- Jun 30, 2010
- 49,635
- 222,254
- Disclosures
- musician/artist/owner - Gildaxe
Before I start, I want this to be a very neutral forum as I love and own both Fender and Gibson basses. Let's leave neck-dive issues, preference in tone issues etc aside and focus on this specific inquiry. Which is.., a friend was over w/his Jazzmaster and it was sitting next to my T-bird when it struck me that their body shapes/designs were not all that different. Like the reversed pawn shop Jaguar that Fender is now producing, reverse the Jazz/Jag, and w/a little imagination - a F-bird/T-bird comes into alignment.
As there are many industrial design links between the auto industry and guitars, think of Fender as a Chevy and Gibson as a Ford. (T-bird anyone?) Gibson already started a bolder design trend w/the late 50's Flying V and Explorer. More utilitarian in general, Fender introduced the Jazzmaster in 1958 and the Jaguar in '60. However, no such bass twin was put in production. Instead, Leo & co knocked it out of the park in 1960 w/the Jazz bass, his 2nd "deluxe" Fender bass. Like the sexy big-finned '59 Caddy-the Jazz was the Jayne Mansfield of basses! Gibson needed a Fender bass killer to try and compete w/the now 2 industry standard products. (can't blame them for trying!) Image if you will, if Gibson had succeeded in that competition. We might have read on a late 60's album credit; Harvy Brooks, Gibson bass.
Well, as we all know.., that didn't happen. (again, no slam here - even John Entwistle owned both!)
Anyway, (4 years later) Gibson designed the T-bird/F-bird and it went in production in '63. So I'm just imagining the Gibson design team sitting in a room in '62 brainstorming "Mad Men" style over coffee and cigarettes sketching relentlessly as they think out loud. "OK, what if we reverse the body on the Jazz/Jag, extend the lower horn, soften the upper shoulder, stretch the lower bout almost to a point - and keep it slim and sexy!" This is competitive, bare-knuckles business here and the big 2 were vying for a booming 60's market share. I've never read this and am fully admitting unabashedly reading into this, but it seems reasonable yes? The 1st generation T-bird is, after all, referred to as "reversed".
As there are many industrial design links between the auto industry and guitars, think of Fender as a Chevy and Gibson as a Ford. (T-bird anyone?) Gibson already started a bolder design trend w/the late 50's Flying V and Explorer. More utilitarian in general, Fender introduced the Jazzmaster in 1958 and the Jaguar in '60. However, no such bass twin was put in production. Instead, Leo & co knocked it out of the park in 1960 w/the Jazz bass, his 2nd "deluxe" Fender bass. Like the sexy big-finned '59 Caddy-the Jazz was the Jayne Mansfield of basses! Gibson needed a Fender bass killer to try and compete w/the now 2 industry standard products. (can't blame them for trying!) Image if you will, if Gibson had succeeded in that competition. We might have read on a late 60's album credit; Harvy Brooks, Gibson bass.
Well, as we all know.., that didn't happen. (again, no slam here - even John Entwistle owned both!)Anyway, (4 years later) Gibson designed the T-bird/F-bird and it went in production in '63. So I'm just imagining the Gibson design team sitting in a room in '62 brainstorming "Mad Men" style over coffee and cigarettes sketching relentlessly as they think out loud. "OK, what if we reverse the body on the Jazz/Jag, extend the lower horn, soften the upper shoulder, stretch the lower bout almost to a point - and keep it slim and sexy!" This is competitive, bare-knuckles business here and the big 2 were vying for a booming 60's market share. I've never read this and am fully admitting unabashedly reading into this, but it seems reasonable yes? The 1st generation T-bird is, after all, referred to as "reversed".
