To "Phillips" a guitar

[Roger2611]

I have been thinking for a while that we need a thread set up in homage to EBay's finest "luthier" Mark D Phillips but didn't really have something suitable to start it off with...anyway fate took its turn and due to a cock up at the paint factory I suffered a small disaster...as pictured below...so that is your starter for 10, the rules are simple and come direct from Mr Phillips....1) take a guitar...cock it up in some manner, 2) sell it as such a positive that we all want to buy it.

So my description:

I wasn't keen on the bleached maple effect that the neck originall offered so I thought I would gently tint it then I thought why gently tint it when I can go the whole hog and have a unique two tone effect that not only looks stunning but has vastly improved the sound of the bass and has made access to the nut even easier....Mr Phillips, being the master of such design work could probably take this a lot further than my creativity could go but as shown I am no master at this....anyway lets see what youv'e got to offer![attachment=142371:P1040092.JPG]

[Junkyard Rocket]

Nut? I think you mean the zero-fret.

[stu_g]

that neck was probably hewn from the same tree as fender custom shop used in fact i recall a story of Trevor one of the custom shop employees clocking off for work one evening and as we all know Trevor in the custom shop was a forgetful old soul
well on this particular evening Trev left his kebab in the oven in the custom shop canteen jumped on his moped got home blissfully unaware of his timebomb kebab he retired for a nap!
he awoke to the sound of sirens but thought nothing of it and tucked into a bottle of bourbon and retired for the evening
next morning Trev arose ate some waffles or some such and returned to his job at Fender custom shop when he arrived the place was still smoldering yes you guessed it the great fender custom shop fire of 1993 was all Trevs fault anyhow this smoke damaged relic was all that could be saved so you could say it is even rarer for it !!
i did read leo Fender or at least the ghost of leo fender himself saved this neck himself hence the reason it turned up in a bin in Bracknell with no explanation spooky id say
so there you have it possibly the rarest of the rare touched by the ghostly hand of Leo Fender if you look close enough you can make out a faint breath mark possibly Leo's last breath

[Geek99]

I'm unfamiliar with the work of this masterful artist - are there any links to his masterpieces of which I should be aware ?

Edited August 26, 2013 by Geek99

[BassTractor]

[quote name='Roger2611' timestamp='1377522738' post='2188417']
so I thought I would gently tint it then I thought why gently tint it when I can go the whole hog
[/quote]


Ain't that the truth. MDP to the rescue!

Great thread idea. Sorry for not having anything to bute contri.

[Donnyboy]

[quote name='Geek99' timestamp='1377525578' post='2188449']
I'm unfamiliar with the work of this masterful artist - are there any links to his masterpieces of which I should be aware ?
[/quote]

If you nip over to the eBay weird and wonderful section you'll find a fairly lengthy thread in his honour . He really does have quite a following on BC and has generated interesting reactions!

Edited August 26, 2013 by Donnyboy

[Stacker]

[quote name='Geek99' timestamp='1377525578' post='2188449']
I'm unfamiliar with the work of this masterful artist - are there any links to his masterpieces of which I should be aware ?
[/quote]
Sounds like the Private Eye Andrew O"Neill pix

[DarkHeart]

So for those bassists with `working mans hands` or `sausage fingers ` as i like to call them im now offering 3 string bass necks, theyre just like 4 string bass necks but have a spare hole at the end of the head thing as i like to call it which is just past the zero fret nut (which as yet hasnt been touched by my Stihl saw) , you can either hang up your `custom` 3 string bass, stick a ciggie in it or use it to put a bouquet of flowers in it to impress the Mrs or generally just leave it so it looks an eyesore alongside the other 3 different shape and size tuners jauntily angled back towards the player even though it only allows 1/3 of a turn on the tuner, not to worry though the new set of Ernie Ball super duper pooper scooper slinkies will sort that all out. The frets have been polished with my special angle grinder to within a microbe of their life and the fretboard libererally coated with beeswax (edit...no beeswax left in the house so used earwax). The beauty of 3 string necks is they allow a wide veriety of tuning options E, A, D or A, D, G or my personal favorite of ermmmm........ anyway this is a totally and utterly professionally retard i mean restored neck thats as good as anything Leo Fender produced from his Accrington factory.

MDP (erm pro Luther....er Loootha, Lutha? Loofa?? )

[MisterFingers]

I've just discovered this man....words fail me. So this is what you do when you get to retirement then - set up a business based on your hobby.
That is, sell absolute crap to fools. He'll be getting an award from the DTI soon.
I can see my basses quivering with fear in the corner at the mention of his name! Say "Mark" three times and he appears and 'sets up' your instruments with a grinder and file. Argh.

Edited August 27, 2013 by MisterFingers

[neepheid]

Once your name becomes a verb, you've truly made it.

[Count Bassy]

Personally I'm starting to feel a bit uncomfortable with the amount of slagging of that we give this bloke here. I'm not in anyway defending what he does, but some basschat members are starting to act like a flock of vultures fighting over a not yet dead carcass, or a gang of playground bullies, in their eagerness to get in and give the bloke kick when he's down.

Not very edifying, and In my opinion this is not basschat at it's best.

[xilddx]

[quote name='Count Bassy' timestamp='1377608480' post='2189319']
Personally I'm starting to feel a bit uncomfortable with the amount of slagging of that we give this bloke here. I'm not in anyway defending what he does, but some basschat members are starting to act like a flock of vultures fighting over a not yet dead carcass, or a gang of playground bullies, in their eagerness to get in and give the bloke kick when he's down.

Not very edifying, and In my opinion this is not basschat at it's best.
[/quote]

Yes but we aren't allowed to take the piss out of other basschat members so it has to be done to someone who isn't. Don't you ever take the piss out of people when they're not around? Alain Caron perhaps? Or even Bradley Manning. It's really great fun and makes you feel good. Give it a try some time.

(Can a carcass be alive BTW? And is this Phillips geezer dying or something?)

[Paul S]

[quote name='Count Bassy' timestamp='1377608480' post='2189319']
Personally I'm starting to feel a bit uncomfortable with the amount of slagging of that we give this bloke here. I'm not in anyway defending what he does, but some basschat members are starting to act like a flock of vultures fighting over a not yet dead carcass, or a gang of playground bullies, in their eagerness to get in and give the bloke kick when he's down.

Not very edifying, and In my opinion this is not basschat at it's best.
[/quote]

I see a fairly simple solution - don't read about it or join in! A bit of harmless fun, plus of course the tool deserves it.

[MisterFingers]

[quote name='Count Bassy' timestamp='1377608480' post='2189319']
Personally I'm starting to feel a bit uncomfortable with the amount of slagging of that we give this bloke here. I'm not in anyway defending what he does, but some basschat members are starting to act like a flock of vultures fighting over a not yet dead carcass, or a gang of playground bullies, in their eagerness to get in and give the bloke kick when he's down.

Not very edifying, and In my opinion this is not basschat at it's best.
[/quote]

He's hardly down though is he? People seem to buy his stuff - that's their decision, but I can't see why that should prevent us from discussing the (dubious ) quality of his instruments. And as a public service, if the threads here prevent one naive bassist in the making from buying one of his basses and being put off for life, then it's a good thing, surely.

[Count Bassy]

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1377610553' post='2189343']
[size=4](Can a carcass be alive BTW? And is this Phillips geezer dying or something?)[/size]
[/quote]

1: I wondered if you'd spot that one.
2: Not as far as I'm aware but the way we are tearing into him conjures up the image of the vultures around a (this time completely dead) corpse.


[size=4][quote name='Paul S' timestamp='1377610724' post='2189347'][/size]
[size=4]I see a fairly simple solution - don't read about it or join in! A bit of harmless fun, plus of course the tool deserves it.[/size]
[/quote]

Yeah, I guess. I'll just walk by on the other side of the road and hope the BassChat mob never come for me..

Edited August 27, 2013 by Count Bassy

[Subbeh]

[quote name='Count Bassy' timestamp='1377608480' post='2189319']
Personally I'm starting to feel a bit uncomfortable with the amount of slagging of that we give this bloke here. I'm not in anyway defending what he does, but some basschat members are starting to act like a flock of vultures fighting over a not yet dead carcass, or a gang of playground bullies, in their eagerness to get in and give the bloke kick when he's down.

Not very edifying, and In my opinion this is not basschat at it's best.
[/quote]

I can see where you're coming from but the man in question is making money by conniing budding musicians into believing the tat and butchery he pedals is worth their money and for that he deserves all the sh*t that can be reasonably thrown his way.

[charic]

[quote name='Count Bassy' timestamp='1377613028' post='2189384']
Yeah, I guess. I'll just walk by on the other side of the road and hope the BassChat mob never come for me..
[/quote]

Get him! He's disagreeing with a general consensus!

[BetaFunk]

[quote name='Subbeh' timestamp='1377614375' post='2189404']
I can see where you're coming from but the man in question is making money by conniing budding musicians into believing the tat and butchery he pedals is worth their money and for that he deserves all the sh*t that can be reasonably thrown his way.
[/quote]
If people freely buy his stuff and are happy with it how is that 'conning' anyone?

[stu_g]

its just a bit of playful banter i think old M.D himself wouldnt be too concerned
the thing is i personally wouldnt sell a budding musician a crap guitar, it makes the job of learning alot harder and there more likely to give up as a result of an unplayable guitar
you can see on some his auctions some of the work is not what you would expect from a person who professes to repair guitars

[tauzero]

[quote name='xilddx' timestamp='1377610553' post='2189343']
Yes but we aren't allowed to take the piss out of other basschat members so it has to be done to someone who isn't.
[/quote]

But he is a MiltyChat member. Does that mean that all of us who have dissed him will get told off?

[Samashton12]

One of his creations, i find it.. Interesting..

[url="http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/J-P-Bass-Korean-quite-old-and-unbranded-hotrail-jazz-bass-pickup-/190885968156?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item2c71b0b91c"]http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/J-P-Bass-Korean-quite-old-and-unbranded-hotrail-jazz-bass-pickup-/190885968156?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item2c71b0b91c[/url]

[Fionn]

[quote name='Count Bassy' timestamp='1377608480' post='2189319']
Personally I'm starting to feel a bit uncomfortable with the amount of slagging of that we give this bloke here. I'm not in anyway defending what he does, but some basschat members are starting to act like a flock of vultures fighting over a not yet dead carcass, or a gang of playground bullies, in their eagerness to get in and give the bloke kick when he's down.

Not very edifying, and In my opinion this is not basschat at it's best.
[/quote]

Bollocks. The said master-craftsman has crossed so many lines that he is now [b]deeply[/b] within the zone of justifiable ridicule (have you seen his work? or read his descriptions?!). This is banter and a bit of harmless pi$$ taking. You know, like when you corrected a spelling error I made on one of my posts the other day?

Edited August 27, 2013 by Fionn

[BetaFunk]

[quote name='Fionn' timestamp='1377627688' post='2189661']
Bollocks. The said master-craftsman has crossed so many lines that he is now [b]deeply[/b] within the zone of justifiable ridicule (have you seen his work? or read his descriptions?!). This is banter and a bit of harmless pi$$ taking. You know, like when you corrected a spelling error I made on one of my posts the other day?
[/quote]
..and peace, love and understanding to you too.

[thebrig]

I remember borrowing £15 off my sister to buy my first ever bass in 1967, which was a second-hand Burns Sonic, and it took me 10 weeks to pay her back, luckily, it was great, but if it turned out to be rubbish, I would have been gutted!

Today’s equivalent would be a kid spending £200 on one of his bodged up guitars, and then finding out it was virtually unplayable, and it would probably take the kid a long time to save the money for another one.

Ok, we are only talking a couple of hundred quid for his disasters, BUT, for some people that is a lot of money.

Most of us have probably seen “Watchdog” and “Rip-Off Britain” where they highlight individuals who are conning innocent people, so why should we not do the same, and as MistyFingers says: [b][i]“And as a public service, if the threads here prevent one naive bassist in the making from buying one of his basses and being put off for life, then it's a good thing, surely”.[/i][/b]

[BILL POSTERS]

[quote name='BetaFunk' timestamp='1377616610' post='2189442']
If people freely buy his stuff and are happy with it how is that 'conning' anyone?
[/quote]

Your right...