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Not one but two Wilkes basses on ebay this week...


W1_Pro
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https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Doug-Wilkes-Custom-Bass/324532874838?hash=item4b8faaae56:g:fmEAAOSwlKBgV-Im

and

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Doug-Wilkes-Vintage-Custom-Hand-Crafted-Bass-Passive-DiMarzio-Pickups/324534444882?hash=item4b8fc2a352:g:lLIAAOSwc7xgWSJw

Never seen one with two jazz bass pickups. Nice basses, but I think £600 is a bit salty for the one with the two humbuckers. They never seem to fetch much for some reason. Compare and contrast with Wal.......

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3 minutes ago, oldslapper said:

I sold my Wilkes for £150 10 years ago on eBay.  
Very good bass, but I couldn’t shift it here or on the ‘bay so the price just kept heading floor wards. 
 

Bizzare isn't it? I've got a Wilkes Musicman copy that is miles better than my actual Musicman. I paid £150 for it...

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13 minutes ago, W1_Pro said:

Bizzare isn't it? I've got a Wilkes Musicman copy that is miles better than my actual Musicman. I paid £150 for it...

Yeah. It was a lovely bass, simple P pup, just couldn’t get on with the top strap position. Guy came round to get it still tried to haggle. I let our mastiff have a word. 
Maybe Doug’s work just isn’t that well known. 

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15 hours ago, oldslapper said:

Maybe Doug’s work just isn’t that well known. 

I think it's more that his work was never associated with some name player. With a lot of the brands that pull big money, at some point, some famous player took one and gave the brand street cred, then all the fans of that bass player had to get one as they needed to reproduce that sound. I'm not suggesting those instruments aren't great instruments - they are, hence the reason the famous bassist picked one up. But I do think that some of the crazy prices we see with certain instruments is more related to that connection with the famous player, rather than any real superiority of it compared to a Wilkes.

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1 hour ago, bassaussie said:

I think it's more that his work was never associated with some name player. With a lot of the brands that pull big money, at some point, some famous player took one and gave the brand street cred, then all the fans of that bass player had to get one as they needed to reproduce that sound. I'm not suggesting those instruments aren't great instruments - they are, hence the reason the famous bassist picked one up. But I do think that some of the crazy prices we see with certain instruments is more related to that connection with the famous player, rather than any real superiority of it compared to a Wilkes.

The thing is though, it's really only Wal that have experienced these vertiginous price rises....Think of the other UK builders from the same era...Wilkes, already mentioned, Overwater, Goodfellow, Jaydee, Pangbourn, Manson...when they come up, they come up at reasonable prices, I can't sell an OW original for £1200 at the mo, theres been a very nice example of a Goodfellow on for some time, with the price reduced accordingly.  I recently bought a Jaydee supernatural for just over a grand, same for the Pangbourn Warlord I have. Can this all be down to that chap from Tool using one?

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Yep - as a kid in the mid 80s I would 'work the racks' at the Wapping Bass Centre and play the latest offerings from Pangbourne, Wal, Wilkes, Jaydee etc one after the other

I used to enjoy the Wilkes 'slap plate' fretless. Feelwise, the Wal wouldn't have screamed 'I'm worth 20X what the Wilkes is' back in the day...which is quite amusing. 

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I have been in touch with the seller about both instruments as I love the feel of Wilkes basses. Unfortunately both are on the heavier side at just under 10lbs. The seller has other basses on offer and was really helpful. 

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6 hours ago, W1_Pro said:

The thing is though, it's really only Wal that have experienced these vertiginous price rises....Think of the other UK builders from the same era...Wilkes, already mentioned, Overwater, Goodfellow, Jaydee, Pangbourn, Manson...when they come up, they come up at reasonable prices, I can't sell an OW original for £1200 at the mo, theres been a very nice example of a Goodfellow on for some time, with the price reduced accordingly.  I recently bought a Jaydee supernatural for just over a grand, same for the Pangbourn Warlord I have. Can this all be down to that chap from Tool using one?

You've forced me to make a horrible confession to legitimise my comment.

I ..... I ..... was thinking of guitars! :D Zemaitis springs to mind. Amazing instruments - but 50k or 100k amazing? Maybe not.

Your comment about Tool, do you mean in relation to Wal basses? I think it goes beyond him, although his influence is undeniable. I might be wrong, but I always thought Flea's use of one of BSSM had a huge effect on their value.

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And I've gone in with both feet😁 Very friendly and helpful seller,  I asked if she could do a deal if I took both and she came back with 850 for the pair,  I know Wilkes have sold for less but I'm OK with paying 2nd hand Mex Fender prices for this sort of quality that and I've always loved an ebony fretboard😁She's volunteered her husbands delivery services too so they're getting to me safely and quicker than a courier, now I just need to move on some of the existing herd😣

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On 24/03/2021 at 19:08, W1_Pro said:

Bizzare isn't it? I've got a Wilkes Musicman copy that is miles better than my actual Musicman. I paid £150 for it...

I had one of those and would kill to get it back;. The pickup was a little smaller than a 'real' Stingray and was a little microphonic but a wonderful instrument.

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1 hour ago, Booga13 said:

And I've gone in with both feet😁 Very friendly and helpful seller,  I asked if she could do a deal if I took both and she came back with 850 for the pair,  I know Wilkes have sold for less but I'm OK with paying 2nd hand Mex Fender prices for this sort of quality that and I've always loved an ebony fretboard😁She's volunteered her husbands delivery services too so they're getting to me safely and quicker than a courier, now I just need to move on some of the existing herd😣

Well done that’s a great deal! 

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3 hours ago, Steve Browning said:

I had one of those and would kill to get it back;. The pickup was a little smaller than a 'real' Stingray and was a little microphonic but a wonderful instrument.

Had a similar  problem with the pickup  (a Wilkes badged KA). I replaced the circuit with the Doug Wilkes reccomended John East one. Seems to have sorted it and it sounds miles better.  Great instruments.

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4 hours ago, Booga13 said:

And I've gone in with both feet😁 Very friendly and helpful seller,  I asked if she could do a deal if I took both and she came back with 850 for the pair,  I know Wilkes have sold for less but I'm OK with paying 2nd hand Mex Fender prices for this sort of quality that and I've always loved an ebony fretboard😁She's volunteered her husbands delivery services too so they're getting to me safely and quicker than a courier, now I just need to move on some of the existing herd😣

Congrats. Thats pretty reasonable I think.  You never know, if the bass player from Tool starts using Wilkes basses, you could be on to a proper result....🤣

 

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3 hours ago, oldslapper said:

They’ve got a 6 string Energy for sale too. Best 6’er I’ve had, looks very much like my old one, but probably isn’t. 
Definitely a person of taste imho 

Yes I’ve got my eye on that I had one years ago but it had had a bad refinish prior to me buying it. Great wide flat neck on it. Lovely. 

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1 hour ago, W1_Pro said:

Congrats. Thats pretty reasonable I think.  You never know, if the bass player from Tool starts using Wilkes basses, you could be on to a proper result....🤣

 

Good point, think he's originally from Tonbridge, I'll see if I can have a word with his mum, persuade him Wilkes is the way forward😁

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3 hours ago, ash said:

Yes I’ve got my eye on that I had one years ago but it had had a bad refinish prior to me buying it. Great wide flat neck on it. Lovely. 

Oh I wonder if I bought that off you @ash? I mean, I buy most of my basses off you, so it’s likely. “Ratted black” finish? Wonderful player though. 

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15 hours ago, oldslapper said:

Oh I wonder if I bought that off you @ash? I mean, I buy most of my basses off you, so it’s likely. “Ratted black” finish? Wonderful player though. 

Ha ha very probably - many years ago though! 

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1 hour ago, LukeFRC said:

and that Flea fella too... 

That was said further up the thread and it didnt really sink in....doh!  I've only ever seen him use various fenders/moduli and a Stringray iirc...Ah well, thats star power I suppose...We could try a bit of Popperism here. Can anyone think of a bassists association with a brand of basses leading to vertiginous price rises apart from Wal?

 

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I was quite lucky £200 it needed a clean up and the pots cleaning.

I remember seeing these in magazines over the years and have always wanted one,also on the advert for the one on the links above it say Dimarzio pickups,but from what I have read they are schaller pickups,I think mine has schaller JBX pickups.

Sounds great though and has a lovely neck.

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