The Dave Clark Five - Identify this bass

[B-Mac]

Actually I was suspicious of that as the bass playing was always excellent on the records, great sound and played perfectly, I always thought it was a P bass though, I'm surprised it was a 6 string.

He's been pictured with a Fender Jazz, Burns Bass VI, Fender Precision, Vox Symphonic, Vox Mark IV.

 

[B-Mac]

I had read an article about Bobby Graham playing all the DC5 recordings someplace or other as well as on some of The Kinks stuff and his not wanting to publicize it, I think it was right after he died but the details escape me.

Bobby Graham played on a lot of the hits. Not just for the DC5 either. Dave Clark did play drums. He was a businessman and a stuntman in movies. He knew when to have a better drummer play on something that was hit worthy. Many peeps who are casual listens and are not familiar with the DC5 catalog spread these rumors without knowing any of what they are talking about.

He had complete control of the music.

 

[JIO]

You got it! You guys are too sharp.
Well, let me post pictures of mine. They were made in England by VOX. I bought this on Reverb from a seller in England a few years ago.

View attachment 4917815 View attachment 4917816 View attachment 4917819

Looks to be the one played by Scott Walker/Walker Brothers in the late '60s in the UK.

 

[JIO]

Ok, sure. But what bass was Joy playing in Sex Clark Five?
View attachment 4918606

Looks like a G&L SB-2

 

[bobyoung53]

Bobby Graham played on a lot of the hits. Not just for the DC5 either. Dave Clark did play drums. He was a businessman and a stuntman in movies. He knew when to have a better drummer play on something that was hit worthy. Many peeps who are casual listens and are not familiar with the DC5 catalog spread these rumors without knowing any of what they are talking about.

He had complete control of the music.

I was just repeating what I had read, I know Clark played at points, I also know he he did and does have complete control of the band's music and was most likely responsible for the dearth of DC5 albums for years. Again just repeating what I have read.

 

[bassfiddlesteve]

I thought the bass player had a jazz bass and that shows how out of it I was.

Your memory serves you well:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

- Steve

 

[B-Mac]

Your memory serves you well:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

- Steve

He's been pictured with a Fender Jazz, Burns Bass VI, Fender Precision, Vox Symphonic, Vox Mark IV.

 

[Mannyinnewyork]

Your memory serves you well:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

- Steve

Thank you. I don't feel quite so crazy now.

 

[ac100X]

Glenn Cornick with Jethro Tull used a Vox Symphonic neck on his Fender Jazz bass. See video at 1:46. The Symphonic neck does have a nice feel, thinner than a Fender Precision. At this time VOX was closing their doors and selling off parts & necks for really cheep.

 

[ac100X]

You can see the band with their Vox amplification in this video. Rick Huxley is using a separate head and cabinet. I’m guessing it’s a Foundation cabinet with an AC head. It doesn’t look like a T60. Maybe someone with more expertise on Vox amplifiers can identify it.



- Steve

It looks like 1 x 18" Foundation bass cabinets and surprisingly a bass AC30 head. I could be wrong but it it doesn't look like an AC100 or AC50 or T-60 head. I use to own an AC100, it looks too long for that.

 

[bassfiddlesteve]

Here's a clip from the 1964 movie "Get Yourself A College Girl" with Rick Huxley playing his Vox Symphonic bass fingerstyle. Maybe he left his plectrums at the hotel.



- Steve

 

[ac100X]

I saw this back then but I forgot the DC5 were in it, all I could remembered was the Animals performance.

 

[B-Mac]

Here's a clip from the 1964 movie "Get Yourself A College Girl" with Rick Huxley playing his Vox Symphonic bass fingerstyle. Maybe he left his plectrums at the hotel.



- Steve

It's a movie

No microphones

Cymbals aren't moving, but you can clearly hear them.

They left a lot of things at the hotel...

 

[ac100X]

It looks like 1 x 18" Foundation bass cabinets and surprisingly a bass AC30 head. I could be wrong but it it doesn't look like an AC100 or AC50 or T-60 head. I use to own an AC100, it looks too long for that.

I found a picture of the AC30 Bass Head - It's for sale on E Bay right now, a bargain at only $5K.

 

[bassfiddlesteve]

I found a picture of the AC30 Bass Head - It's for sale on E Bay right now, a bargain at only $5K

A bargain at twice the price!

In that "Glad All Over" film clip there so much Vox amplification gear onstage it's hard to figure out what's what.

- Steve

 

[ac100X]

I also understand Vox was big on endorsing artists.

Talk about advertising, VOX was on it. It explains the problem I still have to today, wanting to buy this stuff. See link for a VOX TV advertisement starting at 1:07.



I always wanted to shop from the SPIEGEL catalog...or buy a Honda 50.

 

[SulzerType2]

Roger Waters had a pickup cover from a Vox Symphonic bass fitted to his white P Bass used on tour in 1969.

Note the four mounting screws and squarer profile. Most folk removed those P Bass covers, not replace them with bigger ones.

 

[ac100X]

So it improved the tone...?

 

[P. Aaron]

Quote: "Dave Clark himself didn’t always play the drums. He used the same session drummer on hits that the Kinks also used."


Indeed, my old friend Bobby Graham, sadly no longer with us, played drums on most of my recordings, as well as, most of DC5’s biggest hits, as well as recording for the Kinks and numerous others.

Two session drummers, Bobby Graham and Clem Cattini came from Edmonton in North London. North London being area from whence DC5 emerged. Synchronicity, Jung might say.

Sometimes I would stay over night at Bob’s and enjoy his wife’s cooking. So did others like my great friend and mentor Jimmy Owens and Jimmy Page (a session guitarist).

Dave Clark specifically asked Bob to create very clear and simple fills on his recordings, so that they would be easy for him to duplicate for film and television and live performances.

As Dave was originally a film stunt man, he was very well versed in the need to create the right appearance, in an authentic manner as possible.

At the time, journalists were following Bob about and ringing him up asking if it was true, he played drums on DC5’s hits.

It wasn’t done for session players to admit such things in that era, so he denied it.


In those days, top recording studios were like factory’s that churned out recordings to a busy schedule.

Time was money and being on time essential. However good a musician might be, they could not always perform under extreme pressure.

Therefore, successful producers preferred to use session musicians with an established record of producing hits.

They could be relied upon to deliver the goods, in a timely, cost-effective manner.

Sometimes on the first take.

Like this.

Brenda Lee - What'd I Say (1964) - with Jimmy Page - YouTube

The swing on that song is awesome.