The Last Bass Outpost
Gear Discussion Forums => Gibson Basses => Topic started by: Basvarken on June 06, 2010, 01:08:59 AM
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A guy on a Dutch forum walked in a recycle store and scored an Epiphone Newport for 35 euro :o
although it is a refin,
and the three point bridge obviously isn't original
as well as the bridge pickup plus extra switch.
Still an incredible score...
(in fact: I'd suspect it's a stolen bass for that kinda money...)
(http://img215.imageshack.us/img215/3364/dsc01944vf.jpg)
(http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/7091/dsc01943n.jpg)
(http://img683.imageshack.us/img683/2259/dsc01949o.jpg)
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That's a cool score!
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There is something very wrong with that story, Rob... even the most ignorant of shops would not be selling something looking that good that cheaply... well, the more she gets posted the more the truth will out...
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That is cool but is smells like some bad herring to me.
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With the Union Jack headstock obscuring everything they possibly did not even know what kind of bass they had.
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It was sold by a second hand store or recycle shop as we call 'em here. Those stores collect all their items for free. From what people throw away when they move house, up to left overs from inheritances.
Back in the day when I was still a student, I bought some furniture and a leather jacket in a shop like this. I didn't pay more than a few guilders.
It is most likely they were totally clueless about this guitar. (and so was the person that did away with it, of course)
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Of course, ever after that unsavory G-4 affair and its manipulated pics, we never quite know what to make of your threads. :rolleyes:
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Oh we're well past the first of April, so you're safe Uwe.
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Wow! That's pretty nice. I remember one very similar to that showing up on Ebay a few years back.
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They look good in white don't they... but someone PLEEEEESE refin that garish headstock
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Or put some ME 109 gunshot holes in it. (nosediving away ...)
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Nice score ! yeah the headstock has to go. :puke:
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Remember this one? The ultra cheap Newport?
The guy emailed me he hasn't been using it much since he bought it. He's a guitarist, not a bassist.
He tried to sell it on Marktplaats (Dutch second hand site). Nobody wanted it, for the money he asked for it (800 euro)
If I was still interested.
I couldn't help myself...
I bought it for 325 Euro. (which is almost ten times as much as he paid for it, but still a bargain I like to think.)
Neck is good. No signs of headstock fracture yet. It may show when I remove the union jack.
Fret are very good. Almost no signs of wear.
Refin looks professionally done.
Underneath the union jack you can clearly see the Epiphone logo is still there. You see a very shallow relief.
Pickups and electronics all work 100%.
Pots look original. The three way switch and bridge pickup obviously aren't original. But the pickup does look contemporaneous.
On the body you can see the footprints of the handrest that once was there between bridge and the mudbucker.
When I removed the pickguard to check the electronics. There were some chips around the screwholes. The original color was transparant red.
I am definitely going to remove the union jack.
Not too sure about the white fin.
Nice light weight bass. Definitely the lightest I have. Worst neck diver too :mrgreen:
(http://gallery.me.com/vdbroekrob/100204/IMG_1119/web.jpg?ver=12878666280001)
(http://gallery.me.com/vdbroekrob/100204/IMG_1114/web.jpg?ver=12878666370001)
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Go Dutch... ;D
No, it might be meant in humour, but wipe the UK flag out and replace with your own flag...
The white body looks just fine... 8)
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Nope, I don't like flags
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A nice orange fin... :vader: ;D
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I agree, that's a bargain.
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Cool bass, esp for the money (even at 325EU) I don't mind the headstock, but it really would look far better with it painted black.
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Congrats Rob ! Never saw it on MP ??? Anyway, when it's not your thing .......... you know my addy, right ? :mrgreen:
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Oops my bad: it was on Speurders.
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actually I think the headstock is kinda cool in an Austin Powers sort of way
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nice score!
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actually I think the headstock is kinda cool in an Austin Powers sort of way
Ha! I agree. :D
Congrats, Rob!
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The white looks great. Headstock = :gay:
Nice score Rob
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Congratulations! Reallly nice!
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actually I think the headstock is kinda cool in an Austin Powers sort of way
(http://img594.imageshack.us/img594/4650/moppersmurf.jpg)
I hate Austin Powers ......
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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NpcSKjubQc
:mrgreen:
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I'm no fan of Austin Powers. I'm not in a Britpop band. I'm not British.
I couldn't find one reason to leave the Union Jack on the headstock. Especially because I could see the Epiphone logo was still there underneath the Red, white and blue.
(http://gallery.me.com/vdbroekrob/100204/IMG_1115/web.jpg?ver=12878666330001)
So I took some thinner and a box full of cotton tips...
(http://gallery.me.com/vdbroekrob/100218/PA282190/web.jpg?ver=12889045770001)
(http://gallery.me.com/vdbroekrob/100218/PA282191/web.jpg?ver=12889045720001)
(http://gallery.me.com/vdbroekrob/100218/PA282193/web.jpg?ver=12889046220001)
(http://gallery.me.com/vdbroekrob/100218/PA282194/web.jpg?ver=12889046040001)
I had to touch up the black in a few places. And I had to partially redo the E with gold.
The result is not as good as I had hoped, but it looks quite a little reliced (something I despise when done deliberately)
(http://gallery.me.com/vdbroekrob/100218/PB042198/web.jpg?ver=12889045990001)
But for now I'm happy enough to keep it this way (for a while)
Oh and I'm gonna fix the trussrod cover too.
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Good job restoring it. You might be able to give it some shine with an extra fine automotive hand buffing liquid.
I never understood why Austin Powers made anyone laugh.
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You might be able to give it some shine with an extra fine automotive hand buffing liquid.
Yeah I did try that Dave. Very gently with a soft cloth, but the black is so thin I buffed right through... So I decided to leave it. Now it looks like an aged nitro fin (which it is in fact)
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I never understood why Austin Powers made anyone laugh.
When I was forced to see it I think I may have sniggerd once or twice but that was about all I could work up for it.
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imma thimpkin it looks pretty good. kind of like an old fart like me.
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mike myers the comedian has never been funny, but the other mike myers with the mask and big knife... ;D
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very nice.what does it sound like compared to the rest of your flock?
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It sounds great. And different from all the other basses I have.
Not too surprisingly the bass that has the most similarities -soundwise- is the BaCH EB2.
But then again the difference between a long scale semi acoustic and a short scale solid body is substantial.
I'm glad the bridge pickup was added.
The bridge pickup has a great bite. Makes the bass sounds real snappy.
The Mudbucker itself isn't as muddy as I would have feared. But it pushes out a big deep pressure.
When I combine the two I get the best of both worlds. I had to lower the bridge pickup into the pickup ring as far as it goes, to get that effect.
This bass is light! And it plays real smooth too.
It does feel a bit like a toy to me, because I am used to heavy basses.
The Les Paul Basses that I have may be shortscales but they have big bodies.
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Awesome bass and nice restoration on the headstock Basvarken, Congrats!
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The headstock turned out great. Nice job. It's great they just painted over it.
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The headstock looks great ! :o
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Looks like you got real lucky there... well done... 8)
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Scored an original bridge off Ebay last night
(http://i.ebayimg.com/18/!B8InvlgBGk~$(KGrHqQOKp!Ey+jCytzdBM2KPR8DZ!~~_12.JPG)
See if I can bring it back to it's former glory some more :)
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Don't be silly and keep that three point on it, Rob. Returning to the bar bridge is like taking the wheels of a car and replacing them with sleds. The three point looks great on this one. Don't listen to Dave or Jim, they give bad advice on such things. :rolleyes:
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Hmm... don't know Uwe. Maybe I like to have a winter bass?
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Congrats: that looks great! I'm a big fan of stripping off nonsense and leaving even rough looking original stuff alone if possible.
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Hmm... don't know Uwe. Maybe I like to have a winter bass?
Bad intonation and ungainly action are real steps forward! Basses get better if they play (more than) a little sharp or flat in the upper frets!!!
Had you introduced the threepoint to Epi's design department in the early sixties they would have regarded you as a deity from outer space.
Seriously, I think it looks perfect on your bass (better than the bar bridge on mine) and is still plenty vintage enough, the threepoint is now almost 40 years old and is in my view a wonderful compromise between classic look and flexibility. It's not like you have a Kahler sticking out from the body, you know.
Last time you didn't listen to our advice we had to come with our Junkers to explain it in more detail to you, don't you guys ever learn from history? :mrgreen:
Uwe
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Since they left the inserts of the original bridge in the body I can just give it a try without doing anything irreversible.
The diagonal bar seems to follow the same angle as the saddles on all my basses. It's not that I need the G string saddle to be all the way back or something.
We'll see. ;)
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Uwe is as off in his love of the three point as he is in his love of Deep Purple. Having a three point on there is hideous. Plus, the two point - as you have observed - has a built in intonation "slant" that gets you close enough all the way up and down the neck. Sure you could hook it up to some fancy-pants tuner and find it is out a bit here and there, but the mudbucker is designed to both obliterate any tonal variations and intonation problems. Hence you function as a muddy upright player always did. MAGIC! A mahogany plug, a little touch up work, and that vicious attack of a three point will be history.
And if you want a really nice intonated bridge, go get a new hipshot or drill out a Kahler fixed bridge. They both eat a three point for lunch.
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Since it's reversible, no reason not to try it.
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Whatever works works...
How many of us will ever be utterly intonation perfect, unless they have the perfect ear and a fretless neck...
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ya' know, you can't find a lot of notes played on an fretless on a fretted electric bass... ;D
"make a jazz noise here" - frank zappa
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One fret down... bend 'er up... ;)