Very strange Precision and Jazz Bass headless conversions listed on eBay

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Here are an odd pair of basses I saw listed in separate auctions from the same seller on eBay. As you can clearly see they are strangely tweaked Fender designs, namely a Jazz Bass and a P-Bass, both bizarrely converted to headless instruments. Well I say headless, but each has a mini-headstock which acts as a string anchor. The mini-headstock in itself is not inelegant; however at the other end of each instrument is a strange protuberance (a butt-stock, perhaps?) carrying the tuners. Surely there could have been a neater way of doing this, e.g using a Steinberger-style bridge with integral tuners. Also note that it would be impossible to stand up either of these basses while not being used without the right kind of guitar stand. As for getting a case to fit...

I'm guessing that these are one-off custom jobs. Judging by the photographs the conversion and finish on each has been carried out very competently. My only questions are Why? and Who will these appeal to?

EBay UK links for these  two:

• Headless Jazz Bass
• Headless P-Bass

Both are listed with starting prices of £199 (UKP).

More photos of each:

G L Wilson

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Custom Rick Toone Headless, fan-fretted T2 Telecaster

guitarz.blogspot.com:

I'm not going to get into too much detail. The pictures speak for themselves on this one. Either you love when some one takes a tried and true design and turns it into a unique beast, or you hate it. There is rarely someone in the middle on these issues.

This Rick Toone T2  is designed to be polarizing. The craftsmanship may speak for itself. It looks extremely well made and has all the elements of a great guitar.

What I'm mostly offended by is the price, $17500 US.

Admittedly I know very little about the Luthier Rick Toone apart from the fact that I've heard his name before, and have seen one or two of his more ergonomic offerings.

Has anyone here own/played one of his guitars? Is it worth the hefty price tag?

R.W. Haller


© 2016, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
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Awesome Headless Scorched Wood Sankey Guitars Bast

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Though this Sankey Guitars Bast model is far from my usual taste, I find that I'm drawn to it's looks. It could be that they scorched and burnished the body, which is made of douglas fir, and then when the reliefs were carved the true wood was exposed.

The seven piece neck is made of layers of ebony, cocobolo, and purple heart. This was done for stability in the Californian desert climate, but it also looks fantastic.

The Bast also sports a polyphonic pickup and preamp allowing for strong piezo acoustic sound and hexaphonic midi. On top of that there is a standard magnetic pickup as well.

R.W. Haller



© 2016, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
Please read our photo and content policy.

Phoenix Phantom Headless Bass. 1980s Made In Japan

guitarz.blogspot.com:

I'd never heard of Phoenix guitars before. Clearly they were part of the Japanese invasion of the 1980s.

This Phoenix Phantom looks to be a solid example of the quality that was going into all the made in Japan guitars of the time. If you can get past the lack of a headstock you could possibly have a great vintage bass at a decent price. The single pickup is coil tapped for single or humbucker tones and the black on black colour scheme gives it an air of class.

Currently $250 Canadian.

Happy New Year!

R.W. Haller





© 2015, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
Please read our photo and content policy.

Status custom one-off doubleneck 5-string bass and 6-string guitar

guitarz.blogspot.com:

This particular guitar/bass satisfies both my current obsessions at the moment, namely (1) doublenecked guitar bass combos, and (2) headless guitars and basses. I was pretty sure I'd never seen a doubleneck from Status before, but reading the seller's description on this eBay auction it seems that this beast has been created by customising a Status Series 2000 bass with a graphite through neck and basically adding the whole guitar section. The work was carried out by AC Guitars, who also hand-carved the bolt-on guitar neck from maple and ebony.

The seller had this made for a Genesis tribute band (we'd best gloss over that quickly before I start one of my anti-tribute band rants) but which work obligations meant that he wasn't able to participate in. That's a very specialised instrument and a lot of financial outlay for a project that didn't come to fruition.

Yet again I have to get on my usual hobby horse and say that the necks are the wrong way around. OK, call it "opinion" if you will, but I truly believe that it makes much more sense to have the bass neck BELOW the guitar neck. It's simply a better layout, giving improved access to the strings on each neck ...unless you like a bass slung really high up on your chest. (I don't.) The balance of the instrument should also be improved, although maybe that isn't such an issue when the necks are headless.

Also, think about it, if you wanted a doubleneck guitar/mandolin combo, you wouldn't put the smaller mandolin neck beneath the guitar neck, would you? Illogical.

Despite all that, it's a really interesting piece and showcases some excellent custom work from AC Guitars. Currently listed on eBay UK with a starting price of £725.

G L Wilson

© 2015, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
Please read our photo and content policy.

Ned Steinberger's one-off prototype L-Series headless bass

guitarz.blogspot.com:

I ought not have to write too much about Ned Steinberger's one-of-a-kind prototype L-Series bass as the pictures say it all really. Built in 1977 the bass is modelled from carbon fibre and although it is headless, Steinberger seems to have simply moved the headstock from the end of the neck and re-positioned it behind the bridge. It uses regular bass guitar tuners; obviously created before Steinberger went on to develop his own style of fine tuners. You can read more about this bass here.

And if you fancy actually buying this bass, it is currently listed on eBay with a Buy It Now price of US $99,995.

G L Wilson

© 2015, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
Please read our photo and content policy.

Hohner B2 / B2A fretless headless bass wanted

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Please forgive this rather cheeky post, but hey, as blogmaster of this guitar blog I don't think you can begrudge me the occasional perk.

To get to the point, I ended up playing a Steinberger-styled Hohner B2A headless fretless bass at a gig last night and I totally fell in love with it. I did ask the owner if it was sale, but unfortunately for me he wanted to keep hold of it. I really liked the size of the bass, nice and portable yet with a full-scale length, and also I found it hung really nicely on a strap. I also liked the neat flip-out knee rest to facilitate playing when seated. Most of all, I really dug the sound. We broke into a reggae/dub number that we'd been working on recently, and the bass really delivered that lovely dubby bass sound that I love so much.

And so onto the cheeky bit. I appreciate that it's a bit of a long shot but does anyone out there - preferably someone in the UK or Europe so as to keep shipping costs to a minimum - have one of these babies that they no longer require and might be willing to exchange for a electric 6-string guitar from my collection? (I have several in mind that I'd be willing to swap for the right bass). I'm not too bothered as to whether it's the B2 (passive) or the B2A (active) model, but I really do want the FRETLESS version of the bass (preferably unlined). I'm not worried about the colour of the finish, or about the general condition of the bass, so long as it's all in working order, the neck is straight, the action is good, etc. All the usual requirements, really.

Please contact me at gavinlloydwilson@yahoo.com if interested.

Thanks

G L Wilson

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Please read our photo and content policy.

Carvin Allan Holdsworth Signature HH2

guitarz.blogspot.com:

I knew Allan Holdsworth's face years before I'd ever heard him play a note.
Way back in 1985 he was predominantly featured in my Ibanez catalogue of guitars. In fact, I think i played one of his Ibanez signature models before I'd heard him play. It was red and had a spider logo on the headstock. Very cool for the 14 year old me.

So when I saw that Carvin had a signature Holdsworth model it caught my eye. I really like the look of this headless guitar. I think it wold make a great travel instrument. Carvin makes great guitars. I play with a bassist who sells and buys gear all the time. The one constant is his Carvin. Something, something......... from his cold dead hands.

Currently listed for $1200 Canadian

R.W. Haller



© 2015, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - the blog that goes all the way to 11!
Please read our photo and content policy.