One of the coolest T-birds ever...

Blazer · June 18, 2009, 08:34:59 AM

I found this picture on Talkbass.

Overend Watts' (Mott The Hoople's bassist with the coolest stage name) old Tbird from the 60s-70s videos....and that's NOT a Gibson Custom Shop "relic" job

uwe · June 18, 2009, 08:43:24 AM

High time for a refin!

Chris P. · June 18, 2009, 08:51:14 AM

I love damaged basses, I love one pick up Birds and I love that colour! Wow!

Dave W · June 18, 2009, 09:26:32 AM

No thanks. Abuse is still abuse. Even if someone famous did it.

shadowcastaz · June 18, 2009, 09:28:51 AM

Id bet that was frozen & heated a few times! It aint normal or right.

gweimer · June 18, 2009, 09:39:46 AM

If memory serves correct, Overend gave Martin Turner a Thunderbird, and the rest is history. If you look at any early Wishbone Ash photos, he's playing a Fender.

Saf · June 18, 2009, 09:45:39 AM

great bass, love this very distressed look.

Dave W · June 18, 2009, 09:51:13 AM

It's not just a distressed look. The bass has obviously suffered severe abuse.

Amazing to me that anyone would think this is cool in any way.

Basvarken · June 18, 2009, 10:01:09 AM

It reminds me of one of those Magnum ice creams.
The one with white chocolate. Yummie...

Dave W · June 18, 2009, 10:06:43 AM

I never understood white chocolate either.

Let's see, tastes like vanilla, looks like vanilla, but I'm supposed to believe it's chocolate.

OldManC · June 18, 2009, 10:10:56 AM

Quote from: Dave W on June 18, 2009, 09:51:13 AM
It's not just a distressed look. The bass has obviously suffered severe abuse.

Amazing to me that anyone would think this is cool in any way.

Gotta say I'm with Dave on this one. I hate to see an abused guitar. Normal wear and 'mojo' gotten honestly or accidentally are fine, but that bass just looks sad to me.

exiledarchangel · June 18, 2009, 10:20:43 AM

Quote from: Dave W on June 18, 2009, 10:06:43 AM
I never understood white chocolate either. Let's see, tastes like vanilla, looks like vanilla, but I'm supposed to believe it's chocolate.

I'm with you Dave on that. DEATH TO FALSE CHOCOLATE!!!

Chris P. · June 18, 2009, 10:22:20 AM

Is white chocolate a German invention?

uwe · June 18, 2009, 10:29:41 AM

Hold on guys. The only damage I see is the ruined fin which indeed speaks for severe temperature and moisture changes (I don't think that ole Overend took his basses out of the truck every night on those long US winter tours with Mott, he had half a dozen of those white ones.) But other than that, it looks structurally alright and all hardware is original. Am I missing something?

The Bird bequeathed by Watts to Martin Turner had a broken headstock (which Turner had repaired and you can still see the repair to this day), this is a different specimen, as I said, Herr Watts had several of them and broke a few (I hasten to add: by accident), famously once to then proceed to sing his bass part over his microphone! Talk about service beyond the call of duty!

Barklessdog · June 18, 2009, 10:40:01 AM

Cool bass, not a fan of white chocolate or vanilla fudge.

One of the coolest T-birds ever...

Blazer