Holy Crap...! never knew one existed...?

Highlander · March 16, 2014, 02:46:59 PM

Dave W · March 16, 2014, 03:57:40 PM

These are new ones, the Japanese reissues made with the family's authorization. If they were Tony Zemaitis originals, they'd be at least 4x the price.

ilan · March 16, 2014, 04:58:56 PM

The P and J pickups look so out of place there.

gweimer · March 16, 2014, 05:10:38 PM

I got to play one of the originals. It was cheap - only $13K. It might have been this one, but I couldn't say for sure. There were some P pickups in the originals. I think Ronnie Lane's had a pair of single coil early Precisions in it.

gweimer · March 16, 2014, 05:13:59 PM

Holy Crap indeed! Sorry, but there is no way this bass is worth $85K.

http://www.maverick-music.com/zemaitis-guitars/1976-zemaitis-custom-deluxe-metal-front-bass-john-waitethe-babys

Maverick Music is the place to go if you're looking for a Zemaitis.

66Atlas · March 17, 2014, 05:26:20 AM

And there's the cheaper Greco version. I got to try one years ago, it wasnt bad but couldnt really justify the price. Nice looking tough.

This Isnt exactly like the one I tried but similar.

http://www.gbase.com/gear/zemaitis-gzb-300bk-2004-black

Rob · March 17, 2014, 07:31:58 PM

I thought that I'd read that Waite bass had been stolen and was MIA for a decade or two.

gearHed289 · March 19, 2014, 09:46:07 AM

That would be this one. Very cool, but that toggle switch would have to go!

http://www.zemaitis.com/stolen_zemaitis_guitars.htm

Highlander · October 17, 2017, 05:12:52 PM

Yes, I know it's a zombie, but...

www.youtube.com/watch?v=s-c8X52Qg4o

www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OrGau8jKpU

uwe · October 17, 2017, 05:19:20 PM

I never knew John Waite was the bassist of The Babys!

I had him tucked away as lead singer only with some rhythm guitar playing.

Highlander · October 17, 2017, 05:20:29 PM

Original line up and first LP, iirc...

gearHed289 · October 18, 2017, 08:28:09 AM

He played bass on the first two, then for Head First he went to the front man position with Ricky Philips (now with Styx) on bass, and J Cain (Journey) came in on keys.

uwe · October 18, 2017, 11:23:22 AM

I must have been missing that ...

Am I the only one who thinks that if Don Henley ever left the Eagles again in one of his usual self-righteous fits, that they could parachute John W right in - both vocally and visually? No one would notice the difference and he'd make loads of money.

Highlander · October 18, 2017, 12:32:00 PM

Dead man's shoes...

I'm wondering how many mainstream bands that have fully replaced there crew...? I can think of several... $:-\$

Alanko · October 18, 2017, 02:56:56 PM

Ronnie Lane had a Zemaitis back in the day. He got it once the Small Faces were done. I wonder if this is down to the increased income he undoubtedly received once 'The Faces' were out from under the thumb of Don Arden, who basically kept them on schoolboy paper-round wages throughout their career?

my favorite Zemaitis player (everybody has one, right?) is Pete Cruickshank of The Groundhogs.

You can just about see it here:

Quite an interesting band, who fused a fairly authentic delta blues with a weird mix of Cold War-era paranoia and spacey fuzz. I'm trying to get into their DIY-recorded album 'Solid' at the moment, and it is very dense and experimental. I've seen a parallel made between the Groundhogs and Gang Of Four, which I think is fair enough, really.

Anyway, I'm also slowly trying to piece together a bootleg called 'Solid Live' which pulls together everything the Groundhogs recorded for the BBC in 1974. Unlike the actual 'Solid' album, the bass is quite pronounced and distinct on the BBC recording. Pete Cruikshank is using his Zemaitis bass and it has a really broad, twangy and punchy tone. Quite a modern tone for 1974, with a good balance and growl.

You can hear it here: