The Last Bass Outpost

Main Forums => The Bass Zone => Topic started by: Alanko on November 01, 2018, 02:50:05 PM

Title: What is this bass???
Post by: Alanko on November 01, 2018, 02:50:05 PM
I've been listening to the band Curved Air a lot recently. Admittedly I don't like the following song, but I have been trying to work out what the bass is!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDqIXVg3aIU

To get around the dodgy visuals, I inverted the colours.

(https://i.imgur.com/DaY7whv.png)


It looks a bit like an EB-3, only with two identical single coils, a two-piece bridge, and a split diamond headstock inlay. I don't think it is a Gibson. It looks like a Greco headstock, but I can't tie it to any of their models. It also says 'Framus' to me, but again I can't pin it down to a specific model.
Title: Re: What is this bass???
Post by: Dave W on November 01, 2018, 10:16:39 PM
I don't think it's a Framus or a Greco.
Title: Re: What is this bass???
Post by: Alanko on November 02, 2018, 05:06:11 AM
The Framus angle was the right angle.  :mrgreen:

I went with Framus because I saw a Framus EB-3 copy kicking around online, with a full 'batwing' SG pickguard and some sort of replacement pickup in the bridge location. Or possibly two different pickup types for the design.

In turn I think my mystery bass may be an S-375. It took a lot of Google cross-referencing to get there, as there is no single source of info on Framus basses:

(https://www.picclickimg.com/d/l400/pict/323279006875_/Framus-Bass-Guitar-SG-Vintage-1974-5-375-S-375.jpg)

Catalog view has the split diamond headstock inlay.

(http://old.warwick.de/tools/load.php?imgid=00000083838.jpg)
Title: Re: What is this bass???
Post by: Dave W on November 02, 2018, 08:39:45 PM
You must be right. I had never seen a Framus with that configuration or headstock inlay. They were never that common over here.
Title: Re: What is this bass???
Post by: westen44 on November 03, 2018, 07:13:00 AM
Not common in the U.S., although Jaco briefly played a Framus S-380 in Germany.

https://equipboard.com/pros/jaco-pastorius/framus-s-380

Title: Re: What is this bass???
Post by: Chris P. on November 03, 2018, 12:37:36 PM
It also looks a bit like the German Hopf on which Lemmy started his career.
Title: Re: What is this bass???
Post by: Dave W on November 03, 2018, 07:51:01 PM
Quote from: Chris P. on November 03, 2018, 12:37:36 PM
It also looks a bit like the German Hopf on which Lemmy started his career.

It does, but this one looks fancier and more refined to me.
Title: Re: What is this bass???
Post by: Pekka on December 17, 2018, 05:26:11 AM
Although nobody asked but bassist is definitely Mike Wedgwood. He later replaced John G. Perry in Caravan.
Title: Re: What is this bass???
Post by: uwe on August 20, 2019, 10:12:28 AM
Framus - no doubt. Pick-ups give it away, I have the same ones on another Framus model, the Sorento hollowbody.

(https://embarrados.com/e-shop/itemimage/aHR0cHM6Ly9pLmViYXlpbWcuY29tLzAwL3MvTVRZd01GZ3hNakF3L3ovT3ZzQUFPU3daakpVM1NBRi8kXzEuSlBHP3NldF9pZD04ODAwMDA1MDBG.jpg)

Those pups are quite forceful btw.