|
|
Joined:
February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | I don't recall seeing one of these before
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2558694800&category=4713
I can't recall seeing a Storm series bass with a non-trapeze bridge. Miles? Sam? |
|
| |
|
Joined:
June 2003
Posts: 194
Location: Las Vegas | I've seen 'em before. But not in black. And not with those awful "custom" star inlays either (shades of '76 and Marc Bolan/David Essex pixie dust, bleech!)
I'd be willing to bet this never worked either. Might not even be possible to even make it work without a total overhaul, at least replacing the pickups and wiring.
Les
:)
|
|
| |
|
Joined:
June 2002
Posts: 6194
Location: Phoenix AZ | To my knowledge there was never an Eclipse bass. My guess is that someone bolted a Typhoon neck onto an Eclipse body and rigged up the bridge accordingly. Looks like the original 6 string pickups (6 poles). Since there is no center block, I have no idea what they secured the stop tailpiece to. I bet the intonation is just lovely and the pickups and pots do a wonderful job. Dave |
|
| |
|
Joined:
February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | Les, there were a couple of Storm basses, the eclipse is unique because it only came in black spackled bowl paint, I've only seen 6-string Eclipses, never a bass.
Dave, they're 4-pole pickups, I had the same concern about the lack of a centre block though. Very strange. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
June 2003
Posts: 194
Location: Las Vegas | I know, I have a black eclipse guitar, and a gloss black Typhoon III. I agree with Miles, this probably is someone's Frankenstein experiment.
Interesting though... thanks for posting it!
Les
:)
Originally posted by Paul Templeman:
Les, there were a couple of Storm basses, the eclipse is unique because it only came in black spackled bowl paint, I've only seen 6-string Eclipses, never a bass.
Dave, they're 4-pole pickups, I had the same concern about the lack of a centre block though. Very strange. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
June 2002
Posts: 6194
Location: Phoenix AZ | You're right Paul, they are 4 pole. Your eyes are better then mine. But this is still one ugly dog. Really curious to know how he anchored the tail. Dave |
|
| |
|
Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7211
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | Actually I didn't say that yet... but I was thinking it. Actually this looks like a Typhoon that's been painted black. But the pickup and bridge placement looks wrong, like someone changed the scale. The neck is not right either.
Interesting piece, but I think it's a rebuilt Typhoon. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
June 2002
Posts: 6194
Location: Phoenix AZ | Miles,
I know the 1st generation Typhoons had the bridge pickup way back near the bridge (duh!). Was the 2nd generation the same? This body on ebay has the pickups in the position of the short neck 6 strings. Also, I think the real storm basses only had 3 pots (Vol, T, T). At least the ones in the gallery are that way. My bet is that this is a Typhoon neck on an eclipse body. Notice that the neck is finished in gloss black. I think real Eclipses have matte necks.
Dave |
|
| |
|
Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7211
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | Hard to say Dave and I guess that's the point. It is a whole bunch of parts that aren't in any known configuration. He has 1217-5 as the model and probably got that from the inside of the body which translates to "Typhoon V Fretless Bass". So go figure. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | Ok, I checked a '71 catalog, which shows a Typhoon V with a fixed tailpeice & bridge rather than a trapeze, available in gloss black as model no 1217-5. But they were bound in white, as there is no binding visible on this bass it's either a DIY refinished Typhoon, or it's bowl paint. The fact that the inside of the guitar has been painted black & the label is still visible suggests it's bowl paint and is original. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15654
Location: SoCal | Time to toss in my two cents. I checked a 72 catalog and the Typhoon IV & V basses both had stop tailpieces, but they had covers on them so there was no way of knowing what the bridge and tailpiece looked like. So unless somebody owns one of these and can pull off the cover, for all we know, this equipment may be original. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
January 2002
Posts: 14127
Location: 6 String Ranch | this is the stop tailpiece that was with those ones. There was a cover with a mute so this wasn't visable. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15654
Location: SoCal | W-2:
Saw your pic in the members area. Question: Do you get the bear or did the bear get you? |
|
| |
|
Joined:
June 2003
Posts: 194
Location: Las Vegas | Okay Paul, thanks for the heads up on this, it just arrived. I don't know if they ever released these commercially, but what I do know is that three "eclipse" basses were made and featured on the Partridge Family, one black, one white, and one deep (but not primary royal) blue. IF Ovation ever released any of these commercially, it was sure to be the black one, just like the black eclipse guitar. And this does have the logo and a serial number. Some of the Partridge props did, they were right "off the rack" so to speak. They didn't want to give them an expensive Deacon though, so they made the prop sunburst Breadwinner we've seen here previously! The blue and white "eclipse" basses did not have logos on the headstock or internal tags.
What makes me believe this is a Partridge is the very unusual placement of the "bridge" pickup, in the center of the bass. Even the Partridge blue and white "eclipse" (for lack of a better word) basses had the bridge pickups nearer the bridge. I've been unable to confirm from videos whether the actual black one on the show had the strange pickup location. On the few shows they used the black one, they never did any closeups of it, preferring the brighter colors of the white and blue ones.
Oh. Those horrific stars came off quickly with no trace!
And I know some of you older guys find this Partridge stuff a huge annoyance, but remember; that show was the largest exposure of Ovation 70's solid and semi-hollow body electrics ever, with constant syndication running in hundreds of countries worldwide since then and currently.
Once again, THANKS Paul!! And THANKS ALSO to CWK2 for the constant invaluable info and help!
This thing is beautiful, in MINT shape! Is it just me or did Ovation just make the mose beautiful necks?
Les
:)
Originally posted by Paul Templeman:
Ok, I checked a '71 catalog, which shows a Typhoon V with a fixed tailpeice & bridge rather than a trapeze, available in gloss black as model no 1217-5. But they were bound in white, as there is no binding visible on this bass it's either a DIY refinished Typhoon, or it's bowl paint. The fact that the inside of the guitar has been painted black & the label is still visible suggests it's bowl paint and is original. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
June 2003
Posts: 194
Location: Las Vegas | Oh, to answer the post, the eclipse guitars (and basses?) WERE bowl paint right over the binding. The binding is there right under the paint.
My guess is if a body had flaws, they painted it over. Smart!
Les
:)
Originally posted by Paul Templeman:
Ok, I checked a '71 catalog, which shows a Typhoon V with a fixed tailpeice & bridge rather than a trapeze, available in gloss black as model no 1217-5. But they were bound in white, as there is no binding visible on this bass it's either a DIY refinished Typhoon, or it's bowl paint. The fact that the inside of the guitar has been painted black & the label is still visible suggests it's bowl paint and is original. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | "...that show was the largest exposure of Ovation 70's solid and semi-hollow body electrics ever, with constant syndication running in hundreds of countries worldwide since then and currently..."
Hmmmm. . . maybe THAT'S why they didn't sell! :D |
|
| |
|
Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 7211
Location: The Great Pacific Northwest | The only thing annoying about the Partridge Family is that Susan Dey never answered my letters. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15654
Location: SoCal | I'm surprised. She answered mine. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 14842
Location: NJ | that was Danny Bonaduce. |
|
| |
|
Joined:
March 2002
Posts: 15654
Location: SoCal | That would explain the red hair.... |
|
| |
|
Joined:
June 2003
Posts: 194
Location: Las Vegas | They didn't sell because they couldn't score a Jimmy Page or Jeff Beck, or heck, even a Mick Ronson. But that makes them rarer today, so I'm actually grateful for that.
Les
Originally posted by cliff:
"...that show was the largest exposure of Ovation 70's solid and semi-hollow body electrics ever, with constant syndication running in hundreds of countries worldwide since then and currently..."
Hmmmm. . . maybe THAT'S why they didn't sell! :D |
|
| |
Eclipse bass?
