Bassography

Below you will find all the basses that Mark King used since 1980. Some basses are still missing! If you want to help, contact me.

Alembic

The first Alembics that Mark ordered were two long scale 34" Series II basses: 1. Cocobolo top and back, mahogany semi-hollow body, maple accents, with front laser LEDs (in Mother of Pearl oval inlays) and red side LEDs in the seven piece maple/purpleheart through neck with ebony fingerboard. Gold hardware. Polyester clear gloss finish. DS5 external power supply. 2. AAAAA quilted maple top and back, mahogany semi-hollow body, purpleheart accents, with front lasers (in Mother of Pearl oval inlays) and red side LEDs in the seven piece maple/purpleheart neck, with ebony fingerboard. Gold hardware. Polyester clear gloss finish. DS5 external power supply. Prior to the completion of those basses, mark purchased a second-hand birds-eye maple Series I bass and a walnut Distillate bass, because allegedly, he couldn't wait to play those Alembics. Shortly after receiving the two long scale basses, he ordered two more Series II basses (one cocobolo and one AAAAA quilted maple), with the exact same specs as the long scales, only this time in 32" medium scale. The latter are actually the two basses he used on the "Isle of Wight 2000" live DVD. By the way, the standard string spacing of the Alembics, are identical to those of Mark's custom Status Kingbass. Mark appearently was so comfortable with the Alembic narrow string spacing, that he copied them to the Status.

Ashley Pangborn

He had two Pangborns built in 1982 and played them extensively in this period. These two basses, according to Steve Thatcher were the finest Ashley produced with outstanding woods and inlay work.

Steve Thatcher who worked with Ashley from 1982/1984 recalls when Mark turned up at the workshop looking for a new bass...

"Mark King came to our workshop to try out some new basses. He played for around an hour and dazzled us both with his technique. Initially he wanted two basses (for free) but we eventually negotiated that he pay for one and get the other one for nothing. These basses were probably the best instruments ever produced with meticulous attention to detail".

Warlord	N/A One previous owner purchased it as a display item for a branch of the Hard Rock Cafe to be opened in Holland. Used on "The Sun Goes Down" and "Lessons In Love" videos.
Warlord	N/A Produced using exotic woods. The inset metal label on the rear is inscribed 'Exclusively Handmade for MARK KING by Ashley H.Pangborn, Pangborn Guitars, 62 Tritton Road, London SE.21 8DE, England'. This bass was sold at Sothebys in 1991 in one of their rock memorabilia sales. Used on "Weave Your Spell" promo video.

Fender

Fender made a Mark King model Jazz - 42 of them, for sale in 99. These were built and set up exactly to Mark's spec. They had the flat board, Sims LEDs and a beautiful custom neck plate with Mark's signature on it.

Deluxe Jazz Bass	N/A Flattened fingerboard, blue LEDs by Martin Sims of SimS Custom LED. Used on "The Night Of The Proms" shows in 1998.
Deluxe Jazz Bass	N/A Red color.

GB Guitars

These basses were shown to Mark only just before the 1999 tour began. On this occasion he has taken two basses so one can be waiting whilst strings are changed and of course for back-up in emergencies. One is in a light-blue finish and the other a quieter sunset finish. They both have rosewood fingerboards.

The GB Standard range is based on a popular and now almost traditional bass style which they term an 'enhanced jazz bass' style. The basic shape being present but with their specific sculpting and contouring where it counts. They have Hipshot light weight machine-heads and Schaller 2000 adjustable width bridges. The bodies are made from light weight swamp-ash and the necks from maple. Each string has a usable two octave range.

The controls are from the top : Pickup mix (pan) : Main volume : Treble : Mid and Bass on a dual knob : Pickup coil configuration switch. Mark had the Blue customised with blue led lights and the Red with green led lights so there is an extra switch to turn these on. They are powered by two 9Volt batteries.

Standard GB4	# 00010-4 The 'daphne blue' GB standard 4 string - known as the 'blue bass' (blue LEDs) with a solid alder wood body. Used on the German TV Show "Ohne Filter" in 1999.
Standard GB4	# 0014-4 The golden-orange quilted (see-through) finish known as the 'orange bass' (green LEDs) - actually a fiery Red-orange Sunburst with a laminated ash and maple body. Used on the German TV Show "Ohne Filter" in 1999. This bass also featured on the "Trash" CD cover.
Rumour	# 0001 Red color with red LEDs. The LED controller is the MkI series. Used for the first 6 six gigs of his 2000 tour and the first gig at the Jazz Café in London.
Rumour	N/A Gold color with gold LEDs. Used for the first 6 six gigs of his 2000 tour and the first gig at the Jazz Café in London.

Jaydee

Classic Series I	# 0006 The first Jaydee bass to be owned by Mark King was reviewed in a magazine called "international Musician and Recording World" August 1980. It was from the first batch of six basses under construction. Some were mahogany bodies with the laminated centres. Some had book matched tops and backs of Brazilian Walnut, or Rose Zebrano. John Diggins originally started making the bass for another bass player in the U.S.A. but because he didn't want to pay for it, he finished it anyway. Adding all the little finishing touches like, Saturn inlays, Rosewood control knobs, Brass hardware and one of the first active circuits. The idea of spraying it with the cherry red side came in a moment of inspiration, and has now become a trade mark. The following year it was brought by Mark in a shop in Shaftsbury Avenue.
Classic Series II	N/A Mark bought the Second Bass as a result of seeing one of his friends (Steve Barnacle) using a black one. Oh yes! Steve bought it because he saw Mark's first one. Complicated isn't it! Anyway, the second bass was a series II in black. The smaller body of the series II didn't suit Mark at all, so John Diggins made him a third. (Steve Barnacle is the brother of Gary Barnacle who played sax on Level 42's debut album)
"Starchild"	# CB 01067 The Third Bass. This became known as the "Starchild" bass. Its creation was inspired by the song of the same name. From the first batch. This bass is actually book matched Brazilian walnut under the white finish. Not a lot of people know that! This bass featured in the video for "Micro-Kid". "The starchild bass was made for me by John Diggins around 1981. I used the bass a lot for live shows for the next two or three years. The Kahler tremelo was fitted for me by John in about 82/83." ~ Mark King
Classic Series I	# 00002 The fourth bass was another cherry red series I with dot inlays. Bought off one of John Diggin's work colleagues for £100.00 in 1984. This bass was later given away in a competition (1988). Most famous appearance can be seen on the Level 42 Live At Wembley video! Here is the one and ONLY feature from the U.K. Bass mag "Bassist" (#1 November 1994) about Mark Kings Jaydee Supernatural Classic (serial #00002)
Classic Series I	N/A The fifth bass was tobacco brown sunburst. This bass was given away to "Verdine White" - the bass player with "Earth Wind and Fire" when the band went to the states to record. Also from the first batch.
Classic Series I	# 03166 The sixth bass was the eight string in book matched kingwood, with saturn inlays, crown string anchor and fibre optic side position markers.
Classic Series I	# 0003 The seventh bass. Again another cherry red from the first batch of basses, not routed for active circuitry. This is why you can see two small holes that had to be plugged and re-routed to fit the actives. This became Mark King's main stage bass to replace 0006 - which was by now very well worn.
Classic Series I	N/A The Eighth bass was the pearl pink series I. An experiment with colours. This bass was used on tour by Mark King and featured in the video for "Running in the Family". This bass triggered a new trend for pearl finishes.
Classic Series I	# 71106 The Ninth bass. Pearl Blue with star inlays with a small L.E.D in the centre of each star. Used on the "Prince's Trust" show at the NEC.
Calibas	N/A The Tenth bass. "The Birthday Bass" (1994). A Calibas with book matched quilted maple front and back. Double stained, using black and then cherry to give a really deep effect. The pick-ups on this bass were of a new design, but they never got a chance to be heard.

Moon

Jazz Bass

N/A "I did use the 'moon' Jazz for 7years. The Alembic electronics were already fitted, and the 'marks' on the controls were mine! I was given the bass in 85/86 by the guy who made it in Japan. He was at the airport when we landed and just gave it to me! I pulled out the frets a couple of years later." ~ Mark King Don Z with Mark King's Moon Jazz Bass

MusicMan

StingRay	# 30221 Left the factory in March 90. 3 band EQ, maple neck, used on the "Guaranteed" album, all of "Forever Now" and several tracks from "Trash".
StingRay 5	N/A Left the factory in March 90. 5-String bass.

Status Graphite

Series II	N/A Used on "The Chant Has Begun" video.
Series 2000	N/A This bass was only one of two that were made in pilar box red and that it was used on the RITF album.
Series 2000	N/A
Matrix Empathy	# 001 The first Matrix produced - owned by Mark King - was stolen from a London hotel on February 24th 1991. The instrument has an exotic hardwood body and red LEDs set into the phenolic fingerboard.
Matrix Empathy	# 002 This bass was used in clips on the video "Forever Now", "Love In A Peaceful World" and also on Top Of The Pops, BBC TV, when the band played "Love In A Peaceful World". The instrument has an exotic hardwood body and red LEDs set into the phenolic fingerboard.
Matrix Empathy	# 003 The instrument has an exotic hardwood body and red LEDs set into the phenolic fingerboard.
Matrix Empathy 5	# 01 5-String bass, red LEDs. Used on the "Guaranteed" album and the "Guaranteed live" video (1992).
Matrix	N/A Graphite through-neck, metallic black lacquer, stack treble/bass circuit. Used during the "Hammersmith Odeon" shows in 1990.
Matrix	# 21 Cocobolo with red LEDs. Hipshot extender keys.

In November 2000, Rob Green went to visit Mark and, after a couple of bottles of fine red, they decided that it was time to create the bass he had always wanted.

Mark came to the conclusion that most basses were just too big and not as manageable as they could be and he really needed a smaller bodied instrument with more voluptuous lines. The headless concept used on Status basses since the beginning was great but not being able to add vibrato and bend the string was a drawback. Rob solved this with the invention of the "BendWell"... a recess behind the top-nut which allows the player to bend the string up two semitones.

The combination of the small, arch-top, double-cutaway body, the headless neck and the BendWell fell into place to produce a bass which prompts Mark to comment "......this bass makes old ' vintage' bass designs look like dinosaurs".

KingBass Prototype #1	N/A No.1 has a bolt-on graphite neck with a bookmatched Rosewood / Mahogany body finished in satin polyurethane lacquer. The woven graphite neck has the first BendWell™ and the phenolic fingerboard has an 816mm (32.13") scale with a phenolic top-nut. The string spacing at the bridge is 19mm.
KingBass Prototype #2	N/A No.2 has a bolt-on graphite neck with an Ash / Myrtlewood body finished in satin polyurethane lacquer with a vintage amber sunburst. The woven graphite neck incorporated a BendWell™ and the phenolic fingerboard has an 816mm (32.13") scale with a phenolic top-nut. The string spacing at the bridge is currently 16.5mm but the neck width is suitable for a standard 19mm spacing if preferred.
KingBass Prototype #3	N/A No.3 is the first through-neck model and has a slightly modified BendWell™ and incorporates the revised top-nut with hardened steel ball bearings. The body has a bookmatched Burr Madrone top with a walnut back. The bass is finished in gloss polyester lacquer. The woven graphite thro-neck has the, now standard, 811mm (32") scale with a bridge spacing of 19mm.
KingBass Prototype #4	N/A No.4 has a bolt-on graphite neck with a bookmatched Rosewood / Walnut body finished in satin polyurethane lacquer. The woven graphite neck has a regular 864mm (34") scale length and no BendWell™. The string spacing at the bridge is 19mm. This bass featured in the "Guitarist" magazine review in October 2001.
KingBass Prototype #5	# 0701042 No.5 is the second through-neck model and is the final prototype. It was made to finalise the details of Marks personal basses. The body has a bookmatched Rosewood top with a walnut back and is finished in gloss polyester lacquer. The woven graphite thro-neck has the, now standard, 811mm (32") scale but the width is 6mm narrower at the 24th fret to suit Mark's preferred 16.5mm bridge spacing. The blue front and side LED's have a separate battery supply. This bass also featured in the "Guitarist" magazine review in October 2001.
KingBass	N/A This bass has a curly maple top over an alder back with a honey / amber tint, BendWell™, 16.5mm string spacing, graphite through-neck with phenolic fingerboard and dual action truss-rod. Used on "Live at Reading" DVD.
KingBass	N/A This bass has a rosewood top over walnut back, BendWell™, 16.5mm string spacing, graphite through-neck with phenolic fingerboard and dual action truss-rod. Used on "Live at Reading" DVD.
KingBass Princess	N/A It features a custom air-brushed artwork of the "Princess" which featured on the cover of the earliest Level 42 albums. The bass has an off-white body and natural woven graphite through-neck. Afar the custom artwork is painstakingly applied, the whole instrument is sealed in high-gloss lacquer.
KingBass Black Beauty	N/A The latest KingBass creation incorporates some classic features. A superb gloss black lacquer is applied to the body but a natural wood maple / alder 'binding' is left exposed around the edges. When combined with the contrasting gold hardware and red LED's the overall effect is stunning.

Wal

Midi Bass

N/A MB4 midi interface. Used on "Prince's Trust" charity concert in England (1989) and the track "Lasso The Moon" from "Guaranteed" album.

Zon

Legacy

N/A Built in New York by Joe Zon. Used on the track "Lying Still" from "World Machine" album.