Bass mods in 1963

[Steve Browning]

 

Interesting picture from 1963. Appears to show a bass with a Precision body but with an early Precision style neck - but dark fingerboard (guy standing next to Ringo).

[Hellzero]

Indeed... Very interesting photo proving that moding Fender instruments has always been a fact and that you have to be very careful when buying this kind of vintage stuff.

[ped]

I bet someone sent him a telegram at the time slagging him off

[KK Jale]

I think that's the guy out of Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas. 
 

 

Edited Thursday at 09:36 by KK Jale

[Cosmo Valdemar]

52 minutes ago, KK Jale said:

I think that's the guy out of Billy J Kramer and the Dakotas. 
 

 

I'm sure it's just the lighting but it looks like Tony Jackson put a Darkstar in his Rivoli 😆

 

And also, Lennon's Rick with extra Bigsby.

[three]

I sort of hope it is a mod - I rather like it if so.  In the first image, it looks like the head could be tucked inside Billy J's bassist's jacket?  The second looks a little more clear but still hard to tell.  I expanded the images as much as I could - anything but get on with work.

[BlueMoon]

4 minutes ago, three said:

I sort of hope it is a mod - I rather like it if so.  In the first image, it looks like the head could be tucked inside Billy J's bassist's jacket?  The second looks a little more clear but still hard to tell.  I expanded the images as much as I could - anything but get on with work.

That’s exactly what I thought. Sure looks like his jacket is covering part of the headstock.

[Burns-bass]

2 hours ago, BlueMoon said:

That’s exactly what I thought. Sure looks like his jacket is covering part of the headstock.

This.

[Hellzero]

That said it's quite funny that it looks like the first iteration of the Precision Bass headstock...

[ezbass]

3 hours ago, three said:

I sort of hope it is a mod - I rather like it if so.  In the first image, it looks like the head could be tucked inside Billy J's bassist's jacket?  The second looks a little more clear but still hard to tell.  I expanded the images as much as I could - anything but get on with work.

 

3 hours ago, BlueMoon said:

That’s exactly what I thought. Sure looks like his jacket is covering part of the headstock.

Now that you've pointed it out, this seems to be the case, good eagle eye there. The line is too straight, not really a contour. I reckon our bass player brains take a quick look and fill in the details to fit what we already know.

[KiOgon]

First sight I thought the 'guy next to Ringo - with the bass' looked like Jet Harris, but I don't see any other Shadows there 😄

[haimesy]

Bottom right are the guys from the Searchers , I believe they only just retired after 70years touring .. Bass player stayed the distance of course 😁

[Happy Jack]

5 hours ago, Cosmo Valdemar said:

And also, Lennon's Rick with extra Bigsby.

Y'see, to me that implies that Lennon's guitar now has two Bigsbys on it ...

 

[chris_b]

6 hours ago, Hellzero said:

Indeed... Very interesting photo proving that moding Fender instruments has always been a fact and that you have to be very careful when buying this kind of vintage stuff.

 

Swapping necks around was a design feature from the start. Initially Fender didn't put truss rods in their guitars. If the neck bowed the idea was to replace it with a new one. I guess plan B (truss rods) came along pretty quickly.

 

One school lunchtime in the mid 60's I was standing in Marshall's shop in Hanwell watching Vic Briggs of the Animals telling the guys, Chris & John, that he wanted the neck of one Strat on the body of another Strat and the electrics of a third Strat.

[Cosmo Valdemar]

45 minutes ago, haimesy said:

Bottom right are the guys from the Searchers , I believe they only just retired after 70years touring .. Bass player stayed the distance of course 😁

Not this bass player, he didn't hang around for long!

[Hellzero]

34 minutes ago, chris_b said:

 

Swapping necks around was a design feature from the start. Initially Fender didn't put truss rods in their guitars. If the neck bowed the idea was to replace it with a new one. I guess plan B (truss rods) came along pretty quickly.

 

One school lunchtime in the mid 60's I was standing in Marshall's shop in Hanwell watching Vic Briggs of the Animals telling the guys, Chris & John, that he wanted the neck of one Strat on the body of another Strat and the electrics of a third Strat.

Indeed, but the idea of Leo Fender was not really moding, but fixing an instrument by changing the problematic part with another faster than fast and not spending time on repair: a typical moto from the post war society and the consumerism.

[Burns-bass]

3 hours ago, Hellzero said:

Indeed, but the idea of Leo Fender was not really moding, but fixing an instrument by changing the problematic part with another faster than fast and not spending time on repair: a typical moto from the post war society and the consumerism.

Yes I read this. It’s also why all the Fenders are built using tools we’d all have access too.

[Sibob]

I’m in the ‘jacket covering the headstock’ camp I’m afraid 🙂.

 

Si

[police squad]

15 hours ago, haimesy said:

Bottom right are the guys from the Searchers , I believe they only just retired after 70years touring .. Bass player stayed the distance of course 😁

it's actually only the guitarist who is original but the current bass player, Frank Allen did join them early on

The new singer has been there 35 years now

 I saw them a couple of years ago, they were fabulous

[Chienmortbb]

17 hours ago, KiOgon said:

First sight I thought the 'guy next to Ringo - with the bass' looked like Jet Harris, but I don't see any other Shadows there 😄

No they are all “ Mersey Beat” artists. 

[Steve Browning]

 

The thick plottens!!

[Woodinblack]

Actually in that photo the headstock was just behind the drummers head. He was known to be deeply embarrassed about his headstock, so he always hid it.

[Sibob]

50 minutes ago, Steve Browning said:

 

The thick plottens!!

I’m in the ‘hair covering the headstock’ camp I’m afraid.

 

 

🤣

Si

[Steve Browning]

 

I'm sticking with it being some form of modification. Hardly a matter of life and death of course.

[lemmywinks]

It's quite clearly a reshaped Harley Benton headstock.

 

Bunch of amateurs.