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riverhead unicorn?

mercbass

mercbass

Dec 22, 2004
268
346
39
The Great White North (it's a beauty way to go)
#1
whoa! i just found out via your website that you play a riverhead unicorn bass - the only one i've ever seen besides my own!



what do you know about these basses? i havent been able to find any info on them at all.




for what it's worth, here's mine!


Picture011.jpg
 
#2
I have two Unicorns -- one fretless, one fretted -- and they’re great basses. The fretted is especially nice and it was my main fretted bass for several years. I got mine in Japan when I was on tour there in the Eighties. I seem to recall that the company folded at one point, but that someone else has taken over production. Anybody else have more info?
 
#4
Ive wanted one of these basses ever sinice i saw Michael playing Funk & Disorderly And (the fretted half of) Watson & Crick on one in he's Bass Essentials video

I just missed one of them by about $10 a few years back on evilbay

it was a Unicorn-Series RUB-1095 Deluxe Bass in pearl pink
& I have'nt seen any pop up snice :(

From what i could find out about them there were made by a company call Headway Co in Japan & these designs havent been remade snice the Headway factory suffered from a fire and lost all there material and machines several years ago

spec on these models where as follows

RUB-1090 Standard Bass -alder body
-maple 3P neck
-rosewood fingerboard 24 frets
-original singlecoils 2x
-original bridge
-original tailpiece
Color:
-graphite black
-pearl white
-pearl pink
-silver
-metallic red
-metallic blue

RUB-1095 Deluxe Bass (as above but)
-original singlecoil x1 humbucking
pickup x1

RUB-1100 Custom Bass (as above but)
-4 band E.Q.
-original singlecoil pickup x2 with eq.

Cheers
Thonk
 
#7
Boy, am i glad i found this forum. i just bought a Riverhead Unicorn -- it's going to need a little work, but i'm excited to have found one.

Now, i've never worked with a headless instrument and i purchased this one sight unseen on eBay. One selling point of the Unicorns is that they can take normal strings as well as double-ball strings....

So here is the inevitable stupid question: i've looked this bass over from all angles and i can't figure for the life of me how to install normal strings on it. It's the fretless model, so unless someone manufactures double-ball flatwounds i'm up the creek.

Any help will be deeply appreciated!

Thanks in advance,
jb
 
#8
Hei, I've got a Riverhead Unicorn Bass for sale: I try to post pictures.
I've used this bass in this video:

(I'm the one with the furry hat...)
 

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#11
haraigoshi808 said:
Hello,
I am currently looking for a Riverhead Unicorn that is for sale, if anyone has one that they are willing to part with, please get back to me.
Click to expand...

We just picked one up yesterday, it is metallic red, it has a lot of scratches, but the the neck is straight, frets are good and plays great. We have it for sale at $399. Feel free to call us at the store if you are interested. We should have it cleaned up and restrung later today, and a pic on our website.

www.musicgoround.com (select Cary, NC location)
919-851-2251
 
#12
Hi guys, i have played my full scale unicorn for well errrr since i bought it knew in 1873, before the factory burnt down, i have had and played many other basses and still my unicorn is all i need in a four string. when i bought it i had the neck flattened, high quality fret wire installed, two EMG's, and EMG circutry (basically 2 pre-amps) installed, i am a lead bassist so i needed to do what i did for easier speed, but i have yet to find another stringed instrument with a longer sustain than this one has. and it has that GROWL even when the strings start dying. I love my Bass, regards Howard
 
#13
haraigoshi808 said:
Hello,
I am currently looking for a Riverhead Unicorn that is for sale, if anyone has one that they are willing to part with, please get back to me.
Click to expand...
try this site haraigoshi

Link Removed

its nice to meet you guys, you make me even prouder of my bass, hope this helps you, he said the pickups have been replaced with active ones, so grab it, keep it, its seems they are investment nowadays :)
 
#14
I see this is an old thread but I am hoping to instill a bit of life in it as I am in need of assistance and this is the FIRSt stroke of GOOD luck in finding info on this bass. I picked mine up back in the early 80's sometime. No clue what model at the moment as I am in Afghanistan and have not seen it in several years. The electronics came undone and I have no clue where to resolder them. My father in law has it an was supposed to be repairing it as he is an electrician, but as far as I know, it is still sitting in a corner of the basement in it's gig bag gathering dust. He is in his 70's so I don't begrudge him, but I reckon it is time to find an alternative fix. So, anyone know where I can get some infor on the wiring? Maybe a pic of the inside of one you own? I know one wire is for the battery. Don't recall which color is unsoldered, and another wire. I would really like to get this baby back in use. It was my first real bass back when I was... younger. Worse case scenario, I'll get a new one in Black or red. I was supposed to have gotten the Burgundy back in the day, but was shipped a silver and to keep from having to send it back, the shop owner cut me a deal for $300 of, a 50 foot patch cord and a stand... Still played as good as the floor model, so I went with it.

Hope to hear some positive feedback. I will be back in the states in about a month and will pick it up at some point before I have to head back here for a while longer. Would be nice if I can get her up and running before then. She'll definately need new strings. Any suggestions?
 
#17
I just picked one up from the Guitar Center used site. Gonna use it in an 80's band I'm in. Bad thing is, one of the pickups is practically useless... it'll work fine when hardwired to the output jack, but if there is any type of pot put on it, the bass drops and it sounds very tin-ny. Gotta find the time to route out the pickup cavities a little bit so i can drop something else into it.

EDIT: I got this thing back into shape- I didn't care for the painted neck, especially since it had a couple dings in it, so I sanded it down to bare wood and finished it with gunstock oil and wax, like an Ernie Ball Music Man. Last night I was able to route out the pickup cavities and installed a set of EMG 35Hz's. These pickups don't have a great rep, but they sound great in this bass. Now this bass plays and sounds awesome!
 
#18
NicJimBass said:
I just picked one up from the Guitar Center used site. Gonna use it in an 80's band I'm in. Bad thing is, one of the pickups is practically useless... it'll work fine when hardwired to the output jack, but if there is any type of pot put on it, the bass drops and it sounds very tin-ny. Gotta find the time to route out the pickup cavities a little bit so i can drop something else into it.

EDIT: I got this thing back into shape- I didn't care for the painted neck, especially since it had a couple dings in it, so I sanded it down to bare wood and finished it with gunstock oil and wax, like an Ernie Ball Music Man. Last night I was able to route out the pickup cavities and installed a set of EMG 35Hz's. These pickups don't have a great rep, but they sound great in this bass. Now this bass plays and sounds awesome!
Click to expand...

How much did you pay for yours? I have stumbled across one and it is now mine, but I bought it on the spot thinking I could double my money.
 

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