Basses Named After Car

[B-line]

Well yes, actual halibut is certainly tastier and more nutritious than the bass is.

But after dinner (fresh Halibut of course) I would love to retire to the Bass Room and JAM that ESP Halibut.
That really is an extraordinary bass, all kidding aside.

 

[Mr. Sound]

Chevy Blazer
I wonder if she'd pose with my Ibanez?

 

[Mr. Sound]

I think the bass came first by a feww decades!

 

[Mantis Tobaggan]

The Gibson Town and Country?

 

[Embra]

Monarch (Fodera and Mercury)

 

[Embra]

Skyline (lakland and Nissan)

 

[Low Commotion]

I'm kind of partial to my Impala. It's seafoam green in real life, but my camera thinks its blue. It's actually a parts guitar.

 

[Embra]

1 Series (BMW and Shuker)...

 

[B-line]

Gretsch White FALCON...

Bingo!

 

[Embra]

Charger (Dodge and Status)

 

[Deleted member 264575]

Zephyr (Peavey/Ford)
Imperial (Fodera/Chrysler)
Cobra (EKO/Ford)
Triumph (Gibson, Warwick, Framus/Triumph)
Interceptor (G&L/Jensen)
Coronado (Hagstrom/DeSoto)

 

[Booty Shaman]

Animals? Warwick Dolphin. MM Stingray.

Rob Allen's "Mouse"

 

[Pirate Captain]

d'oh!

Oldsmobile/Guild Starfire...and I OWN a Starfire bass!

 

[Kmonk]

I just read this book:
Play It Loud: An Epic History of the Style, Sound, and Revolution of the Electric Guitar.

The authors noted how many electric guitars were marketed like cars, and as a result, many of them were named after cars: Firebird, Thunderbird, Mustang, etc. And those names were applied to basses, too, although I expect it was more of an afterthought.

It seems to me that initially, the most popular basses have had names that were more descriptive of the bass or its applications (Precision, Jazz) than anything else. Of course, I did play a Stingray for awhile...


Anyone notice any marketing trends in the names that major manufacturers give to basses over the years? Also, what was up with "Ripper" and "Grabber"?

The Firebird was not named after a car. Gibson started making Firebirds in 1963, four years before Pontiac released the first Firebird car. The Fender Mustang was released in 1964. The first Ford Mustang was released in 1965 but because Ford released it five months before the normal start of the production year, early production models are commonly referred to 1964 1/2. There is no evidence that Fender named the Mustang after the car or vice versa. I imagine that the reason chose "Grabber" and "Ripper" is because they wanted an aggressive sounding name to correspond with rock music getting louder and heavier.

 

[Booty Shaman]

OH GOOD! we can do Animal Basses now!

I'm SO in!!
ESP Original Series -HALIBUT-

Yummy

 

[BassikLee]

Isn't there also a Cutlass?

Oldsmobile

I'll never forget:
There was a dude we worked with named Doug Olds.
Every time we went with him in his vehicle, we'd call it the Oldsmobile.
It was a Toyota.

The guy who started Oldsmobile, his name was Olds. I don't know his first name, but his initials were REO. He also started a company that made truck chassis. One model in particular was popular as a fire engine. It was called the Speedwagon. I kid you not.

 

[madjazzbass]

I think the bass came first by a feww decades!

Who makes that?

 

[abracadunphy]

Who makes that?

Honda

 

[Dr. Funk]

While I can see that the guitars and basses do share the same names as many cars out there, but it is also a coincidence that they share the same names with the (mainly) animals/fish/birds that the cars were named after.

Which came first, the chiken or the egg?

(first Ford Mustang = 1964 or first Fender Mustang = 1964)

P-51 Mustang = 1940

 

[ThePresident777]

Ibanez roadster: Roadster (automobile) - Wikipedia

"A roadster, sometimes referred to as a spider or spyder, is an open two-seat car with emphasis on sporting appearance or character. ............."