Silly question for a lot of you I know, but is it just me or is Bill Wyman's framus star a lot bigger body'd then the usual framus star am I just seeing things or is there a different body style? Also is that what he's playing in this video?:
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Framus Star and Bill Wyman
- Thread starter youngmanhood
- Start date
The bass just looks big because ole Bill weighed about 115 lbs from shooting $500 worth of smack a day. 
The Framus in the video is a Star Bass DeLuxe model 5/150. Bill is not a big guy and neither is the 5/150 a big bass. It's actually a short 30" scale instrument.
TD
TD
Bill did not shoot $500 of smack a day - he only did drugs a "few" times. Nothing along the lines of Keef or even Mick.
His indulgences were much more, bodily.
But, that said, he always looked so small because he was a very small man, and lost a lot of weight while touring constantly.
It wasn't a gig every other night or more, it was often numerous hour sets per night.
His indulgences were much more, bodily.
But, that said, he always looked so small because he was a very small man, and lost a lot of weight while touring constantly.
It wasn't a gig every other night or more, it was often numerous hour sets per night.
well the reason i ask is A.) I love the bass on those early stones albums so punchy and cocky in a sense... and B.)cuz I, like the members of the rolling stones, have a very skeletor limbed body (haha 
)and personally I DO enjoy looking like my instrument is swallowing me alive haha (hence my love for such basses like the gibson EB-2) so I just asked about the possibility of multiple body styles on the basis of a more stylistic curiosity
)and personally I DO enjoy looking like my instrument is swallowing me alive haha (hence my love for such basses like the gibson EB-2) so I just asked about the possibility of multiple body styles on the basis of a more stylistic curiosity
Re heroin habit: I'm only repeating stuff I read in the press back in the 60s. One story going round was that Bill quit the Stones in order to get away from the NYC drug scene.This is the first I've heard the he was only an occassional drug user. I don't believe that for a second
I was probably one of the first Stones fans in the US. I was 17 when they came over here on their first US tour and I saw them live on an afternoon TV show. Their "bad boy" persona appealed to me. I loved the way Bill would stand as still as a statue and never smiled. I started playing bass in a garage band 6 months after I first heard/saw the Stones - we played a lot of thier songs and I loved to play Bill's basslines. Especially, the instrumental 210 South Michigan Street.
I agree that he is underrated.
My understanding is that Bill preferred 30" basses because he was small. Me to.
I was probably one of the first Stones fans in the US. I was 17 when they came over here on their first US tour and I saw them live on an afternoon TV show. Their "bad boy" persona appealed to me. I loved the way Bill would stand as still as a statue and never smiled. I started playing bass in a garage band 6 months after I first heard/saw the Stones - we played a lot of thier songs and I loved to play Bill's basslines. Especially, the instrumental 210 South Michigan Street.
I agree that he is underrated.
My understanding is that Bill preferred 30" basses because he was small. Me to.
Maybe, maybe not. Just repeating what he said in his book, Rolling with the Stones.
Either way, who cares really?
Good played.
Either way, who cares really?
Good played.
well the reason i ask is A.) I love the bass on those early stones albums so punchy and cocky in a sense... and B.)cuz I, like the members of the rolling stones, have a very skeletor limbed body (haha
If the opportunity comes up, try out a Warwick Star Bass 2.
They're a pretty faithful reproduction, with some modern advantages.After all, Framus was owned by the father of Warwick's owner/founder.There's 2 models, the maple & the bubinga.The Maple bodied model is possibly more tradtionally voiced,while the bubinga being more compressed,aggressive,hi fi,etc.
Aussie Mark
I come from a land down under
- Oct 26, 2002
- 1,161
- 206
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Fender; O'Neill Amps; Cave Passive Pedals
Sorry for the necro bump, but thought it might be cool to post my new Framus 5/150 reissue in this thread. I play in a Stones tribute show, so the Framus will be a great fit - it arrived today 
These are Korean-made, by the way, and the finish and quality look absolutely great. It will need a set up after I restring it with flats (why would a sixties reissue come with rounds?), as the pickup heights are all over the place by the look of it. Interestingly for a hollow body, all the electronics with the exception of the jack socket are outside the body - mounted under the pickguard - nothing at all is drilled into the top of the body. The tailpiece attaches to the end side, and the pickguard assembly is mounted to the lower side by screws in two places. The pickup height screws rest on the body on top of little circles of felt, and the timber bridge is floating. Neck width at the nut is 1.5" - Jazz bass width.
These are Korean-made, by the way, and the finish and quality look absolutely great. It will need a set up after I restring it with flats (why would a sixties reissue come with rounds?), as the pickup heights are all over the place by the look of it. Interestingly for a hollow body, all the electronics with the exception of the jack socket are outside the body - mounted under the pickguard - nothing at all is drilled into the top of the body. The tailpiece attaches to the end side, and the pickguard assembly is mounted to the lower side by screws in two places. The pickup height screws rest on the body on top of little circles of felt, and the timber bridge is floating. Neck width at the nut is 1.5" - Jazz bass width.
Turnaround
Commercial User
Just for accuracy - that's "2120 South Michigan Avenue". It's the address of Chess Records in Chicago where the Stones recorded that number. Good trivia question actually - name the Stones' first recorded instrumental. You usually get the response "Huh?"
The first new Framus Star bass I played had roundwound strings on it, that was in 1966, the next had flats that was in that was in 1967.., you couldnt even buy rotosounds until 1971 or 1972.. They were available on special order or you could have them brought back from UK... Next: I worked on a Gibson EB1 Bill Wyman bought in 1972, I got to have a little 1 on1 with Bill.. according to what he told me the bass he recorded with was an off brand bass he had defretted. You can get a reproduction of this from a shop in London, I think its called the Bass Centre.. Taking nothing away from the Star Bass reissue.. I definitely want one.
Aussie Mark
I come from a land down under
- Oct 26, 2002
- 1,161
- 206
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Fender; O'Neill Amps; Cave Passive Pedals
That's absolutely correct. Bill's DIY fretless (the first electric bass guitar heard on records, I believe) was used by him on almost every recording Bill did with the Stones until the Tattoo You album in 1981.
I've seen the Bass Centre UK fretted reproduction, and it's a quirky beast - it's more of a parts bass that tries to capture the main elements of Bill's fretless. It's not a great looker ....
Bill is WAY underratted. Just listen to "Love You Live" for some great bass playing. And...Bill was never a heroin user.
Very cool thread. I saw the Stones on the set of the Clay Cole show way back when I was 13. Who knows, Mike19
might have been right next to me.
Did I miss something or is Bill Wyman still a small person? And what's this about Keith and Mick using drugs? Is there documentation of this??
Aussie Mark
I come from a land down under
- Oct 26, 2002
- 1,161
- 206
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Fender; O'Neill Amps; Cave Passive Pedals
And the recently officially released bootleg "The Brussels Affair" - of all the Stones live albums I've listened to, the bass is most prominent in the mix on this album. I think it's available for download at the Stones official website for less than $10
