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49sfine Bass Pic
- Thread starter elpezpr
- Start date
Mark Wilson
Supporting Member
- Aug 5, 2005
- 7,243
- 92
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: J.C. Basses
If you have a professional luthier go through and do some major touchups for about $300, a wishbass is a damn fine instrument.
Hi Guys;
I just found out my avatar is getting some attention - kool, thanks. This is an acoustic Banana bass built by Steve Wishnevsky, of Wishbass fame (good & bad) under the Wishnevsky Instrument line and was purchased by me from him off Ebay last April. When he could not move it at $400, he ended up selling to me for $300, plus $45 for shipping. As per his habit, the bass was hurriedly shot with spray can semi-gloss lacquer and arrived rough but playable. I promptly took it apart and stripped the finish off and spent many hours refining the bass (ie: smoothing all edges and corners, filling numerous gaps, truing up the headstock, and generally just going over every square inch of the thing with rasps, files, and sandpaper (out to 1200 grit). The fingerboard is wenge and was in need of leveling, polishing and oiling. I re-countoured the neck profile a bit and made sure it was silky smooth. Corian bridge was replaced with a handmade unit out of Brazilian ebony and then restrung with black Rotosound 88s. I applied numerous coats of satin lacquer, sanding in between each. A K&K bridge pup was installed and I handmade a new teardrop cover plate out of brass. The ony thing I have not done yet is mark the fret positions, but even unmarked, I play it anyway. Scale is 30". All in all, it's a unique and fun guitar that cost me very little and I got to participate in the process of making it what it is today (I did all the work on it and I am no luthier!) - that's what I love about Wish's stuff!
I just found out my avatar is getting some attention - kool, thanks. This is an acoustic Banana bass built by Steve Wishnevsky, of Wishbass fame (good & bad) under the Wishnevsky Instrument line and was purchased by me from him off Ebay last April. When he could not move it at $400, he ended up selling to me for $300, plus $45 for shipping. As per his habit, the bass was hurriedly shot with spray can semi-gloss lacquer and arrived rough but playable. I promptly took it apart and stripped the finish off and spent many hours refining the bass (ie: smoothing all edges and corners, filling numerous gaps, truing up the headstock, and generally just going over every square inch of the thing with rasps, files, and sandpaper (out to 1200 grit). The fingerboard is wenge and was in need of leveling, polishing and oiling. I re-countoured the neck profile a bit and made sure it was silky smooth. Corian bridge was replaced with a handmade unit out of Brazilian ebony and then restrung with black Rotosound 88s. I applied numerous coats of satin lacquer, sanding in between each. A K&K bridge pup was installed and I handmade a new teardrop cover plate out of brass. The ony thing I have not done yet is mark the fret positions, but even unmarked, I play it anyway. Scale is 30". All in all, it's a unique and fun guitar that cost me very little and I got to participate in the process of making it what it is today (I did all the work on it and I am no luthier!) - that's what I love about Wish's stuff!
The professional luthier is not required in my experience. Basic carpentry skills and a little patience was all that I found I needed.
You are correct that "for about $300, wishbass is a damn fine instrument" and a lot of fun too!
Here's both of my refinished basses:
Here's another shot of the red birch Banana bass hanging on my wall. Next to it is a refinished Wishbass, the 'JB' model in walnut w/purpleheart fingerboard. The JB cost me $200 brand new on Ebay! Both received about 25 hours + of work & attention. The JB still awaits a walnut veneer job on the alumimum control plate and a Bartolini pickup to replace the EMG. Both are keepers ...
It's a lot larger that it looks in the avatar, and I'm guessing that the upper horn seems to pretty much guarantee that you won't (as in - can't) wear it too high. I'm also slightly stunned at the price - I was expecting it to be a lot more.
