need help ID'ing this bass

[John Sonksen]

So I've been asked by a friend of a friend if I could combine his bass and guitar. The idea would be to cut and join the two separate bodies together and do a refinish job. I said I need to know what kind they are, how thick the bodies are, whether they have any carve to them and what type of finish he's expecting. So I got a virtual from my friend and can tell the guitar is a BC Rich Mockingbird but I can't ID the bass. I've given a fairly high estimate for the work that should cover my costs and then some as long as things don't get too crazy. I've said I will have to look at them in person before I agree to do any work, and it sounds like he'll have to save up for a little bit so it may be awhile before I see them for myself.

So can anyone ID this from the pic, it's really a terrible pic, looks like a photobucket effect on a photocopy but the headstock and upper bout seem unique. I'm trying to see if I can do some preliminary research before I get too involved. Let me know if you have any ideas, and of course if anyone has any thoughts, tips, experience, horror stories I'd love to hear them!

[Mark Swanson]

That might be a Parker bass, a nice one. And a Mockingbird isn't a cheapie either. I'd refuse this job if it were me, you'd be mangling two instruments for one that for many reasons just may not work at all.
I'd just design and make a body and buy a couple of eBay necks, then work out the bugs with those. With a modification this extreme, the odds are against you.

[John Sonksen]

That might be a Parker bass, a nice one. And a Mockingbird isn't a cheapie either. I'd refuse this job if it were me, you'd be mangling two instruments for one that for many reasons just may not work at all.
I'd just design and make a body and buy a couple of eBay necks, then work out the bugs with those. With a modification this extreme, the odds are against you.

I had considered that Mark and I haven't agreed to do anything yet. I was just talking to my wife about how to cover my butt if he decided he didn't like it. There would be no going back once it started and there are all sorts of things to consider.

I thought the upper bout on the bass looked like a parker but I haven't been able to find an image of a "fly" bass with that bout and that headstock.

[David King]

I agree with Mark on this project. This thing will be a boat anchor fit for the burn pile. The bass doesn't look like anything I've ever seen. The P pickups and the bridge make me think 1970's custom job but that's just a gut hunch.

Just because this person is a friend of a friend doesn't mean he's not an idiot. (I'm not saying he is but *might* be.)

[Eric Baack]

Is that a BC Rich logo on the lower headstock?

[John Sonksen]

David, I think because he's a friend of a friend there's a high likelyhood that he is (at least temporarily) an idiot. I think I'm going to back away from this one, I don't like the idea of being responsible for mangling two of a persons favorite instruments.

Eric, that is a BC Rich logo, had that one id'd already. The funky bass is still a mystery though. That upper bout looks like a Parker fly but it's slightly different, and I've never seen that headstock/pickup combo.

[Patrick Kirkham]

Yeah it'd be quicker to build from the ground up than to rip up two fine axes and expect good results.
I've seen ebay kits from time to time. None at the moment. But that might even be quicker. I mean once you have a doubleneck, it kinda collects dust. Heavy and not a go-to instrument. It would hurt to see a Rich and a Parker(?) frankensteined for a passing fancy.

[Rob Carty]

Even if you could get the bodies to mate perfectly, it's a near certainty that they'll have different thicknesses and different bevels/bindings. Who knows what'll happen if you have to shave one of those bodies ...

[John Sonksen]

Yeah Rob those were some of my initial concerns which were quickly overwhelmed by the practical and ethical concerns of destroying two valuable and functional instruments.

I told my friend to tell the guy I wouldn't do it, but wouldn't be opposed to building one from scratch.

[Art Davila]

I have to say that I would love see a light weight carbon fiber semihollow version of something like that.
I think you should ask the guy to weigh each then add the additional weigh to his favorite guitar and play several gigs, if he is still interested and not visiting a chiropractor then consider it.
My guess is he would not do one single full gig.