Fender Frankensteins

[A-Step-Towards]

That would be "Patrick Nagel", one of the bastions of late-'70s/early-'80s minimalist art. He also did a lot of illustrations for Playboy Magazine. As far as Duran Duran goes, I believe Nagel only did one album cover for them, "Rio".

So let me get this straight, you're saying Nagel, THE Patrick Nagel, painted that bass? Can you verify that at all? If so, that'd be fairly big, especially since he died about thirty years ago.

Well this is going to off topic the thread but

Like I said supposedly he painted it, this paint job for one is that old. He was alive when this was painted, its a very old paint job. I have no way of getting it authenticated , how would one even do that? Its painted and airbrushed then clear coated. Its pretty damn detailed for a painting on a bass back, there is even shading on the forehead where the bangs cast a shadow.


I saved the original ad I got it from and here it is in the previous owners words.

The owner I got it from told me that the guitar tech for John Taylor (Duran Duran), built this and it was then given to Patrick Nagel to do the paint job for John. Patrick Nagel did some famous album covers for Duran Duran back in the 80's and he was a popular artist during that time. No way to authenticate this information, but a super cool players bass non-the-less.

 

[Malak the Mad]

^
Aha! Those damn pesky adverbs!!

As far as verification, many artists either sign their work in some fashion. Other studio artists will have a picture of it for their archives, maybe even some of them working on said piece.

Honestly, the more I look at it, the more I'm convinced it's not a Nagel-original. His long-standing trademark was the pale-white-skinned character, perhaps with a small hint of color shading in/around the eyes and some bold color for the lips.

 

[A-Step-Towards]

^
Aha! Those damn pesky adverbs!!

As far as verification, many artists either sign their work in some fashion. Other studio artists will have a picture of it for their archives, maybe even some of them working on said piece.

Honestly, the more I look at it, the more I'm convinced it's not a Nagel-original. His long-standing trademark was the pale-white-skinned character, perhaps with a small hint of color shading in/around the eyes and some bold color for the lips.

I dont think it is just because of how the hair just goes straight up , all the way into the heel and what not. It was done long ago and looks good but I dont think its likely true work. Well in this small matter of time I found his son online so I will ask his opinion just to see. Its not as detailed as his work though as you said, even the hair isnt detailed as much.

 

[buldog5151bass]

Junior - we need the juicy description. ASAT - now THAT is a Frankenbass - love it.

Keep 'em coming, the crazier the better.

28 2cooltoolz
29 A-Step-Towards
30 ASATMAN

 

[awilkie84]

Submitting mine, thanks bulldog. This is an '09 CV Squier neck, GFS precision body, Fender '62 RI pickup and a Wilkinson bridge. Wearing Fender flats, naturally. Just "born" today!

Curious. How well did the Squier neck fit on the GFS body. I've been tempted to order from GFS many times, but didn't want to have to screw around with making it fit.

 

[Tbone76]

Some fine looking basses here. Here's my entry, an American Special Honeyburst. The neck had developed a little twist in it. Here's the before:

I had toyed with the idea of putting a rw board on it after seeing pics of another TB'ers Honeyburst, but Fender doesn't sell the American Special neck separately, and I prefer its slim C profile to the American Standard neck. I found an American Special rw neck on the Stratosphere, and after swapping the tuners and the parchment pg I've ended up with this;

Enjoy!

 

[acebase62]

'65 Jazz that was Jaco-ized by the same guy that did Jaco's bass, years before I acquired it around 1994. It was a CAR fretted bass that became epoxy fretless, with stripped/oversprayed body and neck, EMG pickups, BaddAss bridge and Gotoh non-reverse machine heads, in gold. You can see that the only place the original paint wasn't stripped was under the pickguard (.... such a shame, but I didn't do it!). I still have the original pickups and wiring harness, but I saw no need to put them back in, if I wasn't going to restore the bass completely. The original machine heads went on a '66 P neck I have on a '73 body - another Frankenstein (don't have pics of that one).

This is fun to play. It even smells good. It is like Frank's monster - Fugly and magnificent at the same time.

I find this appealing.

Very cool.

 

[buldog5151bass]

Sweet axe Tbone (although it is kind of pretty for a FF) - you get #31.

 

[Tbone76]

Sweet axe Tbone (although it is kind of pretty for a FF) - you get #31.

Thank you, sir.

 

[Osztertag2112]

76 neck with repaired first fret inlay crack, board leveled and refretted, 77-78 body thats been stripped and varnished, early 80's black bottom pickups, 2 band stingray preamp, fullerton ri guard, badass 2, hipshot. 12.4 pounds of badass. my main gigger.

Incredible!! Very nice

 

[TDR1138]

76 neck with repaired first fret inlay crack, board leveled and refretted, 77-78 body thats been stripped and varnished, early 80's black bottom pickups, 2 band stingray preamp, fullerton ri guard, badass 2, hipshot. 12.4 pounds of badass. my main gigger.

How do you have the pre wired in? I have one sitting around that I'm debating using in a J build.

 

[Crusher47]

OK - I'm back. Some great stuff. I love how some did P bodies and J necks and some the other way around.
Yeah - something on it has to be from a Fender to qualify.

New numbers:
12 thunderbird66
13 DigthemLows
14 bass_case
15 narud
16 Mojo8ass
17 danomite64
18 Jackson171
19 Malak the Mad
20 Puma
21 Drew617
22 TDR1138
23 cuttermkr
24 lax4bags
25 M0ses
26 MIMJAZZ
27 Boot Soul

Crusher47 - need to get your photo in to get that number you want.

Pics finally....I have to get a better camera, it is on my short list for sure.......Anyway, here is my entry for #47:
My main project/parts bass..... I use it to practice setups, installing pickups, etc.
Squier relic'd body (was already relic'd when I bought it, had a white pickguard, I swapped with a black one)
Fender neck (back of neck sanded smooth with/up to 1500 grit sandpaper)
Installed by me:
Seymour Duncan Quarter Pounders
CTS 250K pots w/ .0047uF Cap
Switchcraft Input Jack
Schaller Straplocks
Rotosound 77 Flats

Looks beat but sounds great!

 

[Sgt. Rock]

Mexican Precision body custom routed for the neck pickup, Squier VM Precision Neck, painted headstock, Hipshot tuners with an Xtender, Babicz FCH bridge, Dimarzio Will Power neck & middle wired into stereo outs with electronics directly copied from a Yamaha wiring schematic.

 

[scowboy]

I built this one from a'81 fender p-bass body and a '09 Highway 1 p-bass neck. The pickups were made by Curtis Novak, pickgaurd custom made by Jeanie Pickguards. It has an original Bad Ass bridge (not a BA II), Hipshot Ultralights and as of about 3 months ago has a Aguilar OBP-2 preamp running at 18v. The pickup spacing is the same as one of my local hero's bass. It's a blast and sees regular action when I'm doing the 4 string thing.

 

[Nick303]

Scowboy, post a better picture mate I can't get a good look, from what I can tell its a bit special.

 

[ReidK]

Scowboy, post a better picture mate I can't get a good look, from what I can tell its a bit special.

Click it.

 

[ReidK]

My creature:



US Fender parts:
Neck (appears to be a '97 Am Std, I replaced the plastic dots with MOP)
Bridge (recent Am Std, 2 piece, 3 screw mounting)
Pickups (Original 1962)
Pickguard
Ashtrays
Knobs
Pots (CTS)

MIM Fender body, 4-piece northern ash which I refinished with Danish Oil.

Hipshot tuners (I love the big vintage style.)

Strung with genuine LaBella James Jamerson rebar.

9.5 lbs of old-school thump.

Reid

 

[Tbone76]

My creature:

View attachment 411975 View attachment 411974 View attachment 411980

US Fender parts:
Neck (appears to be a '97 Am Std, I replaced the plastic dots with MOP)
Bridge (recent Am Std, 2 piece, 3 screw mounting)
Pickups (Original 1962)
Pickguard
Ashtrays
Knobs
Pots (CTS)

MIM Fender body, 4-piece northern ash which I refinished with Danish Oil.

Hipshot tuners (I love the big vintage style.)

Strung with genuine LaBella James Jamerson rebar.

9.5 lbs of old-school thump.

Reid

Wow, hot.

 

[Drew617]

Curious. How well did the Squier neck fit on the GFS body. I've been tempted to order from GFS many times, but didn't want to have to screw around with making it fit.

I put more complete build information, and my gripes about the GFS body, in these threads:

http://www.talkbass.com/threads/any-advice-for-a-frankenbass-p-build.1068403/
http://www.talkbass.com/threads/a-word-on-gfs-bodies.1070175/

The neck pocket was a mess. Took considerable sanding on both sides, addition of "Mickey Mouse" routs with a dremel, and re-drilling the two bottom-side neck holes in the body. Short story is that I was unhappy with the GFS body for several other reasons but decided that it was maybe still worth the $55 I paid and was not worth sending back. Also, I'm a network engineer and full time student, so after carving out a whole Saturday for this project I wasn't about to reschedule.

As it is, I'm happy - the build came out real well despite the funky body - and won't replace anything on this bass. Next time I do this I'll use a better body, though.

 

[Smit_Dogg]

My home built Precision.

- MIM body in Tobacco Sunburst.
- Allparts Tortoise Shell Scratchplate.
- Mighty Mite Neck.
- Schaller BMFL 545 Tuners.
- The Creamery '58 Classic Handwound Split Coil Pickup.
- Stellartone Tonestyler 10 Tone Pot.
- Hipshot A-Style Bridge (Aluminium/Chrome).

The guitar stand is also based on a childs buggy, similar to my own childs.... :-/ lol