This one came about rather sudden and unexpectedly!
The fellow I bought my 79 Mockingbird from over a year ago had another Mock up on Ebay last month - an 80s model in "ultraviolet" finish with a Bill Lawrence HB in the bridge. Neat bass, and I sent him a message just to say "hi" and tell him good luck with it. He said he has a move coming up, and was selling off some of the toys in prep for that... and in the course of the message exchange I mentioned that if I did ever get another BCR, it would be a Bich 8. Shortly after that, I had pics of this thing in my email
He tells the story of it in our email exchange much better than I could ever paraphrase:
...
I had Neal Moser refurb it 2 years ago. I am not in a big hurry to sell but I might be relocating by May so I am selling off big things. It has "issues" in that at the last minute I had him put on a Hamer bridge after it had been painted. :-) But, I had one in the 80s that had a badass and I could never intonate. So Neal had it painted by GRW in LA but I changed it and he had to leave the mount holes for badass in with thr three screws. So it has multiple bridge options! Right....
Joe,
Lots to respond to! Neal REALLY pushed me for Glitter Rock White and he was correct. It looks friggin amazing under lights. It was wood (maple wings and neck) and the previous owner stripped it and then ran out of money I guess. I begged him to sell it and he finally parted with it. I was going to send it to Bernie JR or Neal, Neal said yes so I didn't need to ask Bernie JR. It is all new hardware, new Neal circuit, new Dimarzios, newer Grovers, all new. New custom case Neal's wife ordered from G&G.
I'd forgotten how serious Neal took me on the bridge until I saw the pics again (she is in the case these days). There were stud mounts for the Les Paul Bass type tail stop to be used for the original style bridge but when I sent him the Hamer and said, use this, he used the Hamer tail stop instead. For I while I thought about getting the LP tail stop, but Neal just covered it with pickguard material and put the Hamer on top until I figured something out. I left it alone since it is such a monster. Look under the tailpiece and you'll see what I mean -- just wanted to explain my nuttiness on the bridge change. Neal calls the pickguard covers "flanges". Look at old mock guitars with Kahlers on them from the factory. Many have Neal's "flanges."
More info on the Hamer. Mid-2011 I was starting to freak since I couldn't find an 8 string bridge with as narrow string spacing as the original Starz guitars bridge so I happened to see Cheap Trick on TV and it clicked -- get a Hamer bridge! It ironic that is the exact same string space width, and Neal filed all of the saddles to fit -- really nice. Anyway, I called the Hamer custom shop and told the supervisor of my plight and that Neal was redoing it, and he mailed me the bridge for 100. I would have given him 500! Now Hamer has closed -- glad I did it when I did!...
He offered me what I felt was a very generous deal on this (it was less than he paid for the restoration work alone), and so I scrambled to sell off some stuff to try and make it happen. Much like the Mockingbird, I've lusted after these most of my life. Well, to be honest it was the 10-string guitar that I always wanted... but I'd get a lot more use out of a bass, and I've really gotten into the coursed string basses over the past five years or so.
So enough talk, here are some cell pics I snapped of it. They don't do it justice... I know the style is not to everyone's taste, but man - it's immaculate and simply stunning up close! Moser really does nice work!
