Resurrecting a '60's short-scale bass

[JIO]

Seller says it's an Ehmond, though I note there's no branding on the HS so who knows? It is kinda cool though.

@cdlynch is correct - it's a late 60's Hagstrom ... you can see it's ghost on the upper left horn. It had a raised (script) letter name-badge that is now missing, along with a few other parts.

 

[JIO]

Hard to judge the exact shade in this pic as it has been level sanded. Freshly sprayed, it's kind of cinnamon pearl. The paint is fairly translucent so I did a thicker first coat. That worked out well for level sanding with minimal burn-thru. A couple of thinner passes with sanding between should get it pretty flat and even at this point. Whoever stripped the original finish must have used a power-sander judging by a few lower area's - but it could be worse. It's raining now and I have to wait 48 hrs for the next coat anyway, so for now it's in curing mode. The neck continues to get wiped-on coats of poly and it's looking and feeling really good.

 

[Jon Clegg]

@cdlynch is correct - it's a late 60's Hagstrom ... you can see it's ghost on the upper left horn. It had a raised (script) letter name-badge that is now missing, along with a few other parts.

Grrr... now I'm tempted... He's asking $100...

 

[JIO]

Grrr... now I'm tempted... He's asking $100...

I'd make sure the neck was ok. (not warped etc) Plus missing the bridge... that usually would be a deal breaker for me as even if you located one eventually it could start to get expensive. And looking at the pic, the back/side seems to be delaminating. I think these had a vinyl covered back if I recall. (it's why it has the perimeter screws - 2 piece front & back)

 

[Jon Clegg]

Yeah, think I'll pass on it.

 

[cdlynch]

Yeah, think I'll pass on it.

Having played one, I'd recommend to anyone not to buy unless you can try one first, and certainly not an incomplete one. The switches might promise a versatility they can't deliver. Can't beat the quirky look, but you REALLY have to be into the whole package for it to be worthwhile.

 

[Jon Clegg]

Having played one, I'd recommend to anyone not to buy unless you can try one first, and certainly not an incomplete one. The switches might promise a versatility they can't deliver. Can't beat the quirky look, but you REALLY have to be into the whole package for it to be worthwhile.

Yeah, no illusions on the switches; I've done plenty of wiring mods. Might be cool to do a JIO - make it look retro-cool and quirky on the the surface with a more playable core underneath.

 

[JIO]

Yeah, no illusions on the switches; I've done plenty of wiring mods. Might be cool to do a JIO - make it look retro-cool and quirky on the the surface with a more playable core underneath.

The financial outlay will always dictate if the project is worth doing. This one for me is on the edge which gives me incentive to make it into something acceptable. Like I said, the neck and the pg were what tipped the balance. That and my own internal attraction to refurbishing/repairing things instead of discarding them. I've done it for years - figuring out some way to repair something that failed/broke. Part of why I have such respect for good, solid design - something shouldn't be made to fail to be replaced. Leo Fender was all about that - he wanted his guitars to be repairable and with a bolt-on neck, replaced if beyond repair. A true pens-in-the-pocket-protecter guy.

 

[JIO]

More progress -

repair of the fb corner/edge :

poly-coating of neck done (about 6 rubbed-on coats) and tuners installed :

routed for the rocker-switches :

cut the pg opening for it :

mock up with 3 strings (didn't have an old short scale E string) and pots/jack installed :

...and the full view - a groovy little thumper - waiting on the pu's to arrive - meantime back to working on the finish.

 

[herndonbassist]

Kinda looks like a cross between a danelectro and a Gibson artist. I'm lovin this project

 

[Gilmourisgod]

That is Way Cool!

 

[Jon Clegg]

Kinda looks like a cross between a danelectro and a Gibson artist. I'm lovin this project

A little reminiscent of the Victory bass as well. Very cool indeed.

The curl around the bridge cover is that extra little something.

 

[JIO]

Forgot to post a pic of the bridge re-do. We'll see if this is sufficient and if so it'll stay. The twin-string brass saddles are pretty adjustable so it should work.

This is the sanded 2nd coat which looks better than the first. One more finish coat should finish it.

While waiting 48 hrs to reshoot the back, I shot a rich coat on the front. Lots of grain to level but due to the big pg I only need focus on the areas that won't be covered.

A different angle - the final colour is somewhere between the two.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

I wanna play THIS song, with THAT bass, with THIS band, complete with sequined leisure suit.

 

[Matt Liebenau]

I wanna play THIS song, with THAT bass, with THIS band, complete with sequined leisure suit.

So, ummm... If you want to play with them are you saying you’re a marionette? Is there something we should know, Gilmour?

Don’t get me wrong. I love me some Thunderbirds now and again.

 

[Jon Clegg]

So, ummm... If you want to play with them are you saying you’re a marionette? Is there something we should know, Gilmour?

Don’t get me wrong. I love me some Thunderbirds now and again.

 

[JIO]

I wanna play THIS song, with THAT bass, with THIS band, complete with sequined leisure suit.

Awesome! Cliff Richards and the Shadows puppets replete with white Burns (of London) guitars! Puppets rule! (Thunderbirds, Fireball X-L5, Stingray and Supercar)

 

[Gilmourisgod]

I have vivid memories of fiddling with the rabbit ear aerial on my black and white TV, trying to get Fireball XL-5 to emerge from the grainy static, it was the Holy Grail of my childhood TV. Some of it truly demented, there’s another bizarre Thunderbirds rock and roll “dream sequence” I’ve been trying to find. My google-fu fails me. Some of The early 60’s Japanese guitars were so retro-futuristic-cool that playability was irrelevant. I used to mess with them at Sears. Too many switches! Check! Weird hardware! Check! Schwanggggg!

 

[JIO]

I have vivid memories of fiddling with the rabbit ear aerial on my black and white TV, trying to get Fireball XL-5 to emerge from the grainy static, it was the Holy Grail of my childhood TV. Some of it truly demented, there’s another bizarre Thunderbirds rock and roll “dream sequence” I’ve been trying to find. My google-fu fails me. Some of The early 60’s Japanese guitars were so retro-futuristic-cool that playability was irrelevant. I used to mess with them at Sears. Too many switches! Check! Weird hardware! Check! Schwanggggg!

Yep, Saturday morning and Fireball XL-5 were synonymous. First F XL-5, then Supercar and Stingray - saw the Thunderbirds much later along with Astroman. There was a Sunday morning puppet show called Davy & Golieth (a boy and his big dog who talked) which was religious themed - I didn't watch that one but was aware of it. I always cracked up when someone was in danger (out cold in a burning room - usually a girl puppet) and she would be smiling because that was her default puppet face. We used to imitate the shuffling puppet walk with rigid upper body, arms bent and symmetrically aligned. Kids today just don't get that kooky kind of weirdness.

 

[JIO]

One step back - the risk of using a new paint product proved to be a waste of time and energy. The paint never cured and wouldn't level out consistently. And, the 1st can stopped working before the paint was emptied. So.., it's gone, at least on the front for now. Back to coming up with something for the front and back. Silver-lining is that it mostly filled the grain & leveled the surface so I have the option of staining it (black?) allowing the wood to state itself and use the same poly as on the edges to seal it. Gotta be willing to fail sometimes.