JanSpeeltBas

[quote name='henry norton' post='552393' date='Jul 27 2009, 11:20 AM']Goodfellow for goodness sake!!!!!!!!

Awww, you slipped the GB link in while I was writing my post BigRedX.

Nice to see so many still going by the way.[/quote]

As for names of the past: Nightingale.

And Grimshaw (Emile Grimshaw Sr &Jr) [attachment=29652:Grimshaw_SS_Deluxe.jpg]

Current: MD (Matt Dixon) [attachment=29650:MD_Guita...xon__VK_.jpg]

Finch [attachment=29653:Finch_5_j_style_vk.JPG]

[quote name='BassBunny' post='552347' date='Jul 27 2009, 10:38 AM']Gordon Smith, (but they don't build Basses any more). Ged Green does his own range of Basses/Guitars as well as repairs.[/quote]

And we're forgetting Gordy!

[quote name='whizzzy' post='552591' date='Jul 27 2009, 02:28 PM']Patrick Eggle Guitars made some bass models for a while.[/quote]

Patrick Eggle (the company) made basses but after leaving the company Patrick James Eggle (the man himself) made also this Discus Bass.

[quote name='BigRedX' post='552586' date='Jul 27 2009, 02:26 PM']That sounds interesting. Do you know who I need to speak to, in order to find out about a Staccato NOS bass?[/quote]

try contacting Pat through [url="http://www.staccato-art.co.uk"]http://www.staccato-art.co.uk[/url]
Would like to have one myself...

[quote name='doctor_of_the_bass' post='548440' date='Jul 23 2009, 12:56 AM']Wilkes guitars were fairly popular during the 80's, hailing from Stoke-on-trent - I've still got one (did have two at one point), a half-fretted/fretless bass which has the unusual headstock tuner arrangement. The range consisted of a number of models as I recall, one being a StingRay copy. They are very well made basses. CD David has a very nice fretless model, don't you Dave! Certain fretless models in the range (inc. Dave's bass) had a very clever system which gave the popular `slap' and pull style of playing a nice edge. Basically, the end of the fretboard had two flush mounted brass plates which transmitted vibration into a transducer pickup which could be blended into the `normal' p/up sound. Will see if I can dig out some pics![/quote]

I'm very curious about the half fretted bass. I understand that the E & A strings are fretted, D & G fretless. But is the fretless side of the fingerboard raised to the level of the frets on the fretted side? Would love to see pics...

From my archive some Wilkes copy's and the interesting Nightwing...

[quote name='BarnacleBob' post='552564' date='Jul 27 2009, 02:10 PM']Was the Staccato the one with the magnesium alloy neck? I think a big name bass player was connected with this one but i could be wrong.


And why in the name of Beelzebubs Balls do people insist in posing perfectly good basses on top of rocks!!!


BB[/quote]

Staccato was financed by Bill Wyman and the Jagger family (Mick's brother being one of the owners along with inventor/luthier Pat Townshend). The project failed but I understand there are still parts available today for assembling these basses. One other big name player using a Staccato is Gene Simmons.

As for the rocks...maybe because they rock?

Another addition (altough I don't know anything about him) is Tony Revell.

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='552487' date='Jul 27 2009, 12:56 PM']VOX basses weren't always made in Japan, y'know.

And don't forget Watkins.[/quote]

Most Vox basses are italian? Only the very first were made in the UK - always wanted to know who actually made them...

As for Watkins - add Wilson and WEM to the list...

But my favourite would be Staccato! A very interesting story behind it!

One of the first: Fenton-Weill...great idea, BB - the history of british basses should be written down!

[quote name='BarnacleBob' post='552121' date='Jul 26 2009, 11:01 PM']That looks pretty cool.
Do you know how old that one is? is it near enough for you to go and check it out?

BB[/quote]

Yes,
I will check it out and report back to you!

The Wilkes Bass that started this thread...looks like NT but is actually bolt-on. Anyone played or owned one of these?

That's a real nice bass!

There's another GS Gypsy on Ebay right now - same seller as recently, different bass, actually very much like the one in Glasgow pictured in this thread. ^_^

[quote name='BarnacleBob' post='549194' date='Jul 23 2009, 06:27 PM']Ha Ha! Well done , Mate!
This is the builder I've been hunting for for years! Used to advertise in the trade papers in the 80's.
Couldnt find him cos I didnt have the name quite right!

Cheers

BB[/quote]
D'Wallis?
Glad I could help here...

I forgot this one: You Tube for "Convertable bass (fretted/fretless)", this one has frets that can be retracted...

[quote name='Count Bassy' post='548482' date='Jul 23 2009, 01:46 AM']That is one ugly bass though[/quote]
Couldn't agree more, but it actually works...I guess they're custom made so another design would be possible?

What about a half fretted bass? Ibanez had one in their Musician range, played by Alphonso Johnson. I think Fernandes
picked up the idea and had it as a custom option. Brown's Guitar Factory (www.brownsguitarfactory.com)makes the "Fretted/less" (demo at:
[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-9wY57AZIs"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-9wY57AZIs[/url] )
and I just read that Doctor Of The Bass has one made by Doug Wilkes (see my recent Wilkes thread).

Came across an old Doug Wilkes Bass (for sale, €750) - visited the website and read he's already in business for 30 years,
yet never heard of him. Anyone own one or have experienced his basses?
This particular model is Alembic styled, very laminated, lots of electronics, Schaller hardware, curious 2+2 headstock.

Pictures further on in this thread!

Try this [url="http://www.inspire-instruments.de/"]http://www.inspire-instruments.de/[/url]
this is one bass playable on two sides / just flip from fretted to fretless...
The concept in the last post with switchable fingerboards is an old idea, the so called Switchboard was introduced in the early 80s...

Still no visitors to the Glasgow Cash Generator for checking out the Gordon Smith Gypsy?

Thanks Jon,
I forgot to mention I've seen another similar bass, branded Kimberley.
I'm glad that you survived your Grant - these basses play & sound awful indeed - hard work for little sound...

Out of the attic...this nice piece of asian craftmanship. Rythmline (spelled wrong) on the headstock,
along with a crown decal. Must be from the 70s, probably early Korean production with no quality
control since the position dots are placed on the wrong places and the highest frets are placed rather random.
Scale is 30"/69,9 cm; bolt-on (ofcourse) neck looks like mahagony, plywood body. I've seen only one other Rythmline
bass on the Internet, a MIJ Les Paul Bass copy. Anyone seen one before?

My guess would be a later MIJ model. The current japanese Tune (Guitar Technology) company isn't really making Maniacs anymore though there's one in the "outlet" section of their website, 24 frets like yours. The Korean models (like sold by Bass Centre) are 25 fret models with a square fingerboard end.

That's a nice Tune. The original Bass Maniac (MIJ from '84 on) however had 25 frets, so this one is a later model. Up to the 90s Tune made beautiful quality basses but suffered from poor distribution.

I once (early 90s) borrowed Adrian Maruyszyck's six string Slapper - mighty bass....I think he used GHS strings on it - can't remember if these basses have a string lock for using conventional strings - then Bass Boomers Long Scale Plus would work.

Welkom John,
BC is een warm nest voor bassisten!

Congrats - beautiful bass! Did you post it in the Overwater Gear Porn thread?