Old School Archives - Page 2

When we first met Phil Smallwood, he mentioned to us something about his old gear. The next day, he showed up at No Treble HQ with a 1958 Fender Precision Bass. We tried to figure out a way to ask him if we could borrow it, but opted instead to get some photos and the story behind it so we...

Zsolt Váradi sent us this wonderful story (and video) of his equally wonderful 1964 Höfner 185 “Artist Bass.” Höfner’s “Vintage” site has this to say about the Artist Bass: Introduced in late 1962 as the main two pickup bass for the UK market, it replaced the Hofner “Solid Bass” which was actually the European market Hofner 182 model. The Artist...

In this edition of Old School, bassist Mike Whited shares his classic 1960’s Kustom Model 200 bass amp, an amp Mike has shared a lot of miles with over the years. Kustom introduced the 200 model as an upgrade to their 100 model amp, offering it in black, blue, cascade, gold, red, white and charcoal. The company later introduced emerald...

In 1955, Walter Hofner came up with the idea to make a short scale bass guitar with a violin-shaped hollow body. The idea came to life the next year at the Frankfurt trade show and made its rounds, eventually landing in the hands of Beatles member Paul McCartney, who had to switch from guitar to bass following the departure of...

Bassist John Flynn shares his 1967 Fender Mustang bass with us, along with the story behind it. Fender offers up the background on the history of the bass on their website: Mustang Bass (1966-1981, 2002-). The first truly successful Fender bass that didn’t say “Precision” or “Jazz” on the headstock was 1966’s Mustang Bass. Leo Fender began development of the...

In our last edition of Old School, we shared Mark Anderson’s 1963 Fender Shoreline Gold Precision bass. This time, we’re showcasing Fender’s Jazz bass from the same year, and specifically Jay Fortier‘s ’63 Jazz. Fender introduced the first Jazz in March, 1960, becoming the company’s second bass model after the Precision. In 1963, Fender replaced the below-string mutes with a...

Mark Anderson picked up this 1963 Fender Shoreline Gold Precision Bass in the ’70’s for $300.00. The bass is completely stock, making it even more GAS-inducing. Of course, this is a pre-CBS bass, as Leo Fender hadn’t yet sold his company. That happened two years later. Mark gave us the lowdown on this vintage Fender P, including a remarkable experience...

Bassist Tod Ellsworth got his hands on this 1968 Gibson EB-2D bass about a year ago, expanding his gear and his sound with this unique instrument. The EB2D was first introduced by Gibson in 1966, at a time when electric basses were rising in popularity. The “EB-2D” designates the pickup configurations for this bass: an EB2 neck humbucker from the...

Fender’s Musicmaster was first introduced in 1971, and in production through 1981. As with Fender’s guitar bearing the same name, the bass was a simpler version of Fender’s Mustang Bass. The Musicmaster was Fender’s budget-priced bass at the time, made from surplus parts from other Fender models. The bodies were from the Mustang production line, and 6-pole guitar pickups were...

The Kay Musical Instrument Company emerged in the 1930’s in Chicago, when Kay founder Henry Kay “Hank” Kuhrmeyer and an invester acquired the Groehsl Instrument Company, which was founded in 1890. Kuhrmeyer was interested in producing electric guitars and amplifiers when he took over the company, and they did just that in 1936 with the release of the company’s first...

Bassist José Correa shares his 1965 Teisco Del Rey bass with us in this installment of Old School. Teisco was a Japanese instrument manufacturer who built affordable musical instruments from 1948 until 1969. In addition to basses, the company built guitars, keyboards, amplifiers, drums and microphones. The company’s name stands for “Tokyo Electric Instrument and Sound Company”. In 1967, the...

This week, Tom Harper shares the story behind his 1967 Rickenbacker 4005 FG, a bass he bought new in 1967, and one he describes as “a little worn, but still sweet!” The Rickenbacker 4005 was introduced in 1965, and featured a new-style, 360 body in a hollow-body bass. “FG” stands for “Fireglo”, a sunburst finish with a dark red color...