Stoney Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 Hi all Not long ago I picked up this little beauty, but can t find any information on it what so ever! I have contacted Manson and they never kept any records of the bass, so it can't be dated. Hugh confirmed that he made it, but can't remember when. I'd be greatful for any info. I think the electronics are the same as a wals, I haven't actualy seen a real wal so not sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alembic1989 Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 That is cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBod Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 Thats very interesting - a Manson/Wal with a hint of Jaydee styling... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBod Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 And yes, the pickups and electronics look to be early 80's Wal from memory, including the twin outputs and knobs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HowieBass Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 Great looking bass and I bet it sounds as good as it looks - and that's what you call a chunky bridge! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoney Posted January 19, 2015 Author Share Posted January 19, 2015 @bass bod Ah, that's good to know. From the sound clips I've heard from wals it's very similar in tone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoney Posted January 19, 2015 Author Share Posted January 19, 2015 @howiebass. It sounds like an absolute beast! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoney Posted January 19, 2015 Author Share Posted January 19, 2015 @howiebass. It sounds like an absolute beast! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kev Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 Such an interesting bass! Until I saw pictures of this I never thought Wal electronics were fitted in anything but a Wal. I think they have been fitted to Sei basses before too! But yes, from the pictures it certainly seems to have Wal pickups and a Wal preamp. Such a cool instrument! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoney Posted January 19, 2015 Author Share Posted January 19, 2015 Thanks mate, yeah it's a great player, although the neck is super skinny which is hard to get used too as I'm a stingray man! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M@23 Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 Wow, awesome. Could Hugh offer a date of manufacture? Where did you find it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoney Posted January 19, 2015 Author Share Posted January 19, 2015 No he couldn't sadly. It has no serial number and no records were kept it has everyone at mansons puzzled! . He does however remember making it though. I purchased it from a chap on gum tree. He said it was a custom made job for the original owner but that's all he knew. But of a mystery bass! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Cloud Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 What a fantastic find...amazing bass. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoney Posted January 19, 2015 Author Share Posted January 19, 2015 Thanks white cloud, I'm well chuffed with it. When I get more time I'll get some sound clips up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GILLY Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 (edited) Well I know a bit about this bass because I had it built and I am sat here looking at photos I took of it along with two other Mansons I owned at the time. One was a Kestrel with Kent Armstrong pickups and the other was a 5 string lined fretless that was built for John Giblin and which he played on 'The Lady in red' (Chris de Burgh). I don't recall how it came to be back at Hugh Manson's but evidently it wasn't quite what he wanted at the time and bought it. From memory, I would say the Wal/Manson was built in 1988. I took a picture of a Jaydee down to Hugh Manson (he had a workshop at the bottom of his garden in Devon) and asked if he could make one identical (well done to the previous poster who spotted the likeness). As it happened, he made it to his template shape which was a bit of a disappointment, but the colour was the same Gibson cherry red that John Diggins was using for the Mark King basses at around that time. The pickups and electronics were, indeed, Wal. They arrived at Hugh's set in a block of wood, almost as if a section of a Wal bass had been cut out. I'm not sure if I asked for Wal electronics or he suggested it. I remember Hugh commenting that the magnets in the pickups were so strong that you'd never get them off the fridge door. Funny how you remember these little details!! I seem to recall that you couldn't buy Jaydee stuff at that time. The bridge was the last one of a batch that had been custom made for Manson basses - a solid brass work of art. I didn't keep the bass long, partly because it only half resembled that Jaydee I asked him to make, and partly because I didn't get on with the Wal active circuitry. I believe the second owner was from Bristol - in those days you paid for a week's ad in the newspaper and hoped to God that someone would see it before you had to pay for a second week! I have to say that it appears to have been well looked after and seeing the pictures makes me think of the pear drops smell of the two pack paint that was used for the finish. If I can figure how to save a scan in Windows bloody 8 I will post a pic of it with its siblings. Edited January 19, 2015 by GILLY Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 Now that's some provenance and a tribute to the power of BC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SingleMalt Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 OP couldn't have hoped for a better result than that.... I'd love to hear some samples Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M@23 Posted January 19, 2015 Share Posted January 19, 2015 Fantastic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CamdenRob Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Good stuff... another mystery solved... Doesn't someone here have a Sei with Wal pickups and preamp? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBod Posted January 20, 2015 Share Posted January 20, 2015 Once upon a time I did wonder what JayDee pickups and Wal electronics would sound like together....anyone tried that?! Thanks to GILLY for the info..great to hear the story. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stoney Posted January 20, 2015 Author Share Posted January 20, 2015 That's fantastic gilly, thank you so much for the great info! I would love to see some pics with the other Manson basses if you can get them up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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