spinynorman Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 [url="http://swiftmusiclondon.weebly.com/electric-basses.html"]Swift - the pink bass specialist[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 [quote name='BigRedX' post='552718' date='Jul 27 2009, 03:18 PM']Also forgot Ashley Pangborn who has a [url="http://www.geocities.com/yobrode/"]fan site here[/url] although with it being on Geocities it won't be around much longer.[/quote] Those who want to get a copy before it goes... I've zipped site for you. Would be a shame to lose any resource like that...! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrcrow Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 (edited) has anyone mentioned hugh manson Edited July 27, 2009 by mrcrow Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 [quote name='BigRedX' post='552847' date='Jul 27 2009, 04:41 PM']....I take it both Jeff Finch & Pete Stroud are ex-luthiers. I can't find web sites for either....[/quote] As of last month, Pete is making basses via word of mouth ordering. And I believe he had/has some for sale in a shop somewhere in the Petersfield area. Jeff Finch has never had an internet presence but as far as I know is still working. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bythesea Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 [quote name='spinynorman' post='552928' date='Jul 27 2009, 05:40 PM'][url="http://swiftmusiclondon.weebly.com/electric-basses.html"]Swift - the pink bass specialist[/url] [/quote] Good pricing strategy there. Now if only they were in stock! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dood Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Roger Giffin - Now based in the US [url="http://www.giffinguitars.com/"]http://www.giffinguitars.com/[/url] Mr Deacon had a Giffin bass made for him Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanSpeeltBas Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Kim Seabourne (Bassurgery); Andrew Scrimshaw (http://www.mbwebs.co.uk/scrim/instruments.htm)[attachment=29720:Andrew_S...ry_style.gif] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steverickwood Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 From Medway there WERE Zematis, and Sid Poole (both sadly passed away). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorne Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 [quote name='steverickwood' post='553360' date='Jul 27 2009, 11:12 PM']From Medway there WERE Zematis, and Sid Poole (both sadly passed away).[/quote] I spoke with Tony Zemaitis a few times,great guy,R.I.P.,got him to build a bass for Bob Daisley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steverickwood Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Yeah I spoke to him once about wiring for a bass I building for my gcse - he launched into details and concepts of handwiring and I think I lost track about 2 sentences in! I think they may be manufactured in Japan now? Sid Poole also had a great rep - PRS were praising his guitars... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JanSpeeltBas Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 [quote name='steverickwood' post='553498' date='Jul 28 2009, 08:40 AM']Yeah I spoke to him once about wiring for a bass I building for my gcse - he launched into details and concepts of handwiring and I think I lost track about 2 sentences in! I think they may be manufactured in Japan now? Sid Poole also had a great rep - PRS were praising his guitars...[/quote] I know his guitars but did he make basses too? Anyone got a picture of those? Zemaitis designs are produced by Greco (Kanda Shokai) in Japan[attachment=29733:Greco_Zemaitis.jpg]. There's also a more expensive version branded as Zemaitis. [attachment=29734:Zemaitis.jpg] Anyone ever played one of these? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorne Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 [quote name='JanSpeeltBas' post='553524' date='Jul 28 2009, 08:23 AM']I know his guitars but did he make basses too? Anyone got a picture of those? Zemaitis designs are produced by Greco (Kanda Shokai) in Japan[attachment=29733:Greco_Zemaitis.jpg]. There's also a more expensive version branded as Zemaitis. [attachment=29734:Zemaitis.jpg] Anyone ever played one of these?[/quote] Here's the bass we arranged to be built for Bob Daisley Bob also now owns this 1970 Bass that belonged to Ronnie Lane Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 (edited) [quote name='BarnacleBob' post='552795' date='Jul 27 2009, 04:12 PM']How playable are these 60s British Basses? That one just looks like it will play like a dog but obviously I could be totally wrong! BB[/quote] I have an early 60s Burns Sonic Bass, which was my first bass guitar and my main bass throughout the 80s. By modern standards it's fairly poor. Short scale and impossible to get a decent note out of the E strings available for it at the time. There's no truss rod (although I believe there is some sort of neck re-enforcement) so the neck is very chunky and since I've owned it (from 1981) the action has needed to be quite high to avoid fret buzz. I've had to replace most of the hardware as it had worn out and was no longer performing properly - however remember that this bass was already 20 years old when I bought it. On the plus side, from the A string upwards it sounds fantastic, very fat for such a small bass, but bright as well with a little help at the amp. Construction-wise it has one of the best and most comfortable neck/body joins I've ever seen - about 15 years ahead of what the other major bass manufacturers were doing. Plus for me the affordable alternative at the time would have been some PoS P or J bass copy, then you can see that it had no competition. I also owned a red Futurama bass which had a better action and therefore a bit more playable, but didn't sound anywhere near as good, and the more conventional bolt-on neck construction meant that high fret access wasn't as easy as on the Burns. Edited July 28, 2009 by BigRedX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spinynorman Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 [quote name='bythesea' post='552954' date='Jul 27 2009, 05:55 PM'] Good pricing strategy there. Now if only they were in stock![/quote] A mate's just bought one of their electro acoustic basses. I'll be very interested to see if it's playable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarnacleBob Posted July 28, 2009 Author Share Posted July 28, 2009 [quote name='BigRedX' post='553545' date='Jul 28 2009, 08:38 AM']I have an early 60s Burns Sonic Bass, which was my first bass guitar and my main bass throughout the 80s. By modern standards it's fairly poor. Short scale and impossible to get a decent note out of the E strings available for it at the time. There's no truss rod (although I believe there is some sort of neck re-enforcement) so the neck is very chunky and since I've owned it (from 1981) the action has needed to be quite high to avoid fret buzz. I've had to replace most of the hardware as it had worn out and was no longer performing properly - however remember that this bass was already 20 years old when I bought it. On the plus side, from the A string upwards it sounds fantastic, very fat for such a small bass, but bright as well with a little help at the amp. Construction-wise it has one of the best and most comfortable neck/body joins I've ever seen - about 15 years ahead of what the other major bass manufacturers were doing. Plus for me the affordable alternative at the time would have been some PoS P or J bass copy, then you can see that it had no competition. I also owned a red Futurama bass which had a better action and therefore a bit more playable, but didn't sound anywhere near as good, and the more conventional bolt-on neck construction meant that high fret access wasn't as easy as on the Burns.[/quote] My very first bass way back in 76(?)was an old blue Futurama, paid a tenner for it and it was quite repectable. I think my amp was a 60 watt head (with 11 band graphic equalizer believe it or not!!!) not driving an enormous 2 x 18 cab BB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 If the Futurama had been my only bass at the time, I'm sure I would have been perfectly happy with it, but compared to the Burns it had a really weedy and thin sound, so it wasn't really a viable alternative. My first proper rig (once I'd stopped putting the bass through my guitar amp) was a no-name 100W transistor amp coupled with an ex-reggae sound system 1x18 cab and a home made 2x12. It sounded pretty rubbish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ednaplate Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 [quote name='BassBunny' post='552347' date='Jul 27 2009, 09:38 AM']Gordon Smith, (but they don't build Basses any more). Ged Green does his own range of Basses/Guitars as well as repairs.[/quote] I was in Ged Green's workshop a few months ago and he was building a beautiful red Jazz-type bass with a very unusual bridge/string arrangement which reminded me of the non trem Godin guitars. There is probably a luthers term for it. Very impressive work. Did it go to anyone on here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarnacleBob Posted July 28, 2009 Author Share Posted July 28, 2009 (edited) [quote name='ednaplate' post='553990' date='Jul 28 2009, 02:32 PM']I was in Ged Green's workshop a few months ago and he was building a beautiful red Jazz-type bass with a very unusual bridge/string arrangement which reminded me of the non trem Godin guitars. There is probably a luthers term for it. Very impressive work. Did it go to anyone on here?[/quote] Individual piezos for each string maybe? And that has just given me an interesting idea - has anyone on here had a custom built bass and had the midi pick-up fitted into the bass a la Godin. I remember Wal did one ( or was that thru contacts on the fretboard?)and I think there are a few guitars kicking about with the midi factory fitted. BB Edited July 28, 2009 by BarnacleBob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alanbass1 Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 [quote name='Lorne' post='553404' date='Jul 27 2009, 11:58 PM']I spoke with Tony Zemaitis a few times,great guy,R.I.P.,got him to build a bass for Bob Daisley [/quote] I had a Zemaitis metal top guitar which I foolishly traded in the 80's for a PRS (when PRS were all the rage)...stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid infinitum..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarnacleBob Posted July 28, 2009 Author Share Posted July 28, 2009 (edited) [quote name='Lorne' post='553535' date='Jul 28 2009, 08:31 AM']Here's the bass we arranged to be built for Bob Daisley Bob also now owns this 1970 Bass that belonged to Ronnie Lane [/quote] That Bob Daisley set-up looks absolutley cracking in my opinion BB Edited July 28, 2009 by BarnacleBob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lorne Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 [quote name='alanbass1' post='554002' date='Jul 28 2009, 02:41 PM']I had a Zemaitis metal top guitar which I foolishly traded in the 80's for a PRS (when PRS were all the rage)...stupid, stupid, stupid, stupid infinitum.....[/quote] Bro,we've all done similar things Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 (edited) [quote name='BarnacleBob' post='554000' date='Jul 28 2009, 02:39 PM']Individual piezos for each string maybe? And that has just given me an interesting idea - has anyone on here had a custom built bass and had the midi pick-up fitted into the bass a la Godin. I remember Wal did one ( or was that thru contacts on the fretboard?)and I think there are a few guitars kicking about with the midi factory fitted. BB[/quote] CrazyKiwi had a Shuker recently made with a piezo system to drive a MIDI interface. Quite a few custom makers offer it as an option [url="http://www.gusguitars.com/product.php?model_id=12"]Gus[/url] for starters. The system fitted to Wal basses used both individual string pickups as well as fret contacts. At the time it gave the most accurate note tracking. I believe this was the same system that was used by Peavey in their Cyberbass. Edited July 28, 2009 by BigRedX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaggy Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Graham Crook, a luthier based in Somerset, and other than that know absolutely nothing about him. I had one of his fretless basses in the '80's bought s/h: very Wal-custom influenced, but neck-thru (maple/walnut laminate with ebony board), dual J p/u's, active, and gorgeous Sapele mahogany body wings. Wish I still had it....... Some great names from the past here, and great names still going especially when Wal make a comeback Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BarnacleBob Posted July 28, 2009 Author Share Posted July 28, 2009 Did Wal ever build a thru-neck, does anyone know? It would have been a custom order but just wondered if they ever did it. BB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bythesea Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 [quote name='BarnacleBob' post='554161' date='Jul 28 2009, 04:53 PM']Did Wal ever build a thru-neck, does anyone know? It would have been a custom order but just wondered if they ever did it. BB[/quote] The 36 fret custom models weren't, but they were pretty long necks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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