Martinez, from the album Hirth from Earth. 
 

1 hour ago, Belka said:

Personally I wouldn't change a thing on it unless it was necessary. Unless you fork out the money for a Spitfire or something the tort pickguard won't look right. Those S series sunburst finishes were quite bright, something like the target burst you used to see earlier,  and along with that S series logo a tort guard would just seem out of place - they just look better/more authentic with the black guard. As for changing the pickups, I suppose it depends what you want. If you want something like an EMG or Bartolini because you like their particular sound, then go for, as long as you keep the original. Personally though, I think the late '70s S series basses are some of the best sounding P basses - they have a lot more treble/upper-mid than '60s or early '70s basses.

 

Honestly, if you want a more vintage P, hold out for an early '70s one and sell this one on. You can find refinished ones for not much more than an original late '70s one (Andy Baxter sold a refinised 1970 with original tort guard for less than £2,300 recently). 

Many thanks for taking the trouble to submit such a detailed response. 
 

cheers,

Mark.

I agree entirely, I sometimes wonder why I care so much about aesthetics. I have a lovely custom bass which sounds ridiculously good  but I am conflicted because of the body shape. I tend to forget about the shape when I play it because it sounds incredible but afterwards I wish it was a tad more conventional 🙈

30 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

Hi MNY, if you have a look at the Vintage fenders thread, I think it’s about page 146 onwards there’s some great suggestions, tort chat 😁

Thank you 👍

44 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

Looking at the changes you want to make the only things that would alter it from being all original is the soldering would be disturbed which isn’t a big deal, definitely keep the parts, especially the pickups, pots and screws etc and bag them in your case or somewhere safe , you can refit them or include them if ever you wanted to sell it, just my opinion but it’s worth spending a bit more on a nice tort guard, it makes a big difference , good luck and it’s a lovely 78  

 Many thanks for your comments. Do you have a suggested source for the pickguard please? 

Thank you all, much appreciated. 👍

Hello All,

I recently bought a 78 Fender P bass which seems like a nice instrument. As far as I can tell it’s pretty much original although the chrome is disappearing from the volume and tone controls and the electrics need looking at, nothing drastic just some buzzing which might indicate a loose connection of some sort. 

I have been mulling over changing a few things like the pots and wiring, possibly the black pick guard as I much prefer a tort one with a sunburst finish, and maybe even the pick ups. I appreciate that most people will buy an old instrument and keep it as close to original as possible, but I’m not that precious and would like the instrument to play and sound as good as it possibly can. Anything I change will be kept in case I decide to sell the bass on at some point and I suppose if it is ever sold then a new owner could reverse any changes that I might decide to make.
 

Any advice or thoughts please? 

 

Welcome Helios, I hope you enjoy your interactions here. 

7 hours ago, Terry M. said:

I'm pretty sure there are few basses he hasn't gotten his hands on at some point but was he ever endorsed by Sadowsky? Tal Wilkenfield,Verdine White,Will Lee (for example) were/are.

Not as far as I know., I don’t think he has ever been officially endorsed by a bass maker/luthier although I think he’s on the Fodera artist roster. Obviously he has a deal with Sire but he still uses his original 70’s Jazz bass most of the time it seems. 

19 hours ago, Terry M. said:

Did Marcus play an actual Sadowsky or a Fender modified by Rodger?

I’m sure he played a five string Sadowsky on High Life by Wayne Shorter, specifically on the track ‘On the Milky Way Express’, absolutely kills it! 

37 minutes ago, AinsleyWalker said:

Very nice! Didn't realise there were different versions of this, there's a GWB205 in Bass Gallery for £900. 
https://thebassgallery.com/collections/all/products/ibanez-gary-willis-gwb205-fretless-bass

The bass for sale in this post is more expensive as it will have been made in what can be best described  as the Ibanez custom shop in Japan.  The cheaper models are still nice instruments but they are mass produced with quality components in Indonesia IIRC. 

On 10/04/2025 at 17:05, DaveSetchfield said:

Thanks, that's very kind. Very little interest in this bass, which has been listed here for 18 months.

Try and stay patient (coming from an impatient person like me  that’s a bit rich) I have just bought a 78 Sunburst which seemed a good deal to me at £400 more. You could move it to BassBros or a similar shop but you will get much less I fear. Good luck.

Exceptional playing on the video, that’s some piece to learn and commit to memory. A very interesting right hand technique as well with some similarities to Gary Willis's. 👏.  Under 2k is a bit of a steal for such a great sounding P bass as well. GLWTS. 

That’s a beauty. GLWTS

On 16/03/2025 at 11:55, fiatcoupe432 said:

Great instruments 

Sounds absolutely insane 

Glwys

Many thanks. 

Absolutely stunning. ❤️

Make no mistake, this is a stupendous instrument. The tones available are simply staggering, and the playability is exceptional.  I bought this bass a few months ago from Chris and Al at Alpher Instruments and I have been delighted by its amazing tonal capability. It goes without saying that the instrument is built to the highest standards and to all intents and purposes never having been gigged this bass is in extremely good condition with virtually no signs of use. I thought that I might keep this bass for the duration but I managed to snap up my grail bass a week ago and I have decided off the back of this that it makes sense for the Alpher to find a new home where the new owner can play and appreciate this fantastic instrument to its fullest extent. 

Please see a link below to the full specs which are still on the Alpher website and also some fabulous photos. I can also provide some photos if required. The bass comes with an excellent hiscox case and various tools, there is also an ebony finger ramp which is detachable.  The Sunbear pickups are made in the UK by the legendary Stuart Robson, who is fast developing a reputation as one of the finest pick up gurus known the planet. The pickups on my bass are based on an original 51 P bass pickup which he repaired and rewound recently. Here’s a video link show Chris from Alpher demoing his own personal Hammerhead bass, it provides an excellent idea of the breadth of tones and the quality of the sound the bass produces. 
 

I may look at a partial trade for a cheaper instrument and cash my way, preference would be for some sort of 5 string or a quality amp set up. The  sale price is also flexible to some extent, if you have an idea, or offer please do get in touch.  I will post my own proof of ownership photos shortly. For total transparency please do take notice of the last picture which shows a tiny mark on the body. It’s not really noticeable but I felt compelled to point it out..  RRP £3495. 

21 fret

34 inch scale

1 piece curly Sassafras body

Natural finish

Gold headstock Logo

Flatsawn Wenge neck 

Figured Ebony fingerboard (12 inch radius)

39mm brass nut width

Jescar Evo Gold 43080 fret wire

Luminlay side dot inlays

2 x Sunbear 51p humbuckers

Brass patina pickguard

Passive: Volume, 4 x on/off buttons (one for each coil) + Stellartone 6 way tone

Hardware Gold / Black Mixed

Hipshot Kickass Bridge

Hipshot Ultralite Lollipop Tuners

Schaller S-locks

Black metal knobs

Newtone Alpher strings 45-105 (nickel)

Weight: 8lbs 12oz

Case included

Many thanks. 
 

https://alphershop.com/collections/basses/products/hammerhead-4-string-1