Shaggy

I had a Paulman 5 string, which I only moved on purely because it was a 5 string; never seen another of his basses before or since.    Really well made (if a tad heavy) with beautifully figured tonewoods, which I believe he had a reputation for using. Think he was based up in the North of England.

Some luverly bases there (speaking as a vintage Gibson nut), but ouch those prices! 😮 - I’d be wanting some really solid provenance.  I wonder if he sold any?  🤔

This used to be mine; at least the loaded body was;  I only moved it on as I’m winding my bass gigging right down, or it wouldn’t have been going anywhere.  It’s both a truly astonishing design and a beautifully crafted instrument - the tonal range possibilities are almost infinite and at first seem slightly bewildering, but it’s really simply to use straight away as just about the nicest P bass you’ve ever heard, or the nicest J bass, and then start exploring the possibilities.

I think whilst you could still order an Avenger 2 bass from Sims they were around £2K, but this body was ordered with several factory upgrade options: in 2-piece swamp ash (stock: mahogany), satin natural finish (stock: painted) and 3-band Glockenklang preamp (stock: 2 band) that would have taken it to £2.4K as a full bass.

And of course, the seller is something of a Basschat legend that you can buy from with total confidence 🙂

Lovely bass 👍 - it looks to me like the facings are stained flame maple, not walnut, but the sticker inside the control cavity cover will confirm (I could be wrong)!

Don’t think this’ll be around for sale long.....

4 hours ago, Alien said:

Another thing from back then...
My dad worked in Dunstable, just a couple of buildings away from the AGFA factory, so he could get mates rates on bulk packs of cassette tapes (remember them?)
They did a version of a C90 tape with an extra 3 minutes on each side, so overlength albums would fit onto one side, meaning you didn't have to pick your least favourite tune to lose!

 

Don't remember the “long” C90’s, but I do remember trying the C120’s as you know you’d be sure get a full long album per side (and many of the “prog” LP’s were long......)  - unfortunately they’d regularly jam, stick, and / or uselessly fill your cassette deck with yards of unspooled tape....🙁.  I think I used to favour BASF chrome C90’s.   

A bit of nostalgia 😎- 

This thread probably says a lot about the age demographic on BC......😉

Still had my first car in 1985, a 1966 Bond Equipe GT4S (cost me all of £100) which being old was positive earth electrics, so I couldn’t fit a car stereo conventionally.   Initially had a ghetto blaster on the back seat, them fitted a Blaupunkt stereo in a home made centre console (a nice bit of oak to match the wooden dash!) with the power lead going directly to the battery.    I think I only had 3 cassettes, so played to them on repeat:

- Simple Minds: New Gold Dream

- Dire Straits: Making Movies

- Best of George Benson.

Mind, in the house I probably already had around 1000 LP’s - almost all gone to car boot sales now 🙁

1 hour ago, Cato said:

Blimey, just seen the video.

 

It's like something Whitesnake or Poison would have put out in the 80s.

Probably why I liked it.....😎

1 hour ago, Jean-Luc Pickguard said:

It would have been hilarious if when casting for the cavorting woman in the video they chose someone age approriate for Mick, Keef & Ron.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder:

Bought a Levy’s strap off Ollie - smooth deal, great price, fab communications, fast despatch.

Top Basschatter 👍 - thanks fella! 🙂

Lush 👍. I used to have an ‘80 MM Sabre that was this finish before it was stripped....

Wasn’t it officially “Root beer”?  (aka Walnut)

In no way a Jimmy Buffet fan, but where I work (as an NHS Radiographer in a Cardiac Catheter Laboratory) I’m always at the mercy of other people’s playlists, and I used to work with a Cardiologist who was a massive JB fan - this will always take me back:

I did like the fact that most of his songs were about boozing.......🥃

RIP Jimmy

13 hours ago, chris_b said:

There are some pretty stupid posts in this thread. Shame on you.

 

Any musicians who want to gig and make records should do just that. More power to them.

I have to agree.  I always find these threads slightly depressing due to the utterly predictable Brit tendency to put down anything perceived as successful.   I’m not a massive fan of the Stones (though “Gimme Shelter” will always be in my all-time top 10 songs), but their sheer longevity for both creative output and for putting on high energy live performances is staggering - I’m pretty sure it’s a feat that will never be repeated again in the world of popular music.   Respect 😎

Yes please; PM sent 👍

On 13/01/2023 at 18:59, TheGreek said:

I just posted something on another thread about a certain track being a  means of time travel. 

 

Then I  realised that most music does this for me. Songs that I haven't heard for a while will take me back to certain times and places which nothing else does  - with the possible exception of smells and food. 

I'm sure that there's a scientific reason for this,  which TBH I'm not really bothered about.  Amazing though, don't you think?

 

Examples of tracks and where/ when they take you back to...

Absolutely true; and for me the strongest associations are indelibly linked to my romantic life.   Fiction Factory’s  “Feels like heaven” completely takes me back to bittersweet memories of early 1984 when I and the first real love of my life were going through a rocky time.....🤔

On 13/01/2023 at 23:48, Mickyk said:

New Gold Dream, SM ,takes me right back to Blackpool 1982,Imperial Hotel to be precise, with the Trader Jacks night club at the side what a weekend that was.

My all-time favourite album, takes my right to the best summer of my life doing voluntary work at a Marine Biology station on a tiny island off SW Ireland 🙂

Just noticed it looks like that site I mentioned for the TRC does the knobs you’re after as well: 

https://reproguitarparts.com/#!/Electra-Westone-Volume-and-Tone-Knob/p/199597582/category=1391098

edit: also just noticed they’re sold out, but if you contact them I bet they could source some more

Great score bartelby 👍 -  as for the TRC I guess you can carefully touch up the logo; if not, these guys will make one for you: 

https://reproguitarparts.com/#!/Electra-Westone/c/1385115

They custom made a creme version of the TRC for my Thunder II, which is now also part of their catalogue.

We had the same experience a couple of years ago when clearing our parents home; ended up giving away their lovely old iron-frame upright piano for free.   Nobody wants them; I guess they take up too much space and the modern compact electric pianos are so good.

There was also an antique harmonium in the house (technically mine, as I’d bought it on impulse from a junk shop when in my teens....) which had a slightly more interesting exit.   A Finnish heavy metal band touring the UK and passing through Cambridge happened to notice it posted in the Freeads, took it away, and used it that night as part of their act.    I assume it was probably destroyed with a flame thrower or something (which was a shame as it was a beautiful thing....), but I guess better to go out in a blaze of glory than mouldering away in a garage somewhere.

Absolutely lusted after this rig back in the day - sadly I think I’ll still have to just lust after it......😕

Amazing how modern and classy it still looks; GLWTS 👍

27 minutes ago, neepheid said:

 

Damn, you missed me (and some quality bass face...)

 

Prather a poor shot of me also playing a natural RD Artist (my first RD).   Cab behind me is a Mesa Boogie Diesel 2x15 Road Ready, so I was clearly keen on heavy gear back then......

Probably a dull question, but I assume it’s an old ‘un rather than the Krist Novoselic reissue?

Tricky one, as vintage prices seem to be all over the place right now, and “rarer” doesn’t necessarily equal more desirable / valuable, in fact it can work the other way.  Might be worth looking at Andy Baxter recent sales, as he sells a lot of vintage Gibsons and seems to have a pretty good handle on realistic pricing.

Personally I wouldn’t go above £1.5K, but then again personally I’d be holding out for an Artist model anyway - much nicer 😉.   (I’ve owned 4 of them, so am a bit of a fan....)

Lovely, though it’s aged to a kind of a shoreline gold! 👍

As I recall, Benjamin Orr of The Cars used to play one with that finish.

A proto-Warwick really.......

I rather like it, other than the pine body being a bit 1970’s kitchen unit 🤔

I used to own a ‘60’s Framus Grand Star 6-string acoustic jazz guitar which was fabulous.

Now up to £33.....

looks like the bones of a good bass there, minus the very silly pickup surround - you’d have to take the neck off to adjust the truss rod (or route a notch by the neck heel of the body to access), but I’ve had a few bitsas like that.

Really beautiful bass - I put Thunderbucker ‘66 pickups in my custom Warmoth T’bird, put together so that I wouldn’t have to gig my 1965 T’bird IV, and can confirm that they actually sound better than the originals.  

Something really special about a white Thunderbird; plus I’m sure this will be the equal of a Mike Lull for a lot less dosh - GLWTS 👍

2 hours ago, jazzmanb said:

Do we think the Wal price explosion has settled now ?

bassbros and andys have stuff around 8k 

You have to be buying at that price for investment i'd say ,but will it rise ?

Interesting - prices seem to have plateaued recently; I guess partly down to the global economic situation and partly there’s been a bit of a spate of selling, presumably owners taking a chance on getting the best price now.    As that spate dries up I suspect prices will creep up again, as Wals will not only continue to be perceived as investment items, but also are still very much used by pros and session musicians who will pay what it takes to achieve that sound.   It’s been said before; £10K might seem a crazy price to us, but a pro / semi-pro violinist or classical guitarist could easily pay ten times that for a top level instrument.

I’ll be hanging onto mine though 🙂

Stonkingly good pickups.   👍.  I put a Nordstrand Bigman 4 in my Warwick LX Streamer Jazzman - massively improved the tone over the stock MEC, and the audible differences between parallel / series/ single coil switching became far more apparent and useful.