Kubicki Ex-Factor

[mc2NY]

Small world.....I live in NYC area and New Orleans, Louisiana. But the only other Kubicki I recall seeing down in LA besides mine was played by Kenny Gradny of Little Feat.

[uwe]

He still does, only saw him a few years ago with it.

[Highlander]

As they don't come up very often...

Ex Factor on greedbay

[Highlander]

Five string fretless... signed...



Four string fretless...

[Dave W]

Love that green. I wonder if they actually sell for that much.

[Highlander]

Is that like a sea-foam...?

No bids...

[Aussie Mark]

Is that like a sea-foam...?

I think the colour is called Bahamas Green.  I owned a fretted one briefly a couple of years ago - very nice bass to play, but the 80s voiced EQ didn't give me any usable options in the bands I played with.

[mc2NY]

Yeah, Bahama Green is the official name. One of the more desirable colors. Plus it is a "Factor" and not an "ExFactor".....meaning it is a 34 inch scale without the drop D.

If it was a pre-Fender one...it would be gone in a flash! It's a Fender one with the Fender electronics they cheaped out on. Phil told me he made very few fretless ExFactors. He said roughly "one in twenty five," compared to fretted ones. So out of the approximately 1250 pre-Fender ones, that makes around 40 fretless ones.

I would think his post Fender ratio would be close to that. Who knows what Fender did.  Fender cranked out roughly the same number of Kubickis in just a couple of years that Phil took almost 30 years to build.

Still a nice bass and the rarer non-D one.

[Highlander]

Ah... a mere novice, my Lord...

I've got to admit, I really like that fretless...

[Happy Face]

I've never laid hands on a Kubicki but I found this thread to be fascinating!!

[mc2NY]

Not what most bass player think of when you mention a Kubicki....but here are two Kubicki PBasses I have. NOT just a Kubicki neck bolted on some other body, these two are complete Kubickis!!

CRAZY rare to find Kubicki Fender style bodies. He did his Fender style stuff prior to his headless basses, so most are early 80s or before. Since Phil did a lot of the custom builds while at Fender in the 60s and early 70s....and he was the First and Only guy for awhile, licensed to make Fender copies after he went out on his own....his Fender copies are essentially the original "Fender Custom Shop" builds.

He must have have the original templates because his necks and bodies are the best I have ever found. Whether he was making a 50s or 60s one, it was dead on.

These two PBasses are both "A" neck Jazz profiles, like I prefer. Killer basses. I sold my Fender reissues when I found these.

http://s1359.photobucket.com/user/mc2NYNO/media-full/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps4e5305a7.jpg.html

[Highlander]

Jon... a vague memory thing from threads long past... someone posted some highly figured P/J style necks... was that you, and were they his...?

[mc2NY]

Yeah, that was me. Here is the pic. I had asked Phil to make a couple Fender bodies for me worthy of these NOS necks he made, dated from the early 80s.

He wasn't really licensed to do Fender copies any longer but I was hoping he'd make an exception.
He was working with me to make me a travel bass like his mini Les Paul and V guitars he did back in the early 80s....but I'd sent him ideas to do a mini TBird. Unfortunately, he got sick and said he didn't think he'd have the time to finish the project.

Anyway....here is that shot of the necks. The fretted is an "A" neck Jazz and the fretless a "B" width.

http://s1359.photobucket.com/user/mc2NYNO/media-full//KubickiBassNeckPair_zps94836214.jpg.html

Here are a couple of Teles Phil made that I have. One is topped front and back with Wildwood from the 60s Fender Coronados. The butterscotch '52 copy was made for the late Howie Epstein of Tom Petty's band just after he joined the band....order was changed at the last moment from '52 spec Tele pickups to the set of rare prototype Barden Strat PUPs.

http://s1359.photobucket.com/user/mc2NYNO/media-full/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps22abf7d7.jpg.html

[Highlander]

Got to ask... why have you never had them mated to a body...?

Now, I know you're a serious collector, but... is it like, something so beautiful, you'd hate to find out the playability didn't live up to the looks...?

[mc2NY]

I've only had these two necks for a couple of years. Haven't found the right body for them yet.
I've already got my main players, so I wasn't in a hurry. Plus I had some other projects in line before them.

Gettin' there.....