Introduced in 1976, the Music Man Stingray bass quickly established itself as an alternative to the dominant Fender basses – partly due to one of its key designers being Leo Fender himself! Music Man was formed in 1974, having first been named Tri-Sonix in 1971 and then MusiTek. It was a partnership between electronics designer Tom Walker and former Fender executive Forrest White with Leo Fender as a silent partner – until 1975, Leo was still bound to a non-compete clause in his sale of Fender to CBS.
Bass
Part of a now-discontinued special series, the Hofner Gold Label Berlin Violin Bass is the top of the line for these iconic instruments. The Hofner Gold Label basses were signed by master builder Thomas Stuhlein at the Hofner shop in Hagenau, Bavaria. The sealed – body construction is Maple laminate for the top, sides and back.
The Fender Telecaster Bass launched in the surprisingly late year of 1968, though its appearance is very much like the original, revolutionary 1951 Precision Bass. From a modern perspective, there isn’t a lot to the Fender Telecaster Bass.
Introduced in 1963 as a companion to the new Firebird, the Gibson Thunderbird bass shares the same through-neck construction concepts. The original production of the ‘Reverse’ Gibson Thunderbird, like the Firebird, ran from 1963 to 1965.
Here we have a rarity – a very early Les Godfrey Dragonetti bass, built during 2002 at Godfrey’s shop in Toronto, Canada. This bass, serial number 003, is in overall good condition and shows signs of having been used as intended. The design shows the influence of Carl Thompson, with whom Godfrey worked for a time.
The Fender Telecaster Bass launched in the surprisingly late year of 1968, though its appearance is very much like the original, revolutionary 1951 Precision Bass. From a modern perspective, there isn’t a lot to the Fender Telecaster Bass. It is basically an ash or alder slab body with a one-piece maple neck bolted to it, a bridge, and from 1968 to 1972 a single coil pickup with volume and tone controls.
This instrument has sold
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