Friday 6/1/2007 ~ The Fender Precision Bass

I got a lot of responses to last week's Email Special.

Most of them concerned two small islands 1250 miles off the coast of Australia. Affectionately known as North Island and South Island, they comprise the country of New Zealand. One person wrote to say that they have visited New Zealand and it is the most beautiful place on earth. Another person mentioned a hill in New Zealand called Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateapokaiwhenuakitanatahu which is reported to be the longest name of a place in an English speaking country.

And many people pointed out that I was 1250 miles off the mark when I said that Crowded House was an Australian band. It turns out that they are New Zealanders. Sorry. I really know a lot more about guitars than geography. (And I don't know much about the French I took...)

Fortunately a few folks also wrote about the picture of John holding the 1952 Precision bass... A couple of people asked about the pickup, one guy asked if the body was contoured, and another couple of folks asked about the odd thumb-rest. Yessssssssssssss..... THESE are questions I can answer!!

The Precision Bass changed a lot in the 1950s. Modifications were made every couple of years... So many, in fact, that if you see a 1950s Precision you can almost guess the year of manufacture from across the room.

Now that I think about it, I believe the modifications were a tribute to how important Leo Fender thought this instrument was. He seemed to want to work on the Precision, and keep making it better. Compare that to Leo's first electric guitar, the Telecaster, for example. When he felt it could be improved with a vibrato and a third pickup, rather than change the model, he introduced the Stratocaster. When he felt that the Strat could be improved with a different vibrato and more elaborate wiring, he introduced the Jazzmaster. Today's Teles and Strats are remarkably similar to the first ones made. But he was constantly tinkering with the P-Bass!

The Precision John is holding in last week's picture is from 1952, the first year that they were generally available. (A few were shipped in December 1951.) It's clearly modeled after the Telecaster. Here's a picture of John with a 1952 Telecaster. As you can see, they are both the same color, both have a black pickguard, both have simple single coil pickups (two on the Tele, one on the PBass), they have similar headstock shapes, and they are both simply cut, slab bodies with no contouring.

Two years later in 1954, the year that the beveled-edge Stratocaster was introduced, the Precision Bass body was contoured to match. And like the Strat, the standard color on the bass was changed to sunburst. Here's a picture of John with a 1954 P-Bass.

In 1957 the pickup was redesigned and split into two parts. The split pickup design allowed room for two pole-pieces for each string. Also in 1957 the pickguard was changed to anodized aluminum. This was an attempt to shield the electronics from outside electrical interference, and it mimicked the anodized aluminum pickguard on the new Jazzmaster guitar. Here's a picture of John with a 1957 P-Bass.

By 1959 Fender realized the impracticality of the aluminum pickguard and changed the pickguard to plastic. And finally all was right with the world. Except for fingerboard changes (first thick rosewood, then thinner rosewood, then optional maple) and color options, the bass has remained the same since. And it is still the best selling bass in history.

And to answer the thumb-rest question: Although the electric Fender Precision Bass changed the world as we know it, Leo couldn't predict HOW people would play his bass. Specifically, he didn't know if they would use a pick, use their thumb, or use their fingers. He decided that most folks would go with the thumb, so he added what he called a "finger-rest" mounted on the pickguard. As you may have noticed, however, a player can get a lot more playin' done by using two or three fingers. On the 1952 P-Bass that we have the owner moved the finger-rest from the pickguard to above the pickup MANY MANY gigs ago. And there have been SO many gigs played on this bass that a deep groove has been worn onto the wood above the finger-rest, where the player's thumb pressed against the bass. It's rather impressive.

You might also notice that in those pre-molded-plastic days, the finger-rest is carved out of wood! (The pickguard is a very early form of plastic called Bakelite.)

With regard to the finger-rest, Fender finally came to their senses and (just as our 1952 P-Bass player did 40 years ago) they moved it to above the strings in 1976... from whence it became known as a thumb-rest.

And that's the story of the 1950s Precision Bass!

See you soon,
Carl

PS: Nowadays every company and their brother are making reissues of older instruments, but Fender did their first reissue 39 years ago. Way back in 1968 Fender produced a fairly accurate reissue of the 1952 Precision. It had the slab body, the single coil pickup, and the big pickguard (white instead of the correct black, but it was close!). Unfortunately, they were stuck for a name, since the updated current version of the "Precision Bass" was still in production. In a moment of inspiration they called it the "Telecaster Bass," which is clever, since the original Precision was a companion to the original Telecaster. In 1972 they changed the single coil pickup for a big humbucker, but kept the name the same. It was discontinued in 1979. Now (this week, to be specific) Fender has introduced a reissue of the 1972-1979 Telecaster Bass. For some strange reason they have given it the odd name of "Vintage Modified Precision Bass." It looks great and it's from the Squier line so it's fairly inexpensive. Here's John with the bass we received yesterday.

PPS: Customer web site:
Slim Forsythe and the Parklane Drifters

PPPS: John, the new guy, and Scott, ace guitar repairman, have a great band called The Elliots. They will be appearing, along with several other bands, on Sunday, June 10th at The Rex at a benefit for Autism Research. It's going to be a big event with lots contests and auctions and it's for a good cause. Here's more info.

Friday 6/8/2007 ~ New Zealand, and Things Made in China

Ok, so... in last week's email special I explained that Crowded House, a band I mentioned TWO weeks ago, was actually from New Zealand, not Australia...

On my way home from work last Friday I turned on my satellite radio, and randomly chose a talk show... They were discussing a new CD and interviewing the artist: Lucy Lawless. Her name may sound familiar, because for six years she starred in a hit TV show called "Xena: Warrior Princess." (I've never seen it, but I presume she fought for truth and justice...) During the course of the radio interview I learned that (a) she liked playing Xena, (b) her real name is Lawless and (c) she's from New Zealand!

Two days later I tuned in to my favorite HBO show, Entourage. (It's the HBO series where they DON'T kill each other...) Right after the show, a commercial promoted a series premiering next week called "Flight Of The Conchords." This new comedy concerns two struggling musicians trying to make it in New York City, after moving from their homeland: New Zealand! And not only is that the plot of the show, the two guys who star in it actually ARE from New Zealand...

THEN, two nights ago I was watching my favorite 11:30 PM Comedy Central show, The Colbert Report, and in one short bit he talked about an octopus who can unscrew bottle caps. (Apparently that's something octopi usually don't do...) And the Aquarium that owns this talented octopus? The National Aquarium of New Zealand!

Now, I'm happy to learn about other parts of the world... but it's a bit odd that New Zealand has come up three times in six days, isn't it? What's up with that??

Speaking of countries on the other side of the world, two days ago we finally received our shipment of Chinese Hofner Icon Basses. Here's a quick recap: Hofner started making violin shaped basses in Germany in 1956. Since they've always been handmade by four old German guys (Ludwig, Rudolf, Klaus and his other brother Klaus) they've always been expensive. Fortunately, Paul McCartney randomly bought one back in 1961 and with his high-visibility use of the bass there has always been enough demand to keep the company going.

In fact, due to the continued popularity of the Beatles over the past few years, the demand has actually increased. And since not everyone can afford a German Hofner (we sell the 1962 Reissue Beatle Bass for $1750) other companies (Epiphone, Johnson, Rogue, etc) have capitalized on this demand with cheaper copies of the Beatle Bass.

Last year Hofner (perhaps noticing the billion Squier Stratocasters sold by Fender) decided that they should get on this lower-priced bandwagon and offer their own less-expensive version. Last November the first Chinese-made Hofner Icon basses arrived in the USA and the entire shipment sold out in a few weeks. Hofner said, "Wow! Let's order 1000 more!" Unfortunately, the folks at the Chinese factory didn't understand "Wow!" and it took Hofner seven months to get another run of basses made. And NOW they are finally here!

A lot of musical instrument companies have started using Chinese factories: Vox, Danelectro, Hagstrom, Fender and Epiphone, to name just a few. The quality is high and the cost is low. One issue seems to be delivery time. Danelectro is another company that has been waiting over seven months for their new models...

The concept of offering less expensive instruments under a major brand name is not new. The only difference is that in the old days the cheaper models would be made in the US factory right along with the more expensive ones. In 1956 Fender introduced the Musicmaster, a one pickup solid body for folks who didn't want to spend the big bucks for a Stratocaster. In 1954 Gibson first offered the one pickup Les Paul Junior, which featured just the bottom mahogany slab of the top-of-the-line Les Paul. I just saw a Les Paul Junior being played by the lead singer in Dashboard Confessional on Jay Leno last night. Hey, you know who else plays a Les Paul Junior? Keith Urban. And guess where Keith Urban was born? New Zealand.

See ya soon,
Carl

PS: Speaking of Jay Leno, our old friend Korel will be on tonight, Friday June 8, playing in The Goo Goo Dolls. Korel used to teach here at Pittsburgh Guitars. I'm not saying that if you hang out at Pittsburgh Guitars you'll end up in a famous band on TV... but it HAS happened! The Goo Goo Dolls have a song in the upcoming Transformers movie.

PPS: You know how when you're doing your taxes in April and you get to Line 15 on Schedule A where it says "Gifts To Charity" and you always say to yourself "I should have given more to charity last year..."? Well, here's your chance to make a charitable donation AND have a good time. Come to The Rex Theater this Sunday Night at 5:30. Three bands are playing and lots of sponsors have provided some cool stuff for silent auctions, and 100% of the proceeds go to Autism research. You can even pay the cover at the door with a check made out to "Autism Speaks." Scott and John's band, The Elliotts will be one of the bands performing and I'll be there bidding on the Wine Package at the auction! Here are the details.

PPPS: Customer web site of the week:
Dick Dale

Friday 6/15/2007 ~ Father's Day

F is for the fretwork that he needs
A is for action so high his fingers bleed
T is for the tone he's trying to get
H is for the harmonics he should have set
E is for his electric sound that's so bad
R is for the rewind his pickup should have
S is for a set-up, and you should offer to pay

D is for Do It Right Now, so he'll have it back by Sunday
A is for the adjustments that will make his guitar easier to play
Y is for Yes, he'll have a happy Father's Day!

In our newly expanded workshop (now with windows!) Scott does set-ups and repairs non-stop. I believe we're the fastest in town, but it still usually takes two or three days to finish your guitar. BUT if you bring your Dad's guitar in for a set-up today (Friday) or first thing tomorrow, and tell us it's a Father's Day gift, I'll ask Scott to put it at the front of the line!! If necessary, he'll stay late, until every Father's Day set-up is completed by the end of the day on Saturday!

Think how happy your Dad will be when his guitar plays like a dream! I can see it now: Mom and Dad sitting in rocking chairs on the porch, Mom with a lemonade, Dad strumming his freshly set-up guitar, both of them watching you mow the lawn... Ahhhh, down-home peaceful relaxation... the perfect Father's Day!

See you soon,
Carl

PS: Your Dad will really appreciate the set-up. But it might be best if you ask him before you take his guitar out of the house. After all, we don't want an ending like on the Sop
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PPS: Customer web site:
The Sleaze

Friday 6/22/2007 ~ The Gretsch Bikini Bass

It's always fun to be pleasantly surprised.

You're just sitting there, on your couch, in the middle of the night, with a glass of cabernet, randomly surfing through two hundred cable channels, and suddenly, you smile to yourself and say, "Well, there's something I've never seen before."

That happened to me this week...

I was sitting... my couch... middle of the night... cabernet... channels, etc... and I happened upon a British music movie from 1965 called "Pop Gear." It was fifteen British acts lip syncing their latest hits. The bands included The Animals, Herman's Hermits, Peter & Gordon, The Honeycombs, and Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas, plus some groups that enjoyed success in England but never made it in the USA. Generally I don't enjoy lip synced performances, but the non-stop cool vintage guitars in this movie made it a joy to watch. (And, of course, by "vintage" I mean from the perspective of a 2007 couch. They were all new at the time.)

Naturally, in 1965 the stylistic impact of The Beatles was obvious. A couple of the bands used Gretsch Country Gentleman guitars (the model George Harrison used in 1964), three used Gretsch Tennesseans (the model George moved to in 1965) and several drummers used Ludwig Black Oyster Pearl drums like Ringo's. Non-Beatle instruments in the movie included a handful of Gibson guitars (an ES-330, an ES-345, and an ES-355), two Strats (both custom colors) and, since this was filmed in England, three or four London-made Burns guitars. It was also fun to see the Spencer Davis Group with both Spencer Davis and Stevie Winwood playing inexpensive Harmony guitars.

But the highlight, and surprise, of the movie was a Liverpool band called The Fourmost. The lead singer played a Country Gentleman and the lead guitarist used an ES-330. The drummer had an almost Ringo-like Sky Blue Pearl Ludwig set. But the stand-out was the bass player! He was using an instrument that I'm familiar with, but one that I have never seen used in public before: a Gretsch Bikini Bass!

The Fourmost, courtesy of "Pop Gear".

A quick history: In 1946, after the end of World War II, the US Army chose a small island called Bikini in the Pacific Ocean to test an atomic bomb. A few days later, in Paris, a French designer, Louis Reard, held a fashion show to debut his new women's two piece bathing suit. He needed a name, and since the atomic test was in the news, he called his new design "the bikini." The small bathing suit was scandalous in the late 1940s and early 1950s... one magazine wrote "it is inconceivable that any girl with decency would ever wear such a thing." But by the late 1950s, thanks in some part to Brigitte Bardot, the bikini was becoming more and more acceptable. In 1960, Brian Hyland capitalized on it's growing popularity with a song called "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini." (I believe that song is currently being used in a TV commercial for something...)

Also in 1960, the folks at the Gretsch Guitar Company were sitting around the research and development department trying to come up with a new guitar design. Perhaps it was late in the evening, or perhaps there was a lot of alcohol involved... but their idea: a small electric guitar that you could take apart into two pieces! And to make it even smaller, the detachable body was hinged, so it could be folded in half! And after more alcohol, and maybe a Brigitte Bardot movie, they decided to call the small two piece guitar the Bikini!

The small body/neck section of the Gretsch Bikini has one pickup, miniature tone and volume controls and the input jack, and there are metal guide rails on either side. The larger, foldable body section has two metal tracks that the rails slide into and snap in place. It was available in both guitar and bass versions.

Gretsch introduced this new instrument in 1961 and it was an immediate market failure. And it's easy to see why. In addition to being just a tad ugly, the larger body section is a simple plank of wood which is uncomfortable to hold. And since they used the same neck for both the guitar and bass versions of the Bikini, the bass is a very short scale. And perhaps the oddest thing, which could be an issue if you were playing in a rowdy bar, when the two parts slide together it sounds exactly like a gun being cocked! Gretsch only made a handful before discontinuing the instrument in 1962.

So you can imagine my surprise when one turned up on stage in the "Pop Gear" movie! It was fun to see one of these actually being used in the real world!

As you might guess, we have one here in the Pittsburgh Guitars collection...

Here's John with the separate pieces.

Here's John sliding it together.

Here's John wondering what they were thinking when they designed this.

See you soon,
Carl

PS: The Fourmost in action.

PPS: The Fourmost were managed by The Beatles manager Brian Epstein. Brian was one of the behind the scenes producers of the "Pop Gear" film and live clips of The Beatles from 1963 were used at the beginning and end of the movie.

PPPS: There is currently a band touring England under the name The Fourmost... with NO original members... although they still say "We're gonna do a song that was a big hit for us back in 1964..." Something about that just doesn't seem right...

PPPPS: Speaking of Liverpool bands, there's a great band that *IS* still performing with the original members, our friends The Undertakers.

Friday 6/29/2007 ~ Traveling

This week at Pittsburgh Guitars-

1) We like to help out travelling bands. One reason might be that we wish we had piled into a van when we were 20 and hit the road with our friends. Or maybe it's because of the on-the-road stories we heard from our buddies The Frampton Brothers as they piled into a van and played from here to Seattle. Or maybe it's because of that time we sold a guitar to Kurt Cobain after he broke his the night before at Graffiti. That seemed to really cheer him up.

So, when some guys came in on Wednesday a few hours before their gig with an amp problem, we diagnosed things, sold them the part they needed and they were happy. So happy in fact, that Thursday they came back to thank us again. We said, "No problem! Where are you headed now?" and they said "We have a gig tonight in Worcester, Massachusetts. That's about two hours from here, isn't it?"

We explained that they might want to get in the van as fast as possible, since Worcester is a ten hour drive! They said, "No, look, we have the mapquest printout right here..." Our careful analysis of the printout solved the mystery. It turns out that they were not very, very bad with geography... they simply thought it was Friday and they were in Johnsonville, NY.... which IS only two hours from Worcester. We said, "Nope. Today's Thursday. This is Pittsburgh. You're playing in Johnsonville tonight and Worcester tomorrow!" They said, "Gosh, darnit! Thanks guys!" and piled into the van, heading for New York.

But hey, who hasn't woken up in a strange place and wondered where they were?

2) Speaking of travelling, a 70 year old guy came in the store this week with one of those First Act guitars that comes free with a new Volkswagon. You've probably seen the ads. You can plug the guitar right into the dashboard of the car and play through the car's speakers. He said, "I'm too old, I don't want this!" I explained that it's never too late to learn to play, but he said, "I just wanna drive!" So we bought the guitar.

And we're having fun with it. First Act is a relatively new company and the first few First Act guitars that came through our shop weresuper-low budget instruments. We were not impressed. They were almost as bad as the ones that that Zorro guy sells on TV. But this Volkswagon guitar has changed our opinion. It's still an inexpensive guitar, but it looks good and plays good and sounds good. It definitely falls into the "decent" category. Henceforth we are going to be more open-minded about First Act guitars.

3) And speaking of playing your electric guitar in you car, or anywhere outside, a couple of days ago I sold a guy a Vox DA-5 battery powered amp. We've been carrying these for almost a year now and we've sold lots of them, but until I started demonstrating it I had forgotten how cool they are. The DA-5 has eleven amp-modelling settings, eleven built-in effects, it runs on electricity or batteries, it sounds great, and it's only $139. I don't know how Vox got so much stuff in such a small package for so cheap, but I'm impressed. And you don't have to buy a car to get one!

Here's a picture of John on the roof with our travel items.

See you soon,
Carl

PS: With regard to travelling bands, generally we're doing last minute repairs for not-quite-famous-yet groups. The big stars usually just send their guitar tech for the parts they need. But we did fix Bruce Springsteen's Tele when he was in town. And we worked on Chrissie Hynde's Tele right before her last Pittsburgh show. Here's John and Scott re-creating those historic moments.

PPS: Vox tells us that they're coming out with bigger, higher-wattage battery-powered amps. We'll have those in stock soon and I'll report back.

PPPS: Speaking of travelling, someone wrote about last week's story on the Gretsch Bikini bass, and asked if it was the first electric "travel guitar." It may have been. I'll look into that. Another person wrote to ask that, considering the extreme rarity of the
Bikini Bass, is it possible that the one that I have is the EXACT one used by the guy in The Fourmost. Well, I bought mine 20 years ago from George Gruhn in Nashville, and he does deal internationally. I wonder if the bass player, Billy Hatton, still lives in Liverpool and I wonder if he remembers what happened to the bass? Hmmmmmmm....

PPPPS: One of my favorite travelling band songs: "Travelling Band" by Creedence Clearwater.

PPPPPS: Customer web site:
Highway 13