Grangur Posted May 16, 2016 Share Posted May 16, 2016 Dear Friends of this parish, I have a confession to make.. I lifted my first bass from under my bro's bed. I was about 16 and it was in the 70's. It was a 1966 Vox Clubman. I gave it back when my bro's friend wanted his bass back. Fast-forward to 2016 and I bought a 1964 Vox Clubman from Evilbay and did it up. It's now fitted with a 1/4" jack, new strings and the frets are filed smooth at the ends, rather than the serrated ends that they were; akin to a "bread-knife". I got it for a fair-ish price. The cost of the work was reasonable. Doing this has been something like settling old ghosts and a learning exercise. These basses don't have a truss-rod. It has, apparently 2 steel rods in the neck as reinforcement. The neck is as flat as a die; no radius to the neck. The necks were made of sycamore wood, by G-Plan - the furniture company. The original pots all work after being sprayed with contact cleaner. The pups are good and the tone is amusing when you play it. I can't see me gigging it, but it's been interesting to do it. Will I keep it? Hmmm.... not so sure. If it was THE one I had back then I might have kept it. That one was in great condition, but it was 45 years ago! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ezbass Posted May 16, 2016 Share Posted May 16, 2016 Good for you; nice score. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiliwailer Posted May 16, 2016 Share Posted May 16, 2016 Your first bass is way cooler than my first bass, have fun with it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grangur Posted May 16, 2016 Author Share Posted May 16, 2016 [quote name='Chiliwailer' timestamp='1463420522' post='3051236'] Your first bass is way cooler than my first bass, have fun with it [/quote] OMG!! Your beginnings must have been "interesting". I was reading on another forum a thread where some guy was talking with envy about how great it must have been "back in the day" when you had to save for weeks to buy a record and having to struggle to find it on sale. He really has no idea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary mac Posted May 16, 2016 Share Posted May 16, 2016 That's a cool looking thing Rich Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chiliwailer Posted May 16, 2016 Share Posted May 16, 2016 [quote name='Grangur' timestamp='1463421597' post='3051250'] OMG!! Your beginnings must have been "interesting". I was reading on another forum a thread where some guy was talking with envy about how great it must have been "back in the day" when you had to save for weeks to buy a record and having to struggle to find it on sale. He really has no idea. [/quote] That'd just be far too patient for today's culture My first bass was a cheap Rockwood, good for that time, but no mojo like yours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpondonBassed Posted May 16, 2016 Share Posted May 16, 2016 Lovely. I love the simplicity of it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AustinArto Posted May 16, 2016 Share Posted May 16, 2016 Nice warm fuzzy thread, thank you. My first bass was a "Satellite"-branded sunburst/Rosewood/blocked n bound Jazz copy I bought from McGrane's in Leeds for £50. It ended up on fire in my garden. A friend spotted an identical one on eBay last year, and I suggested it was not a good deal. They wanted some money for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blue Posted May 16, 2016 Share Posted May 16, 2016 Nice story, cool vintage looking Vox. Blue Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grangur Posted May 17, 2016 Author Share Posted May 17, 2016 [quote name='AustinArto' timestamp='1463439795' post='3051429'] Nice warm fuzzy thread, thank you. My first bass was a "Satellite"-branded sunburst/Rosewood/blocked n bound Jazz copy I bought from McGrane's in Leeds for £50. It ended up on fire in my garden. A friend spotted an identical one on eBay last year, and I suggested it was not a good deal. They wanted some money for it. [/quote] Thanks, I took the neck off on this, mostly to find out if it truly had no TR. The owner of the original one I had asked me for £40, back in the day, if I wanted to keep it. On my money that was a fortune for a paper boy. I was surprised to see it's actually got a serial number and date stamp on both neck and body. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dad3353 Posted May 17, 2016 Share Posted May 17, 2016 That's my first bass, too (but in white...). Bought from a ropey pawn-type shop in Addlestone High Street, supposedly new (and it might have been...) for £20, it got traded in for a mixed Edgeware/Trixon set of drums after a few months; that's when I took a different route. Between the drums and the bass, I think I got the better deal. T'would be interesting to lay hands on another, for old time's sake, but I know that I won't be hankering after one any time soon. Mine really wasn't all that good to play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grangur Posted May 17, 2016 Author Share Posted May 17, 2016 Dad, neither is this to be honest. (Good to play) It's a trip down memory lane, it's been interesting. I can really get grovin on it, but it doesn't sing. At the time I thought £40 was over the top. Nice to hear it confirmed. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dom in Dorset Posted May 17, 2016 Share Posted May 17, 2016 It now has a 1/4" jack, what did it have before? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted May 17, 2016 Share Posted May 17, 2016 [quote name='Dom in Somerset' timestamp='1463464796' post='3051463'] It now has a 1/4" jack, what did it have before? [/quote] The early 60s Vox basses had a 3-pin 13A bakelite plug ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted May 17, 2016 Share Posted May 17, 2016 [quote name='Dom in Somerset' timestamp='1463464796' post='3051463'] It now has a 1/4" jack, what did it have before? [/quote] IIRC a TV ariel type connection. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grangur Posted May 17, 2016 Author Share Posted May 17, 2016 [quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1463469595' post='3051501'] IIRC a TV ariel type connection. [/quote] And the prize goes to Mr BRX!. It was a coaxial socket. It's not the same as a tv socket, or I'd have made a cable to connect to the original socket. The later models moved the socket to the pickguard. I did think about drilling a hole in the 64 pickguard to take a Jack socket. But the depth of the body isn't enough to take the length. (Careful here this is a family thread) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bertbass Posted May 19, 2016 Share Posted May 19, 2016 My first bass as well in 1965. Bought off a mate for £5. Red and with a Burns pickup fitted but not very well. The pickup being thicker than the bass, someone had made a bowl shaped circle of wood and glued it to the back to cover up the new pickup. Do I remember it fondly? No, it was a heap of c**p. Also for £5, I bought an amp and cab from him. A linear 30 with a home made 2x12 but with only one of the 12s working. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grangur Posted May 19, 2016 Author Share Posted May 19, 2016 [quote name='hiram.k.hackenbacker' timestamp='1463659045' post='3053144'] Cool look, but that's got an action and a half on it hasn't it? [/quote] Yep, Mrs G limbo-dances under that. Actually it's up on evil-bay right now. It's got 38 watchers. Maybe, with some luck, 1 or 2 might just be folk actually interested in making a bid; not simply watching for the ride. (btw, I have paid my dues here and decided against selling in the market place, as it's not the sort of bass that sells here) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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