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George Porter Jr.'s P-bass

3toes

3toes

Aug 30, 2006
2,398
942
Denver, Colorado
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#1
Does anyone know what year it is?

Referring to this bass:
george5.jpg


I know in the early days he was playing what looks like a '51...
porterzig.jpg
 
#5
SC Bassboy said:
Fender P-Bass 1970 Body with a circa-1965 P-Bass Neck (confirmed on both George's website and the BassPlayer article mentioned above).
Click to expand...

Hmmm, i reckon they might have that the wrong way around judging by the bigger late 60s/early 70s headstock logo and the fact its a maple fretboard... 1970 neck on refinished 65 body...
 
#6
Yeah, I can't track down that BP issue, either...

But I do remember it being a funny story how the bass was pieced together. He said something like the neck came from a friend's bass, which was chainsawed in half by his girlfriend, who wanted him to stop playing (!). He gave the neck to George, who ended up putting on that body.

Crazy, but that's what he said - I'll see if I can find the article!
 
#9
Found it (from the 2/06 issue):

"Gear
Bass Fender Precision Bass-1970 Precision body with a circa-1965 Precision neck
Rig Ampeg SVT-4PRO head; Ampeg cabinet-SVT-610HLF (home) or SVT-810E (road); Shure UC14 wireless system; Morley ABY Selector/Combiner; Whirlwind IMP 2 DI; Boss TU-12H Chromatic Tuner
Effects EBS UniChorus, EBS BassIQ envelope filter, EBS OctaBass
Strings D'Addario XL Nickel Round Wound Long Scale (.055, .065, .085, .105)

"I bought a new fretless Fender Precision in 1970, but Art and Leo didn't like it. My friend's bass had been cut in half by his girlfriend who wanted to retire him from the business, but the neck was unhurt. When I put that neck on my bass's body, it fit like it had been there forever. I run the tone and volume controls wide open all the time. It has a Hipshot XTender, which I use mostly for the two songs that we play in D-'Fire on the Bayou,' and the ending of 'Ain't No Use.'”
 
#11
Here is the part of the linked interview:

JH: Tell us about your Bass! The Mojo just oozes from it. What Year is it?

GP:: This instrument is in two pieces. The neck I was led to believe, it Is Pre-CBS, and the body was a 1970 Fretless Bass.

JH: How long have you had it?

GP:: Since 1970.

JH: Any stories/history attached to it?

GP:: In 1970 I bought a new Fretless Bass. Took it on the road with The Meters, needless to say they hated it; and threatened to break either the Bass or me. So, I knew of this neck, bought it and replaced the Fretless one. Bass History!!
Click to expand...
 
#15
I saw GP with the Runnin' Pardners, and with the Funky Meters. He is da man, and very humble. Here's a pic of the back of my wife's and son's heads at Crawfish Fest 2000. For the folks in NJ NY area, the FM will be at the 2008 Crawfish Fest on May 31.
 
#16
Well, he's wrong about his own 70 P bass. The neck cannot be a 65 neck: maple boards didn't exist in '65, neither did the big 'TV' headstock logo. He pretty much found an early 70's neck for his 70 body.

The old Telecaster P is around early 68, there are a few videos floating around from back in the late 60's and the tele is brand new. It has the oval tuners so that pins it down to early 68.
 

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