Brokeback Epi Embassy

[uwe]

The carbon rods are underneath the maple. Mathias (the luthier) would have preferred to just use just maple and as much of the original mahogany as possible, but in this case he thought the neck would need all the strength it can get because even the initial, badly repaired break was extremely ugly with wood splinters  having been glued together in desperation. He shaved all that off - there is only just a thin slice of mahogany remaining where the maple and carbon was added.

Mathias first repaired a neck-broken bass for me more than 20 years ago. That repair was one of his early ones and not exactly pretty or inconspicious, but it lasts to this day. Since then his woodworking skills have improved in leaps and bounds and all his newer repair work is just as lasting and also invisible from the outside.

I still owe you guys a pic - haven't forgotten it, just have to lend a camera here in the office!

Uwe

[Barklessdog]

So did he just match the paint?

It was metallic charcoal?

Metallics can be pretty hard to match.

[uwe]

By public demand as it looks now:






Yup, he just matched the metallic charcoal. Already in its previous state (with the bad repair) the fin had been matched (badly and non-sparkling) as the bass' headstock obviously broke after it had been refinned.

[Barklessdog]

He will have to be sainted as he has worked many a mircle. Amazing match

[gweimer]

Very nice!  And if a Johnny Cash tribute band comes along, you're all set.   

[uwe]

I think I remember that Embassy.  What did they end up charging for it?

It was 1,925 Dollars including shipping to Germany at the time. I thought that was ok, they were frank in the description that the neck repair was no cosmetic miracle and it did after all hold up two and a half years so ...

My luthier charged me 300 bucks for the repair, I gave him 375, I think he undercharges! Horrible businessman the guy, but gifted woodworker.

[Dave W]

Excellent work.

As the dollar slides further toward peso status, you should be able to pick up more bargains that would be high priced to Americans.

[kylierider]

Very nice!  And if a Johnny Cash tribute band comes along, you're all set.   

Hell yeah!!!..Thats what I need. I'm in a Johnny Cash band. If I could have one Gibby that would be the type of bass I would want. For now I just have to keep playing my un-politicially correct 78P.

[uwe]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the JC bass player play a mudbucked short scale Newport as opposed to a twin pupped long scale Embassy?

Of course, just by looking at the headstock you guys could not see whether mine was a Newport or an Embassy. It is the latter, my Newport is seafoam green (original fin) and sans any neck break. The Newport neck is quite a bit stubbier and the batwing headstock on it not as long by about half an inch.

Uwe

[kylierider]

I think it was an Embassy, but I'm no Gibson historian by any means. I'll try to find pictures but I know it had a mudbucked pickup neck position and I think a smaller pickup by the bridge.

[uwe]

It was a Newport alright, you can see it here in the upper lefthand corner at 1.48/1.49:




When they made the movie it was a nice touch how the bassist/actor there also played a Newport they had dug up.

Uwe

[chromium]

If you have a tribute band, it'd be fun to get an old project bass and refin it black like that.  You can usually find Newports for around the same price range as EB-0s - which is a lot less than an Embassy these days!!

Very nice job on that break-fix!

[kylierider]

More pics. Which one is this?

[gweimer]

I'm pretty sure it was an Embassy.  It's in the footage from the Folsom Prison gig, and that was recreated pretty accurately for Walk The Line.

The album cover has the unmistakeable headstock:


and...Here we have it.  Looks like a Newport, after all.

[kylierider]

Thanks for clearing that up...So I guess that Gibson made a one or two pickup version? The one in the Cash pic has two pickups and this one has only one.