The Last Bass Outpost

This is just part 1  - dealing with the 20/20 controls. Part 2 (to follow) demonstrates the AWESOME Lab L2 midrange frequency control.

I've been in the valve = good, SS = lame camp for years, but that is changing. The Lab series amps are incredible, and usually very affordable. Controls (like all late 70s Gibson stuff) need to be mastered in order to get the best, but these are INCREDIBLE amps.

My third 20/20 video (also to follow) demos it through a valve amp - a Marshall 2061X 20w lead/bass reissue. Again incredible amp!

well, we'll never know....

Here's an example of the Epiphone Newport that I restored a while ago.
The logo was beyond repair and I just bought a brandnew waterslide Epiphone logo.
Can you tell the difference?

No it's a good job. I can tell that is not 50 years old though...

But they don't have any ferrules... Did Gibson ever do that? Or anyone?

true - is there space for them? could they be just missing. Hard to say from the pics. The earlier (Ripper etc) open gear tuners had a narrower post hole than the later BM - if drilled for the former yet fitted with the latter there would be no room for ferrules. Obviously this could have been done by anyone at any point.

six string basses in guitar tuning (which had all been short scale) had gone long out of style back then, there was just no market for them

yes, true...

the pickguard cutout could be rationalised away for a prototype, but not the string spacing/bridge misalignment).

I am certainly not convinced by the bridge either!

Plenty of those 70s set neck blanks have been available over the last couple of decades.  Someone could have picked up one of those and built a bass around it

also true, I have a couple-  but none had a finished headstock with silk screened logo (not something easy to do yourself), plus this has a scarf joint joining the headstock to the neck - something only seen at that time on Grabbers / G3s - this fact makes the neck the most interesting feature.

I'd like to know width at neck, and headstock length. This would rule out (or not) a four string conversion.

thanks.. yeah maybe... stuff kept in a case for 50 years can look pretty good still though. I have an untouched L6S that looks similar

I am not asserting any strong opinion on this, just that:
1) the first RD was bolt on... nobody has seen that in recent years (perhaps Bob moog has it)
2) that headstock looks too good for a fake - if it is longer than a normal headstock where did it come from? No evidence of other tuning keys, and the ones fitted are right

My biggest doubt is the bridge  - but then Gibson didn't have a six string bass bridge, so who knows what they would use if they were considering making one.

clearly work has been done with parts changed. Would love to see under the scratchplate, and in the control cavity - maybe the neck is legit and the body is a repro? Maybe body is good too?
The '76 pots sound right - doubt they came from the G3 that the pups came from because the shaft would be too short. Be very interested in more pics.

Glad to be back!