"The Shaggs" Avalon Bass

[Dan of the Highlands]

Hello everyone,

This is my first post on the forum.
My older sons have grown and so here I am getting back to stuff that I like to do. I've started getting back into trying to learn acoustic guitar. Along the way, I also got back into playing with an old bass that I had sitting in my attic.

For those of you who know about this model, YES, I have the bass version. This one has two pickups. It's all original except for the nut. It is missing the truss rod cover, the bridge cover and the tone knob. Otherwise it's in fair shape. I am keeping it and hoping to get the missing parts replaced with stock parts or even reproduced parts if necessary. I put some bright roundwounds on it the other day and it sounds pretty good coming through a little Marshall amp.

If anyone has an idea on how I would be able to get my hands on a good photo of the bridge cover - or an actual bridge cover or tone knob - I would like to hear it. The only photo that I have seen of the bass model is from the 1968 Harris-Teller catalog. The original catalog photo was black and white and the bass had too much lighting when the photographer snapped the pic. You can't make out how the bridge cover is supposed to look in that photo as it is too washed out.

By the way, let me correct myself. There is one other Avalon Bass that I have seen online. That fella was posting pics on a Guitar Restoration forum. However, the owner was doing a "complete restoration" and the photos that he had posted showed the body completely stripped down to raw wood. The original finish was completely gone. And no, he did not have the bridge plate either unfortunately.

Here is the picture of the bass I have.

[theehman]

That's a sweet lookin' bass! Post some better pics of the bridge area and the volume knob and someone might be able to help.

[Dan of the Highlands]

Thanks! I'll get some better photos of the hardware. I've cleaned it up since this pic was taken and she looks much better - damn near sexy.

Also, in case anyone else has dug into this issue before: what is the possibility that the Avalon name brand used for Wandre's Rock Oval was somehow connected to this design? Could they (was their an Avalon brand in Italy?) have sent the specs to a Japanese company for production? Or maybe it was just another case of marketing on a name with star appeal (Avalon Ballroom, Avalon Rock Oval, Franky Avalon...). For me, the mystery is a good part of the appeal of this bass.

[Spud1950]

Ah yes, The Shaggs and their Avalon guitars. Great album. I have the CD. I really like it.Very,shall we say, unique!

That bass is really nice. I love the Avalon design. I can't find any info or other pics of it on the net. Here's one of the guitars for sale.



You might try contacting Michael Robinson. He's the owner of Eastwood Guitars and is a big time collector of these type of guitars. Here's a page from his My Rare Guitars site about the Avalon guitar. Scroll down the page and click on " Contact Us" in the menu.

[PickerAUS]

The girls didn't have a bass player till their sister Rachel joined them later on. I've got no idea if she played an Avalon.. something I'm adding to my ever increasing list of things to do.
In case you liked the cover (It's REAL man!), there's more notable ones

[Spud1950]

Thanks for the link. Here's another one.

[PickerAUS]

lol Brilliant!
Mind you, I've got close to 1000 LPs + 45s and I know I've got a few in there with some truly arcane covers.
One that come to mind is Music for Heuga Carpet Tiles (or somesuch). My scanner isn't large enough so I may just take a few pics... just to share!

[VintAxe]

[PickerAUS]

You made me look.
Here it is.. and guess who featured in the music?
Enjoy!







I picked out another dozen or so of interesting covers.
Maybe this sort of stuff should go in another section of the forum?

HAHAHAHA! I get it!!! Shaggs - Carpet - shaggy pile carpet! - took me a while, I admit......

[Riotonsunset]

One of the Avalon guitars just sold on ebay for about $132

Seller said it was is in "good condition".

[PickerAUS]

I've seen worse.
At least all the hardware is there, except the tremolo arm if that's the post for it between the 1&2nd?
String it up and give her a go.

My last 2 Ebay purchases were almost complete duds as well.

[VintAxe]

I'd buy it for $132. Last I checked they were selling for around $550.

The finish on these instruments is a problem. The clear coat is very heavy and lifts off the surface of the guitar. This appears to be what has happened to this one.

My Avalon is currently with my luthier to fix this exact problem. I think he's going to try injecting lacquer under the bubbling clear coat to stick it back to the surface of the guitar. I'm hoping to stop this deterioration before my instrument look like the one in your picture.

I'll let you know how the "fix" works out.

[Michael Ambrose]

[Dan of the Highlands]

Just found a pristine example of the Avalon Bass on eBay auction. It is the best specimen available with what appears to be all original parts and original case. $800. The photos have answered all my questions about what it should look like.

[PickerAUS]