The Last Bass Outpost

  Found languishing on Reverb,  seller listed it at 1,200, then  dropped it to $849 shipped and was accepting offers I low balled it and he accepted! Has the mass of a small planet,  makes my Peavey T40 seem light. I really like the 24 fret neck, love the extended range. Pickup is focused and a bit tame certainly sounds like the 80s, my DOD bi-fet pre amp brings it to life. The bass is well played but not abused came with worn ohsc. The maple body is a bit of overkill imho, mahogany or alder would have really complimented this bass both in tone and weight.  Video soon.

I had a phase II Hi-flyer briefly in 1973-1974, my first solid body bass following my Klira and Hofner.  By 73 it became clear to me my hollow violin basses weren't cutting it and I needed a solid body bass, trouble was I had zero dollars.  I scrapped up 30 bucks and road my bike up to The House of Guitars and  bought a used Hi-Flyer, I returned home on my bike with it slung over my shoulder.  I
    I thought very highly of it then,  it sounded good and played fantastic. I didn't have it long but I always remembered it fondly. More importantly it was my first step that would lead me to Thunderbirds.  Interestingly I would briefly own a 60s Mosrite in '75 and the Univox compared very favorably.
   I've wanted a Hi-Flyer for my early years collection for a long time but other priorities seemed to always pop up. As a present for my recent Bday my dear wife let me get this '75 phase III in Sunburst.  I always thought these were the best version with the humbucking pickups and upgraded tuners.
   I gotta tell you I am really pleased with this bass build quality is very high and it plays and sounds great! I was a bit surprised that my memory of the bass was exceeded by having one in my hands today.  Video review coming soon.Image Url =

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  This EB0F body will be arriving soon, just what I need another project. I am toying with a full restoration or just turning it into a ratrod. The only decision I've made are keep it short scale and include a fuzz or distortion circuit. Other than that I'm open to ideas.

  One of my favorite pedals ever the Ibanez TS808 Tube Screamer.  Great for bass!

   My first build from 1981. Not a lot of reference material available then I just built it using my intuition. Obviously lots of Entwistle/Peter Cook influence.

  I'd like to update everyone. Barb,  Bill's widow has let me know that she will be auctioning off the final group of Bill's basses. There are six very nice relatively unusual basses. Nothing is up yet but I will post links of the auctions here. First up will be a 2014 MIJ Gretsch Broadcaster. Here is the list of others in no particular order.  Bill was very meticulous with his basses and these are all very nice examples. I have evaluated them all and can vouch for them.
'74 Gibson LP signature
'74 Gibson Triumph
'72 Guild M85 II
'68 Kustom K-200
'68 Gibson EB2
   I  know Bill would be pleased to know his friends here will be enjoying and taking care of his basses.

  So I'm a little bored with retirement and covid having killed off my bands so I decided to dig back and learn The Beatles And Your Bird Can Sing. It gave me a chance to break out my 4003s 

  Even with some of the non 60s specs on this bass I really appreciate Gibsons effort so I am trying to keep my bashing at a minimum.  I found myself really enjoying my Inverness '21 NR so my wife and son bought me this for my birthday.