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Anybody Remember the Gibson Mustangs?

BassHappy

BassHappy

Supporting Member
Apr 3, 2009
7,655
12,266
Kent Lakes, New York via Fort Wayne, Indiana
www.innertainment.net
#1
Hey TB'ers

Anybody remember back in around 1966 when Fender released the Mustang bass, and Gibson's Kalamazoo followed shortly with their version? Kalamazoo also made another model which resembled the SG.

I cut my teeth on one of these but don't see them around. I wouldn't mind picking one up for posterity sake if the price and condition was right.

Kalamazoo1.jpg


The body material was not specified in Kalamazoo literature, but was a wood-laminate produced by a toilet-seat manufacturer in Wisconsin. Mine was "Glacier White" which sure enough looked to be the same color as a toilet seat. Maybe this was their "natural".

It featured the EB-0 style pickup and were shaped much like a Fender Mustang. They had a bolt-on maple neck; something that Gibson up until this point didn't do, rosewood fingerboard, and were short scale.

Wondering if anyone else remembers this bass?
 
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#7
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#9
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#15
Love the powder blue one! Nice photos. For the history buffs, from the Wiki on it - wow - they actually referred to the toilet seat material as "Medium Density Fiberboard (MDF)" Pretty snazzy.


"The Kalamazoo Electric Guitars were a series of electric and bass guitars produced by Gibson during the 1960s and 1970s under Gibson's parent company Chicago Musical Instruments.
A budget model, it had a body that was made of Medium-Density Fiberboard (MDF)[1] and inexpensive components. The Kalamazoo name was actually a revival of a line of acoustic guitars manufactured by Gibson from 1933 to 1942. From 1965 to 1970, there were two prominent designs. The first, made from 1965 to 1968, was reminiscent of the Fender Mustang; the other, made from 1968 to the early 1970s, bore more resemblance to the Gibson SG. The headstock bore a "Kalamazoo USA" logo rather than Gibson's usual decal.[1] A variety of configurations and pickup options were available, including a vibrola tremolo system, and single coil "melody maker" pickups.[1] The initial run of the Kalamazoo featured the KG-1 single-coil pickup, KG-1A single-coil pickup and vibrola, KG-2 dual single-coil pickups, and KG-2A dual single-coil pickups and vibrola. [1]. Gibson was sold to a different parent company, Norlin. The deal called for further restructuring and the Kalamazoo name was dropped. The Epiphone name took its place as Gibson's budget line marquis, a place it holds to this day.

The Kalamazoo Bass was introduced in 1966 as a companion to the six string guitar. Like the KG, the KB was made with the two body styles resembling the Mustang and the SG. The earlier headstocks were, again, reminiscent of Fender models. Later headstocks bore a resemblance to that of the Gibson Thunderbird bass guitar. Several standard Gibson components were used in the KB, namely a typical EB series humbucker pickup used in many Epiphone basses. Sales were initially good, and during 1966-67 this was by far the best selling bass made at the Gibson plant. Production of the KB ceased in 1969."


Here I am playing mine at the ripe age of 14 (note the very cool and proper 4 finger technique) :D

Rick%20Kalamazoo.jpg


hmmmmmm......actually just found a red one on ebay: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Rare-66-7-G...o-/111119720069?pt=Guitar&hash=item19df405e85
 
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#18
I have the SG type model. Imagine my surprise, I've been referring to the wood as "Mother of Toilet Seat" for years and I find out I was right all along!
I have seen the Mustang cut basses-it would be cool to have one. They are surprisingly popular with Indie Rockers in NYC-there is a Hipshot bridge that cleans up the intonation according to NY Session Bassist Paul Nowinski.
 

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