Shaggy

As a big fan of Ovation basses, I foolishly clicked on this and now can't unsee the truly fugly bridge, manky neck, and ludicrously oversized and garish pickguard.     No way that's an original Ovation body either.

Listing description is entertaining though (in a bad way)........

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/357084855391?_trkparms=amclksrc%3DITM%26aid%3D777008%26algo%3DPERSONAL.TOPIC%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D20250324084321%26meid%3Df29f6e8b07d74cb187fb636f1baec04f%26pid%3D101949%26rk%3D1%26rkt%3D1%26itm%3D357084855391%26pmt%3D1%26noa%3D1%26pg%3D4375194%26algv%3DRecentlyViewedItemsV2WithMLRPboosterAndUpdatedFeatures_BP%26brand%3DOvation&_trksid=p4375194.c101949.m162918&_trkparms=parentrq%3Ac6be4a5f1970a2c1838a6dccfffcf258|pageci%3A7cce5cfc-5695-11f0-8fcd-72e0a1cc61bd|iid%3A1|vlpname%3Avlp_homepage

Dunc bought a bass off me via an old FS thread of mine that I'd thought long buried and forgotten, but then it was actually his old bass, that we'd traded several years ago!   Good to see friends reunited.... 

Top BC-er as above posts bear out -prompt payment, Dunc sorted the courier, and great communications

Thanks mate, and enjoy! 

In 48 years of gigging and 100+ basses I've had only 3 actual Fenders (though multiple P & J bitsas); a '66 "L" series P, a USA  RI '75 J, and an all original  '57 P (last of the Tele styled). Unusually on this forum; only 2 of the 3 ex-Beedster.......

I still have the '57;  I have basses I prefer, but there's always something just a bit special that Leo had a hand in.....

I can actually see Fender releasing this as the "Beedster signature" model..... 

Definitely a back to basics after the Buzzard - looks fabulous, Chris! 

Bought a couple of pairs of boots off Simon - smooth easy deal, top communications, and super-fast despatch.  Absolutely delighted with the boots (plus I now have more pairs than Mrs Shaggy.....)  As forgoing posts clearly show; the guy is a gent and definitely one of BC's good guys. 

Thanks Si! 

Wow, cooler than a very cool thing!. 

Needs a Prince tribute band..... 

On 04/03/2025 at 21:30, oldslapper said:

I had a combo version. Excellent quality parts and manufacturing. 
Flexible eq and all the power you need. 
Just a tad heavy for my buggered shoulders. 
GLWTS

I had the 2x8" combo too - really nice sound and very cool styling, but insanely heavy for a small combo.   Made by Carlsbro apparently. 

OP amp looks a bargain for proper quality kit 

A not great pic of my old 1980's Gordon Smith Galaxy semi-acoustic bass; maple flat-topped body, ultra-slim maple neck, and twin narrow soapbar Jazz-type pickups (Kent Armstrongs, I think).  A very simple but beautifully crafted bass; the action could be set next to nothing without buzzing.   My main gigging bass for many years, wish I still had it......

1 hour ago, prowla said:

I had an invite to go to their last final tour, but the ex double-booked me, so I missed out.

I feel your pain.  I had tickets to see Led Zep play Knebworth in 1979 - had the flu and couldn't go 

OP sounds a hell of a great gig.  Who've have thought in 1968 the classic line up would still be playing together in 2025

I guess the clips have been around for as long as the 9V PP3 battery has; which Google tells me was introduced in 1956, intended for transistor radios.     I had a mid-1960's Vox Special Mk IV guitar which had active EQ / onboard effects powered by one - actually the typical flimsy "dangly type" clip never broke on that, but they have on so many basses I've owned..   Much better connection systems in modern basses, as above.

At least with alkaline and modern rechargeable batteries there's no more leaks knackering your clip and electrics, like the old zinc batteries used to......

On 29/01/2025 at 19:07, Musicman666 said:

i'm no expert but i find a beeswax spray polish on my natural wood finishes always works well without causing any harm.

Problem is. this will soon turn the satin finish into a gloss finish.   Also I found out to my cost; never use beeswax polish on French polish finishes, the solvent in it (traditionally turpentine) dissolves the finish.   In the OP, it's likely to be a polyurethane or (less likely) an acrylic lacquer; a wash with a gentle soap and warm water would do the job.  As said; try it on a small area first.

11 hours ago, BlueMoon said:

If you use any commercially-sourced product it is worth studying the ingredients/contents list on the container first. My advice would be to stay away from anything containing silicones, since they don’t always play nice with other cleansing products or in areas where painting/re-finishing might take place. Polydimthylsiloxanes (dimethicone) and aminosiloxanes (types of silicones) are pretty common in auto and household polish formulations.

Agreed 

Really beautiful grain on that body - a lovely bitsa P, and very keenly priced. 

In West Wales too..............Hmmmmmmm 

1 hour ago, Beedster said:

Mate, apart from the fact that we’d all miss you and your contributions, you do realise that BC is like Hotel California; you can check out any time you want but you can never leave 👍

 

Ahhhhh.... that would explain the mirrors on the ceiling and the pink champagne on ice.  They kind of confused me when I joined   (Bassworld, as it was then)

Great sentiment though!   

Stacked knobs?   To paraphrase Bill Shankley's famous misquote (about football) - It's not a matter of life and death........

...........it's more important than that 

3 hours ago, Beedster said:

Greg, perhaps we need to form a consortium 

Lol I think youv'e got a plan there Chris.....  The 4003FL you mentioned above I also owned for a while too of course, and have to agree it was a pretty special sound, like no other fretless I've played.   Plus this one would look so nice next to my fretted '73 FG 4001......   

Just that I've already got 3 nice FL basses not being played - I do keep coming back to this one though, how is it still here? 

21 minutes ago, paul_5 said:

Ah, a scholar and a gentleman!

Thanks , but only in this sense, I'm afraid...

5 minutes ago, Burns-bass said:

Agreed.

 

Sanding it won’t break it and it’s a stopgap. If you paid for it to be refinished it wouldn’t be all original so anyone holding out for that would be put off anyway.

 

With all respect, 1992 Stingrays aren’t commanding a huge premium, so I say crack on.

 

I had a funny conversation when I got the jack socket changed on a 1966 fender. The tech joked that the swap probably knocked £500 off the value as it was no longer 100% original.

Yup.  If it was a pre-EB I'd say no, as it is is and if it's your playing /gigging bass then do whatever makes it better / easier  to play 

In terms of solid bodied guitars and basses I'd say that if you're making the neck by hand then you're a luthier; cutting and routing the body from a block of wood is mere carpentry ; and putting a bitsa together from aftermarket parts is no harder than putting together the average Airfix model kit - the finishing is the hardest bit - and doesn't really warrant any specialist job description.

Yes, as said above the word "luthier" is derived from a maker of lutes; I believe the word "lute" itself derived from the Arabic for gourd: oud (which in dried form made the backs for the ancestral instruments).   Subsequently extended to guitar and violin making throughout Europe - although interestingly in Spain, the apex and epicentre of guitar building, a master such as Ramirez or Contreras would be called a "Constructor de guitarras", which is really more descriptive. 

Thanks to Maggie Thatcher giving me some spare unemployed time over 40 years ago I've completed lute-making, guitar-making, and violin-making courses, which were hugely enjoyable and character-building, so I guess I could call myself a luthier but wouldn't have the cheek to do so.   Very helpful for building bitsas though, and did make one bass from scratch;; a fretless Stingray (that was enough!).

11 hours ago, Idzmo said:

I bought the Hagstrom nekromant 4 bass guitar,  love it. But I need to find a case for it. Can anyone recommend a case that will fit it?

Anything to fit a Thunderbird should do - Thomann do (or used to do) a really good quality and inexpensive soft case for T-birds, or an Epiphone T-bird case, and I've found the big rectangular Freestyle cases also fit.

Worth mentioning that standard guitar stands are no good for "reverse" basses - the Hercules stand that hold the neck under the headstock are ideal.

I know it's already been pointed out above the similarity of the Nekromant to the old Gibson RD Artist - to me it seems practically a copy.

3 hours ago, Stingray5 said:

Not all strictly bass-related.

 

 

 

 

this...

 

 

Not the Kevin Rowland of Dexy's Midnight Runners, surely?  

Back to the OP - for me; nothing unless you count a vintage Technics turntable so I can now once again listen to much bass goodness on my old vinyl, plus a bottle of single malt to enhance the experience.......John Rebus style. 

On my bucket list of basses I still have any GAS for but will probably never now be able to afford (actually now just down to this, an original Ric 4005, and a pre-EB 'Ray in sunburst / maple).

These used to crop up now and again around the £1K mark.   If only.........    Looks like a nice example.

Really impressive!   I'd love to have a bespoke custom bass made, sadly unlikely to happen, but on the plus side I've enjoyed having owned many lovely vintage basses (including 3 Wals) before prices went totally bananas 🍌 and out of the reach of the ordinary player 

Shouldn't this thread be in "Build diaries" though?

Beautiful.   Speculative PM sent

On 11/12/2024 at 12:32, TheGreek said:

Bass...the final frontier...

 

Surely that's @Beedster 's man-cave / studio? 

23 hours ago, prowla said:

 

 

This one should have been unplugged; i.e. unplugging the mixer from the mains socket.......

42 minutes ago, PaulThePlug said:

That Purple Sparkle Screams! #PurpleRonnie

Mine is a bit more subtle in appearance and a pleasant change from the Ibby SR's

I do like that mod - DiMarzio Model 1 with single vol control?   Rather reminds me of my old '81 RD Artist which had been "EB3-ised" with mudbucker and mini-humbucker; beast of a bass 

(apologies fir nicking pic from @chenzo_1 who I sold it to....)

James very handsomely posted a load of vintage amplifier valves on the Recycling forum, which I immediately snapped up - great communications with him, valves sent out rapidly and fantastically packed - happy bunny here......

Definitely one of BC's good guy - huge thanks