Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
John Wetton Tribute P-Bass Build
- Thread starter DarkStar90
- Start date
Vinny, your Wetton Tribute is beyond Bad A**! JW is one of my biggest heroes. Seeing your bass made my day!
That's a beautiful lookin Wetton tribute! That man/band was the reason I started playing bass in the first place.
Mine isn't exactly a traditional-lookin JW P-bass, but I'd like to think it evokes a little bit of the spirit of his. Plus considering I string it with stainless steel rounds, it definitely has that 'Red' vibe goin on.
Mine isn't exactly a traditional-lookin JW P-bass, but I'd like to think it evokes a little bit of the spirit of his. Plus considering I string it with stainless steel rounds, it definitely has that 'Red' vibe goin on.
That's a beautiful lookin Wetton tribute! That man/band was the reason I started playing bass in the first place.
Mine isn't exactly a traditional-lookin JW P-bass, but I'd like to think it evokes a little bit of the spirit of his. Plus considering I string it with stainless steel rounds, it definitely has that 'Red' vibe goin on.
Nice. Any details to share?
+1. After all these years Wetton-era Crimson still gives me the chills, and no bassist thrills me more than Wetton. OP, excellent job on the tribute bass!
Watching the Easy Money vid this morning I had an odd thought that John Wetton kinda looks like Monty Pythoner Michael Palin's handsome brother. Need go get coffee.
+1. After all these years Wetton-era Crimson still gives me the chills, and no bassist thrills me more than Wetton. OP, excellent job on the tribute bass!
Watching the Easy Money vid this morning I had an odd thought that John Wetton kinda looks like Monty Pythoner Michael Palin's handsome brother. Need go get coffee.
Man it's like they are twins!
Hey, Fuzzbass! Nice!!! I never made the Michael Palin connection, but you're right, there's quite the resemblance. Let me be more abstract, anytime I see Robert Shaw (Jaws, The Sting, etc.) I think of JW. 
Well, sure, although it's nothing too terribly special. MIM from about 2007 with a super slim neck profile... very Jazz. I've added a Duncan 1/4lb pickup, and Gotoh 201 bridge, and bone nut. The knobs I put on it came off my 4003, which now has the old-style plain black ones.
But the way it's set-up now, the open A-string (and to lesser extent the D) has that buzz/growl you hear on the record during the 13/4 bit of 'Starless', if you dig in a bit. it's perfect for copping the tone, although yours really does nail the look and feel of JW's old one!
Looks great. Has the right vibe. Mine does not look like that anymore. JohnK put a beautiful 3TSB finish on it and it now lives at my church (I always leave a bass there so I do not need to tote one back and forth each week).
I had another one that was also stripped that looked even more like Wetton's old bass, saucer knobs and all, but that one is winding its way west for a Firemist Silver redo.
If I can find an earlier stripped body that I do not need to sell a kidney to acquire, I will build a "nice" version. Like you, I'm gonna stick with a slimmer neck though.
This one is sort of a Wetton/Deacon tribute.
Stripped alder body from around '71. Late 70's maple/rosewood neck with earlier 70's logo and no skunk stripe. The pups are the '82 (57) Fullerton's that I bought from Brian here on TB. Schaller/hipshot x-tender (love that company by the way). The harness is all '72. PG is Pickguardian (thanks for the tip Vinny!).
I played this bass at a gig last night and it was outstanding.
Stripped alder body from around '71. Late 70's maple/rosewood neck with earlier 70's logo and no skunk stripe. The pups are the '82 (57) Fullerton's that I bought from Brian here on TB. Schaller/hipshot x-tender (love that company by the way). The harness is all '72. PG is Pickguardian (thanks for the tip Vinny!).
I played this bass at a gig last night and it was outstanding.
Attachments
Last edited:
Last edited:
So tell me the builder of this:
was not thinking of this:
UK-era! Great photos and P-Bass. That's the Wetton Tribute model I want!
Thanks! I think I may need to add that tug bar. Never use it but it would look a little more like JW's that way. Now where's that drill.........
Very cool bass. I have a Jazzmaster guitar that is a CIJ alder body. I had it stripped and then Tru-oiled. I love it and it looks great, but it scratches if you look at it funny. Are you getting this as well? This is probably my fave P-Bass look, b.t.w. John Deacon also put it in my head back in the 70's.
