'66 Slab Precision...Anyone seen one/got one?

[The-Ox]

that basscentre replica is nowhere near a Frank in my opinion. Yep Ben you're correct, could give some credence to the extra bark that Slabs had, as John used the same Hiwatt rig for IoW as he did for Leeds, but used a stock P bass. Then again that was a rosewood neck, could explain the warmer tone

[steviebee74]

Ok, as far as I'm aware, the "Slab" P Basses were exclusive to the UK yet, whilst browsing the book "American Music" by Annie Leibovitz, I stumbled upon an interesting image.

On page 82, there is an image of a blues player named Johnnie Billington. Taken in 2001, this image shows him with some of his students at his blues school. The young bass player is clearly playing a slab-bodied p bass with a gold anodised pickguard.

I've attached a copy found on Google which is a little hazy but in the book, you can clearly see the slab body! Of course, it could be retrofit or even one of our 66's that may have found its way over the pond but I just thought it looked interesting.

[Rick's Fine '52]

[quote name='steviebee74' timestamp='1472248696' post='3119881']

On page 82, there is an image of a blues player named Johnnie Billington. Taken in 2001, this image shows him with some of his students at his blues school. The young bass player is clearly playing a slab-bodied p bass with a gold anodised pickguard
[/quote]

Looks like a regular P to me, '57 reissue. The Slabs had maple cap necks, so no truss rod tiger stripe, hence no walnut cap on headstock, like this one has, also looks like rounded body edges when you zoom.

Edited August 26, 2016 by Rick's Fine '52

[steviebee74]

Ok so this time, I took a close up from the actual book rather than google. I'm still convinced it's a slab!

[JTUK]

Does a '62 count..? played my mates one which wasn't anything special, IMO, but then he wasn't a bass player so it probably wasn't set up well...
But it had the finish taken down to the bare wood-which was ugly- and that knocked so much money off it.

I'm pretty sure he said it was a '62, but I didn't have much regard for it myself.

[Rick's Fine '52]

[quote name='steviebee74' timestamp='1472295251' post='3120114']
Ok so this time, I took a close up from the actual book rather than google. I'm still convinced it's a slab!
[/quote]

The neck isn't maple cap. Probably not even a Fender. If he's letting kids play it in school, it's probably a typical cheap school copy, hence the poor contours.

[drTStingray]

[quote name='steviebee74' timestamp='1472248696' post='3119881']
Ok, as far as I'm aware, the "Slab" P Basses were exclusive to the UK.....
[/quote]

Well obviously not as Larry Taylor had a black one in Canned Heat in Monterey Pop in 1967/8. Was black a custom colour then as well? He bought it in a regular music store in the US.

Which got me thinking - that would be a good build for someone to order from the Fender Custom Shop....Larry Taylor is actually one of my favourite bass players of all time and I still use fills and patterns he played, especially with John Mayall - and especially the album Jazz Blues Fusion........ hmmm an interesting thought - I think I'd have a spare tort guard done though!!

Edited August 28, 2016 by drTStingray

[senmen]

Guys,
that Billington Bass in the photo Is definetely a normal P with a contoured body. Definetely no Slab body and also no Maple Cap neck.
As for Entwistle:
he did own only 3 Slabs!
The First one, The famous Three Knob. Still existing nowadays.
The Second one, that one was smashed at a gig in the US and it's parts went to become Frankenstein lateron.
The Third one, that one was auctioned Off At The Sothebys auction.

I Do own two Slabs. One beeing a Rosewood one.
All I can say on extensive research for two upcoming Magazine articles, that many facts yet distributed about the Slabs, Need to be corrected!!

Cheers
Oliver

[Rick's Fine '52]

[quote name='senmen' timestamp='1473186152' post='3127840']
All I can say on extensive research for two upcoming Magazine articles, that many facts yet distributed about the Slabs, Need to be corrected!!
[/quote]

Agree with you there Oliver!

[senmen]

Thank you Rich!
Appreciate!!

Cheers
Oliver

[njr911]

I'm sure this will have been covered before but as it's fresh in my mind...

I was watching guitar heros at the BBC V last night in iPlayer. The bass player from the Skids was playing a slab, BUT it looked like a Jazz body ? Rosewood neck, block and bound, the body was the correct blonde.

Any ideas ?

[senmen]

Hi Njr,
The P played by the Skids is definetely a stock contoured P. Look at different photos and you will clearly see it!
Cheers
Oliver

[wateroftyne]

Possible slab sighting...

[url="https://www.facebook.com/126108280756839/videos/1377461515621503/"]What d'yall think?[/url]

[senmen]

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1480192085' post='3182454']
Possible slab sighting...

[url="https://www.facebook.com/126108280756839/videos/1377461515621503/"]What d'yall think?[/url]
[/quote]

Normal contoured P, no Hybrid Slab.

[senmen]

[quote name='Meddle' timestamp='1480199179' post='3182527']


I think the Isle of Wight gig was maybe recorded oddly. There are times when Roger Daltrey is standing closer to Entwistle's amps and you can hear his treble signal bleeding into the vocal mics. It is possible that only the bass amp in his bi-amp rig was committed to tape for whatever reason. The second thought I've had is that Entwistle might have taken that black Precision bass along at the last minute, as we don't see it again onstage. It might not have been setup to his exacting low-action specifications. I do sometimes wonder if the 'Slab tone' is actually a conglomeration of newly introduced roundwound strings on a P bass, with the foam mute removed and the action lowered. This is combined with newly invented 100 watt amplifiers setup in a newly invented bi-amp setup. If, prior to that, the only P bass tone committed to tape was that created with stiff flatwound strings, foam mutes, high action and an Ampeg B15 rumbling away. I think that maybe a few different things happened to converge in one place, right at the time that the first Slabs hit the UK market.

I think the following Move clip has a Slab-like grind to the bass tone, but it looks like a normal P bass.

[media]http://youtu.be/ELRHD4UCo74[/media]
[/quote]

Also here, standard P, no Hybrid Slab.

[EliasMooseblaster]

[quote name='Meddle' timestamp='1480199179' post='3182527']
It is possible that only the bass amp in his bi-amp rig was committed to tape for whatever reason.
[/quote]

This has been mentioned a couple of times now, and has got me wondering...was he actually bi-amping this early? I am fully prepared to stand corrected, but I thought he only started splitting the signal when he moved over to Sunn amps and more exotic basses.

[Cosmo Valdemar]

[quote name='Meddle' timestamp='1480199179' post='3182527']
I think the Isle of Wight gig was maybe recorded oddly. There are times when Roger Daltrey is standing closer to Entwistle's amps and you can hear his treble signal bleeding into the vocal mics. It is possible that only the bass amp in his bi-amp rig was committed to tape for whatever reason. The second thought I've had is that Entwistle might have taken that black Precision bass along at the last minute, as we don't see it again onstage. It might not have been setup to his exacting low-action specifications. I do sometimes wonder if the 'Slab tone' is actually a conglomeration of newly introduced roundwound strings on a P bass, with the foam mute removed and the action lowered. This is combined with newly invented 100 watt amplifiers setup in a newly invented bi-amp setup. If, prior to that, the only P bass tone committed to tape was that created with stiff flatwound strings, foam mutes, high action and an Ampeg B15 rumbling away. I think that maybe a few different things happened to converge in one place, right at the time that the first Slabs hit the UK market.

I think the following Move clip has a Slab-like grind to the bass tone, but it looks like a normal P bass.

[media]http://youtu.be/ELRHD4UCo74[/media]
[/quote]

Although the balance is a bit different to Live at Leeds - IOW seems to have the bassier side more prominent, whereas Leeds is all about the treble - I don't think the IOW recording is defective in any way. The treble is side is still clearly there, as heard on the My Generation solo and the into to 1921 for example. It's just not as prominent as it is at Leeds.
Also, the IOW recording as a whole sounds less polished and more raw.
another argument is that JE would never have allowed the IOW set to be released had his bass not been recorded properly!
As mentioned before, the black P bass was used because it matched the skeleton suit - nothing more.

As for the Move clip, the main similarity I can hear is that the bass is being played through - presumably - a guitar amp. However it sounds to me like flatwounds, and very much a 'standard' Precision.

I don't think I've mentioned it before on here but a few months ago I got hold of an old Yamaha Attitude bass - the humble mono version from the 90s. To my absolute delight it seems to have that distinctive extra growl to the tone usually attributed to the Slabs. Now, appearances aside, my Attitude is very much a Precision, but with one difference - a maple-capped neck. As we know this is one of the fabled Slab 'oddities' that could have contributed to the tone. On my experience with the Attitude, I honestly think this could be the key to the tone.

I'm now itching to get my hands on a Roger Waters sig as this also has a maple-capped neck. If my logic is correct this [i]should[/i] be able to pull of a similar trick - once the pickup had been changed of course.

[quote name='EliasMooseblaster' timestamp='1480331473' post='3183340']
This has been mentioned a couple of times now, and has got me wondering...was he actually bi-amping this early? I am fully prepared to stand corrected, but I thought he only started splitting the signal when he moved over to Sunn amps and more exotic basses.
[/quote]



Although JE's rig became more complicated in later years with the stereo Alembics and frequency splitting etc, his setup at the time of Leeds/IOW was to run two stacks, one clean(ish) and bassy, the other driven and trebly, with the bass running to both.

[The-Ox]

having played John's 66 Slab and remakes, I'm not so sure that the tone can be put down to just the neck. I think at the end of the day it comes down to the player. You have to remember John was playing at a volume we'll never play and was really pushing the Hiwatts to the limit - the distortion he got with the slab he could get with any Precision given his equipment and general skill level.

[Cosmo Valdemar]

[quote name='The-Ox' timestamp='1480344191' post='3183532']
having played John's 66 Slab and remakes, I'm not so sure that the tone can be put down to just the neck. I think at the end of the day it comes down to the player. You have to remember John was playing at a volume we'll never play and was really pushing the Hiwatts to the limit - the distortion he got with the slab he could get with any Precision given his equipment and general skill level.
[/quote]

Maybe there's more to it than just the neck, but I don't think volume or choice of amp has any bearing on the real discussion here. The overdrive from the Hiwatt (or Marshall, or Vox) has little to do with the inherent tone of the instrument - when you played the original Slab and noticed the difference in tone, was that at Entwistle volume?

[The-Ox]

[quote name='Cosmo Valdemar' timestamp='1480349537' post='3183592']
Maybe there's more to it than just the neck, but I don't think volume or choice of amp has any bearing on the real discussion here. The overdrive from the Hiwatt (or Marshall, or Vox) has little to do with the inherent tone of the instrument - when you played the original Slab and noticed the difference in tone, was that at Entwistle volume?
[/quote]

With my above comment, I was trying to explain John's slab sound in particular. I get what you mean that the overdrive of the amp has little to do with the instrument, but then again when we listen to the slabs, they're through these amps, so it does affect the tone we're hearing? Its been a while since I played it, but I got just as much of the slab bark from the original as I did from the reissue I played from what I remember, I'll try and play it again soon and report back.

I still believe it really depends how you play, that is the overriding factor in my opinion. Live at Leeds is cited a lot on this thread for the slab tone as its made out of slab parts, but the body itself was an Alder P. Listen to this (I'm sure you guys have) live at the Marquee is 1967, this is an actual slab played through a Marshall

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdRs1gKpeGg

This is his Frankenstein played through Hiwatts:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgfiW5XcOUw

Its mainly the player. Which then had me thinking - we're attributing John's playing to the slab sound here, but could others at the time get that sound? If not (which I would not be surprised if they couldn't) then again its the player. I'll try out the original again, but putting this player rhetoric that I'm banging on about aside, I think the electronics must be different. Either in the bass, or its just his amps. Otherwise any old maple capped neck Precision would do the job

[Cosmo Valdemar]

[quote name='The-Ox' timestamp='1480351338' post='3183608']
With my above comment, I was trying to explain John's slab sound in particular. I get what you mean that the overdrive of the amp has little to do with the instrument, but then again when we listen to the slabs, they're through these amps, so it does affect the tone we're hearing? Its been a while since I played it, but I got just as much of the slab bark from the original as I did from the reissue I played from what I remember, I'll try and play it again soon and report back.

I still believe it really depends how you play, that is the overriding factor in my opinion. Live at Leeds is cited a lot on this thread for the slab tone as its made out of slab parts, but the body itself was an Alder P. Listen to this (I'm sure you guys have) live at the Marquee is 1967, this is an actual slab played through a Marshall

[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YdRs1gKpeGg"]https://www.youtube....h?v=YdRs1gKpeGg[/url]

This is his Frankenstein played through Hiwatts:

[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DgfiW5XcOUw"]https://www.youtube....h?v=DgfiW5XcOUw[/url]

Its mainly the player. Which then had me thinking - we're attributing John's playing to the slab sound here, but could others at the time get that sound? If not (which I would not be surprised if they couldn't) then again its the player. I'll try out the original again, but putting this player rhetoric that I'm banging on about aside, I think the electronics must be different. Either in the bass, or its just his amps. Otherwise any old maple capped neck Precision would do the job
[/quote]

I think one of the problems we have when discussing the Slab tone is that there is very little recorded evidence to hand - most of it comes courtesy of JE and then it is quite overdriven. We have to separate how much of the tone is coming from the bass from what the amp is responsible for.

From the two clips you posted, they both sound like Slabs but through different amps. Admittedly one is Frankenstein, which to me discounts the importance of the slab-style body.

I think we can discount JE's playing style as being responsible for the tone as there's recorded evidence of him playing a standard Precision and it sounds different.

As we know, Frankenstein was cobbled together from various parts and stil retained that tone, and the only Slab parts used were the neck and the electronics, so...

[The-Ox]

[quote name='Cosmo Valdemar' timestamp='1480352222' post='3183616']
I think one of the problems we have when discussing the Slab tone is that there is very little recorded evidence to hand - most of it comes courtesy of JE and then it is quite overdriven. We have to separate how much of the tone is coming from the bass from what the amp is responsible for.

From the two clips you posted, they both sound like Slabs but through different amps. Admittedly one is Frankenstein, which to me discounts the importance of the slab-style body.

I think we can discount JE's playing style as being responsible for the tone as there's recorded evidence of him playing a standard Precision and it sounds different.

As we know, Frankenstein was cobbled together from various parts and stil retained that tone, and the only Slab parts used were the neck and the electronics, so...
[/quote]

yeah, its an interesting one indeed! Then again, going back to IoW, take the My Generation performance, if someone told you that was a slab, you'd believe it. The solo sounds near identical to Leeds (My Generation starts at 1:28:48):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVf5wW5J_uA

And this was a stock Precision with rosewood neck. The constants here are John himself and the Hiwatts. Perhaps the slab sound is there within the bass, but most of it is John?

[stinson]

Andy Rourke of The Smiths played one for a while

[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1viBJ_ih64"]https://www.youtube....h?v=e1viBJ_ih64[/url]

[The-Ox]

[quote name='stinson' timestamp='1480361995' post='3183744']
Andy Rourke of The Smiths played one for a while

[url="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1viBJ_ih64"]https://www.youtube....h?v=e1viBJ_ih64[/url]
[/quote]

cheers for this. Even though hes a totally different player to John, it sounds different to your usual P bass

Edited November 28, 2016 by The-Ox

[AREA]

Here is One for Sale...
 
https://www.ebay-kleinanzeigen.de/s-anzeige/fender-precision-1966-hybrid-slab-bass-maple-cap/545988630-74-9389

Edited November 28, 2016 by AREA