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Name that bass

#22
JIO said:
I doubt if the control plate is original - looks to be a Fender J plate. Someone modifying it along the line.

Yes, their monetary worth now depends mostly on the neck as @cdef pointed out. IMO the pu's are worth the price of admission - I've used 60's vintage Teisco singles in a few of my custom retro-inspired basses and they sound great. So as long as the neck is not warped, the tr wheel isn't frozen, and the frets are not worn down (usually not) then it comes down to what you will use it for to determine how much it's worth to you. I bought a '65 Teisco Del Rey (ss) for what some people would consider "too much" but I use it and it sounds great! If you buy it for novelty sake (hanging on the wall) maybe it's not worth spending too much on. Point being, just because it was cheap then and it's considered old (as compared to "vintage") doesn't mean they are worthless or toys or novelties depending on which bass/model/year etc. And short scale basses are very popular right now because players are realizing they are light and easy to play and sound good. Those 60's short-scale basses still have a stigma attached to them that they are 'lesser' instruments but if they are in good stripe and set-up correctly they are just as good an instrument as any other. (to a comparable level instrument)

I resurrected this 60's Decca bass into a very playable instrument that plays and sounds great. This is a bass you could gig w/o issues. And it has a very nice rosewood fb...
View attachment 3022610
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Looks sweet
 
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#25
jackflannery3 said:
Thanks for all the help guys, I'll keep you posted on mods and that
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As others have previously stated, it is most likely a Tiesco. They were branded under several other names. (Kawai, Guyatone, Kingston etc). Judging by others I've seen on line, I'm pretty sure mine is a Kingston. It came to me in seriously sad shape in need of a ton of work. No truss rod, no orig. electronics, but I sold the Nordstrand big split that was on it for what I paid for the bass, so a free palate to do as I please. That will be a separate thread once I finish.
Teisco 1.jpg

What I love about these old basses is, you can find them in good playable/sounding shape for not a lot of $$$. It' rare to see these vintage basses sell for more than $150 to $250 unless they are in great condition. So, I say..... buy it, clean it up and play it, or mod it anyway that pleases you. Either way you end up with a pretty bitchin bass inexpensively.

Edit: After reading and posting, I was curious so looked on reverb.com. There are about 15 or so similar type basses in that price range. (no affiliation with any)
 
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#27
This is, at least, reminiscent of my first bass...cardboard case and all...:confused:
35C8BFBD-8E7B-411F-B900-9D666F530FAC.jpeg

I bought it ‘very used’ off the wall at Poughkeepsie Music in the Spring of 1970.
3 steel flats and a tapewound D string. :thumbsup:
$35...and the guy threw in a cord.
 
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#29
the harp unstrung said:
This is, at least, reminiscent of my first bass...cardboard case and all...:confused:
View attachment 3023051
I bought it ‘very used’ off the wall at Poughkeepsie Music in the Spring of 1970.
3 steel flats and a tapewound D string. :thumbsup:
$35...and the guy threw in a cord.
Click to expand...
OMG! Another bass I used to rock! I also had one of these no case though. I had an old navy duffel bag that it didn't quite fit. I had a piece of foam rubber, rubber banded to the headstock to protect it. Used it until I got my 61 P-bass.
I wish I still had this one too. I remember wax potting the pickups on that thing.
 
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#30
the harp unstrung said:
This is, at least, reminiscent of my first bass...cardboard case and all...:confused:
View attachment 3023051
I bought it ‘very used’ off the wall at Poughkeepsie Music in the Spring of 1970.
3 steel flats and a tapewound D string. :thumbsup:
$35...and the guy threw in a cord.
Click to expand...

I had one (no case) in '69 - '70 under the Knox badge. Love the rocker switches.
 
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#32
DJ Bebop said:
OMG! Another bass I used to rock! I also had one of these no case though. I had an old navy duffel bag that it didn't quite fit. I had a piece of foam rubber, rubber banded to the headstock to protect it. Used it until I got my 61 P-bass.
.
Click to expand...

That’s a very cool memory!

I played my Silvertone for about a year...until I was sure I was gonna keep playing (for @#€£ing Ever)...And knew enough to understand that different instruments make different sounds. :woot:

Felix Pappilardi was my guy...
24FF1380-03ED-47F2-8768-994FEE49F9BC.jpeg

I knew there weren’t enough lawns to mow in the Mid Hudson Valley to earn me enough money to own an actual Gibson...so I went back down to Poughkeepsie Music and bought this Univox.
E30DA1C1-BDBA-471F-8DCC-9A3945BF4BC4.jpeg

27E14966-1130-47F9-B2E0-AFE4792EC7CA.jpeg

Sometime shortly after this picture (‘71or ‘72) was taken, I put the singer’s left eye out and started trimming my strings. ;)
 
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#33
the harp unstrung said:
That’s a very cool memory!

I played my Silvertone for about a year...until I was sure I was gonna keep playing (for @#€£ing Ever)...And knew enough to understand that different instruments make different sounds. :woot:

Felix Pappilardi was my guy...
View attachment 3023138
I knew there weren’t enough lawns to mow in the Mid Hudson Valley to earn me enough money to own an actual Gibson...so I went back down to Poughkeepsie Music and bought this Univox.
View attachment 3023139
View attachment 3023140
Sometime shortly after this picture (‘71or ‘72) was taken, I put the singer’s left eye out and started trimming my strings. ;)
Click to expand...
I almost bought a Univox P-bass new until I found my Fender 61 p bass used for less than the Univox new :)
 
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#36
JIO said:
You know, I thought that may be the case but I figured why would anyone do that? Yep, that's the Teisco "swan" logo badge. They sell RI replica's on eBay - I got one for my "Teiscobird"

View attachment 3022644
pre-badge ... body is a mid-sixties mahogany Teisco Del Rey ss body that I converted to 34" scale. This is a great sounding bass that I use in my band The Sean Conneries.
View attachment 3022647
Click to expand...
Someone might have needed a piece of tort from a guard like that to make something like a TR cover or small Beatle bass type control plate or even a piece to splice into a broken p bass guard. Can’t think of any other logical reason to hack it up.
 
#37
Fender_Bender said:
Someone might have needed a piece of tort from a guard like that to make something like a TR cover or small Beatle bass type control plate or even a piece to splice into a broken p bass guard. Can’t think of any other logical reason to hack it up.
Click to expand...

It is a mystery isn't it. I'm sure the person who did it had a perfectly rational reason to do that... :cautious:
 
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#38
the harp unstrung said:
That’s a very cool memory!

I played my Silvertone for about a year...until I was sure I was gonna keep playing (for @#€£ing Ever)...And knew enough to understand that different instruments make different sounds. :woot:

Felix Pappilardi was my guy...
View attachment 3023138
I knew there weren’t enough lawns to mow in the Mid Hudson Valley to earn me enough money to own an actual Gibson...so I went back down to Poughkeepsie Music and bought this Univox.
View attachment 3023139
View attachment 3023140
Sometime shortly after this picture (‘71or ‘72) was taken, I put the singer’s left eye out and started trimming my strings. ;)
Click to expand...

Also a big Mountain/Felix Pappilardi fan. :thumbsup: Those Univox's are totally cool. :cool: In general I've never gravitated to the violin bass but I would definitely like one of these. I saw only one other violin bass copy in a trans green that I nearly bought. It was a MIJ from the 70's I think, can't recall the brand. I have a 70's ss Conrad hollow-body bass that filled the Beatle-bass sound for me. :)
 
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#39
Fender_Bender said:
Love the way the pickguard “lines up” with the control plate :roflmao:.
Click to expand...

JIO said:
I doubt if the control plate is original - looks to be a Fender J plate. Someone modifying it along the line.
Click to expand...

Yes, I was going to say it looked like a jazz bass control plate. Maybe a repair to keep the thing playing. Too bad it doesn't have the concentric knobs from the 60's j basses.

Might be worth a look underneath to see if there's any other surprises. Fender jazz bass pots would be an obvious upgrade to the Japanese ones that it came with.
 
#40
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so quick update, bought the thing in a carpark, your man had his wife and baby in the car so didn't really get a proper look. Neck is not twisted but it is bowed quite badly and not sitting in the pocket straight.
Pickup and pots are perfect. Was considering going for an all plastic white pickguard like a bronco or the mark hoppus but seeing as the pots are fine I might just straighten the neck and cut a new jazz guard. Going to WD 40 everything now and I'll keep you posted
 

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