Shads with Semi-Hollow Guitars?

[Martin Page]

That's a truly brilliant website Jay.

Regards, Martin.

[Pol]

Hofner?

I think you`re right. Picture giveaways are the compensator tailpiece and the circular consol plate with volume and tone rotary controls. May very well be a pre. 1958 Hofner Congress/Senator/President model.

Regards Pol.

[Jay Bass]

After looking Through some Old mags I found A interview With Jet in Which He said The framus bass was broken
Whilst at the Regal ABC Hull during December 1959 They were performing With Cliff The "Babes in The wood "panto
Jet Mentions that he was presented with The precision bass the next day still in its cardboard box from Jennings music instruments.

Jay

[Arpeggio]

Thanks Jay. I must have read that same interview...somewhewere.....a very long time ago. So....you were correct about " V I T Wilderness" (Dec 20th) - with the Fender precision. Not a bad early Christmas present for 1959.

Rob

[Arpeggio]

Great site that you found Jay. Checking through that and the various Cliff Richard / Shadows recording dates....a slight revision. Jet's memory must have been playing slight tricks (& my own memory has improved now). I originally thought (but couldn't recall immediately) that Jet had mentioned that his bass was broken at the Stockton Globe Theatre. The Shadows appeared at the ABC Regal in Hull in January, 1960 shortly after their panto run ended at Stockton - but the Hull shows were also the Panto itself. As well as recording "V I T Wilderness" (mid - morning / early afternoon) on December 20th - they also had a concert at the Slough Adelphi on the same night. They must have been driven up to Stockton the very next day as the panto opened there on December 21st. However - they must surely have done some rehearsing there beforehand....presumably in the week (or two) prior to the show opening & they played a gig on December 6th. I would therefore surmise that Jet's Framus was broken (at Stockton, not Hull) sometime between Monday December 7th 1959 and Thursday December 18th 1959. Can anyone get any closer??

HTH Rob

[donna plasky]

If this isn't straying too far off-topic, can I ask any of the experienced bass players on this Forum (and/or guitar players), with regard to Jet acquiring a Precision Bass to replace his broken Framus bass:

How difficult of an adjustment is that to make...switching to a new brand of instrument, with probably little time to rehearse?

I can only try to imagine it from my point of view as a complete amateur. I bought myself a second guitar (different brand name), and I was shocked to realise how different the two guitars feel. Initially, I only considered the fact that they would produce different sounds...but everything is different. Do experienced players have trouble with this sort of thing? Or is it a beginner's issue?

Thanks for your help.

Kind regards,
Donna

[Jay Bass]

Hi Donna
Most Musicians would prefere to use their own instruments which they are familiar with.
however its quite easy to adapt and play a different make or model.
i would imagine The Fender precision Bass would have been a big improvement onthe framus
and probably easier to play.

regards
Jay

[UlrichS]

Great site that you found Jay. Checking through that and the various Cliff Richard / Shadows recording dates....a slight revision. Jet's memory must have been playing slight tricks (& my own memory has improved now). I originally thought (but couldn't recall immediately) that Jet had mentioned that his bass was broken at the Stockton Globe Theatre. The Shadows appeared at the ABC Regal in Hull in January, 1960 shortly after their panto run ended at Stockton - but the Hull shows were also the Panto itself. As well as recording "V I T Wilderness" (mid - morning / early afternoon) on December 20th - they also had a concert at the Slough Adelphi on the same night. They must have been driven up to Stockton the very next day as the panto opened there on December 21st. However - they must surely have done some rehearsing there beforehand....presumably in the week (or two) prior to the show opening & they played a gig on December 6th. I would therefore surmise that Jet's Framus was broken (at Stockton, not Hull) sometime between Monday December 7th 1959 and Thursday December 18th 1959. Can anyone get any closer??
HTH Rob

Rob,
Sorry to revise your dates for the Cliff & Shadows panto "Babes In The Wood" in Stockton. The complete Cliff & Shads concert schedule in December 1959 was (although I think it isn't helpful to date the accident with Jet's bass):
Mo 30.11.1959 - Edinburgh
Tu 01.12.1959 - Perth
We 02.12.1959 - Dundee
Th 03.12.1959 - Aberdeen
Fr 04.12.1959 - Glasgow
Sa 05.12.1959 - Newcastle
Su 06.12.1959 - Leicester
Mo 07.12.1959
         until       - Liverpool
Sa 12.12.1959
Su 13.12.1959 - Stechford
Mo 14.12.1959
        until        - Birmingham
Sa 19.12.1959
Su 20.12.1959 - Slough
Mo 21.12.1959 - Greenford
Th 24.12.1959
        until        - Stockton
Sa 09.01.1960
Mo 11.01.1960
        until        - Hull
Sa 16.01.1960

Perhaps someone can find out more.

Ulrich

[Arpeggio]

Very interesting Ulrich. Very interesting! On the site referred to by Jay....there's a reproduction of a press cutting which states that "Babes In The Wood" at Stockton opened on December 21st...which is, of course, at odds with your own information. Further investigation definitely required!! Strange isn't it...how we all take certain facts and incidents for granted, never thinking of them really closely until something crops up over 50 years later to make us all re - assess events. Bearing in mind all of your dates Ulrich....Cliff and the Shadows must (at some point) have spent some time at the Stockton Globe rehearsing for the panto. Oh how we love it all!! Many thanks Ulrich, as ever, for your invaluable input. Now.....does Heinz Rolli (Chronik - Man) have any additional infromation which could help us all out??

Rob

[RayL]

How difficult of an adjustment is that to make...switching to a new brand of instrument, with probably little time to rehearse?
Donna

An important factor that must have helped Jet to move to the Precision was that, like the Stratocaster guitar, the Precision has the strap button on the top horn opposite the 12th fret. In this way even a 34" long scale bass is not neck-heavy and the arm reach needed to play 1st, 2nd and 3rd position frets is much less than, say, the Framus where the strap button looks to be where the neck joins the body.

For a person of Jet's size it was probably quite a relief to move to the Fender!

Ray