SOLD: Hayman 4040 (1975) £575 Posted £575

[discreet]

[b]SOLD: Hayman 4040 (1975) £575 Posted[/b]

[b][/b]

Up for grabs is this very rare Hayman 4040 Bass. [b]£575 posted in UK. [/b]Audio Files:

[url="http://markjaysmith.co.uk/audio/stone%20cold%20sober%20hayman%204040%20256kb.mp3"][b]Stone Cold Sober 4040 Demo FULL[/b][/url]
[url="http://markjaysmith.co.uk/audio/stone%20cold%20sober%20bass%20only%20256kb.mp3"][b]Stone Cold Sober 4040 Demo BASS ONLY[/b][/url]

...But a bit of back story, first: 'The Hayman Company was formed in 1969 when Jim Burns and Ivor Arbiter went into partnership. Also involved was Bob Pearson from Vox (designer of the Phantom range) and two former Burns colleagues, Jack Golder and Norman Holder, who took care of the woodworking and truss rod engineering.

'Hayman produced three guitar designs but the 4040 was the only bass. Something of a heavyweight, these basses were good to play however and produced sounds somewhere between a P-Bass and a Rickenbacker. Each Superflux pickup had eight adjustable screw pole pieces so it was easy to balance the output from the strings, and they benefited from the hidden vibrasonic chamber beneath. Joint string trees neatly feed the strings from nut to tuners.

'The bridge was a curious affair with a clear plastic anchor and the steel saddles on a separate plate. The slab body had minimal curving to the body edge front and back and the overall shape is similar to the early Wal Pro basses that would appear a little later on. The neck was fixed using a standard 4-bolt plate with a separate chromed plate displaying the serial number. Lefties were made to order. The company morphed into Shergold, controlled by Golder and Holder, after Jim Burns pulled out.

'The confusion as to when production finished is due to their serial numbering system, which suggests some Hayman basses appeared in 1975. The Hayman brand name was applied to instruments distributed by Dallas Arbiter until termination of the contract in 1975. From 1975 to 1982 their guitars and basses appeared under their own 'Shergold' brand.'

Here endeth the history lesson.

When I acquired this 1975 Hayman, it was in a sorry state - the body was originally sunburst but was painted black on the front, and it was [i]not [/i]a great finish, tbh. Also, the neck had been de-fretted and was bowed, banana-like, making it unplayable and leaving the action way high at the mid-point. BUT, the electrics and hardware were in good order and unusually, the perspex bridge anchor block was undamaged - which was a big plus.

Long story short, The Bass Doc refinished the body (in vintage white, of course), removed the neck binding, lightly planed the fingerboard (to give some natural back-bow), carried out a re-fret, fitted new binding, re-lacquered the neck with a vintage tint and laboriously sorted out the dual-action truss rod so that it worked properly. And I think you would agree he's done a great job, to say the least.

The 'H' logo featured on these basses was originally of perspex, which fitted into a round hole in the headstock and were notorious for going AWOL - they are as rare as rocking-horse teeth. So I asked our resident silversmith ShergoldSnickers if he would consider making a replica in sterling silver. He did and I am delighted with the results. It is the icing on the cake and makes an already rare bass much rarer.

The necks on these are amazing, very similar to the later Shergold Marathon, Modulator [i]et al[/i]. In fact some of the earlier Marathon necks were NOS Hayman 4040 necks as can be seen from the round 'H'-logo hole underneath the black Shergold logo shield.

The double-P pickup configuration makes for a super-beefy sound - it's a bit like a P-bass on steroids. The neck pup is very P-like and the bridge pickup hints at a R*ck*nb*ck*r. Together they sound incredible. Very powerful, superb fundamental tone with flats, massive heft and growl with rounds and a great pleasure to play.











So there you have it. There's no way on Earth I'm ever going to get back what it cost me to restore and refurbish this bass, but I understand that. The bass is priced to sell at [b]£575 posted in UK mainland only[/b], which is really not a lot when you consider the quality, sound and rarity of this instrument. There aren't a lot of them about and this example is one of the very last off the production line in 1975.

The bass will be well-packed and despatched in an old Fender hard case which is a bit tatty but good enough to protect the bass in transit. Item will be sent via Parcelforce express48 and I will PM the buyer an ETA and tracking information. My feedback is in my sig. If anyone wants more or better pics I'll take them later today. I thank you!

Edited September 16, 2016 by discreet

[SICbass]

Wow, I never thought you'd be selling this. Got your eye on something else?

GLWTS

[discreet]

[quote name='SICbass' timestamp='1473766083' post='3132879']
Got your eye on something else?
[/quote]

No, not really. I use my Road Worn P for everything and I don't like to risk gigging the 4040. So it's languishing in a cupboard, which is a crime for such a bass as this. It was made to be played and someone should be playing it! They certainly don't make them like this any more! Not economically viable!

Edited September 13, 2016 by discreet

[FuNkShUi]

Surprised to see this!!
A cool bass for sure

[karlfer]

Shocked, shocked I say

GLWTS fella.

[Orbs]

Wow, you don't see these everyday, GLWTS, amazed that Karlfer hasn't snapped it up! :-)

[RhysP]

That's lovely.

[Paul S]

Surprised to see this for sale, Mark. No, horrified is the word.

You know you will regret it, you'll never EVER get another like it. You don't need the money, keep it languishing in the cupboard or use it for rehearsals if gigging it scares you.

[ash]

Keep it you'll regret it since you spent a lot of time, money and TLC on it. I sold my Shergold Marathon 6 and totally regretted it it has taken me years and loads of ££££ to get another.

[gary mac]

Gents, although it's well meant I'm sure, Mark doesn't need to be repeatedly told that he shouldn't sell.
He has made a decision and decided that a sale is the best course of action for him.

[Basszilla]

This is stunning. If I had the cash it would be on it's way to you. Have a bump 👍

[discreet]

[quote name='Basszilla' timestamp='1473841876' post='3133453']
This is stunning. If I had the cash it would be on it's way to you.
[/quote]

Thanks very much. In answer to one or two questions, the nut width is 42mm and the neck is 22mm front to back at the first fret. I don't know what the fretboard radius is, but it seems quite flat compared with Fenders (for example). Certainly flatter than a 7.25 or 9.25-inch board. Bass is showing 8.6lbs on my bathroom scales. Knowing my scales as I do, I'm going to estimate the actual weight at a tad under 9lbs, certainly no more than that. Hope this helps.

[quote name='gary mac' timestamp='1473796697' post='3133247']
He has made a decision and decided that a sale is the best course of action for him.
[/quote]

Thanks, Gary... though I probably will regret selling it, as I always do! However over the last couple of years I've become less of a collector and more of a player and ultimately my P Bass is the only tool I really need. Just as it was for the 36 years between first picking up a bass and joining Basschat, six years ago... It's been a lot of fun, but it turns out I was right in the first place... a good P Bass is a joy forever. Less is more.

Edited September 14, 2016 by discreet

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