WHUFC BASS Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 (edited) The singer in my band is an old git and went to see the Ramones back in the day. Anyway, at the concert, Dee Dee handed the bass down into the audience and our singer had to fight tooth and nail to get it but got it in the end. Anyway, he used to be in a band years ago and their bass player used to use it. He's still got it and brought it round the other day. Its a 78 Precision in white (although is discoloured now) with a red scratchplate. Originally it had a silicone sealing around the plate and pickups to stop moisture getting in (that was Dee Dee's mod) but the jack socket end was cracked so he replaced it with an identical one, made by the same people who supplied Dee Dee's one. It's a pig to play with high action and doesn't sound that great to be honest. Typical precision sound but the output isn't all that great. Everything's original apart from one tuner and the strap pins. If you look here, you can see it in action. a few days later, this bass was safely sitting in my mates house. Here's some pics of it. Edited January 8, 2011 by WHUFC BASS Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stinson Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 Wow, great story, thanks for sharing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-soar Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 Now that's something you don't see every day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WHUFC BASS Posted January 8, 2011 Author Share Posted January 8, 2011 Here's some footage of it being played. He's actually selling the bass and its going to be on telly on some programme about antiques or something. They offered him £3,000 for it and he told them to shove it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Noisyjon Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 Nice little story and pics WHUFC BASS! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EdwardHimself Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 That's quite something. You should take it to the antiques roadshow or something lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Burrito Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 Great story. I can think of a couple of Basschatters that would love this thread & are yet to comment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Waterboarder Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 Well cool - love the Ramones...and West Ham Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 How cool is that.I was at a Malmsteen gig a few years ago. He threw his strat (copy)into the crowd. Me and my friend managed to get the body. I let my friend have it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dan2112 Posted January 8, 2011 Share Posted January 8, 2011 That's such a cool story Be interesting to see the program it will be featured in! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doctor J Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 (edited) Very cool. Here it is in Dublin in 1983 Edited January 9, 2011 by Doctor J Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnny_frog Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 awesome Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HMX Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 Lovely bass! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scuba_Demon Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 Being an old git too I remeber reading a guitar mag article back in the day where Dee Dee said his basses were stock apart from being full of silicon, even the journalist at the time did not seem to know what he meant and thought he may have been talking about active electronics but it makes sense now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nick Posted January 9, 2011 Share Posted January 9, 2011 Thanks for posting this, interesting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WHUFC BASS Posted January 9, 2011 Author Share Posted January 9, 2011 [quote name='dan2112' post='1082724' date='Jan 8 2011, 11:12 PM']Be interesting to see the program it will be featured in![/quote] Apparently Konnie Huq is presenting it. Not sure what channel its on but its one of the Sky channels from what he told me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Super cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daz Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 (edited) Here is my Ramones gig story. (As a young pup of just 17) I went to see [b]The Ramones [/b]supported by [i]The Boys [/i]and [i]TenPole Tudor[/i], then the next night we saw [i]The Slits [/i]suppoted by [i]The Pop Group[/i] and [i]The Raincoats[/i], at London's Electric Ballroom in march of 1980. The gig was so hot that Dee Dee's bass was going out of tune every 5 minutes. The Electric Ballroom was always hot when packed but this was the hottest it had ever been apparently, and this was only in March. Apparently the already inadequate ventilation system was broken. The Ramones got so pissed off, that after 20 minutes they insisted that the side doors next to the stage were opened or they would not carry on. When the side door opened you could see the entire audience steaming away as the heat rose rose from and contacted the cold air from the open doors. Fantastic gig though. The Ramones in their prime. some pics from the gig, not taken by me. The Ramones at that very same Electric Ballrom gig. This is taken during one of the opening numbers, and [i]there is the very bass[/i] unless he always bought the same white P bass ?maybe he did. It would be interesting to find out the year the bass in question was given away by Dee Dee? A short while later Sans leather jackets. Edited January 10, 2011 by daz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WHUFC BASS Posted January 10, 2011 Author Share Posted January 10, 2011 That's the same bass as far as I know. Its funny you should say this, the gig that our singer got the bass was at the Roundhouse in Camden as far as I can remember - just up the road from the Electric Ballroom. He had to really fight for the bass, throwing punches all over the place as everyone was grabbing it. All the strings were ripped off it in the process. He had another set-to on the way out when someone challenged him for the bass. He was quite handy in his younger days which was just as well otherwise he wouldn't have got this out of the building. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimD Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Scuba Demon! As soon as I saw this thread in the index I thought about the silicon thing as I remembered an article from something like International Musician where he mentioned filling the bass with silicon and the interviewer didn't know if he meant active controls (like silicon chips I guess) or not. Quite a thing to see you mentioning the same thing and great to finally unravel a strange mystery like that! Great post! Jim D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molan Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 Tell him to get it listed internationally. The Ramones are an institution in the States, there's even a street named after Joey Ramone in New York (well, if not a whole street then a 'corner' anyway, lol). I saw the Ramones at the Roundhouse, supported by Talking Heads & The Saints I think. They played there a few times though so probably a different gig, lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tee Posted January 10, 2011 Share Posted January 10, 2011 [quote name='molan' post='1084190' date='Jan 10 2011, 01:41 PM']there's even a street named after Joey Ramone in New York (well, if not a whole street then a 'corner' anyway, lol).[/quote] Yeah, Joey Ramone Place, off Bowery. Nice bit of RnR history that bass. I only have some signed, original LPs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WHUFC BASS Posted January 11, 2011 Author Share Posted January 11, 2011 Spoke to the singer today. He's taking it down to Sotheby's who have said that it should sell for quite a sum. As mentioned, there's a fair bit of history involved with that bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donnyboy Posted January 11, 2011 Share Posted January 11, 2011 I really like the backstory to basses/guitars ,Rory gallagher Strat and all that. Interesting to hear about the action being high - I presume intentionally so? I remember reading an interview with Alan Lancaster, the original Status Quo bassist ,who said that in the '70's he set his action really high when playing live - can't remember why he did it but I thought it a bit bonkers! Was Dee Dee in the habit of handing out his basses? Are there others kicking about? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daz Posted January 12, 2011 Share Posted January 12, 2011 (edited) [quote name='WHUFC BASS' post='1085586' date='Jan 11 2011, 03:21 PM']Spoke to the singer today. He's taking it down to Sotheby's who have said that it should sell for quite a sum. As mentioned, there's a fair bit of history involved with that bass.[/quote] Thats a good idea, hope he has a sensible reserve on it. Let us all know when its up for auction. Can you ask him if he went to the Electric Ballrom gig i mentioned and if he remembers it? (The Ramones / The Boys / Ten Pole Tudor) Edited January 12, 2011 by daz Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.gif.9ad672bb8b84505709f76b39c8c256ec.gif)
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.