Birthday Porn - 1986 Lynx Bass

[KenC]

Here's the newest member of the family, recently purchased from another G&LDPer. The neck and body dates are August 12th and 14th, 1986, so I figured I'd split the difference and post some 26th birthday pics tonight. The lighting was less than ideal for capturing the Bahama Blue finish, but these photos turned out OK:

















The specs on this bass are:

- Two single-coil MFD pickups, as found on the original SB-1, SB-2 and Lynx basses.
- Maple neck with rosewood board.
- 1 11/16" nut.
- Black crinkle hardware.
- Belly and forearm cuts.

Tone-wise, this Lynx is very much like an early SB-1 or SB-2, with more midrange and less bottom than the L-series basses of this period. It has plenty of punch. I haven't changed the roundwound strings that came on it yet, but will probably go with Rotosound RS-77s (advertised as flat wounds, but really more of a ground wound).

The Lynx was a follow-on to the original SB-2 from the mid-80s to the early BBE days. When the SB-2 model was given a full-sized body and a split-coil neck pickup, the Lynx was introduced with the first SB body style and pickups. The only significant changes were rosewood instead of maple fret boards, the addition of belly and forearm cuts, and different body woods. I'm having trouble telling whether the body on this particular Lynx is maple or poplar, but I'm leaning toward maple. The grain is much plainer than any of my other maple-bodied G&Ls, but it doesn't seem as soft as poplar and is tighter and whiter than any poplar I've ever seen. It's also very close to the same grain and color as the unfinished butt of the neck. I don't have any good pictures of this, so I may take some and post them later.

Ken

[blargfromouterspace]

Nice one Ken, another fun looking bass!

[yowhatsshakin]

Congrats Ken. Both with finding another fine Leo-era bass and reaching 20

- Jos

[darwinohm]

Nice bass Ken. Very interesting color with no metallic. You really have a nice assortment of basses! -- Darwin

[KenC]

Nice one Ken, another fun looking bass!

Thanks, Jamie! I was on the fence about getting this one, but am glad I went with it. The contours make this the most comfortable bass in my collection. I think it even edges out the Interceptor in this respect.

Congrats Ken. Both with finding another fine Leo-era bass and reaching 20

Jos, I guess this means I'm halfway to your total now. I can't imagine where I would fit another twenty!

Very interesting color with no metallic. You really have a nice assortment of basses!

Thanks Darwin! I understand this Bahama Blue was a pretty rare color. My color vision is pretty bad, but to me it looks black under most lighting conditions. It never looks as blue to me in real life as it does in these pictures. It reminds me of a mid-90s Cobalt Blue ASAT I briefly owned, only darker and without the slight metallic undertone.

Looking through the Registry I noticed that three of my most recent bass acquisitions were built in the middle of August, so a couple of more Leo-era birthday posts will follow...

Ken

Ken

[LeoFThe Champion]

G'day Ken, how does it sound compared to the Interceptor Bass?
Great colour btw.
Cheers
Anthony

[KenC]

G'day Ken, how does it sound compared to the Interceptor Bass?

Anthony,

I can't offer an opinion quite yet. I put fresh strings (Rotosound RS-77 flats) on the Lynx last night, and gave her a very thorough setup this evening. She sounded wonderful before with rather old round wounds, but now the sound is significantly better. Yes, better than wonderful...I'm not sure how else to describe the change. I chose the RS-77s because they were the best flats at the local Guitar Center, and I didn't have time to drive any farther away for a better string. I can only imagine how she'll sound sometime in the future, when I upgrade these to LaBellas!

The Interceptor is still wearing some old round wounds, so I'm not sure what the sound will be like with new stings. With old strings and before the setup on the Lynx, I would have said the the two sounded very similar. The flats on the Lynx brought in a lot more fundamentals without any loss of the upper mids, so now the response is a lot more balanced than it was with the old strings. I was really surprised by the increase fullness on the low end. With old strings on both, the Interceptor seemed to have a bit more volume due to the active circuitry.

I guess the next evening projects will have to be a string change on the Interceptor and some serious A/B testing...

Ken

[LeoFThe Champion]

Thanks mate, I am a bass player as well as a guitarist too. I especially love the early to mid 1980's. I'll get around to posting mine sometime. I prefer rounds but I might try La Bellas next time. is there a specific type you recommend?
Anthony

[Fred Finisher]

Ken,
Where did you see that the finish color was Bahama Blue? That color of blue was originally called Viking Blue. It was so deep a blue that it had to be painted over white or it would take too much paint to cover and it would be too dark. It was one of the original colors for the SC and SB line.The Apple Red also had to be painted over white. Just curious because I have seen another blue called Viking Blue but it was very light like the color blue we used on Carl Perkins Broadcaster.
Fred

[zapcosongs]

Great bass, Ken. Congratulations!

Interesting question, Fred.

I have an SB-2 in what I've believed to be "Bahama Blue" and it looks just like Ken's guitar (except for the belly cuts and the rosewood board, of course.) My SB-2 only really looks blue when I put it next to my black '86 ASAT (or in certain unusual lighting situations). I like it. More to it than might meet the eye....

Is it possible that the marketing guys called the color something different than the shop guys? I need to look, but don't recall "Viking Blue" to be an option for registration of these Leo-era basses. Hmmmm...

- ed

[KenC]

I prefer rounds but I might try La Bellas next time. is there a specific type you recommend?

The only ones I've used so far are the Deep Talkin' flats. I would like to try the Original 1954s at some point, which are a heavier version of the Deep Talkin' flats and allegedly the exact same set James Jamerson played on the classic Motown sides. I'm looking forward to trying the Deep Talkin' quarter rounds on either the SB-2 or the Interceptor (on both if they're what I'm hoping they'll be).

Ken

[KenC]

Where did you see that the finish color was Bahama Blue? That color of blue was originally called Viking Blue. It was so deep a blue that it had to be painted over white or it would take too much paint to cover and it would be too dark. It was one of the original colors for the SC and SB line.The Apple Red also had to be painted over white. Just curious because I have seen another blue called Viking Blue but it was very light like the color blue we used on Carl Perkins Broadcaster.

Hi Fred,

Everything I've seen on this website and others indicates this color was called Bahama Blue in the late 80s. If you look through the Gallery you will see several basses with this dark blue finished referred to this way. As Ed described, it really looks like black when you see it in person, unless it's under very bright light or next to a truly black instrument.

My understanding was that the lighter blue used on the first SBs and SCs was called Viking Blue. Here's my '82 SC-1 as an example:



My SC-1 has turned slightly green with age, which I've heard is common.

Could the name Bahama Blue have been used after you left G&L? It seems from general consensus that this blue-black was called Bahama Blue in the second half of the decade. Something very similar showed up briefly in the mid-90s as Cobalt Blue. If you look at the page of the '82 price list in the Gallery, the SC-3 is listed as coming in black, red, white and blue. No "Viking" or "Bahama", just blue. We're any other shades of blue being used back then, aside from the transparent blue finishes?

Ken

[Fred Finisher]

Ken,
After I left I have no idea what they did but I might have an old can of the original (Spartan) paint somewhere. If I do, I will post a picture because it has the label marked Viking Blue for the dark blue color. Either way, nice find on that bass,
Fred

[KenC]

Thanks, Fred. I would love to see that original paint can.

Ken