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NBD: Rapier Saffire by Alan Entwistle!!

#21
kodiakblair said:
Future is looking bleak if they'll be available anywhere now.


Rapier Guitars is a JHS venture. that's UK mega distributor John Hornby Skewes not the pedal guy. Alan was brought on board as the design consultant while JHS handled the production, marketing and distribution. It's the same arrangement JHS had with Trev Wilkinson for their Encore, FretKing and Vintage lines.

BTW. Trev Wilkinson worked for Alan back in the 80's when Alan had relocated to Australia :)

The problem is John H Skewes passed away last year and he had a put a clause in the trustee conditions saying upon his death the company was to close, leaving his legacy untarnished. July this year JHS announced that closure. His daughter and son in law have been seeking buyers for the various brands but so far without success.

guitar.com

Vintage and Fret-King owner John Hornby Skewes & Co is shutting down despite being "profitable" and "entirely solvent"

The 60-year-old brand also distributes Godin, Danelectro and many other brands, and is closing its doors despite being "profitable" and "entirely solvent"
guitar.com guitar.com
Click to expand...
What??? So no more dano, vintage or rapier in a few years? That’s crazy!
 
#23
StudioWorksLG said:
What??? So no more dano, vintage or rapier in a few years? That’s crazy!
Click to expand...
Different story for Dano, JHS is just the distributor so Dano need only find another one.

Encore, Fret King, Rapier and Vintage, they're all JHS brands. Either a buyer is found for them or they disappear. Biggest hurdle those brands face is financial, JHS are flush so unlikely to take a lowball/verge of bankruptcy/taking the piss offer.

Old man Skewes must have saw far too many business get sold to strangers then wind up as cheap shabby brands. His family is well proved for so they can close the book, lock the gate and live happily ever after, while leaving their reputation intact.

Lousy news for those who dithered buying but pretty cool all the same, not often a man cares more about his family than money :cool:
 
#25
I have a bass with Alan Entwistle-designed pickups, a Vintage Revo "Callan". The "mudbucker" is a real beast with tons of low end but still a reasonable amount of clarity. That said, it is much more of a challenge to get a balanced sound at a gig with it than my other, mostly Fender, basses. The bridge pickup doesn't work quite as well for me in comparison. Like my Hofner Verythin bridge pickup, this one serves mostly to tame the neck pickup and add some treble. I rarely turn it up more than halfway on either bass. The Vintage is quieter and duller sounding with both pickups dimed, and the bridge soloed does nothing for me.

I'd been intending to move the Vintage but after hearing about the end of JHS and probably the brand, I may just hang on to it.

20250109_141047.jpg
 
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#26
kodiakblair said:
Future is looking bleak if they'll be available anywhere now.


Rapier Guitars is a JHS venture. that's UK mega distributor John Hornby Skewes not the pedal guy. Alan was brought on board as the design consultant while JHS handled the production, marketing and distribution. It's the same arrangement JHS had with Trev Wilkinson for their Encore, FretKing and Vintage lines.

BTW. Trev Wilkinson worked for Alan back in the 80's when Alan had relocated to Australia :)

The problem is John H Skewes passed away last year and he had a put a clause in the trustee conditions saying upon his death the company was to close, leaving his legacy untarnished. July this year JHS announced that closure. His daughter and son in law have been seeking buyers for the various brands but so far without success.

guitar.com

Vintage and Fret-King owner John Hornby Skewes & Co is shutting down despite being "profitable" and "entirely solvent"

The 60-year-old brand also distributes Godin, Danelectro and many other brands, and is closing its doors despite being "profitable" and "entirely solvent"
guitar.com guitar.com
Click to expand...
Dang that stinks! Come on Eastman!
 
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#27
kodiakblair said:
Different story for Dano, JHS is just the distributor so Dano need only find another one.

Encore, Fret King, Rapier and Vintage, they're all JHS brands. Either a buyer is found for them or they disappear. Biggest hurdle those brands face is financial, JHS are flush so unlikely to take a lowball/verge of bankruptcy/taking the piss offer.

Old man Skewes must have saw far too many business get sold to strangers then wind up as cheap shabby brands. His family is well proved for so they can close the book, lock the gate and live happily ever after, while leaving their reputation intact.

Lousy news for those who dithered buying but pretty cool all the same, not often a man cares more about his family than money :cool:
Click to expand...
Glad about dano then I guess- and glad I grabbed my rapier now…
Not that I ever buy new basses so shouldn’t really matter to me haha
 
#33
sunbeast said:
What search words do you use? I have a couple fretlesses that would benefit from these due to years of replaned boards and straight Fender headstocks
Click to expand...
www.ebay.com

Stealth Bass String Retainer Eliminate String Buzz fits Precision/P Jazz/J Bass | eBay

Stainless steel bass string retainer for reducing string buzz on your bass guitar. Increases the break angle from the tuning key to the nut, providing greater tension, a more secure fit and greater stability, keep your bass stay in tune better as well.
www.ebay.com

Not sure why is morphed to that, but that's a link to the ebay listing
 
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#35
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