1982 PURPLEBURST 4000S/8

Any S/8 bass is a rare beast, indeed. This nice example is the property of Gareth Holder, AKA Brian Helicopter, erstwhile bass player of the not-dead-yet 1970s UK punk band, The Shapes, who's perhaps our most frequent repeat customer, probably because he's a short drive South of Studio California's home base. It's a tone monster, and the few that were built are occasionally the victims of well-intentioned modifications that end up detracting from tone, playability, value, or all three. 

We left this one alone, aside from stripping the body to bare maple and laying on a deep Purpleburst shaded finish. A gold-painted transparent acrylic pickguard and matching nameplate complete the picture.

The Shapes are big in Japan, by the way.