Andy Demetriou bass - body and neck only... project job...

[Highlander]

Something I'm watching...

any opinions...?



http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/HAND-MADE-BASS-GUITAR-ANDY-DEMETRIOU-80S-CUSTOM-/280561388306?pt=UK_Musical_Instruments_Guitars_CV&hash=item4152c30b12

[OldManC]

That looks like a worthy candidate for resurrection. After seeing what you did with your PC bird I don't doubt you'd end up with a very nice bass out of that one. Go for it!

[dadagoboi]

I like both the design and the one piece body, looks like swamp ash to me.  Defret it and re radius the board and you'd have a great bass!

[Nocturnal]

The contour on the upper end of the body tells me that this is a bass for you. Maybe he saw your RD's contour and used that as his inspiration    Looks like it could be a cool project.

[exiledarchangel]

That is an interesting body shape, like a RD made a one night stand with something horny. Go for it Kenny!

[Highlander]

Must have been the Greek influence...

[Dave W]

I think it's ugly, but if you like it and it stays low, it might be worthwhile. Do ask about the neck straightness especially since it's a set neck. A new board is one thing, major work like replacing a set neck may be more than you want to get into. At least the truss rod works.

Body looks more like oak to me.

[dadagoboi]

Body looks more like oak to me.

I could be mistaken but here's my 2 cents...
Red oak and ash are difficult to distinguish when stained. Often ash is used as a substitute or side by side with red oak in modern furniture and cabinet applications.  White oak is/was used in real Craftsman furniture (Stickley, etc) and also barrel making because it is watertight; it resembles neither ash or red oak in appearance IMHO.  Red oak began replacing white when white became rare and prices skyrocketed, before that its primary commercial use was as railroad crossties and firewood.  I'm not that familiar with European woods so this could very well be a variety of oak unknown to me.

In the US at least ash is more often guitar wood so I made the ash assumption...swamp ash because of the very wide grain.  If it is it would be a very light body which I prefer.  I'm also one of those guys that believe in the voodoo of one piece bodies and thin finishes.

These swamp ash basses weigh 8 and 7 lbs.  The Jazz body is one piece.  The Leo Sting Ray behind it is 3 and weighs 12 lbs, made of 'northern ash', baseball bat wood.

[Dave W]

Still looks more like an oak pattern to me. Could be ash, but whether it's oak or ash, I doubt it's from this side of the Atlantic.

This is probably from the 80s and I never saw the term "swamp ash" until well into the 90s. It's a useful marketing term, not a recognized species.

[dadagoboi]

Still looks more like an oak pattern to me. Could be ash, but whether it's oak or ash, I doubt it's from this side of the Atlantic.

This is probably from the 80s and I never saw the term "swamp ash" until well into the 90s. It's a useful marketing term, not a recognized species.

For the record, I didn't say swamp ash is a species. Swamp ash grows fast at low altitudes in wet places, it's also called punky ash because of its light weight and low strength.  It's actual species is white ash, fraxinus americana, a great steam bending, tool handle and baseball bat wood, but the weaker 'swamp ash's commercial uses are limited.  That's a big reason Fender used it in the '50s, it was cheap.  By the late 80's most of it was gone as a commercial wood, largely due to draining of swampland, logging and export. That's when 'swamp ash' became worthwhile as a marketing term but luthiers were well aware of its tonal properties before that.  European Ash is an important commercial wood in Europe.

[Dave W]

For the record, I didn't say swamp ash is a species. Swamp ash grows fast at low altitudes in wet places, it's also called punky ash because of its light weight and low strength.  It's actual species is white ash, fraxinus americana, a great steam bending, tool handle and baseball bat wood, but the weaker 'swamp ash's commercial uses are limited.  That's a big reason Fender used it in the '50s, it was cheap.  By the late 80's most of it was gone as a commercial wood, largely due to draining of swampland, logging and export. That's when 'swamp ash' became worthwhile as a marketing term but luthiers were well aware of its tonal properties before that.  European Ash is an important commercial wood in Europe.

I know you didn't say it was a species, just tossing it in.

I've been told by folks who know that in some places black ash has been sold as swamp ash. Haven't seen it first-hand though. But it is often found in swamps and marshy areas.

Leo lucked out by being a cheapskate. He certainly didn't buy it for the tonal qualities.

[dadagoboi]

I've also seen black ash used as a synonym for swamp ash, basically I think it comes down to density.

Re tone, as the Romans said, "Gustibus non disputandum est."  Grammar similar to Yoda's is.

[godofthunder]

Definatley a cool project ! Go for it !

[Highlander]

Mine... just got to organise a place to pick-up from...

[dadagoboi]

Way to go Kenny!