kizanski Posted December 1, 2013 Posted December 1, 2013 Not a Hamer, but a bass from the heyday of B.C. Rich. My late brother's '81 Eagle Bass in splendid Blueburst. A few months ago, Jay murkat restored my brother's '76 P-Bass back to original condition. This bass, however, needs no such attention. It is as it was the day that it was delivered. Nothing has been changed, aside from strings, of course. When my big brother, Joey, ordered this bass, everyone was certain he had lost his mind. "950 Dollars for a BASS?!" I have to admit, even I didn't get it. This was 1980, after all. $950 was a lot of money for a 19 year old kid to spend on anything that didn't have 4 wheels and an engine. But order it he did, and used it and the aforementioned P-Bass exclusively for as long as he would play the instrument. He would never own another bass. The Eagle is in "Museum Status," as he used to put it, and that's where it will remain. Honestly, I'm conflicted about this. I've always held a little animosity toward museums. like the Hard Rock Cafes and R&R Hall of Fame (even though I would highly recommend the latter to anyone considering visiting there), because these guitars will never play again. Not unlike a flightless or song-less bird (get it? Eagle references), here is a fine instrument which will very rarely, if ever, see the light of day again, much less get played. But, I know as sure as I'm sitting here it's what my brother would have wanted, so in the case it stays. I wanted to document the condition of the bass for insurance purposes, so I thought I would share the photos with you all. Who knows when you'll see another one like this in this condition again? The (dust, tarnished frets and dead strings will remain and they are. That's the way he left it. It's funny how a smell can bring you back, and usually before you're prepared for it, if that's even possible, but when I cracked open the case, there was a feeling of nostalgia, familiarity and even comfort that billowed out of it. I'd know that smell 50 years from now. But enough of my yackin'!
murkat Posted December 1, 2013 Posted December 1, 2013 Awesome.I can only hope my Rose will receive such respect and tending.
rj2858 Posted December 1, 2013 Posted December 1, 2013 No reason to feel conflicted - it was your brothers, and it seems that as far as you're concerned, it still is, you're just maintaining stewardship of it.More people should have this type of reverence, in my opinion.I have the two watches my father prized, and his beloved cameras/lenses/stuff, and have for the nearly 25 years he's been gone, despite the fact that I've never worn a watch, and am not a photo enthusiast. It never entered my mind to sell them, even at times that I could have used the large amount of money that they would have brought inI don't see that changing, and have no conflicts with it.
Kurt L Posted December 1, 2013 Posted December 1, 2013 Sorry you lost your brother. I hope you play it in his honor from time to time.
cmatthes Posted December 1, 2013 Posted December 1, 2013 Great post, Kiz. One of the most beautiful basses I've ever seen, and the story and your reverence just adds to the total package.
HSB0531 Posted December 1, 2013 Posted December 1, 2013 That's too cool and so many levels! I Love that color; amazing burst on it. And the dual Dimarzio Model P split pickups Knobs and switches galore; as it always was with almost any BC Rich. And it's got a Fender Precision Bass Special brass bridge on it too. I Love it!
pirateflynn Posted December 1, 2013 Posted December 1, 2013 I love the last paragraph and know exactly what you mean. That is a beauty.
Bobby Marshall Posted December 1, 2013 Posted December 1, 2013 Your brother was a smart man at 23. That is killer. Bet she roars.
elduave Posted December 1, 2013 Posted December 1, 2013 Awesome! When do we start arguing about the RNRHOF and when do the package jokes begin? Seriously. Great work Jay, great post Kiz.
oldskoolrulz Posted December 1, 2013 Posted December 1, 2013 Beautiful bass and story, thanks for sharing
kizanski Posted December 2, 2013 Author Posted December 2, 2013 ...it was your brothers, and it seems that as far as you're concerned, it still is, you're just maintaining stewardship of it. Thanks. I think that's a better way to look at it. When do we start arguing about the RNRHOF and when do the package jokes begin? I thoroughly enjoyed my visit to the R&RHOF last July. There's just a part of me that hates to see all of these amazing instruments behind glass. Part of me is thrilled that I got to see it, but it's still kinda sad. Kinda like the dozens of guitars that I own which rarely see the light of day. I don;t know what you mean about "packages." Is that a dick joke?
BTMN Posted December 2, 2013 Posted December 2, 2013 Cool post about a Cool bass. Thanks for sharing.
MCChris Posted December 2, 2013 Posted December 2, 2013 http://www.hamerfanclub.com/forums/topic/19391-grade-this-for-me-please/?p=211656
rj2858 Posted December 2, 2013 Posted December 2, 2013 http://www.hamerfanclub.com/forums/topic/19391-grade-this-for-me-please/?p=211656WOW! Going back in that thread a few posts tells me that I got to the HFC a couple years too late. Or maybe not.
elduave Posted December 2, 2013 Posted December 2, 2013 It was a table set at a dick joke, yeah, but non malicious. No biggie. ;-)The guitars at the HOF where kind of secondary after seeing Ricks Picks but I was taken aback at the neglected state of many of them, and not in a cool, "we're keeping them just as we got them kind of way." The coolest things I thought were the various hand written lyrics.Muse... Classic.Enjoy the game!
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