Sid Vicious tribute bass

[BassyBill]

A pal of mine, who is just taking up bass, is a huge Sex Pistols fan. So I gave him a gift bass (cheap sunburst P copy, see pic) and some parts I already had to turn it into a Sid tribute. He’s stripped the original finish and soon it will be brilliant rattlecan white with a black pickguard and a couple of other “upgrades”. He’s really enjoying his new hobby and I’m enjoying helping him get started. Win! Will post pics on completion.

 

[BassyBill]

While my friend Wayne continued in my work shop today with the body painting prep, I’ve been searching my bass parts stash for more goodies. He now has…
The body, ready for painting white
Three ply b/w/b pickguard
The original neck, with the fingerboard dressed and conditioned
Original tuners - these actually work fine
EMG Geezer pickup, pots and wiring
Gotoh 201 bridge
Rotosound Swing Bass rounds 45-105
Neck plate, strap buttons etc…

All ready for assembly when the paint’s done. I’ve got a feeling that this is going to be a pretty cool P bass when it’s all completed.

 

[Ghastly]

That's awsome. You're a good friend!

 

[Shawn Luckman]

That's a nice thing your doing for your friend .

 

[BassyBill]

The spirit of Sid Vicious has invaded my house!

 

[BassyBill]

I’m really pleased with how this turned out. The rattlecan finish is pretty rough, but then again, it’s a punk bass.

I kept the original bridge as the Gotoh would had necessitated some extra drilling.

The EMG Geezer pickup sounds fantastic with the Rotosound strings and a bit of dirt when using a pick. All ready to rock out some Pistols and Stranglers tunes. This has been a really fun project.

 

[CletusMarley]

That's good stuff man! Everyone needs a freind like you!

 

[BassyBill]

I’ve set him up with…
The Sid Vicious P bass, 4” leather strap, Fender gig bag, cables and a few picks
A Markbass 121P combo (nearly new)
Behringer Bass Driver DI
“Bass Guitar For Dummies” (actually an excellent book, despite the title)

He’s all good to go! Now I just have to teach him to play the damn thing…

 

[BassyBill]

I’ve even had some fun with this bass playing it myself! It sounds terrific with the GZR pickup and the Bass Driver DI pedal. Sometimes I forget how much fun you can have on an absolutely basic standard P bass. It’s really all you need to totally rock out. That tone!

Today’s learning challenge…

 

[SulzerType2]

You have to lightly relic the bass by using it to batter a few cowboys and music journalists in a dive bar.

 

[g-dude]

He’s all good to go! Now I just have to teach him to play the damn thing…

Just don’t overshoot and turn him into Victor Wooten or Jaco.

 

[Michedelic]

I’ve set him up with…
The Sid Vicious P bass, 4” leather strap, Fender gig bag, cables and a few picks
A Markbass 121P combo (nearly new)
Behringer Bass Driver DI
“Bass Guitar For Dummies” (actually an excellent book, despite the title)

He’s all good to go! Now I just have to teach him to play the damn thing…

You(and/or your friend)do realize that on the recordings, Glen Matlock was the bass player(and primary song contributor), aside from album tracks where Steve Jones overdubed after Matlock was booted, plus one song where Sid attempted, but was buried under an additional Jones line, right? While Sid might have started to get it together toward the end, on a musical level there’s nothing to attribute to him. He wasn’t playing anything on post-Pistols material or shows. What’s left? OK, he’s some sort of icon/personality, but that’s based on him being a naive idiot who got turned into a junkie.

 

[RoadieP]

Now I just have to teach him to play the damn thing…

Sid barely knew how to play, so this shouldn't be too difficult

 

[BassyBill]

I’m well aware of Sid’s musical and psychological limitations. Duh.

But his white and black P bass is still 100% cool.

Rock ‘n’ roll.

 

[Michedelic]

I’m well aware of Sid’s musical and psychological limitations. Duh.

But his white and black P bass is still 100% cool.

Rock ‘n’ roll.

Which he chose only because of Dee Dee.

 

[elgranluis]

15 posts and nobody has mentioned to remove the wiring at the output jack , for the true Sid Vicious sound ?

 

[beatdatthang]

There’s not enough blood on it… j/k

Nice job!

 

[SulzerType2]

I’m well aware of Sid’s musical and psychological limitations. Duh.

Any talk of Sid seems to bring out this weird purse-clutching moral proselytising after a dozen posts or so.


I feel sorry for him as, hopefully, he would have been recognised as a kid with additional support needs and gave a bit more of an intervention if he was alive now. Plucking him off the street and telling him to go be Johnny Thunders onstage and off was about the worst thing that could have happened to him.


Not the only rockstar to be minimally musically gifted or to have murdered anybody (allegedly!) or himself, but a bit too British and a bit too much of an oik, so every thread needs bogged down with the same boring chat.

 

[BassyBill]

Any talk of Sid seems to bring out this weird purse-clutching moral proselytising after a dozen posts or so.


I feel sorry for him as, hopefully, he would have been recognised as a kid with additional support needs and gave a bit more of an intervention if he was alive now. Plucking him off the street and telling him to go be Johnny Thunders onstage and off was about the worst thing that could have happened to him.


Not the only rockstar to be minimally musically gifted or to have murdered anybody (allegedly!) or himself, but a bit too British and a bit too much of an oik, so every thread needs bogged down with the same boring chat.

Well said. I could not agree more.

 

[Michedelic]

Any talk of Sid seems to bring out this weird purse-clutching moral proselytising after a dozen posts or so.


I feel sorry for him as, hopefully, he would have been recognised as a kid with additional support needs and gave a bit more of an intervention if he was alive now. Plucking him off the street and telling him to go be Johnny Thunders onstage and off was about the worst thing that could have happened to him.


Not the only rockstar to be minimally musically gifted or to have murdered anybody (allegedly!) or himself, but a bit too British and a bit too much of an oik, so every thread needs bogged down with the same boring chat.

The point is, why fuss over him, and hold him in such esteem, when it was Matlock who did all the work? Where is his tribute instrument? Even Dee Dee got one(and as I pointed out, the white P with black pickguard was what Syd was inspired to grab up). Mr. Colvin might have been yet another junkie mook, but he wrote a big chunk of The Ramones catalog, was far more street smart(if Syd ever was in the first place), and while being a classic example of root riding, possesed an amazing stamina, and drove it hard every night(one of which I experienced in ‘78, in their prime).
Sure, it was Lydon who was the focal point, but Sid was a punk rock Norton, tagging along, until he became the Pistol’s Stu Sutcliffe. Right, he was the embodiment of the punk ethos…just pick up an instrument and do it, like his brief drumming stint with Siouxie, but then what? The Banshees moved on. Even the Slits moved forward.
What exactly was it that established him as such an “icon”, besides the crash and burn bit, and the piss-take of “My Way”, which of course had a certain amount of irony? Shane McGowan was another Dead Pool bet after awhile, but at least he contributed something, and GG Allin, while a bit of a bozo himself, at least walked the walk, although he was a bit of a contrivance.