Breakfast Report Friday, August 1, 2014: fretless Wunkay

Hi gang,

First day of August already. Year is flying by …

Breakfast
Although I no longer work at my old shop, the Friday morning coffee tradition has so far withstood the test of time and separation. I will be meeting up with colleagues old and new and we'll be talking shop until it's time for me to head out and get into the office. This yappin' happens while drinking a good latte with a "Morning Glory' muffin. The latter contains bran, carrots, sugar and more tasty stuff.

G&L
Most likely I won't be able to outdo yesterday but for me a full week of LRs is not complete without something for the low-enders. I've had this fretless 'Wunkay' for quite a while now and has worked itself up to be my favorite bass.




This bass has a body date 12/7/1982 and a neck dated 3/4/1983 …


… and has its fair share of battle scars on the front (left) and back (right) which only seem to prove she was played. A lot.


The electronics of these babies are extraordinarily simple: single volume, separate treble and bass tone controls, and a switch for coil-splitting the single MFD bucker. Its S/N appeals to my lucky number (11) not once but twice!


As explained in this instruction sheet, in the forward position you select the humbucking mode, the middle position has the "Single Coil" sound, and the position towards the bridge is "Single Coil" with added bass boost. And note this is all done without active electronics!

But the main attraction is that gorgeous ebony board and the old-style tit-less headstock:



Not withstanding the single pup, there are plenty of great sound you can get out of this bass. But as happens so frequently, when you find a sweet spot, you usually stick around with it. For me it is both the treble and bass dialed back a bit and then mainly using the bucker while switching to single-coil w/added bass when you want to get a little more punch and cutting edge. I play this thing using my Café Walter HA-1A practice amp which had an extremely flat response while wearing my Sennheiser HD-265 headphones. Really love this puppy!

Have a great weekend folks!

- Jos

"As explained in this instruction sheet, in the forward position you select the humbucking mode, the middle position has the "Single Coil" sound, and the position towards the bridge is "Single Coil" with added bass boost. And note this is all done without active electronics!"

Elegant! Wonder if they'd consider this circuit for a single humbucker style guitar, like a Rampage or single H ASAT. Very cool.

your going to give Ken a heart attack when he see's this , .... lol ... great week , keep them coming

Jos,

Yes the year is flying by but LR weeks like yours only add to the fun, thanks for a great week.

Very cool info on the electronics and in my usual tinkering mode I am thinking if we can put that switching on yer ASAT Cavalier then we could have another Custom Creation. Dear Darth...

Enjoy your weekend as well.

Jos,

Thanks for showing us some more of your collection this week. Great stuff.

y2kc

That is a sweet fretless, and the fingerboard is very sexy.
Thanks for really great week, Jos!

Thanks to all of you for checking in! And Eric, if Ken does check in, I'll be ready with the peddles ….

- Jos

Jos,

Great week! I'd like to see Les Claypool & Tony Franklin hittin' that thang...



Cheers,

Will

Interesting to see its a Hog Body .I love the look of a black guitar . I love those Mahogany bodied 1 K 's. I own one but lucky for me it's got frets.
Super week thanks Jos
Anthony

Interesting to see its a Hog Body .I love the look of a black guitar . I love those Mahogany bodied 1 K 's. I own one but lucky for me it's got frets.

Anthony,
I though it would be really hard to play fretless. Sliding into notes instead of hitting them correctly. And I will not deny that still happens at times. But it turned out that 1) my ears apparently are not entirely made of tin, and 2) my muscle memory having played fretted basses for about 35 years is helping me out quite a bit. And it also helps to practice with the Peterson Strobo tuner hooked up and actually watch the display just to get an idea how much off you are and then keep working on it until you get the phrases right. But I also cannot deny that sliding over the board is a lot of fun

- Jos

Interesting to see its a Hog Body .I love the look of a black guitar . I love those Mahogany bodied 1 K 's. I own one but lucky for me it's got frets.

Anthony,
I though it would be really hard to play fretless. Sliding into notes instead of hitting them correctly. And I will not deny that still happens at times. But it turned out that 1) my ears apparently are not entirely made of tin, and 2) my muscle memory having played fretted basses for about 35 years is helping me out quite a bit. And it also helps to practice with the Peterson Strobo tuner hooked up and actually watch the display just to get an idea how much off you are and then keep working on it until you get the phrases right. But I also cannot deny that sliding over the board is a lot of fun

- Jos

I was thinking similarly - that yours is quite the stunner, but that I'd be unable to fully appreciate it because morons like me need frets!
But who knows. Maybe some day I'll get the chance to try a fretless Wonkey (Wonkay?). Truth is that I have enough trouble doing any justice at all to my fretted '81.

My only other comment (besides Great Week!) is that I used to remember when I was young and a "Morning Glory muffin" was something else entirely (but no less delectable). - ed

Jos, very nice fretless and I did own a G&L L200o fretless a few years back. It was fun to play but in a gigging situation it takes a long time to really become accurate. I sold it only because I prefer 5 string basses. You have done a dynamite week with a lot of interesting pictures and stories. Loved it! -- Darwin

Jos,

Checking in late here, after a week on the road. That's a gorgeous bass. I haven't had the opportunity to try a fretless L-1K yet, but I remember GASsing over one that was in the Marketplace back around '99 or '00. It was $325 IIRC, and I just couldn't sell other gear fast enough to make it happen. The 'hog/ebony combo on yours must be wonderful.

One minor point: I believe the "OMG" position is actually a passive boost with a treble cut, rather than a bass boost. Either way, the end result is massive thickness!

I got to play a '91 maple/rosewood L-1K at Atomic Music yesterday. The only reason I didn't find a way to bring it home was that the date stamps were later than 3/21/91. Interestingly for November '91 production, it still had the "by Leo Fender" decal on the headstock.

And Eric, if Ken does check in, I'll be ready with the peddles ….

I can handle this one, surprisingly. I love playing fretless, but it has to be on a thinner neck than these early L-series basses had. The wide nut just doesn't fit with my fretless style. I probably wouldn't pass one up if it popped up in front of me, though.

If you had posted pics of a 'hog/ebony El Toro fretless, the ambulance would be on the way...

Ken

One minor point: I believe the "OMG" position is actually a passive boost with a treble cut, rather than a bass boost. Either way, the end result is massive thickness!

Hi Ken,

Welcome home!

And yes, you are likely correct in how it is actually achieved. OTOH, I am correct on how it is marketed (see link to the Gallery in the original post). And once more there is a certain amount of tension between reality and marketing But the thickness is undeniably there. And that's the one and only reality that counts in the end!

- Jos

... But the thickness is undeniably there. And that's the one and only reality that counts in the end!

- Jos

That's what she said !!

Super busy lately so I haven't had a chance to finish reading everything. I just wanted to add that I feel like I hired a personal tour guide to take me through the Yowhatsshakin NW G&L museum. Thanks for a great week of history Jos!