By Tom Cardy
April 12, 2004





All I Want Is My Baby . . . Nick Sceats with Wyman's bass. Photo: Rob Kitchin

For more than 15 years, a teardrop-shaped guitar hung on the bedroom wall of New Zealand musician Nick Sceats.

Its strings had been replaced several times, there was a scratch on the back of its body and a couple of nicks on its sides, but it still sounded good.

But this was no ordinary bass. For years Sceats had heard stories from other musicians in Wellington about the guitar, but he had no idea if any were true.

The words "Wyman Bass" adorned its head. Guitar manufacturer Vox made a few hundred of the bass guitars in the 1960s and the story went that one had been endorsed by Rolling Stones bass player Bill Wyman.

Legend had it that the guitar had been stolen from Wyman when the Stones played in Wellington in 1966. Now, after some investigative work, a stunned Sceats has discovered the truth. Last week, a letter from Wyman confirmed the guitar really did belong to the millionaire rock musician. "I was so delighted to read your email regarding my long-lost, but not forgotten, Vox bass guitar," Wyman wrote.

"I just couldn't believe it had turned up and that you were trying to make contact to return it to me - my profound thanks to you."



With the guitar's history confirmed, it could be of considerable value. But Sceats air-freighted the bass back to Wyman on Thursday. He expects nothing in return.

"I'm just kind of doing the right thing in closing the loop," he said. "I don't see why he should pay for something that was stolen from him."

The guitar's previous owner, Shane Tibby, a member of the Wellington band The Bluetts along with Sceats, gave the instrument in lieu of cash to Sceats who was owed $NZ400 for a recording session in the 1980s.

Tibby had acquired it from a flatmate who owed him money. Tibby knew nothing of its history until he walked into a practice room and a drummer for The Bluetts, Tim Robinson, recognised it, saying: "Ah, you've got the Wyman bass then."

It had apparently changed hands several times when its owners were short of cash.

Most of the time it stayed in Wellington, but one story says it spent a brief interlude in Rotorua.

Sceats said: "I wondered, 'Is this really Bill Wyman's bass?' How do you get a hold of Bill Wyman?"

Sceats eventually discovered a Bill Wyman fan club on the internet and was able to contact the man himself.

The fact that Wyman could remember the bass did not surprise him. Wyman kept detailed diaries and is meticulous about dates.

Keith Richards would never have remembered

[www.smh.com.au]

Keith Richards would never have remembered

Why did he write that ? I didn't get it .



I am a Frenchie ,as Mick affectionately called them in the Old Grey Whistle Test in 1977 .

Lovely story, even if it does have a dig at Bill for writing everything down and at Keith for spending many years in a happy haze

"Bill for writing everything down and at Keith for spending many years in a happy haze"
that's the nature of the difference between (grumpy) historians and true artists?

Some live to tell their story someday, others live like there's no tomorrow...

Hahaha, that Keef line was so tacked on.

Anyway, nice article!
Bill Wyman is GRUMPY if he doesn't offer the guy a little money (considering how much he has himself already) when the guy was so generous. I hope he at least payed for the shipping.

Amazing story - such an honest guy - I'm sure Bill will recompence in some way.

I could never understand why BW didn't endorse a bass guitar, as many others have done - this was known as the 'Wyman' bass, but never marketed as such.

Instead, the man stuck his name on a friggin metal detector .........

Excellent!

Was it the 1960's Framus with "humbug finish." ?
[www.celebrityrockstarguitars.com]



I am a Frenchie ,as Mick affectionately called them in the Old Grey Whistle Test in 1977 .

Quote
turd

I could never understand why BW didn't endorse a bass guitar, as many others have done - this was known as the 'Wyman' bass, but never marketed as such.

Instead, the man stuck his name on a friggin metal detector .........

His name is on the headstock and he posed with them for adverts.

Quote
turd
Amazing story - such an honest guy - I'm sure Bill will recompence in some way.

I could never understand why BW didn't endorse a bass guitar, as many others have done - this was known as the 'Wyman' bass, but never marketed as such.

Instead, the man stuck his name on a friggin metal detector .........

Wyman endorsed the Framus Starbass, the Vox Bill Wyman bass (there's a clue in the name...), the Ampeg Dan Armstrong Bass, the Dan Armstrong London bass and the Travis Bean TB2000 bass.

Mathijs

Quote
dcba
that's the nature of the difference between (grumpy) historians and true artists?

Some live to tell their story someday, others live like there's no tomorrow...

SwayStones...thank you for posting this story!

dcba....did you make up that quote -- it's awesome and sooo fitting here!

- swiss