Gareth Hughes Posted August 18, 2009 Share Posted August 18, 2009 (edited) Up for sale is my Ernie McMillen Custom 4 String Fretless. Ernie McMillen builds guitars for the Avalon Guitar Company. Recently he has been working on Zematis guitars at Avalon, which retail at $15,000 in the US. Before that he worked for 15 years for Lowden Guitars, during which time he built many of the Goodfellow Basses that were made there between 1992-96. All this to say that the construction is top notch. Enough about Ernie and now the bass: I had the bass made in 2000, and whilst I do love it so I'm mainly playing upright for most of my gigs so this bass is criminally underplayed. Body is a regular jazz shape (taken from a mid 70's Fender template) and is one piece Mahogany with a bookmatched Rosewood cap (that has some damn sexy stripes running through it). Neck is a 5 piece: Maple Walnut Wenge (I think, or possibly Rosewood) Walnut Maple, Ebony fingerbard with Maple lines and dots above the lines. Scale is 35 inches. The headstock has Schaller tuners with a Rosewood cap and mother-of-pearl logo. Bridge is by ABM with adjustable 16-20mm string spacing. The pickups are by Bill Lawrence, the J45 model. These pickups have a huge frequency response and are very even from low to high. The electronics and standard Jazz passive: Vol/Vol/Tone. The bass was originally wired with a Bartolini TBIBT preamp (more on that later) with the jack socket side mounted. I didn't get the empty jack socket filled in, just discretely covered, so an active system can be installed without any modification. About the Bartolini preamp - I still have it and it still works, but I think it needs a new blend pot. Last time I had it installed it seemed to be quieter in the 50/50 middle position with both pickups on equally together, and significantly louder when either pickup was soloed. Asked around, someone thought the blend pot might be the wrong value. I don't really care for preamps so took it out and left it alone. I'll include it with the sale tho for your tinkering. And finally - the price: All in, with the pickups and pre, this bass cost £14-1500 to get made. I'm selling it for[s] £900 £800 £750[/s][b] £675 [/b] o.n.o shipped to the UK with a hard case and the Bartolini preamp. [b]Here's some examples of other basses that Ernie has built:[/b] [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=53343"]Ernie McMillen Jazz Bass[/url] [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=57031"]Ernie McMillen Jazz 5[/url] [b]SOUNDCLIPS[/b]: Tracks were recorded straight into Garageband via an MBox Mini, with no added EQ or Compression, etc. [attachment=52539:Both_PU__s.mp3][attachment=52540:Neck_PU.mp3][attachment=52541:Bridge_PU.mp3] [attachment=52533:Fretless_Body_Full.jpg][attachment=52534:Fretless_Front_1.jpg][attachment=52535:He adstock.jpg][attachment=52536:Neck_Woods.jpg][attachment=52537:Back.jpg][attachment=52538:Body_1.jpg ] Edited July 19, 2010 by Gareth Hughes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jmesa Posted August 19, 2009 Share Posted August 19, 2009 Lovely Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GaryTheBassMan Posted June 19, 2010 Share Posted June 19, 2010 I want this!!! But have not the money!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth Hughes Posted June 19, 2010 Author Share Posted June 19, 2010 [quote name='GaryTheBassMan' post='871406' date='Jun 19 2010, 01:14 AM']I want this!!! But have not the money!![/quote] I'm very patient - start saving Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
faceman Posted June 19, 2010 Share Posted June 19, 2010 I recognise that riff from somewhere Gareth, I need to write up a huge post now that the show is over. Best of luck with the sale, I really would love this bass as it is everything one would want from a fretless! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth Hughes Posted June 20, 2010 Author Share Posted June 20, 2010 [quote name='faceman' post='872332' date='Jun 20 2010, 12:43 AM']I recognise that riff from somewhere Gareth, I need to write up a huge post now that the show is over. Best of luck with the sale, I really would love this bass as it is everything one would want from a fretless![/quote] Hey Seb - yes, looking forward to that post and hearing how you got on. It really is such a great bassline, and totally infectious. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth Hughes Posted June 21, 2010 Author Share Posted June 21, 2010 Yep, another bump. PM's replied to - some nice offers of trades, but not what I"m looking for alas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth Hughes Posted June 22, 2010 Author Share Posted June 22, 2010 Early evening bump (maybe some grind later....) (with the roundwounds!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ......you degenerates ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidak Posted June 24, 2010 Share Posted June 24, 2010 Beautiful looking and sounding bass! Where is that first riff from? I know it very good, but can't remember.. Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth Hughes Posted June 25, 2010 Author Share Posted June 25, 2010 [quote name='davidak' post='876761' date='Jun 24 2010, 07:26 PM']Beautiful looking and sounding bass! Where is that first riff from? I know it very good, but can't remember.. Thanks.[/quote] Thanks davidak. That riff is from 'Santa Fe' from the musical 'RENT'. I had the bass chair for the first Irish production of RENT and always had a soft spot for that line. Kind of like Peter Gabriel's 'Don't Give Up' - there's a wonderful hypnotic thing going on with it. And here's some tangent trivia - I actually had this bass made for doing the show. I had the body made a few months before hand for a neck I had, and then I got the show and saw it needed a fretless, so I figured why not get a neck made for the body. And that's how this beautiful baby came into existence. It really does sound, feel and play wonderfully - but alas all my mwah needs are met with my upright. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidak Posted June 25, 2010 Share Posted June 25, 2010 Oh yes! Rent, of course.. Great bassline, great player Thanks a lot, it is already playing in my player now. Good luck in sale, Gareth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth Hughes Posted June 25, 2010 Author Share Posted June 25, 2010 Thanks davidak - and now.......... A BUMP!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dead Posted June 26, 2010 Share Posted June 26, 2010 nice carpet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth Hughes Posted June 27, 2010 Author Share Posted June 27, 2010 Thanks - comes pre-installed with boom-chaka-wah-wah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth Hughes Posted July 1, 2010 Author Share Posted July 1, 2010 Bump. Bump bump. Bump-bum-bum-bum-bum-bumppppp Bump. Bump bump. Bump-bum-bum-bum-bum-bumppppp (You know the tune.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noelk27 Posted July 15, 2010 Share Posted July 15, 2010 Can you tell me the width at the nut, width at the 12th, and depth at the 1st? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth Hughes Posted July 15, 2010 Author Share Posted July 15, 2010 Sure - width at nut is 39mm, at 12th fret is 56.5mm and I'm not sure about the depth at the 1st - I don't know how to measure that accurately. All I can say is that it feels more P than J - more like a fatter J neck. Hope that helps!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth Hughes Posted July 19, 2010 Author Share Posted July 19, 2010 Humpin and Bumpin for a price drop to £650 including shipping and FREE Bartolini preamp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gareth Hughes Posted July 20, 2010 Author Share Posted July 20, 2010 The "IT'S TUESDAY!!!!!" Bump Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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