The Last Bass Outpost
Main Forums => The Bass Zone => Topic started by: Stjofön Big on August 30, 2017, 02:07:42 AM
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So, I got my eyes on this here video. Nina Simone singing Four women. Thing is, this bass player's got a bass I don't recognise. Any one know what the piece is? You'll see it quite clear from 2.52.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dAQuf2sMYQ
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I can't recall seeing one like that before.
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Fender Jaguar shapish or a Jazz Bass with too large a pg ... It sure looks like something a luthier migh have made for him, not pawn shoppish or self-experimental.
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Reminds me of some Italian or Soviet instruments Ive seen. Whatever it is it's kinda cool.
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I was thinking Soviet as well.
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The bass from the Cold - shudder the thought!
(https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m6uBLgqRwwM/UmvD8BmI2bI/AAAAAAAArMM/ZX2X4g21iiQ/s640/red+menace+anti+soviet+propaganda+7.jpg)
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I was thinking Italian, like Mondial.
(https://www.italiaguitarsusa.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/mondial_classic_bass_ICR_01.jpg)
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I was thinking Italian, like Mondial.
Or Italian like a '60s Eko. They had a few off-the-wall designs.
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True.
(https://i.pinimg.com/736x/9f/1d/dd/9f1ddd7662d90a9d566b89c04682d0f3--ww-photos-ww-pictures.jpg)
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Teisco Del Rey EB-200 with a custom pickguard. The giant neck side markers are the dead giveaway, and then there's the body shape, pickups etc. down to that button on the bridge cover.
EDIT: wait - at 4:35 you can see a 4 inline headstock. The Teisco was 2+2. Damn, I thought I nailed it.
Maybe someone moved two tuners? The Teisco 2+2 headstock is fender-shaped and can accommodate 4 inline.
(http://cdn2.bigcommerce.com/server300/dks6ju/products/6352/images/60120/1__54654.1428449086.1280.1280.JPG?c=2)
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Another bass with those large side position markers. Teisco Audition-branded.
Maybe the Nina Simone bass is a Teisco EB-200 with a Teisco Audition neck? I'm pretty sure the body in the video is EB200.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v118/turquoisemoleeater/guitars/TeiiscoAuditionbass.jpg)
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As far as I've found out, it might be Clint Houston who's playing the bass. The jazz bassist played with Nina Simone in -69. He passed away at the age of almost 54 in -00. What can one say? Smart bass lines! But his bass.... well, maybe it's the Teisco Del Rey EB-200. Sure looks the part. Anyone here tried one out?
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No, I don't think it's a Teisco.
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I've screenshotted the bass for posterity:
(http://i.imgur.com/TcjD47l.png)
It is an odd bass, with that large pickguard that doesn't cover a whole lot of the treble side of the body. If anything it reminds me of a Framus design:
(http://i.imgur.com/TcjD47l.png)
Whereas the small boxy chrome bridge cover, chrome pickups and side-inlays on the neck match this Kay 5922:
(https://images.reverb.com/image/upload/s--hfrqaFIR--/a_exif,c_limit,e_unsharp_mask:80,f_auto,fl_progressive,g_south,h_620,q_90,w_620/v1446308581/jnhmcanhamef3f8tt0pa.jpg)
The bass in the video doesn't seem to have a lower cutaway at all, simply a rounding away of the wood. The clownburst finish says 'Japan' to me.
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I think the bass might be a Lafayette bass, like this one:
(https://i.imgur.com/ikD0gim.jpg)
The one I've posted here is missing a knob and the bridge cover.
This is a more complete example:
(https://i.imgur.com/mk7He1B.jpg)
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That must be it.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDSPwexlyTo
Look smaller in the picture than I would have expected. The player in the video must not be very big.
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Lafayette was the house brand of Lafayette Radio Electronics. They were made in Japan.
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Look smaller in the picture than I would have expected. The player in the video must not be very big.
I was surprised by this as well. I suppose he could be a diminutive dude, plus he's playing bass in a very formal manner. He's not moving around, and he's wearing a suit, and I think the formalness makes the bass look bigger?
John Paul Jones has a similar ability to make a Jazz bass look either massive or relatively small, if you leaf through photos of Zeppelin from the '70s. Sometimes he's like Nina's bassist, whereby he's just the guy standing behind the bass and making the notes happen. Other times he's a bit more into it and the bass fits him more naturally.