Atilla Balogh Odyssey Bass !!

[jamie'sdad]

For what you are after I would say Jeff Malia. His builds are pretty expensive though, and his wait time is quite long from what I can tell.

I have a Rick Miruzzi, but I don't know how up to the task Rick is these days. I also have a Chris Mirow fretless Pennybass which is a very nice thing in my opinion. I have asked Chris to build my single course 8 string, but I am going to have the electronics and pickups ordered. Chris also makes his own pickups. I'm not really at liberty to give his number out but if you are serious about getting some work done I might be able to contact him for you.

Anyway here is a picture of the Mirow and Miruzzi with my Musicman. The walnut bass is the Mirow and the paduak one is the Miruzzi.

managed to work out the way to post another thread (duh)

check out how similar the body is between this pic (the miruzzi on the LHS - made in sydney) and the odyssey

was thinking of selling my reco miruzzi, but am starting to change my mind

A.

 

[sfassaert]

Hi all this is my first visit here in Eons... but I had to chime in: Atilla was perhaps the only source for Bartolini pickups back then, here in Vancouver - I used to wander into his guitar workshop at the Iron Music store at Granville and Drake when I was in my late teens, in the late 70's, and he'd always have a drawer full of choices...nice guy , we chatted many times...He eventually sold me a Bart - a triple coil, humbucker-sized Bartolini (two active and one passive coil with dozens of switching options) that we both hoped would breathe some tone into a beautiful but waaay too heavy padauk Lado neck thru bass...it didnt, but later found a home in a guitar I still own.
Later, Atilla was sought out by Ray Ayotte to help his fledgling custom drum company and was largely responsible for the success of those early drums. I own a custom made Ayotte kit I bought from a friend that bears both Rays and Atillas signatures that was produced around 1982. As I heard it Atilla died in the Ayotte shop on a New Years Eve whilst drunkenly trying to climb up to a storage shelf (I seem to remember there were some sawdust covered guitar cases up on a shelf at Ayotte- I remember them because they looked a bit out of place in a drummakers shop- and I was going there a lot while my friends drums were being built) when the machine he was climbing on fell over onto him.

I remember some Odyssey guitars being beautiful and many local players liked them a lot, esp the chambered ones...I remember a custom guitar a local guy owned that had a built in MXR graphic with all the sliders integrated right into the guitar...and a bandmate's longscale fretless that was somewhat toneless, brass bridges and nuts... and very neck heavy. MY .02

Hey Cameron, still wanna get together with that drummer buddy?
Time's a wastin...

Cheers Sacha

 

[Bassflute]

Hi all this is my first visit here in Eons... but I had to chime in: Atilla was perhaps the only source for Bartolini pickups back then, here in Vancouver - I used to wander into his guitar workshop at the Iron Music store at Granville and Drake when I was in my late teens, in the late 70's, and he'd always have a drawer full of choices...nice guy , we chatted many times...He eventually sold me a Bart - a triple coil, humbucker-sized Bartolini (two active and one passive coil with dozens of switching options) that we both hoped would breathe some tone into a beautiful but waaay too heavy padauk Lado neck thru bass...it didnt, but later found a home in a guitar I still own.
Later, Atilla was sought out by Ray Ayotte to help his fledgling custom drum company and was largely responsible for the success of those early drums. I own a custom made Ayotte kit I bought from a friend that bears both Rays and Atillas signatures that was produced around 1982. As I heard it Atilla died in the Ayotte shop on a New Years Eve whilst drunkenly trying to climb up to a storage shelf (I seem to remember there were some sawdust covered guitar cases up on a shelf at Ayotte- I remember them because they looked a bit out of place in a drummakers shop- and I was going there a lot while my friends drums were being built) when the machine he was climbing on fell over onto him.

I remember some Odyssey guitars being beautiful and many local players liked them a lot, esp the chambered ones...I remember a custom guitar a local guy owned that had a built in MXR graphic with all the sliders integrated right into the guitar...and a bandmate's longscale fretless that was somewhat toneless, brass bridges and nuts... and very neck heavy. MY .02

Hey Cameron, still wanna get together with that drummer buddy?
Time's a wastin...

Cheers Sacha

Yeah, let's do it. I've been so busy, then almost died (again!). But yeah, give me a call.

Cheers,
Cameron

 

[smakbass]

Hmm Sasha.....drummer friend being Richard?

I had a friend who had a 5 string fretless custom from Attila with 36 note neck......and 1 Bart single coil...it was a nice instrument.....Played a few of these instruments over the years always quite nice.

I knew he had passed but never knew who.....

I had one of the cheaper fretless basses years ago..my first fretless with the DiMarzio P.

 

[KidJay]

hey, I have one of those basses, from the late 70's pretty sure. and I found one of his guitars from the early 80's in a pawn shop a few years ago and picked it up for $185 I'm going to refinish the guitar soon, and I'd like to do the bass too, it's showing a few signs of age. I've been all over north america with that bass, it's been amazing.

 

[sfassaert]

yes, drummer friend being richard.

 

[bmc]

I have found the long missing Odyssey catalogue. Unfortunately, I don't have the email addresses of those of you that patiently waited for a scanned copy. If you see this post, please pm me again. Sincere apologies.

I have it at work with me and I'm looking to my IT guys to help me get a good quality colour scan.

cheers

 

[bmc]

The catalogue has been scanned in colour and is in a pdf format. It shows the 100, 200, 300, 400, 500 and 600 series of guitar/basses along with a page of accessories (cases/strings/etc).

The file is roughly 8mb. If anyone want it, send me an address by pm and I'll send it to you.

 

[LM Bass]

Thanks Brian, got the catalogue. Wow this brings back memories! I bought a "Hawk" as my first bass guitar back around 1980.

 

[bmc]

What was the store name that goes with the address? I recall going in there and Fred Turner's (of Bachman Turner Overdrive) gigantic Heil bass cabs and multiple Acoustic heads was for sale for something like $1500. It measured about 7 feet tall and 8 feet wide.

I grabbed the catalogue back then, around 1979 and I've been dragging it around the world with me ever since.

Glad you enjoy it.