What model or style was this bass based on?

[Donnacha]

Hi folks,

This bass was my very first bass which i bought 15 years ago for 90 irish pounds and i was wondering what anyone can tell me about it...its an encore but there is no serial number or anything. I just was wondering since i was thinking of giving it a bit of care since it only produces noise at the mo and purely for sentimental purposes it might be fun to bring it to gigging standard.

Thanks for any info in advance

Donnacha

[cdef]

Encore was a brand registered by importers/distributors John Hornby Skewes & Co. Ltd. of Leeds, England. Instruments were made in Japan, later maybe Korea. The body here (likely plywood) is basically close to a '50s Gibson EB0. The controls are the Gibson "speed knob" type. The pickup is Fender Precision style, and the bridge seems to be a Badass II, or a copy. The tuners look flimsy and mismatched, so a set of mini-Schallers would not be amiss if you aim to restore this to playing condition.

[thumpbass1]

I have to agree with 'cdef' that it's looks come from the Gibson school of design, excluding the P-Bass style pickup of course. Think EBO and later the Grabber/Ripper models and this Encore fits in a similar aesthetic. Looks like it could be a fun project instrument indeed, if you wish to bring it up to snuff.

[ridgeback]

encore made a guitar exactly the same shape..ill try find out later but at a guess it was part of a starter package where you got the amp and strap etc...

[kcole4001]

The body shape is almost identical to the shape used for the Hamer Quad and B12 12 string basses.

[Donnacha]

Thanks for sharing all that info...i can go and do a bit of research now and maybe buy a few bits....I cant remember what the guitar sounds like but i reckon i should probably get rid of the pick-ups, replace them with something a bit more upmarket...maybe something with loads of attack...make it a kind of rhythm bass...who knows..

thanks again