The Last Bass Outpost
Gear Discussion Forums => Gibson Basses => Topic started by: Nocturnal on August 28, 2008, 05:04:32 PM
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http://cgi.ebay.com/GIBSON-USA-CUSTOM-SHOP-EXPLORER-BASS-GUITAR_W0QQitemZ230285938837QQihZ013QQcategoryZ64402QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
Anyone ever seen this one before?
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I was wondering if it could be real. I can't imagine the shop using those DiMarzios, but hey, what do I know!
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This bass is a NON production model and was custom built using vintage parts obtained from the West Coast Custom shop assembled by Master Luthier.
Sounds strange and I don't remember a west coast custom shop. But it looks genuine, and I've heard of similar tales. For example, I've seen a T-bird made in the early 90s by an Austin shop with a body from Gibson and two passive MM style humbuckers. It had a factory logo and serial number. Some weird stuff was going on.
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It's a nice bass, but I believe my associate Tony Babylon had this custom made using Gibson Parts by a great Luthier, but it's not a Gibson Nashville or Kalamazoo. Shh!!
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Don't remember a WC custom shop either, Bionic-Joes' explaination sounds quite plausible ( and his hint at insider info, shh ) Does look very nicely made and as we have seen ( Greatdealz ) Gibson parts are avaiable. Wonder why it wasn't built as a long scale, that would seem to have addressed the complaint some have with the Explorer and certainly been more " custom "
It is Quite Pretty!
S.
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I've written to Gibson Customer Service about this. Let's hear what they say.
Something about the headstock seems wrong to me, the lack of a serial number is astonishing, but the way the back of the neck and the body have been finished is very Gibsonish, the last run CMT RDs come to mind. Also the three point bridge and the short scale harken back to what Gibson has done previously with custom shop or at least one-off Explorers. And then there is the volute though that would date the bass more eighties than nineties (that maple top is ZZ Top inspired which would date it around that time too).
If this has a serious chance of being real (there will be no certainty in any case), I will put a bid in.
Uwe
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It's a nice bass that looks well made.
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It's a nice bass, but I believe my associate Tony Babylon had this custom made using Gibson Parts by a great Luthier, but it's not a Gibson Nashville or Kalamazoo. Shh!!
Interesting. I hadn't heard of him but I found him here (http://www.myspace.com/smashfashion) on MySpace. No pics of this bass but here's a photo of him with another Gibson-logo custom:
(http://a198.ac-images.myspacecdn.com/images01/98/l_8ac1c5f126c33635b2d424df156c27f5.jpg)
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Guys,
this bass looks very strange indeed.
Take a look on how the neck is set in; I mean not centered like on a usual Explorer.
And, to be honest, who ever would order a custom shop Explorer with such a headstock.
I think only Warwick nuts would be happy with this.
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I suppose any skilled luthier could pull such a thing off. Nowadays almost anyone can make their own logo inlays at home if necessary. A workmate of mine built his own computer controlled engraving/routing machine.
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While it is a pretty bass and I LOVE Model Gs I doubt this is legit Gibson, it just looks wrong
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The headstock almost looks more Hamer than Gibson to my eyes.
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dunno doc, did this little comparison and was pleasently surprized:
if you need a password to enter it should be bassplayer
http://s170.photobucket.com/albums/u275/cathousemouse/explorer/
i thought the body was a bit "sideways" but thats not it and Gibson has had a few changes in head shapes. i realize that this is not a Gibson, but it's not that bad IMHO.
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hey Dave,did you invite that dude here? i would love too know more about that Jr.
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hey Dave,did you invite that dude here? i would love too know more about that Jr.
No I didn't, just looked up his name and found him in a band named Smash Fashion. I think he was playing a T-bird in another photo.
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"Dear Uwe,
Thank you for your email.
We found no records of this instrument and it is very difficult to say something about it. It does not appear to come out of regular Gibson production. It might be made of vintage Gibson parts, but this is not sure. It might have been made by Gibson for Entertainment and Artist relations purposes. Unfortunately we cannot tell you anything about the history of this bass. However, there is nothing about that looks like fake or copy.
If you have any further queries, please do not hesitate to contact us again or refer to our webpage at www.gibson.com
Kind regards,
Boris Franz
Customer Service
Gibson Europe
FREE NUMBER
00800-4GIBSON1
00800-44427661
www.gibson.com"
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I'm not surprised.
Are you going to pass?
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To tell the truth, I'm deliberating. I read their email as: "we cannot rule out that this is a one-off thing we did". Frankly, I was expecting a stronger distancing (as they have done in the past in other cases) from this product so even they seem to be in doubt ("However, there is nothing about that looks like fake or copy."). And that is how I see it, you can't rule it out. I'm currently racking my brains how to quantify the "not rule out aspect" in Dollars. :rolleyes: Like a very good fake Rembrandt this thing has some curio value.
By now it is established that Rembrandt's most famous painting ("The Man with the Golden Helmet") which has been attributed to him for centuries is more likely than not a fake one of his then associates did. But wouldn't you still like to have it in your living room?
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c7/Der_Mann_mit_dem_Goldhelm.jpg/445px-Der_Mann_mit_dem_Goldhelm.jpg)
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I think if I was in Uwe's position I'd probably go for it. Not for the BIN price, but I'd take a stab at it. It would look great along side the other explorer's that you have. It wouldn't be the worst thing to have a "fake" in the collection if it was a cool & unusual piece.
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I can't see paying the BIN but it does have the look of a custom instrument. And Gibson hasn't completely disavowed it so it may have been made with Gibson's knowledge.
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Maybe a Foreigny?
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Uwe is the notorious Gibson Kollekshöner who happens to be a completist too. An easy victim for malafide luthiers / forgers...
But on the other hand, Uwe; if you like it, and the price is right for you, why not?
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I'm not going anywhere near the BIN, that's for certain. The fact that it is another short scale one, intrigues me. I can't really think of a bass more unlikely for short scale than an Explorer, yet here we have Gibson producing them as short scales both in the fifties (the original ones), eighties (my replica) and now this in the nineties (which seems a little like the replica of the replica, it certainly has more to do with that than with the eighties regular line models which were only medium scale too).
I've bid now, let's see where this goes. Those two Model Gs should pretty much roar. I've always been on the lookout for a really nice Gibson fake that is lovingly done, at the very least it might qualify for that.
Uwe
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I am surprised Gibson did not distance themselves more, maybe it is legit. With those two model Gs that bass is going to ROAR ! If you have a rythem guitarist you may as well let him go ! The flame top and bound body with model Gs make it look more Hamer like than Gibson. Good luck Uwe.
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It's nice bass either way, and you do not have any basses with model G's that I know of?
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No, I don't. All I had was a Kramer with a Schaller pup at one time which to all intents and purposes was a Model G rip-off. It sounded middish as hell, but lacked sublows and oresence. I changed for EMGs :sad: and ended up with sublows and presence galore, but no mids at all!
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Congrat's on the new one. It will make a fine addition to your collection.
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Thanks, yes I did get it, my new Fakesplorer! I was running out of real Gibsons after all ...
Uwe
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I'm a bit jealous ;) look out for those Dimarzios !
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Congratulations, I think! Hopefully it's a good custom job.
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Our very own Marcus aka Marcnorth here was - unbeknownst to me - the second bidder on this and he sent me a very nice and gracious email last night (my time) which I hope he doesn't mind me showing here (in part) as it contains some further info on this bass:
"Hi Uwe,
I was your competition on this one. I think we were the only two who bid on it. I was off on a job today and just made it back with about 10 minutes left in the auction. When I got in and saw the bid I knew the bass was yours. I really think it's a cool bass and love a short scale Gibson but just wasn't sure I wanted to pay any more than that for it so I didn't put in another bid.
I had a conversation on the telephone a week or so ago with the guy that had this one built, I sold him a Hamer Jack Blades model bass 3 or 4 years ago and he always has something that was celebrity owned for sale. I think he's buddy's with Tom Peterson. He's tried to sell me a couple of different Thunderbird basses that Tom owned. I would have bought them but I don't like long scale basses.
The Explorer was built with parts from the Gibson West Coast Custom Shop which closed in 1993 and it was built by the guy who ran the shop. As for it being made in 1991, that might be questioned. The neck was stamped 1978 and the body was stamped from the 80's . The neck came from Kalamazoo without the wings on the headstock and that's why it's the shape it is.
I don't know for sure but I think it's from more like 2003 or 2004.
It's still a very cool one and I wish it was coming to my house instead of yours but that's how it goes sometimes.
Here's a link to the guy who I was told built it. He has some info about when he ran the custom shop on his site He has some pics of some pretty cool stuff, I really like the Les Paul Jr Bass.
http://www.giffinguitars.com/About%20Giffin%20Guitars.htm
Anyway, congratulations on the cool score, It's definitely a one of a kind for sure. And the coolest looking bass I've seen in a while. If you decide you want to sell it let me know.
Cheers,
Marcus"
Thanks for the congrats Marcus and for the benefit of your peace of mind: My final bid was 2,666 bucks, even with the current price, by the time it will be in Germany and I have paid duty and VAT on it, we'll be talking about something like 2,800. Also thanks for not driving it up that high! That said, had you been the first bidder and had I known that it was you, I wouldn't have bidded on this bass unless it had already been out of reach of your personal bidding ceiling/threshold. So, and this applies to all of you, if you are bidding on something that looks like it could be prey for ze kollekshün, send me an email and I'll hold off or we'll agree on some arrangement that has you bidding higher than your own limit with the option to turn over the bass (against reimbursement of your bid, of course, due to Dutch long memory just confiscating things has gone out of style here!) to me.
That Giffin Guitars site looks interesting and I remember seeing the pics of those custom Gibson LP Junior and doublecut basses on some prior incarnation of the Dudepit before. I think I'll write them to ask when this bass was produced.
Uwe
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Cool story.
Congratulations Uwe!
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Yikes Uwe, now you're an outlaw collector too! Will Gibson ever be able to trust you again? 8)
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Nice score Uwe. I like that bass a lot.
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Nice score Uwe. I like that bass a lot.
Me too!
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Congratulations Uwe! Nice bass!
But it means I haven't seen the whole Köllektiön now, so I have to visit you again;)
(BTW: I'm organising a festival at the moment, so I don't post that much. But to quote a neighbour (*) of Uwe: I'll be back.)
(*) Even a fellow countryman like 65 years ago.
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Roger Giffin! I should have put two and two together (with the Gibson West Coast CS reference). Among other things, he made clones of "Blackie" for Clapton, made guitars for Pete Townshend and IIRC collaborated with Ned Steinberger on the headless designs. He's originally from the UK.
If that was made by Giffin, you'll have yourself a fine bass.
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He made some stuff for David Gilmour too. I'm gonna have to check that site.
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Coolest looking bass I've seen in a long time. I forgot to add if you don't like the different colored pickups I have a set in the parts drawer that look just like them. One was stored in a display case and is slightly yellowed and the other was stored in a cabinet and looks new. But both are new unused pickups.
I've never used them because of the color difference.
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a great story & nice bass!
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This here has meanwhile arrived as well
(http://i6.ebayimg.com/01/i/001/08/74/44e2_12.JPG)
and like Dave said, Mr Giffin built a mighty fine bass. Whether is was ever a legitimate Gibson product, I have my doubts (one of the tuners has "Hamer" on it, though it is otherwise identical with the other three which read "Gibson", don't think they do that at Gibson Custom Shops, do they?) though things like the volute etc are typical of Gibson.
While I have yet to restring it with rounds (it features flats and while these sound good on it, I just don't think that an Explorer with flats is right!), I'm impressed by how the two close proximity Model Gs sound. The neck one full, but not unfocused, the bridge one barky, but with ample bass. Both of them together though cancels out too much of the mids for my taste and leaves you with an aquired taste scooped sound.
The neck. THAT neck. Think of earliest P Bass halved baseball bats. Supposedly this short scale neck is to have come from a 1978 Triumph, but my (earlier) Triumph has a much thinner neck and no volute. It is also made of maho, while this here seems to be maple from the look of it. A fat maple neck for a Triumph? ???
Body is allegedly from a mid-80ies regular Explorer which could be the case judging from the shape, but then it must be one of the early alder body ones, not the later maho bodies. And of course it features a stripey maple top.
Sound of the stubby necked one is surprisingly vintage and fat, great E string for a short scale. I'm expecting the Model Gs to come alive a bit more with fresh rounds.
Uwe
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Total fake. A nice fake, but the story is complete bullsh!t. When some people get something odd, they just spin the yarn.
I like Model Gs, but if I were to do two so close together, I would try to get them to look the same color/age.
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Are they truly model G's or are they Schallers ? The Schaller ones are tamer.
Uwe: I haven't dismantled them if that is what you mean! Auction said: "The bass features two DiMarzio Model G (out of production) humbucking bass pickups ...". I didn't even know that the Schallers came in cream too, I've only seen them in black/grey. I still have a Schaller lying around somewhere, might hold it against the other two to spot if there is a dif.
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My, what a bunch of trainspotters you are, the different color/aging of the two pups doesn't bother me one tiny bit. ;D (That cream color is ugly per se in my book, aged or not, however, to pay tribute to "Scott the Saw": they do sound great.) I have sixties TBirds with a mix of nickel and chrome too, one of them even has a nickel and a chrome pup.
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We already established that the seller's story was enhanced. Still, as Marcus said, it has some (but obviously not all) genuine Gibson components, including a Gibson neck. And it was built by a master builder who once ran Gibson's west coast CS.
I'm waiting for Uwe to get some rounds on there, so so he can "explore" its full potential.
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Congrats with that awesome looking bass Uwe.
My take is that this is a modified Hamer Standard bass possibly re-necked with a neck of a Hamer Sunburst bass which was then modified to carry a Gibson Logo.
(http://www.activebass.com/images/products/Hamer_Slammer-SB4_l.jpg)
A recent Hamer Slammer Sunburst bass, the headstock looks almost identical to the one on your bass.
As for the pickups, Hamer used Dimarzio pickups exclusively and my guess is that it originally was a Quad pickup bass. As for the sound of the pickups together, I guess they must be wired out of phase.
(http://www.celebrityrockstarguitars.com/images/quadburst.jpg)
A Hamer Sunburst Quad bass, the pickup spacing says everything here. If your bass is a re-topped and re-necked Hamer Quad bass then that would explain the large backcavity of your bass (A volume and a tone pot don't need THAT much space do they?) and why the pickups are placed so close together.
(http://www.thewho.net/whotabs/images/equipment/bass/jae-hamerquad12string_th.jpg)
John Entwistle's Hamer Standard 12 string Quad bass, the many pots are a good indication why the control cavity of your bass is so large.
So my take on this bass is that you have a modified Hamer Standard Quad bass, re-necked and re-topped.
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So my take on this bass is that you have a modified Hamer Standard Quad bass, re-necked and re-topped.
It's not a modified Hamer. It has a Gibson neck and body. See this post (http://bassoutpost.com/index.php?topic=1131.msg14748#msg14748) from earlier in the thread.
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It's not a modified Hamer. It has a Gibson neck and body. See this post (http://bassoutpost.com/index.php?topic=1131.msg14748#msg14748) from earlier in the thread.
I said that it was my take on this bass, just what I think it is. I could be wrong but the the two pickups being so close together as they would be on a Hamer Quad is a little too coincidental wouldn't you agree?
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I said that it was my take on this bass, just what I think it is. I could be wrong but the the two pickups being so close together as they would be on a Hamer Quad is a little too coincidental wouldn't you agree?
I agree about the Hamer influence, but we know enough about the bass to know it's not made from Hamer parts.
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I think Blazer definitely has a point! More than one actually. If his post was a legal brief, I'd tell my client: "Looks like they caught us, we better settle!" ;D ;D When I first saw that bass, my immediate reaction was to be reminded of Martin Turner's Explorer bass built by Hamer in the seventies (albeit with sixties TBird pups and long scale).
(http://www.wishboneash.co.uk/personnel/images/_MG_6075.jpg)
And Hamer started out as a Gibson customizer after all. That solitary Hamer tuner might be a telltale giveaway and not just a coincidence. (Or a tongue in cheek nod of the luthier to the true origins of this "Gibson" - I kinda like that idea, a Da Vinci Code bass!!!). And the headstock cries Hamer too (it's actually beginning to grow on me visually and also has the huge advantage that this bass fits into a Gibson Explorer GUITAR case comfortably and snugly).
The outsize cavity speaks hugely for Blazer's theory. What's more: The cavity of a Gibson Explorer body which this is supposed to be is oval not trapezoid! When I opened it yesterday (not yet having read Blazer's thread) I thought to myself:"My, what a huge cavity for just two pots!"
Closer visual (the walnut fin is not quite opaque, but almost) and aural (the bass sounds dark, phat and warm even with the Pyramid rounds I strung it with yesterday) inspection has, however, revealed that both body and neck are mahogany after all, so the only remaining questions are:
- Did Hamer do short scale maho necks with large volutes that were baseball bat fat?
- Did those necks feature the typical Gibson truss rod nut like this one does?
Whatever. But certainly the body reeks of Hamer. So there we have it. My first Hamer. It was about time!
I have no regrets. Just like women, a little mystery surrounding a bass makes it attractive. In a way it is the souped up and boutiquized replica of the "Owned by Car Salesman" (when those still existed, remember?) Explorer bass replica I own of the original few fifties Explorers (three in all) Gibson made. The bass sounds surprisingly vintage dark and warm, not at all the angry piano ring you might expect from the looks. Mild treble and mids are there, but the overall sound is more that of a low-frequencies-emphasized "soft cushion" without being muffled or without attack and contour though.
Uwe
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"I have no regrets. Just like women,"
Herr Moderator, is there something you're not telling us? ;)
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I meant a little mystery, Mark, ok?! ;D
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I understood from Marcus' email that it has a Gibson neck and body. Does the neck not have a Gibson serial number stamped on it? Isn't there a body date stamp? And why not contact Roger Giffin about it, anyway?
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Duh, I haven't looked for a neck stamp, but I don't think there is one. Never heard of body date stamps with Gibson, where are those supposed to be?
And I understood Marcus' email to just refer to what info he had been provided with by the seller.
I think Blazer's analysis pretty much nailed it - he did a better job than Gibson with it! :mrgreen:
I contacted Roger Giffin on this bass a while ago - he never replied though I made it clear that I wasn't expecting information for this to be a legitimate Gibson and not going after "culprits".
The more I think about it the more I feel that that telltale Hamer tuner might be the revenge of a skilled luthier for at customer's request having to put a Gibson logo on that bass. :mrgreen: :mrgreen: :mrgreen:
Who said Hamers are shamers?
Uwe
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Hamers are usually pretty nice. Even the import things. When they have a Gibson inlay and serial number impressed on the back they are maybe even nicer.
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http://uk.geocities.com/largeat/bass.html
This site gives a lot of information about Vintage Hamer Basses, they also state that the Hamer Quad basses were short scale.
However my search has also revealed that while Hamer Twelve string Standard and Blitz (also explorer shaped but without body and neck binding) are fairly common, explorer shaped Hamers with the Quad pickup set up are rarer as rocking horse droppings, the only one I found any information about was the one owned by Entwistle, he apparently sold it in the mid eighties and it hasn't been seen since.
http://www.celebrityrockstarguitars.com/rock/neilson.htm
This site shows more about the Hamer Quad bass and the explorer shaped one owned by Entwistle. It's a shame that this bass doesn't have the original neck because there is a possibility that you have an actual Entwistle owned bass.
I just wish there was a way to make sure of it though, is there a serial number somewhere in the cavities?
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Hold on, I think I hit paydirt here.
http://www.12stringbass.net/EntwistlesQuad.htm
Finally some decent information and big clear pictures. If this site has it's numbers in order then it must mean that there's only two Explorer shaped Quad basses in existence and one of them was owned by Entwistle.
It doesn't say if Entwistle's Quad bass was long scale or short scale but with your basses having been re-topped and re-necked it's impossible to say what kind of scale it originally had, the only way to find out would be to take the top off and look for marks of a bridge at a different location and that would mean taking this possibly historic instrument apart.
Whether it's your bass I can't say but it's still pretty exciting. I say that you should contact Jol Dantzig about this.
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Very cool, sir. How's the weight?
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Finally some decent information and big clear pictures. If this site has it's numbers in order then it must mean that there's only two Explorer shaped Quad basses in existence and one of them was owned by Entwistle.
It doesn't say if Entwistle's Quad bass was long scale or short scale but with your basses having been re-topped and re-necked it's impossible to say what kind of scale it originally had, the only way to find out would be to take the top off and look for marks of a bridge at a different location and that would mean taking this possibly historic instrument apart.
I'd be more inclined to say that the body was a rough leftover from Quad production than that it used to be a fully completed one. Quads had that big cannon jack and a lot of meat cut out of the back for all of those electronics:
(http://www.celebrityrockstarguitars.com/images/CTQuad7_small1.jpg)
That would be kind of hard to hide in a refin/retop/reneck/whatever.
On the other hand, I could see a body that had only the pickup routs cut (being that there are very few reasons to place two of the same pickup right next to each other in the middle position) sitting in the corner after Quad production was shelved then getting dug up by someone years later and finished with a current production 4-string neck.
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I'd be more inclined to say that the body was a rough leftover from Quad production than that it used to be a fully completed one. Quads had that big cannon jack and a lot of meat cut out of the back for all of those electronics:
(http://www.celebrityrockstarguitars.com/images/CTQuad7_small1.jpg)
That would be kind of hard to hide in a refin/retop/reneck/whatever.
Yeah that's true on the Les Paul Junior shaped Quad basses but where are all of those knobs and switches on the Explorer shaped ones?
(http://www.12stringbass.net/quad40x.jpg)
On the other hand, I could see a body that had only the pickup routs cut (being that there are very few reasons to place two of the same pickup right next to each other in the middle position) sitting in the corner after Quad production was shelved then getting dug up by someone years later and finished with a current production 4-string neck.
According to what Jol Dantzig said on 12stringbass.net, the Quads were a bitch to make so there's not really much chance that they had surplus Explorer shaped Quad bodies lying around.
But the only one who knows for sure is Jol dantzig himself. I'll send him an email about this.
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Is there or is there not a Gibson serial number on the back of the headstock?
The bass was allegedly made by the former head of Gibson's former California CS, a man who would have access to Gibson components. And Gibson did send out components -- I've seen first hand evidence of it. Hamer never sent out components, and the the alleged time frame for this bass being made was many years after Jol Dantzig and Paul Hamer were doing work on Gibsons. So if there's a typical Gibson serial number stamping, I see no reason to think these are Hamer parts.
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Well I sent Jol Dantzig an email with a link to this thread asking him on his opinion.
The man himself will (Hopefully) cast his eye on this and will hold the answers we seek.
And aside from that, isn't this EXCITING? :mrgreen:
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He's usually responsive, from what I've heard. Maybe we'll find something out. No doubt it looks like a custom Hamer.
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Is there or is there not a Gibson serial number on the back of the headstock?
The bass was allegedly made by the former head of Gibson's former California CS, a man who would have access to Gibson components. And Gibson did send out components -- I've seen first hand evidence of it. Hamer never sent out components, and the the alleged time frame for this bass being made was many years after Jol Dantzig and Paul Hamer were doing work on Gibsons. So if there's a typical Gibson serial number stamping, I see no reason to think these are Hamer parts.
No stamp on the headstock, just the Custom Shop Decal (though I attribute little or no value to this as regards Gibson origin):
(http://i10.ebayimg.com/03/i/001/08/74/425e_12.JPG)
And, credit where credit's due, the seller pointed that out in the auction:
"The bass also features cream binding and beautiful bookmatched triple grade real flame maple top, a two piece mahagony body, mahagony neck with rosewood board, and is very light (approx 7.5lbs.). The bass has a custom shop decal, but no serial number. Obtained from the original owner who had it built in the early nineties."
BTW, this thread is interesting. Collective wisdom at work. Will Hamer now sue Gibson? How many more days before this thread is moved to the leper colony that is "Other Bass Brands" here? :sad: :sad: :sad:
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Don't forget that Fender bought Kaman's music division (including Hamer and Ovation) late last year. This could be all-out economic warfare, and it would be all your fault. ;D
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It's a Fender then! :rolleyes:
Adding insult to injury ... :sad:
I must act ...
(http://www.filmbuffonline.com/uploaded_images/RosemarysBaby-799276.jpg)
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Cool thread! I played a 8 string Hamer, short scale LP Jr. style years ago at a music store. Neck was FAT! The Quad basses were always a mystery to me until the internet came along. I remember seeing the first one pictured on one of the first two Cheap Trick record sleeves. Some info http://www.celebrityrockstarguitars.com/rock/neilson.htm (http://www.celebrityrockstarguitars.com/rock/neilson.htm). Hamer tends to use the same triangular control cavity back plate on everything, which Uwe's bass does NOT have. ???
Whatever that bass is, it's cool!
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I might start a Hamer kölleckshün wizz it, ja?
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If you intend to start collecting them, it might help to have a verifiable Hamer first. :P
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If you intend to start collecting them, it might help to have a verifiable Hamer first. :P
LOL! I had a Cruise bass (original style) back in the 80's. Nice bass I guess. I yanked the frets out. Just could not get a good tone out of the thing. I tried some Superwound taper core strings and that helped a little. Put some EMGs on there, and still... bleh.... Eventually sold it.
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If it's good enough for Nick Lowe, it's good enough for Uwe. And You.
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Hamer's are really nice!
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Well I got a reply from Jol Dantzig after he took a good look at the thread and here's his conclusion.
Wouter,
At first glance, I thought that this bass might be a Hamer, but there are some telltales that make me quite sure that's not the case. The body shape is not correct for Hamer, and the control cavities are unlike the ones used on our Standard model (explorer) bass. The toggle position is incorrect for a Hamer as well.
Without examining it in person I would conclude it's not Hamer-based construction.
Jol
So even the expert is not sure about it.
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i think it looks like a nice bass and i'm glad you got it Uwe. the fact it fits an Explorer case is all the more reason to like it. how does it sound and could you post a few clips?
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So even the expert is not sure about it.
He seems pretty sure it's not a Hamer.
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So its neither a Gibson nor a Hamer? Perhaps my third Dean?!!
!
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Are you convinced it isn't made with Gibson parts?
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I love speculation. ;D
If it would have been a Hamer I would have bought it no questions asked. That's my personal favorite when it comes to basses. The short scales are good but the medium scales are their best.(IMO)
I had the oppurtunity to buy the bass before it went on eBay. The bass was made with a leftover Gibson body from the Custom Shop and a Gibson neck that was bought on ebay from Kalamazoo, Mi. I was bidding on the neck myself and backed off to let it go to the person who had the bass built. The pickups came off of eBay also, I was bidding on those as well. They came from the UK, seems the guy had a bunch of them. I wound up with 3 of them also.
The bass was made to look like a Hamer. The previous owner has been a Hamer player for many years and I know for a fact that he had the first B4S (short scale 4 string) made when Hamer started offering them up again in "01" or "02" which ever it was. I ordered the first B4M around the same time. I just got a short scale 8 string Hamer a month or so that was his at one time.
The headstock is cut Like a Hamer and the pickup routes are cut like a 4 digit bass from the 70's to early 80's. There were about 750 custom instruments that were made from the start of the company in the 70's up through the early 80's that carry a stamped 4 digit serial number. Martin Turners Hamer is serial #0001 and everything on his bass is from a Gibson Thunderbird.
The regular production guitars had an inked serial number, I think this started in 1979 and only the customs were stamped. All models are stamped with the number and USA on the headstock now. I believe this started in the early 90's.
I have 4 custom ordered Hamers since 2002 myself. Three of the B4M's and the 8 string VBass. I also have the 8 string double cut.. I have also owned at least 20 other different Hamers over the years too.
If you want to see the date stamp on the Explorer you'll have to take the neck off of it because the date is stamped on the bottom of the dovetail and in the neck pocket. It's a cool bass, I would love to have it. Even if no one will admit they built it I honestly believe a certain person did and they did a fine job on it.
I also believe the story I was told regarding the bass. I know the person and know he's not telling me a bunch of BS.
Speculation is still cool though. ;D
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A bass made of Gibson parts to emulate a Hamer? The mind boggles; certainly an interesting concept. I'll play it tonight for the first time at a rehearsal.
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Marcus, thanks for spelling it out. This is probably as much info as we can get. Even if it confuses Uwe. ;D
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A bass made of Gibson parts to emulate a Hamer? The mind boggles; certainly an interesting concept. I'll play it tonight for the first time at a rehearsal.
Let's complete that thought...
A bass made of Gibson parts to emulate a Hamer emulating a Gibson! ;D