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Bass ID - Jet Harris, Shadows


James Nada
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Thanks for the replies.
A quick Google search reveals they are even uglier in colour.

[IMG]http://i712.photobucket.com/albums/ww127/badgerpigdog/IMG_9783.jpg[/IMG]

This one looks like it has a few cosmetic differences (such a pickguard/s) to Jet's.

Edited by James Nada
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What an ugly bass!

He was the 1st bass player I took any notice of which must also be the case for many, (or maybe the few) BCer's of my age.

I got to meet him and chat at the NEC in 1998 I think it was at the 'Mad About Guitars' show. Very friendly guy.

[url="http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/jet-harris-bassist-who-enjoyed-solo-success-after-being-sacked-by-the-shadows-2246304.html"]http://www.independe...ws-2246304.html[/url]

Edited by grandad
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[quote name='grayn' timestamp='1483709633' post='3209419']
It's almost certainly a rubbish bass but I like it's retro styling.
Cool!
[/quote]

Actually it appears to share many construction features with the Burns Sonic Bass which came out later the same year, in which case it will most likely be quite a good instrument.

There was fair bit of variation in body and scratch plate shapes on these (and the guitar versions) due to the fact that they were largely hand-made.

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[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1483710412' post='3209438']


Actually it appears to share many construction features with the Burns Sonic Bass which came out later the same year, in which case it will most likely be quite a good instrument.

There was fair bit of variation in body and scratch plate shapes on these (and the guitar versions) due to the fact that they were largely hand-made.
[/quote]

I had one of these a few years ago and it was genuinely terrible. Really big and heavy (made of solid sycamore, like maple), but with a 29" scale and a very narrow, almost banjo shaped neck that was too flimsy to not bend when tuned to pitch, despite the non adjustable aluminium rod.

it was also impossible to play in tune as the first three frets were the same width, octave somewhere around the 13th fret! still vv cool, and if I had it again (it was a stripped project) I'd replace the fretboard with a more accurate one and use baritone strings on it

The tweaked Fenton Weill versions from later on are more like a Sonic level of quality, but still a bit big and heavy considering they are short scale

Edited by mgeek
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[quote name='Grahambythesea' timestamp='1483664681' post='3209202']
Before the shads were famous and could afford to import US guitars, he also played a Framus. After he left the shads he recorded with Tony Meehan on a Fender VI - "Diamonds"
[/quote]

It was a case that Femder basses were generally irrelevant in the UK before 1960 owing to post war import restrictions. The two Strats and Precision in fiesta red were imported (brought over) by Cliff Richard and Hank famously gave back the Strat when he could get his own.

Both Jet and Hank played bass VIs - as fat sounding guitars.

The Shadows changed to Burns guitars in white in the early/mid sixties (but Jet had left by then). It was a change in the whole stage show etc.

If you watch some of the more recent Shadows performances you will see that Mark Griffiths alternates between a fiesta red Precision and a Burns when the band change guitars. The sound is quite different and much more modern sounding - used in Rise and Fall of Flingel Bunt, which, when I played this music, sounded to me to be influenced by the Jack Bruce style of playing at times (the single was 1964). In fact it was also possible to pick up influences for bands in the late 60s - one of the songs had more or less the exact bass part from a Ten Years After song and there was another one (with distortion on the bass) which sounded very Led Zeppelin. I guess this is not surprising as Cliff and the Shadows and Jet Harris influenced lots of players in the 60s.

In the 70s/80s Alan Jones played with them and used a 5 string sometimes and the bass parts were much influenced by music of the times and bass playing styles. That is what I based my own interpretation on when I played in a tribute group. Using a coral red Stingray - nailed the early recorded style and of course, the later stuff as well.

Edited by drTStingray
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  • 2 years later...

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