Luke Smith said,

March 1, 2007 @ 4:24 am

Sorry, I forgot the text!

“Having had this listing removed twice at the request of the manufacturers of the instrument of which this is a copy and then having my original text lifted word-for-word by another seller, I’ve decided - with my revised text - to have a final go at selling this beautiful, iconic, 60’s vintage bass unhindered.
This is a fantastic bass by Shaftesbury, modelled on an iconic hollow bodied bass by a world-famous manufacturer (you’ll find a lot of this over-wording in my listing as I’m not allowed to use the name of the original manufacturer or any overt references to them or their products!!). Vintage 60’s, plays like a dream and is super rare!! I’ve seen more of the real thing come up for sale than these so take this opportunity to own a bass icon at a fraction of the price of the real thing!!
A little bit of history…This bass was built in Japan around 1967/68 and probably imported by the UK supplier of the bass of which it is a copy. The Japanese had seen the boom in the guitar market and clearly had designs on a slice of it. They achieved their aims by producing more reasonably priced versions of their American counterparts. In the UK at that time either through huge demand for the original American product or a dispute with the original manufacturer, demand was outstripping supply so these Shaftesbury’s were imported from Japan to fill the gap in the market and proved to be extremely popular because of their likeness to the real thing, excellent build quality, playability and overall value for money. This happy arrangement continued for some time until the original manufacturers took legal action over infringement of their copyrights.
This lovely bass is a great example of the instruments produced before the legalities stopped them.
As you can see from the pictures, it is very closely modelled on an iconic bass off the time but on closer inspection the differences are apparent.
Having said that, this is still a beautiful bass to look at and, more importantly, to play! The hollow body construction means that it’s as light as a feather and gives that wonderful woody 60’s tone but the real piece de resistance is the neck! The set-in neck is shallow and slim all the way up to the body joint and plays like a dream with a nice, even, low action. This makes it ideal for people with small hands like me. I’m comparing this with many basses I’ve played including my newer one from the original manufacturer and in my opinion this neck is streets ahead of the rest.
At the moment it’s fitted with heavy gauge strings but these could do with replacing as they don’t do it justice.
The hardware is more functional than aesthetic although some effort has been made with the pickups which definitely look the part. One or two of the pots could do with a spray with some servicol or something but the bass is absolutely 100% useable.
I’ve used this bass extensively since I bought it and although there have often been more refined instruments available I still keep coming back to this wonderful bass mainly on account of that sublime neck and playing action. It really is lovely to play and has that authentic 60’s feel and tone that you just can’t reproduce with a more modern instrument. Not only does it sound and feel fabulous, it just looks so cool as well. If you’re concerned with aesthetics, this bass is indispensable.
As you’d expect from a well used instrument of this age there are inevitable knocks and dings which I have tried to show on the photographs. These look a lot worse than they actually are because it’s a good camera (!!) but if you feel the need I can endeavour to get more pictures to you. I hate to trot it out but the old maxim “these just add to the character” does ring true in this case.
However, a new project is forcing me to thin out my collection and it’s with deep regret that I have to let my Shaftesbury go.
I will post this instrument worldwide but foreign bidders please e-mail me for a postage quote.
I truly hope that this iconic and historic bass goes to a very loving home and that someone gets as much pleasure from it as me so please bid away and enjoy…I have.”

jack.marshall said,

February 11, 2008 @ 9:31 am

Hi I am trying to find some history on Shaftesbury guitars from about the 1960 there dosnt seem to be a lot of info about these guitars,I have just riecently bought a Shaftesbury arch top florantine double cutaway for restoration it looks as though it is a copy of the gibson Barney Kessel although there are some parts missing i dont want to start the repair work until i can find a bit of its history,Hope you can help
Kind Regards Jack.Marshall

imran said,

April 3, 2008 @ 7:12 pm

Hello!

I’ve got a Shaftesbury Semi Acoustic bass pretty much identical to the one pictured above. I have to say it’s so easy to play and sounds really nice too. Any idea how much these things are worth?

Imran

Pete said,

July 5, 2008 @ 12:56 pm

Chris - I have just got a Shaftesbury Telecaster for a restoration project. Sadly mine’s a bit battered but can be rescued. Does yours have a stock number and a serial number on the back of the headstock? Mine is stock number 3265 and serial number 1787. From various pages visited today and a rough estimation by my uncle who gave the guitar to me, I’d say (if it’s similar vintage to mine) that it’ll be between 1968 and 1972.