Tim Bogert's 60s oddballs

[The Lurker]

I was looking up Vanilla Fudge clips on youtube tonight, and spotted Tim using a couple basses I couldn't identify....

On this clip from the Ed Sullivan show, he has what appears to be a bass with a body like a Telecaster guitar.

This one looks like a 5-string, but doesn't appear to be a Fender Bass V.... and as this is 1960something....?

Any idea what these might be? Frankensteins?

 

[mellowgerman]

not sure about the tele-lookin bass... but you can see in the second video if you pause it when you can first see the headstock, it's a 4 string. there are clearly only 4 tuning machine peg heads and strings. no idea what that bottom tuner looking thing is though...

 

[Nashrakh]

no idea what that bottom tuner looking thing is though...

maybe a joint holder lol

 

[chicago_mike]

Pausing the video on the suedo 5'er. Its not a tuning key. Looks like 2 dime bags!

Its still the telebass I think. I think what he did was put an older p-bass neck on the tele body. He may have moved the bridge, but It almost doesnt look like it.

 

[chicago_mike]

oh, its a jazz bass in the b/w oops!

 

[darkblack99]

The German b/w film looks like a Jazz with a mid-'50's P-bass neck.
You can see that it's the same type of neck around 3:00 into the Sullivan footage, but the hookup with a Tele-style body was probably a one-off custom - certainly not a Fender catalog item for bass.

 

[GlennW]

maybe a joint holder lol

I think I read somewhere they called them roach clips.

 

[jgsbass]

I think its just a decorative tassel, from a light fixture. Roach clip seems appropriate, given the times.

 

[RickC]

Indeed. It was the sixties man; bass players were always hanging weird stuff from their headstocks for some reason.

 

[Nashrakh]

I think I read somewhere they called them roach clips.

That's the word I was looking for

Posting at like, 4AM ain't good for you... lol

 

[Tom Howland]

With the Fudge, and Cactus.
Tim used a white, 1967-P-body.
with a late 50's P-neck, maple fingerboard. (Tele, looking headstock)
And a added 50's, P-bass pickup in the bridge position. ( Tele, bass pickup)
I got to play this bass when Tim was in Cactus. (It killed)

 

[mtdkingstonheir]

maybe a joint holder lol

 

[The 0wens]

With the Fudge, and Cactus.
Tim used a white, 1967-P-body.
with a late 50's P-neck, maple fingerboard. (Tele, looking headstock)
And a added 50's, P-bass pickup in the bridge position. ( Tele, bass pickup)
I got to play this bass when Tim was in Cactus. (It killed)

Was it horizontal like jazz or angles like a tele?

 

[Pearly Gator]

Was it horizontal like jazz or angles like a tele?

Here's a pretty good view of it.