1997 Status Buzzard in the swamp

[dadagoboi]

This is the real deal.  Designed with JAE's input before he sold his soul to the Warwick devil.  Bolt on, active electronics, thin profile graphite Precision width with very little taper (17mm string spacing at the bridge) neck.  Super Jumbo, perfectly crowned, low frets with action to match.  The body definitely seems to me a combo of Precision at the neck and Thunderbird at the bridge end.  It's a BIG bass because of that and the extended range but not too heavy.



Previous owner had a mishap.  Structurally sound now but the bass will get a body refin.  It's polyurethane, something I don't do, so I'm looking for a finisher to shoot it in Dakota Red.  I emailed Marty Bell (thanks for the assist, Mark!), haven't heard back yet.

Knobs from the neck: master vol, blend, midrange boost sweep with switch to disable, treble (above) and bass (below).  With the bass set flat the output is pretty nondescript on the Status "Hyperactive" pickups but add a little bass boost and it roars.  No noise at all from the pre/pup combo, very hifi.  I've been joking with my customer I'm going to see what the pre does to a set of ThunderBuckers when I pull it during paint prep.

Carbon fiber shows thru the clear.  I love zero frets but 26 total playable seems like overkill...unless you REALLY need that high A on the G.  But it plays flawlessly all the way up there, even after 15+ years of gigging.


Getting to play a bass that JAE "designed" has been great!

[TBird1958]

 I hope Marty Bell can help you Carlo, has anyone here tried to paint Nitro over Poly? 

[Chris P.]

Very cool!!!!! Nice!!!! Like it:)

I have to explain something:

- JAE was first at Warwick's. They designed the Buzzard together on a table cloth in a bar in London (Maggy's). I saw the tablecoth. Warwick first made a lot of Buzzards (first without pistol grip and the Split P's not mirrored) for him.

- Then JAE wanted carbon necks. Modulus provided the necks to Warwick and they finished them to a complete Buzzard.

- Then JAE left to Status. They made the all-carbon Buzzard and the Buzzard 2 (as you bought) with an own design. They wanted the Buzzard sound in a more normal package.

- After JAE's dead, Warwick could prove that they did a lot in designing the Buzzard and they stopped Status. Also JAE's son Chris gave Warwick permission to use the name. Stopping Status is not nice. They build very few... But they did and Warwick could prove it in the end...

So this bass was after JAE sold his soul to Warwick;) And before his son Chris did it again....

Now Dean has the rights to use the name and they make some sort of Alembic knock-offs. And Warwick still builds Buzzards.

[dadagoboi]

I hope Marty Bell can help you Carlo 

I'll give Marty a call if he doesn't answer my email soon.

...

Very cool!!!!! Nice!!!! Like it:)

I have to explain something:

- JAE was first at Warwick's. They designed the Buzzard together on a table cloth in a bar in London (Maggy's). I saw the tablecoth. Warwick first made a lot of Buzzards (first without pistol grip and the Split P's not mirrored) for him.

- Then JAE wanted carbon necks. Modulus provided the necks to Warwick and they finished them to a complete Buzzard.

- Then JAE left to Status. They made the all-carbon Buzzard and the Buzzard 2 (as you bought) with an own design. They wanted the Buzzard sound in a more normal package.

- After JAE's dead, Warwick could prove that they did a lot in designing the Buzzard and they stopped Status. Also JAE's son Chris gave Warwick permission to use the name. Stopping Status is not nice. They build very few... But they did and Warwick could prove it in the end...

So this bass was after JAE sold his soul to Warwick;) And before his son Chris did it again....

Now Dean has the rights to use the name and they make some sort of Alembic knock-offs. And Warwick still builds Buzzards.

has anyone here tried to paint Nitro over Poly? 

Yeah, me.  What happens is the nitro shrinks, the poly doesn't.  So after a few weeks you get an unplanned crackle finish.  No matter how good the prep is for the refin.  I really don't feel like stripping the entire bass

Poly over lacquer works fine, most primer/surfacers are lacquer based.

Very cool!!!!! Nice!!!! Like it:)

I have to explain something:

- JAE was first at Warwick's. They designed the Buzzard together on a table cloth in a bar in London (Maggy's). I saw the tablecoth. Warwick first made a lot of Buzzards (first without pistol grip and the Split P's not mirrored) for him.

- Then JAE wanted carbon necks. Modulus provided the necks to Warwick and they finished them to a complete Buzzard.

- Then JAE left to Status. They made the all-carbon Buzzard and the Buzzard 2 (as you bought) with an own design. They wanted the Buzzard sound in a more normal package.

- After JAE's dead, Warwick could prove that they did a lot in designing the Buzzard and they stopped Status. Also JAE's son Chris gave Warwick permission to use the name. Stopping Status is not nice. They build very few... But they did and Warwick could prove it in the end...

So this bass was after JAE sold his soul to Warwick;) And before his son Chris did it again....

Now Dean has the rights to use the name and they make some sort of Alembic knock-offs. And Warwick still builds Buzzards.

Thanks for straightening out the history, Chris.  This isn't my bass, belongs to a customer.

[TBird1958]

 Carlo, is it Michael Dolan that also does a lot of painting?  That may be who Mike uses, he shoots poly - both of my solid color refins are poly, the crazy colored one is likely nitro.

[dadagoboi]

 Carlo, is it Michael Dolan that also does a lot of painting?  That may be who Mike uses, he shoots poly - both of my solid color refins are poly, the crazy colored one is likely nitro.

Marty Bell's website specifically says he uses polyurethane.  It's been illegal to sell nitro lacquer in CA for at least 5 years. PU is a lot easier to get a quick finish.  If you do it right it can be fairly thin.

I spoke to a guy in L.A. a while back who said he does Mike's finishing, I don't remember his name.  There's a local guy here who builds hot rods and customs.  I might try him.

[gearHed289]

Cool history Chris. Where does the green Modulus Buzzard fit into all of this? Or was that just a Warwick with a Modulus neck?

[Chris P.]

I don't think Modulus made complete Buzzards, so this one will be a Modulus neck with Warwick bodywings or a Warwick body. Buzzards (and some other Warwicks) have a 'hidden neck through' which means that the neck goes on to the end pin, but it disappears under de top. So you see the NT from the back but from the front it is covered with wood.

[Highlander]

You might like to look at this video from if you don't already know of it ...

[godofthunder]

  looks to be the same bass ! How many were made ?

[dadagoboi]

  looks to be the same bass ! How many were made ?

They're still making them, specs have changed slightly.  Bridge spacing is 19 mm, pickups and tuners are slightly different, etc.  But this one is the same as the one in the documentary.

[dadagoboi]

Local guy is doing the paint, 2 stage basecoat/clearcoat polyurethane.  Color will be Roman Red, AKA Cardinal Red, AKA Dakota Red.  They're all the same GM color, name is different depending on the division and model year.  Roman Red is the Chevy/Corvette name.

Stripped the powdercoat off the brass bridge and polished it to go with the gold tuners/hardware.  The o rings are what Status uses instead of springs, they work pretty well.  There are 2 allen screws on the E side of the baseplate that lock in the saddles ala G&L.

[uwe]

I own a Status Shark (made of wood, mostly, but graphite rods) and a Stealth II (one-piece graphite body and neck). The attack of the Stealth is unsettling, notes you have to tickle out on any other bass jump at you - wham! The bass actually influences you to play behind the beat, it is so immediately there. Not everybody's cup of tea, but certainly a sonic experience.

I second what Chris said. I've seen the original Buzzard protoypes in the Warwick factory hanging from the wall long before Status came out with their Buzzards. JAE's obsession with an action "behind the neck" led him to require a bass with no wood content at all so climate changes during touring would not affect the bass at all - he wanted one set-up unchanged for the whole tour and "every night feeling the same". That is where Status came in and where Warwick ("the sound of wood") was reluctant to go.

That said, the sonic characteristics of graphite being what they are, a Status Buzzard might share the shape with a Warwick Buzzard but feels, plays and sounds totally different. There would have been room for both, but Herr Wilfer would pass the Rickenbacker-"vigorous-IP-defense-killer-syndrome"-test anytime and be immediately hired there.

[dadagoboi]

Gold Hipshot tuners and detuner to replace the black Gotohs and Schaller.  Had to increase the holes slightly with a dremel and drum sander bit.  The tuner mounting holes in carbon fiber have to be more precise than in maple, basically larger.  The carbon fiber is so tough it's difficult for screws to cut threads into it.  Too small and the screw threads or heads will strip.  I like to think JAE with his preference for gold would approve.

[Psycho Bass Guy]

I've not seen a carbon fiber neck in person since Rik's music (yes, sort-of the online folks) was still a Modulus dealer and had a quartet of REALLY nice Quantums. Two of them even had Lane Poor pickups. Needless to say, that's been a day or two. Really interesting to hear about the screws. The gold looks great, BTW.