Fender Jazz on Madmen

[Dr. Cheese]

I'm guessing Jazz on tonight's episode is a '66 with blocks and binding. It's a party scene for Don Draper.

[jasper383]

My wife is watching it right now. Sweet Fender bass and guitar.

That show agonizes over getting things period correct.

[ShoeManiac]

I felt like such a vintage bass nerd figuring that this season of Mad Men was the summer of 1966, and that the Jazz bass at the party was period correct.

[THE SAW]

2 things to check:

1)The knobs of course

2)If you can freeze-frame and get a good look, see how far apart the dots on the 12th fret are. (trick question?)

Have fun!

AHA! No dots at all eh? Late 1966....... If that party is in the END of 1966, they REALLY got it right because the early 1966 basses still had dots!

[chadds]

Shure Vocalmaster PA.

[jasper383]

Originally Posted by ShoeManiac

I felt like such a vintage bass nerd figuring that this season of Mad Men was the summer of 1966, and that the Jazz bass at the party was period correct.

It is 1966 on the show, so I'd bet the producers said "make sure they are playing 1966 instruments".

My question is, would a band that would play a party like that in 1966 have all brand new instruments?

[Liam Wald]

Originally Posted by chadds

Shure Vocalmaster PA.

I had a Shure Vocal Master PA.
WOW! What a memory!!!

[Dr. Cheese]

Originally Posted by jasper383

It is 1966 on the show, so I'd bet the producers said "make sure they are playing 1966 instruments".

My question is, would a band that would play a party like that in 1966 have all brand new instruments?

That's a fair question, but at least it's better than the Clint Eastwood Charlie Parker biopic which shows an r&b bassist on a Stingray towards the end of the movie!

Remember, Yardbird died in 1954, twenty-two years before the first Stingray was made!

[octaverazor]

I'm sure it was easy enough for them to get period instruments. Yeah Fender send use period correct stuff and you get a free TV spot that people will be talking about on forums throught out the internets.

[ShoeManiac]

Originally Posted by Dr. Cheese

That's a fair question, but at least it's better than the Clint Eastwood Charlie Parker biopic which shows an r&b bassist on a Stingray towards the end of the movie!

Remember, Yardbird died in 1954, twenty-two years before the first Stingray was made!

The Buddy Holly biopic which starred Gary Busey had a number of inconsistencies with instruments, too. Buddy Holly was one of the most visible Strat players in the 1950's, but the film had him with Telecasters and whatever else the filmmakers could find.

[jasper383]

Originally Posted by Dr. Cheese

That's a fair question, but at least it's better than the Clint Eastwood Charlie Parker biopic which shows an r&b bassist on a Stingray towards the end of the movie!

Remember, Yardbird died in 1954, twenty-two years before the first Stingray was made!

I'm surprised by that; Eastwood is a musician himself, and I would think he'd be more thorough than that. That's a big mistake.

I'll never forget the episode of Happy Days where Ralph Malph is playing a Parker Fly Bass.

(I made that up)

[ShoeManiac]

The sonic blue Strat in that party scene on Mad Men was another subtle nod to mid 60's Fenders.

[jasper383]

Originally Posted by ShoeManiac

The sonic blue Strat in that party scene on Mad Men was another subtle nod to mid 60's Fenders.

I bet it was a '66.

Somewhere out there on the internet, on Talkguitar, they are mentioning the bass in the episode last night, and noting that it was probably a mid 60s model.

[P. Aaron]

Good looking gear. That classic look is still iconic.