Hilfe! Need quick idea how to save spending 8,500 bucks ...

[Barklessdog]

Actually I'm not kidding.

[kungfusheriff]

Have I steered you wrong yet? Temped you to spend vast sums, absolutely, but steered you wrong? Never.

The Scorps connection is the clincher. This is kismet. I hope it gives you great enjoyment. Actually, I hope you can find room for it in your office. 

[Dave W]

With that story behind it, you know he had to buy it.

[OldManC]

If even the Scorpions thought is was ugly it must have been disastrous

Ain't THAT the truth!

Francis was known to play NRs around that time so he definitely knew his ugly Gibsons... (Spoken with love from one who grew to like that shape after thinking it fugly for years). Congrats, Uwe. The story behind that bass makes it even more special. How many of Phil's basses do you own now?

And I LOVE that nice, large headstock!

[uwe]

In the late seventies, early eighties, Buchholz certainly dabbled with Gibson basses, though you mostly see him with a P. I saw him play a whole concert with a natural Grabber (or maybe Ripper, I was unable to differentiate between the two back then) on the Virgin Killer tour in 1977 (thought the bass horribly fugly then) and he played a Bicentennial on a Jap TV show plus did the Rock you like a Hurricane vid with a NonRev. And of course Rudolf Schenker and Mathias Jabs were good Gibson Custom Shop customers with their Flying Vs and Explorers they solely (Schenker) or mostly (Jabs) played.

Last I heard Buchholz was in the car parts/brakes/friction systems business doing very well (his home town Hannover is a hub for that type of industry), it seems that following his less than glorious and non-voluntary departure from the Scorps for tax fraud, he built himself an industrial career. He must have played a few gigs with Uli Roth lately (he and Uli were in Hendrix-type three piece "Dawn Road" which merged into the Scorpions after Michael Schenker had left for UFO) and I heard from a record company guy that he was even in the studio with Uli Roth, but nothing has been released so far.

Uwe

[uwe]

And I LOVE that nice, large headstock!

In essence, this is a very late Bicentennial - in 1981 the rerelease of the new TBs was still some years off. A predecessor to the white 86 TB II you so graciously bequeathed on me!

Uwe

[eb2]

Late to the party again.  Congrats on yet another, and one with such a glorious metal history yet.  Was this at Gruhn's?  That would have been one caveat from me.  Other than that, it is so fancy pants and shiny, I would say this is the one to take with you to the Altenheim.

[Dave W]

Uwe bought all his earlier Gibson Phil Jones prototypes from Gruhn's too. That's where Phil chose to consign them.
 

[uwe]

Phil worked before and after his 15 year stint with Gibson at Gruhn's if I'm not mistaken.

I'm hopeful that we'll hear more of him here because part of our deal was that he sign up here and contribute! No snide remarks about 80ies and 90ies Gibson basses then! 

He'd be great for DrBassman's/Bill's Projects hangout too.

[gearHed289]

That's great Uwe! Cool bass. And thanks for the update on Herr Buchholz.

[TBird1958]

I'm glad you got it,

 It saved me from spending 8500.00 I don't have - I'm totally weak for that 'Bird, it's way cool!

[OldManC]

I'm hopeful that we'll hear more of him here because part of our deal was that he sign up here and contribute! No snide remarks about 80ies and 90ies Gibson basses then!

He built a Thunderbird with the proper headstock and shiny parts. He'd get no stick from me! I like what he was trying to do with Gibson and for the most part I've liked the basses I've seen that he had a hand (literally) in. I hope he comes to visit.

[kungfusheriff]

I'm hopeful that we'll hear more of him here because part of our deal was that he sign up here and contribute! No snide remarks about 80ies and 90ies Gibson basses then! 

Cool!

[uwe]

That's great Uwe! Cool bass. And thanks for the update on Herr Buchholz.

That's him on the recent Uli Roth tour in 2005/6 (playing a Warwick Streamer, thankfully out of sight), gracefully aged:

[Barklessdog]

He had no part in the purple clown basses right?