Selmer Catalogue

[Happy Jack]

This is the 1963/64 catalogue.

First, the Hofner semi-acoustic guitars:

Scans deleted - see Post #34.

Edited April 11, 2009 by Happy Jack

[Happy Jack]

Then the Hofner semi-acoustic basses:

Scans deleted - see Post #34.

In case you're wondering where the Violin and Club basses are, they weren't yet being imported to the UK in 1963.

When this catalogue went to print, no one was that interested in another new pop group from Liverpool. Macca only had a Violin bass because he was working in Germany when he bought it.

Edited April 11, 2009 by Happy Jack

[Happy Jack]

The Hofner solid-body guitars:

Scans deleted - see Post #34.

Edited April 11, 2009 by Happy Jack

[Happy Jack]

And the Hofner solid-body basses:

Scans deleted - see Post #34.

Edited April 11, 2009 by Happy Jack

[Happy Jack]

Now on to the Futurama guitars - note the obvious shared DNA with Hagstrom and Kent.

Scans deleted - see Post #34.

Edited April 11, 2009 by Happy Jack

[Happy Jack]

Matching Futurama basses:

Scans deleted - see Post #34.

Edited April 11, 2009 by Happy Jack

[beerdragon]

My first guitar is the one on the left, Futurama duo part of Hofner i think

[url="http://imageshack.us"][/url]
[url="http://g.imageshack.us/img168/3futmv4.jpg/1/"][/url]

Edited December 14, 2008 by beerdragon

[Happy Jack]

And finally, the Accessories:

Scans deleted - see Post #34.

Edited April 11, 2009 by Happy Jack

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='Happy Jack' post='354290' date='Dec 14 2008, 03:27 PM'][attachment=17210:scan0011.jpg][/quote]

My first bass was a used 1963 Hofner Artist for £20. I wish I still had it but only for sentimental reasons. Er.. and it would be worth about ten times what I paid for it.

[BigRedX]

I used to have a Futurama bass just like the one in beerdragon's photo except mine was red. The whole of the front was a single piece of plastic including the 'scratchplate' and the pickup housings. The rest of the plywood body was covered in red textured vinyl.

I bought it after a disastrous gig where I broke a string on my main bass (a Burns Sonic) and had to do the rest of the gig with the support band's bass - a Grant violin bass copy strung with flats and on a strap so long that it hung down by my knees... However it never sounded even remotely as good as the Burns, plus it was 32" scale which meant that now I had two no standard scale basses but both needing different hard to get strings which was simply too much trouble.

It was still in perfect condition when I sold it to the bassist who also owned the afore-mentioned Grant violin bass. I wonder where it is now?

[bumnote]

Thanks for sharing those

I used go and press my nose against shop window and dream about the futurama I thought it looked much cooler than the only fiesta red strat in portsmouth at the time.

I later bought a hofner president for the sum of 46 gns and later a marshall 4x10 blues breaker combo for 110 gns.

Wish I still had the amp.

[pete.young]

Cor, that takes me back.

My first bass was a '64 Hofner Senator, like the one in your picture but with a dagger inlay . My 3rd was a Futurama Coronado 4. Wish I'd kept that one.

Thanks for posting that, you've made an old man very happy :-)

[bassace]

I remember buying a three point DB bridge; a lot of people were using them at the time. Thanks Happy Jack for the nostalgia-fest.

[Happy Jack]

Glad to be of service ... it's good to share.

Edited December 14, 2008 by Happy Jack

[BigAlonBass]

1968-16 years old, dead caterpillar on top lip, playing as part of my Dad's "Resident Band" at a Local Working Mens Club Dance Night. Second-hand, hand-painted Artist Bass. God, how the time flies.

[attachment=17264:My_Pictu...date_070.jpg]

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='bumnote' post='354473' date='Dec 14 2008, 07:11 PM']Thanks for sharing those

I used go and press my nose against shop window and dream about the futurama I thought it looked much cooler than the only fiesta red strat in portsmouth at the time.

I later bought a hofner president for the sum of [b]46 gns[/b] and later a marshall 4x10 blues breaker combo for [b]110 gns[/b].

Wish I still had the amp.[/quote]

And for you youngsters out there, can I just say that was a lot of money in those days.

[EssentialTension]

[quote name='BigAlonBass' post='354679' date='Dec 14 2008, 11:20 PM']1968-16 years old, dead caterpillar on top lip, playing as part of my Dad's "Resident Band" at a Local Working Mens Club Dance Night. Second-hand, hand-painted Artist Bass. God, how the time flies.

[attachment=17264:My_Pictu...date_070.jpg][/quote]

My vague recollection of my Artist bass is that it was actually quite good.

[chris_b]

I've got a Selmer catalogue as well from, I think, 1966 with Hofner, Fender, Futurama and Hagstrom. A red Fender Precision was 128 gns and the sunburst was 122 gns. That was a lot of money back then!

[thisnameistaken]

[quote name='BigAlonBass' post='354679' date='Dec 14 2008, 11:20 PM']1968-16 years old, dead caterpillar on top lip, playing as part of my Dad's "Resident Band" at a Local Working Mens Club Dance Night. Second-hand, hand-painted Artist Bass. God, how the time flies. [/quote]

I'm digging those stripe position markers, not so much the string spacing or the scale...

[Stingray5]

Ah, memories of thumbing through the old Selmer catalogue. My mate at the time (c.1966/7) bought an Egmond semi; can't remember the price but it was almost certainly in guineas.
Now how about the old 'Bell's Music (Surbiton)' catalogue, anyone?

[chris_b]

[quote name='Stingray5' post='354757' date='Dec 15 2008, 03:14 AM']....Now how about the old 'Bell's Music (Surbiton)' catalogue, anyone?....[/quote]
Bells was still there until about 5 years ago. It's a discount golf store now! I heard that Eric Clapton brought his first guitar from there.

[chris_b]

Did anyone here ever go to Pan Music in Wardour Street? It was a great building..... the Flamingo was in the basement, the Whiskey-A-Go-Go was on the first floor and Pan was on the second floor. I brought my Vox Foundation from there for about £80. Wow, I've got to sit down!!!

[Stingray5]

[quote name='chris_b' post='354840' date='Dec 15 2008, 10:26 AM']Bells was still there until about 5 years ago. It's a discount golf store now! I heard that Eric Clapton brought his first guitar from there.[/quote]
Wow, I thought they'd gone years ago. Back around the early 70's my brother and I used to wait in anticipation for the Bell's van to pull up with whatever it was we'd sent off for. One order I remember was a 4x12 Sound City cab; all brand new and still covered in plastic as the delivery guy hauled it up to the front door. Only problem was who was gonna get to blast through it first!

[lonestar]

I'd love to see an old Bells catalogue from the mid '70s.
it was my porn of choice when I was a kid.

[JohnR]

Thanks for the memory. I used to have a Verithin which played and recorded beautifully. I wish I still owned it.