W1_Pro

I'm intrigued when you say that the previous owner had problems with the strings slipping. Where did they slip too? I'm not trying to be snippy, thats a serious question. I've had my Pangborn for a good few years and I don't play it much, although every time I pick it up I wonder why because it is a truly amazing machine. Mine also has the pointy headstock, which makes it a fine looking thing. I read somewhere that a group of the UK builders (Jaydee, Pangborn, Goodfellow etc) in the 70's and 80's were chasing Alembic with multi laminated necks, complex electronics and the shape of the bodies. I've always thought that was quite a good description of what was occuring.

I notice that the rather tasteful US Spector NS2 'relic' has been marked as sold on Bass Directs website. Lovely bass, I played it breifly a couple of months ago but as usual I couldn't bring myself to part with the large sum of money they wanted for it and now the chance has gone. Did someone on here buy it?

Theres one of his for sale on Reverb atm which you might have seen? Looks a bit like one of those Greco GOB basses. You should have held on to that Explorer. I bet that was some machine.... https://reverb.com/uk/item/85795240-pete-back-bass-guitar-in-natural-finish-made-in-england?bk=eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJqdGkiOiIxMDIzNTRiMS1hZjVkLTQ0NzItOGM1Yy1lZDc1OGFlZmUwY2EiLCJpYXQiOjE3NjQ0OTEwNzAsInVzZXJfaWQiOiIiLCJzZXNzaW9uX2lkIjoiZDNlNmRiYjItZmY1MS00YWYxLWEzMmMtYWI0N2Y0ZjU2MTNiIiwiY29va2llX2lkIjoiNzg4NzBjNzUtMzM4My00MTJkLTkxNDUtMTUxZWRmMWIyM2RkIiwicHJvZHVjdF9pZCI6Ijg1Nzk1MjQwIiwic291cmNlIjoiTk9ORSJ9.ZR9Zu1vZMXgkQj64ir4v2Afn0El_drxUwwbtJhQTZWs

Lovely that. Looks somewhat redolent of a fretless version of what the chap in ZZ Top used to play.

I have asked the seller a question (about three days ago) and he's not responded...yet.

Yes, absolutely. I had a bit of a ferret around on Reverb and a single JB Hyperflux seems to be priced arounf the £200 mark, so there's your profit on the deal I suppose. If that T bird had frets and the seller could be perseuded into a more realistic price it would be an interesting project for someone- its essentially a great bass- but I appreciate that this is entirely wishful thinking on my part😆

It looks like you are right...Has to be said, that is a pretty niche thing to do. 'I need new pickups for my John Birch bass, therefore I will buy another John Birch bass and take the pickups out of it'...That is quite weird, right?

Quite different machines perhaps? I have a Passion from 198 something and its wonderful, having said that the John Birch, for all its flaws sounds like Concord taking off (in a good way).

This is probably a bit controversial, but I've always felt that a fretless Thunderbird is a bit like a five string Rickenbacker. Deeply unnatural.....

(sigh)...that went well. You have to download it to see it I think...

That is awesome. Also, that pic of the maple bass with black triangles and stars on the fretboard is the same as mine. Who knows, it might even be mine? He made so much really cool, interesting stuff. I'll attach a pic of mine below.. JB.pdf

My one - and I'd be interested to hear from anyone else that has one to compare notes- has very little mass around the heel of the neck, consequently the neck can be pulled forward making the action a bit high. I've ameliorated this a little by using low tension flats but it is definitely an issue with my bass, I'd be interested to know if anyone else has experienced anything similar?

Its a nice looking bass, two grand is quite a lot of cash though. But then again, look what they are charging for real Rickenbackers....sigh... Interesting. This has six knobs. My one only has five.

Thanks Steve, it is indeed old fashioned. Unless I'm missing a trick they don't seem to have a website....

Which one Steve? A proper Birchenbacker is a rare and wonderful thing....

Thanks Red, I had an idea this had been covered before but I could not remember where..

wrong thread!

Apologies if this has been done before, but I just came accross this on Gumtree. https://www.gumtree.com/p/guitar-instrument/1970s-john-birch-fretless-thunderbird-bass-handmade-in-the-uk/1504913094 Its apparently a John Birch build from the 70's but the only thing that I can see on the bass that looks remotely genuine is the bridge. That looks like Birch in house hardware. The pickups the seller says are non orignal, in fact they seem to be guitar pickups, so thats a bust, and the machine heads could be anything. There is also no Birch branding at all on the thing, which is unusual in my experience, John normally got his name on every single piece of hardware on an instrument and the headstock too. Anyone have any thoughts as to what this might be?

There will be some remote corner of the internet devoted to them, of that I am convinced.....

That name though. Anus Basses. Just can't stop thinking it...