Not exactly Taylor Swift!!

 Hi to the thousands of you who are dropping in!😊

Currently exceeding over 500 views a day.

In terms of numbers, a long way from the likes of Taylor Swift but loads of folk seem to be interested in many of my posts that date back in some cases, ten plus years!

So, if you are new to my Blog, Welcome aboard. 😊

I played one of my 1970s Canadian Odyssey Basses on Thursday, not been out of the case for a while but once plugged in, we bonded instantly. What a truly great bass, in my opinion. For a passive bass, so much power and so much tone, from the DiMarzio Double P set up - I just love it. . . and it's brother, to bits.

I also dug out my Greco GOBII 750, in anticipation of the next get together and whilst I was there. . .  my Aria Pro II "Rickenbacker Tribute" which didn't get selected this time around but it was great to see the old fella again.

While I think about it, my setup on this blog has a search box. So, type in make or model or persons name, for the likes of Peter cook, Chip Todd, Hartley Peavey etc, in there and see what you come up with.

Good Hunting.

Back soon. . . .

Cheers. 😁

Kimbara, Ritchie Blackmore, Westone Quantum, Gordy, Peavey T-40 and T-60, Ibanez Studio and many more. . . .

 Hi to all out there. 😊

Over the last few weeks, I have been popping in to see what visitors are reading, something that is available in the back office part of Blogger. There seems to be a flurry of activity in March, with more visitors and more variation of subjects and posts.

This is usually down to people posting links on a sales platform, forums or other Blogger sites. I have noticed that when I search for one of my posts on Google, which is sometimes easier than searching in the blog, what I am looking for is also listed a lot in Pinterest!

The hot ones at the moment are Ovation Magnum (still the most visited), Ritchie Blackmore's pick-ups, Westone Quantum, Gordy Headless, Peavey T etc. Top of the list over March is a Gibson Ripper "tribute"

So, according to the info I have seen in my reports, there are a lot of visits looking at my Kimbara Ripper, which is one of those finds you come across now and again -  one owner, acoustic guitar player, bought it and then spent pretty much all of his ownership, under the bed.

So, if you have just landed here. . . . it's this one.

Cheers. 😊

 Kimbara Ripper Bass

Happy New Year 2024. Bass and Guitar Collection and Ovation Magnum Bass.

 Happy New Year and all the best for 2024. 😀

It turns out that I am rubbish at keeping up with this blog - there is still an awful lot more to put up but the older I get (no spring chicken any more!!) the quicker the time flies.

Trust me, anyone reading this who is in their 30s or 40s, what the old folks tell you is very true!! January very quickly turns into May and June turns VERY quickly into October and before you know it. . . . another year is gone and it's Happy New Year, all over again! 😁

So, sitting here this morning, as January 1st has rapidly turned into January 6th, I have had a read through my blog and checked the comments and stats and made a mental note to try and put up up some more content!!

So, what's with the Ovation Magnum picture?

Well, from the year I posted it up, all those years ago, it has always had the most amount of hits during the year and 2023 turns out to be no different.

My Ovation Magnum has been a firm favourite with guitar and bass enthusiasts and has probably lead to many new readers coming on board. 

Flat Eric's Ovation Magnum Bass

I still have it and I still love it.

Fingers crossed I will find a few moments every now and again, in order to entertain you with some more posts.

Take care and keep on Strumming, Picking and Plucking.

Back as soon as I can. . . . . 😁

Cheers. 😎

Peter Cook Axis Bass Guitar Very Rare 1 Of Only 8 Produced !!

 Hi to all out there!

I am starting to run out of titles for more finds from the maker of Axis Basses amd Guitars, so I used the heading from something I found during the first lockdown year.

I thought I had lost all of this for good! Memory sticks  - great for what you can put on them but tiny and very easy to lose!!

Having put up the last post for Axis Bass 204, I went hunting for that tiny USB stick and found it. . . . . with other things I thought I had lost, so here it is, with words from the previous owner, who had it up for sale but after all of this time, I can't remember where or how much it went for. . . . lost in the sands of time! If you are reading this now and you have it, please get in touch with me via comments. Thank you. 

Words and images below are from the owner who had it up for sale.

Peter Cook Axis Bass Guitar Very Rare 1 Of Only 8 Produced !!

See Details For More.

 

It’s a heartbreaking decision to sell my most treasured basses but that’s what this virus has done.

So here is an Axis Bass Guitar built by Peter Cook this is Number Three out of eight basses that he built in the Axis series, this is a very very rare and desirable guitar.

Peter Cook was best known for building a lot of the amazing basses for John Entwhistle of The Who, he also worked for Pete Townsend and many others he was also responsible for the Ned Callan range of guitars so this is an exceptional hand built bass built by a master craftsman.

The neck and body of the guitar is Rose Wood the stripes are Maple. It has an Active On Board Parametric Tonal System, the circuits of which were created by Tony Koorlander. Has both an XLR and Standard Jack Socket, Grover Tuners.This was streets ahead of anything around at the time.

Has an amazing range of tonality, cosmetically it’s in excellent condition with very few dings, it’s been played mainly in studio settings rather than live and not that often at that. The action is low and fast but can be adjusted, its truly an original and I am really loathe to part with it.

Condition is Used. Buyer Collects.

Credit to Flat Eric for some of the info

 

 

As you can see this one is 203, one number behind the last find and as Peter recalled that he can only remember making eight Basses and eight Guitars, it is looking truly great for the third off the line. To date, I have not seen a serial number over 208 on either.

The look of this bass is very close to the Axis guitar that I found and was mine for a time but was pleased that I could reunite Peter with one of his creations. As he said to me, "I have made all these things in the past but have very little of what I did"

Peter, The Axis Guitar and me! 

The guitar that Peter now has, came from half way around the world and cosidering there are only 16 instruments out there, I amazed that I have managed to track so many down.

 

Ok, that's enough for now - back with more stuff, as soon as I can.

Cheers. 😎

Peter Cook Axis Bass. Another one found.

Hello again!

I have been contacted by a reader, who has recently found an Axis Bass and bought it on the strength of what he could see. As he said, he recognised it as being of some quality and decided that it was worth giving it a go.

Below are images of the bass and details from the new owner.

 

 

I found it in a musical intruments store near Portobello market in London.

The seller told me that he bought alot of instruments from a member of a metal band and this bass was among others. I recognised a good instrument, despite it being in sad shape, so I bought it. Only after that I found your site and read about the whole story.

The bass has a one piece mahogany body and a one piece mahogany neck and the serial number on the head is 204.

As found, it was gutted from all of it's active electronics and wired as a simple Jazz Bass. I have cleaned all electronics and installed an active preamp, with treble and bass EQ on the two pots closest to the bridge, Recreating the active electronics would be really time consuming and probably expensive to, so I think I will settle on the current electronics that I came up with.

It seems that it was heavily gigged by the metal band and still needs some TLC and a setup.Frets are worn, they are basically flat and one of the tuners mounting holes preventing it from rotating needs to be redone, things like that.

Thank you very much for gathering all this information and putting it together, the whole story is facinating and there is really no other source to know about all of this!

Another one discovered and being taken care of.

The original electronics were by Tony Koorlander, which mine has and are quite interesting.

That's all for now, links below give you more information.

Cheers. 😎

Tony Koorlander

Tony Koorlander's circuit and what it does 

 

 

Ibanez RB650 The Red One

 Having put up the post about the white one and my current usage, I found some old shots of The Red One, from 13 or 14 years ago.

The red RB650 is shown along an RS900, at two different venues and there is also a full frontal shot, taken by Lars Mullen, of the white one I have mentioned.

 

This is alongside a Parkinson of Leigh bass, one I haven't had out in yonks. An unusual bass, with a bright ish tone.

Parkinson of Leigh Bass

Back very soon with news of another Peter Cook instrument that has come to light.

 Cheers,😊

Ibanez RB650, rehearsal and Summer is definately here!

 Hi to all out there!!😎

Another fairly large gap between posts. . . . where does all the time go to!

Anyway, back to the plot. . . . .

After covid arrived, not much playing was done but during the last six months I have got back into the swing of things and even went out last night to see a friend's new band, in a hot and steamy hall. . . Summer is here folks!!

Their first gig and they went down a storm, I loved it to bits.

My friend, the bass player, is the custodian of my old pink Jazz bass and it sounded brilliant. He has had custody of quite a few of my flock, over the years - to try them out and see what he thought but eventually gravitated to the Jazz.

Well done mate, a cracking night!!

Fender-jazz-62-reissue-pink. 

 

 I have been playing my Ibanez RB650 a lot, recently and last night reminded me of the hottest gig I can remember - absolutely melted!😎

The RB, in my opinion, is a truly great bass and I know this will ruffle a few feathers. . . . I can't say I have ever played one of the most well known, similar looking basses that can better it! The same goes for the Ibanez Blazer.

If you come across either and you are looking for a truly great, all round passive bass, that won't cost you an arm, a leg and a kidney (British term for Very expensive, for those of you around the world) buy it, I'm sure you will love it.

Ibanez RB650 Bass Guitar 

Anyway, that's enough for today.

Take care - back as soon as I can. . . . which may be some time!!😂

Cheers. 😊

More Bass and Guitar content than I could remember. . . . . .

 To all who have been here before. . . . .

Over the last few weeks, I have been speaking to Lars Mullen quite a bit, as we are still in touch, keeping each other up to date on what we are up to. 

Well, it was during one of our chats that I referred back to a couple of events, including the Guitars on the beach thing in 2014, with Ian Gillan doing Smoke on the water. . . .

This got me feeling a bit nostalgic, so as it was nine years ago, I thought I would search for it on the blog - this post.

Guitars on the beach 2014

Having travelled back in time with a read through that, as the weather wasn't that sparkling, I thought I would get a coffee and sit and read all my blog posts from the very begining. That would entertain me for a while. Whilst I have gone back to older posts for reference and read the feature posts in the order that made sense (older ones first), I can't really remember reading the whole thing.

After a couple of hours, I had to get up, stretch my legs, get another coffee and carry on. After another hour, I thought I had best leave it for the time being and come back to it!

So, for the next few days I carried on for an hour or so at a time, usually with a very early moring coffee. As time passed, I began to realise there was still a lot to go through. As I sit here typing this, there is still a lot to go through! 

Looking at the posts I have read this morning, something has occurred to me - it's taking long enough to read them, how on earth did I find the time to take the images, do the research, arrange the interviews, collate everything, type it up and post it. On top of that answering emails and helping out with any questions.

I am, and readers who started at the begining, are all 14 years older now and I wonder if we all feel the same - do you reflect beck and think "how did I manage to do all that stuff with everything else in life going one?"

I think I need a lie down!