Post a pic of your axe



ReaL Madras said:
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I'm not sure how to express what just happened but there is a story to this and you'll have to bear with me whilst I explain.

A couple of years ago I tried to buy a Gibson Double Cut Les Paul off a guy and I'd asked for some additional photographs from him. Anyhow, he was overseas so he got his wife to text me the photographs locally here in Kuwait. His wife told me on the texts that she wanted rid of the guitars from the house. Anyway, he was trying to rip somebody off as the guitar had had it's electrics completely ripped out and the pickups etc were replaced with very very cheap (I'm talking the cheapest crap that you can buy). He was wanting top dollar for the guitar and I backed out gracefully.

His wife kept sending me messages saying that make her an offer for the guitar and she would persuade him. I declined as I thought that it was all a bit odd.

Anyway, I live in Kuwait and guitars albeit are popular, the choices are limited with high end guitars often changing hands amongst the expat community for inflated prices as they are not readily available here. As you probably know I've got a collection of about 40 guitars including only one bass.

Roll forward a couple of years and I have received the odd random message from this woman stating that her husband is still going to sell his guitars. Now it turns out that this couple are a friend of a friend and they know that I have a significant collection.

At about 11-00pm on last Wednesday night, my phone rings and it is that woman. Now she has never rang me before, just occasional messages, anyway, I was on my way to bed so I thought that I would message her to say that I'm in bed and what was she after as I didn't want to wake my family.

It turns out that her husband had left her earlier in the month and has buggered off leaving her penniless and she wanted to sell his guitars. She said that she didn't have a clue what they were but she wanted rid of them immediately and would take any offer for them, if I knew anyone who wanted them.

I was a little wary as scorned women / men can do some batshit crazy stuff when ditched and messing with someones guitars is a bit mindblowing.

I spoke to her and said "look send me some photos, I'm not looking to buy anything at the moment but I'll tell you what they are worth and what you should look for for them."

I was then taken aback, the first photo to arrive was this one:

http://s589.photobucket.com/user/ReaL_Madras/media/67107B7C-9924-4D1B-8D0E-7E379D9E916C.jpg.html

Now that photo got my attention, as they looked like a Fender 51 Precision Bass, a Fender Deluxe Precision Bass and Fender Jazz Bass. Now I was sucked in.

She sent me numerous photos and got some of them mixed up. I was immediately drawn to the Jazz Bass . It turns out that those photos were a mixture of the Jazz and another Precision Bass that she hadn't actually sent a photo of yet.

The photographs showed a neckplate with a 1969 serial number on it, soI informed her that I thought that that Jazz Bass was potentially a 1969 Fender Jazz Bass and it could be worth anywhere between $2,500 and $5,500 dependent on condition etc. I was basing this on the limited photos supplied some of which were in fact a different guitar altogether.

I said to her that I didn't want to build up any false hopes as they would really need to be viewed and if I thought that they or any one guitar was so valuable I would tell her and let her decide what she wanted to do with them. I also offered to help her as she really didn't have a clue, all she could think was that she wanted rid of them immediately.

After loads and loads of mixed up messages and confusion, I thought about the guitars over the weekend and I decided to make her an offer for the Fender Deluxe Precision Bass as I had established that this one was new, I had serial numbers, details, case etc. I thought that I'll stay away from what I thought would be potentially higher cost ones and just help by giving some advice when I had actually seen the guitars.

I agreed a pretty low price for the above Bass but I told her it is worth much more if you try to sell it but it may take a while to shift in Kuwait. I wasn't really looking to buy it became an impulse thing. She said " thank you for helping and being honest with the numbers, so come on over and see them."

I noticed that she had advertised all the guitars locally looking for offers.....any offers. These were going to sell and she was just going to offload them cheaply.

I arranged to go and see the guitars on Sunday but then it turned out that she was ill so I went yesterday instead.


When I got there there were 5 basses. She said to me "I want rid of them, I've had a few offers but if you give me 350kd ($1,150) you can have the three above plus the one that had the 69 Serial number neckplate which wasn't on the original photo and I thought was on the Jazz! Confused? I was. She said that she had sold one other already.

I said look without taking these guitars apart I don't really know whether they are of high value, partscasters, fakes or whatever. She said "Please just take them, I want rid of them and I know if they are of a very high value you aren't going to buy them, so if you take them and they are crazy high just let me know but I won't ask for them back or the money. I'm pissed off with my husband who has left me in the lurch and left the country. I don't even know what country he is in. He just has had his entry into Kuwait refused and done a bunk. He told me that we were over and for to sell his car and guitars. Since initial contact I cannot even track him down and I just want rid of them and the 350kd will help immediately."

So I came home with these four basses.

I have taken them apart and had a look and they are as follows:

Now starting at the back that is a copy of a Fender Precision Bass 51. What beautiful bass. It is a partscaster made up of the following:
1) slab body from Guitarbuild.co.uk
2) the neck is a licensed Fender neck from Allparts
3) The Tuners are Schallers
4) The bridge is a Badass III

Next in line is the straight forward one, it is Fender Amber Deluxe Precision Bass.

After that the fun starts. That is a Fender Precision Bass that has been through lots of battles. The front of the headstock was covered in what appeared to be a brown creosote type covering. You could still see the decal but I've got the crap off the face now. The decal was obviously not new as I scrubbed the shit off and it is down below the original covering. The guitar has the vintage Fender Bass tuners.

I don't really know it's origin or much more but it is battered, bruised and beautiful all at the same time. There is a 1969 serial number on the neck plate but there ( I thought that this was in the Jazz on her previous photos) very little in the way of other markings and no dates on the neck. I have taken photos of all the parts. It appears to have been a sunburst originally as there are some black and red patches. It also appears to be one piece of wood.

Then we get to the Jazz Bass which was the one that caught my eye initially:

1) It has no markings on the tuners
2) The neck has binding and block inlays. It has some markings on the neck heel which I don't know if they have any significance.
3) It has Fender Custom Shop pickups
it has a Badass Bass II Bridge
5) it has brass plates underneath the pickups
6) the pots / electrics are connected primarily by cloth covered wiring

To add to the confusion there was bag also with some old pots.

I feel a bit odd and have mixed emotions as I have got these for absolutely no cost whatsover (The Deluxe alone is worth what I paid for all four), but then I thought she was going to do it anyway regardless if it was me or someone else.

@JAZZMANB any thoughts?







To add to the above, I also got this in a trade last week........

http://s589.photobucket.com/user/ReaL_Madras/media/FF53DDBD-2B44-4192-9EB1-743FF3B8AA60.jpg.html
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Bloody hell fire man.....talk about result ?!?
:eek: Have you had them valued yet?
 
Buzzcock said:
Go and see Shaun at Riff raft guitars next to the Burton house . He's always got some decent acoustics in .
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Recommend this shop as well, bought my last guitar from him very helpful and not pushy at all he puts some guitars on his Facebook page riff raff guitars.
 
Lukas73 said:
Bloody hell fire man.....talk about result ?!?
:eek: Have you had them valued yet?
Click to expand...

No, not valued I'm a little uncertain about the authenticity of the Precision and the Jazz Basses as they are almost certainly high quality partscasters but the necks don't have the distinguishing date prints on the heel which would give some sort of support towards the ages. All the same they are all beautiful and the the Fender Precision Bass Deluxe alone is worth more than I paid for all four, that is without the fact that I got the majority of the parts for the fifth partscaster bass thrown in as well.

chriswallace85 said:
Last time I was in there about a couple of months ago I tried one of these...

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Weird as fuck. :lol:
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Ahh the old fanned frets.......
 
ReaL Madras said:
No, not valued I'm a little uncertain about the authenticity of the Precision and the Jazz Basses as they are almost certainly high quality partscasters but the necks don't have the distinguishing date prints on the heel which would give some sort of support towards the ages. All the same they are all beautiful and the the Fender Precision Bass Deluxe alone is worth more than I paid for all four, that is without the fact that I got the majority of the parts for the fifth partscaster bass thrown in as well.




Ahh the old fanned frets.......
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Could be sat on a gold mine.....
Good luck to you sir :cool:
 
Thurston said:
I'm sure posts on here as @riffraff unless it's just a coincidence. Cracking bloke.
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Cracking bloke? Definitely not me then.

chriswallace85 said:
Naaa don't think it's the same fella at all. Not unless I'm very very mistaken.
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I bought a ukulele about 12yrs back after I inherited my grandads George Formby cd if that's any help.

Tex said:
Nah @riffraff is London based. He'd have the shirt off your back!;)
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But not the red leather jacket. Definitely not the red leather jacket.
 
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Philcore said:
Any one the best place to sell a Epiphone T-bird gothic bass and a 15w marshall bass amp? Only used once both in there originl boxes.. i've had them on shpock but the only offer ive had was £80 for the bass, i turned it down..
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North east bass bin (facebook page) as long as you're local




Steve James in boro looks like a great shop,has a bar and bait shop on site.
 
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