Shergold Marathon Bass VI left-handed 6-string bass circa 1986

guitarz.blogspot.com:

We looked at a Shergold Marathon Bass VI earlier in the year, but the example now pictured here is even rarer simply because it is a left-handed version. I'm particularly pleased to feature this instrument on the blog as I am always on the lookout for interesting guitars and basses that might appeal to our left-handed friends. This is definitely "Left-handed guitar of the week", I'd say "...of the month" even, and a contender for "of the year"!

The Marathon Bass VI features a single pickup - a humbucker with 16 pole pieces which can be switched between humbucker, single coil and phased options, thus allowing for a whole palette of tones. (Whilst we're looking at this instrument, I do feel the need to rant once again how much I loathe people referring to these Bass VI guitars as "baritone guitars". They are NOT baritone guitars; baritone guitars are not tuned as low as a bass's low E, but instead occupy a tuning somewhere in-between a traditional guitar and a traditional bass. The mix up in the nomenclature comes from people not wanting to confuse a Bass VI with the modern 6-string bass which has a different tuning and string spacing; however these people are just creating confusion elsewhere instead. Prats.)

This left-handed Shergold Marathon Bass VI is currently listed on eBay with a Buy It Now price of $2,799. That's not quite as outrageously priced as the last (right handed) example we looked at ($4,500), but I'm still amazed that these basses can command even half of that. I'm sure they are quality instruments, all I'm getting at is that originally they were priced quite moderately; you'd get a lot of guitar for your money whereas now it's a case of a LOT of money for your guitar.

More photos here.

G L Wilson

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