[quote name='BeLow' post='399414' date='Feb 3 2009, 09:08 PM']Ok here is the full run down on the pricing and history - I guess enough time has passed now for me to tell it how I understand it.
At the time of the magazine review Ashley was selling his basses at £750 including a hard case (I think big dosh for a young man in '85/86), I saved my pennies and had got close to the required amount and contacted Ashley. He told me that the basses were now marketed through the bass centre and had gone up to £799 and no longer had cases. I think the basses with the full brass bridge were another £100 but I think they also had exotic facing wood as well. The graphite necks were in vogue back then but they also were cheaper to build according to Asley as the bass mouldings made the overall bass build process quicker. This all makes me think you bass is a bit older than mine - especially as you have a transfer for a logo, whereas I have an actual stamped screw on badge.
At the time this was more than I felt I could afford and I went to look at Vigier graphite necked basses. For some reason I spoke to Ashley again and he said he would make me a bass provided he sold it to me direct for the price I had originally seen and paid up front. I specced it, using the schaller bridge to keep costs down. I drove down to see Ashley down in Dulwhich about 5 or 6 times in total.
He told me at the time that bass centre essentially said they would take 100% of his output and then when he was totally dependent on their custom told him that he had to cut his prices. He also said the the bass centre were fixated on his neck profiles aping old precisions (this stacked up with other things I heard at the time). He also said that they demanded he increased the treble boost as they sounded a little dull through the trace elliots which they were shifting a lot of at the time.
As I paid cash up front for my bass I was bit nervous - Ashley became uncontactable for a bit which worried me, eventually I spoke to his wife (not sure how I tracked her down). She told me that he had been ill with bronchitis, anyway the bass got built and I was happy. The bass came with a lifeltime guarantee and servicing for free, which was sort of re-assuring. However about 6 - 12 months later when I decided I would get a fretless and was toying with getting Ashley to make me a laminated neck blank I suddenly found I could not trace him.
This bit is speculation, but I think he was struggling financially and did a bit of a runner to Germany. I used to chat to some of the luthiers back then and I think it was Pete the Fish (of Wal fame) who told me that there were some suppliers who were owed money by him. Rumour is he went to work for Gibson in Germany, and that he re-married and then became ill. Others involved in the story might tell it differently I guess. I tracked down a pic of someone called Ashley Pangborn in Germany that certainly looked like an older version of him.
I have no axe to grind on the history but I think he made really nice basses and I wish he was still building them. I used to enjoy chatting to him, he did some work on my other basses and he had some interesting tales about Mark King and Stanley Clarke (both of whom he made basses for). I actually enjoyed his company if I am honest. If he were to read this and pm me somehow, I would like to discuss with him building a 6 string version of the Warlord. I have pipe dream to either do that myself or commision someone to do it for me one day.
He may not be too keen to return to the UK on the basis of what I can understand of the history and if his bout of bronchitis was to do with his woodworking maybe he is no longer working on guitars. So now you have bit more of the jigsaw you may understand a bit more of the enigma of Pangborn basses.[/quote]
Hey thanks for that,it was very intresting,such a shame when you think about it as he seemed a very gifted chap and that shows with the respect for his intruments on this site.
It must of been a great buzz having him make a bass for you.
I hope he makes a return one day if hes not too sick,and i hope you get your dream 6 string.
Any more pics of Warlords on this site? I wonder how many people own a Warlord on this site also.
Cheers.
John.