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Fretted Fretless Bass


Doug Wilkes
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hi this is doug wilkes here . slightly incensed couse ibanez have done a fretted fretless bass and claimed a world first on it . as you should all know i was building all variations of fretted fretless basses in the eighties from my factory .unfortunately at the present i cant put my hands on the reviews of said instruments in guitarist and other mags at t time. any input out there would be appreciated ,doug wilkes

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[quote name='Doug Wilkes' post='1116088' date='Feb 4 2011, 07:52 PM']hi this is doug wilkes here . slightly incensed couse ibanez have done a fretted fretless bass and claimed a world first on it . as you should all know i was building all variations of fretted fretless basses in the eighties from my factory .unfortunately at the present i cant put my hands on the reviews of said instruments in guitarist and other mags at t time. any input out there would be appreciated ,doug wilkes[/quote]

Hi Doug, Here is a picture of one of my old basses that I had posted in an earlier thread on this topic, plus a scan of an old Guitarist article from 1985. Should be what you need. Oh and welcome to Basschat.

[attachment=71204:Wilkes_2h.jpg]

[attachment=71207:IMG_0005.jpg]

[attachment=71206:IMG_0002.jpg]

Edit: Scanned first page a second time to A4 size.

Edited by GeeCee
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No offence, Doug, but don't see what you can be claiming an intellectual property right in, as hybrid fretted instruments (where the fretting wire doesn't extend the full way across the touchboard) have been around since the 1500s. What you would have done in the 80s, and what Ibanez is doing today, are simply interpretations of concepts that have existed for over 400 years.

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[quote name='noelk27' post='1116138' date='Feb 4 2011, 09:21 PM']No offence, Doug, but don't see what you can be claiming an intellectual property right in, as hybrid fretted instruments (where the fretting wire doesn't extend the full way across the touchboard) have been around since the 1500s. What you would have done in the 80s, and what Ibanez is doing today, are simply interpretations of concepts that have existed for over 400 years.[/quote]

Don't think Doug's claiming any IP rights here, just quibbling with Ibanez's claim to a first in relation to the electric bass guitar.

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Hi Doug.
I'm pretty damn sure that I sold a couple of them in a music shop I managed many years ago - I remember them because they were decidedly 'odd', as in 'I've never seen anything like this before'.
Seem to remember we also had a fretless with little brass plate pickups set into the neck - I think that was one of yours as well?

Ibanez are certainly not the first, unless they are making other claims alongside to justify it.

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Sorry no photos but I remember Wilkes basses with the variations on fret styles.
Nice basses too.
If memory serves me right you also did fretted up to 7th or 9th and fretless from there ?
At the time it made a lot of sense. Never got to see one in the flesh and have a go.
They were the first ones I had ever seen like that.

Good luck
Dave

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[quote name='GeeCee' post='1116134' date='Feb 5 2011, 02:15 AM']Hi Doug, Here is a picture of one of my old basses that I had posted in an earlier thread on this topic, plus a scan of an old Guitarist article from 1985. Should be what you need. Oh and welcome to Basschat.

[attachment=71204:Wilkes_2h.jpg]

[attachment=71207:IMG_0005.jpg]

[attachment=71206:IMG_0002.jpg]

Edit: Scanned first page a second time to A4 size.[/quote]


Thank you so much, this is exactly what I was looking for, now to get onto ibanez! Very much appreciated, Doug.

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[quote name='icastle' post='1116157' date='Feb 5 2011, 03:06 AM']Seem to remember we also had a fretless with little brass plate pickups set into the neck - I think that was one of yours as well?[/quote]

I remember them! In fact I really wanted one at the time... :)

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[quote name='dmccombe7' post='1116187' date='Feb 5 2011, 08:00 AM']Sorry no photos but I remember Wilkes basses with the variations on fret styles.
Nice basses too.
If memory serves me right you also did fretted up to 7th or 9th and fretless from there ?
At the time it made a lot of sense. Never got to see one in the flesh and have a go.
They were the first ones I had ever seen like that.

Good luck
Dave[/quote]

Cheers Dave, somebody else has posted exactly what i was looking for. Now to get in touch with Ibanez!
Much appreciated though,

Doug

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