The recent recovery of Paul McCartney's stolen Hofner violin bass has got me thinking about my first bass, which was a copy of a Hofner. This is me, age 17. It's the only photo I have of the bass. I didn't think there were any photos of the bass, but my old bandmate from high school found this. It's a pretty great photo: Coors beer can. My old Peavey amp. A pink Sex Pistols pin on my shirt. A little acne.
Ted w Beatle Bass-609×480px.jpg
I bought it because it was cheap: $115. Around 1982 I lent it to a guitarist in Phoenix named Woody. I had already upgraded to a new bass, so I wasn't in a hurry to get my fake Hofner back. Woody disappeared into the woodwork, and I never saw the bass again.
There's a reference to this bass in my song "First and Last (Abridged)." (https://songcrafters.org/forum/index.php?topic=19565.msg240697#msg240697)
A cool photo of 17 year old Ted and his fake Beatle bass!!!!! I wish I had more photos of my early Rock 'n Roll days. The bass looks great and so do you!
hell of a photo: hell of a memory....I also had a TRUE Hofner violin bass in the 65s and 66s, exactly the same as the Mc Cartney.
This bass wasn't mine...a friend lent it to me...I should never have given it back to him grrr I'm furious
Great photo and a moment captured in time.
Great picture and it really tells more than thousand(s) words.
You look a lot like Jim Morrison in that pic. Playing an open E and having the time of his life. Trying to break on through the parents front door.
Edit: Almost forgot. I talked with my wife yesterday about Hohner and Höfner (bass) and while doing so i opened Songcrafters and saw this.
Which must mean that Ted is spying on me! Get away from my phone. I thought only Chinese were spying on me...
It is a super photo. It's great to have pics of ourselves from so long ago showing us in our element. Looks like you couldn't be happier. !@005 !@005 !@004 !@004
Quote from: Zoltan on February 20, 2024, 05:14:45 AMEdit: I talked with my wife yesterday about Hohner and Höfner (bass)
If I talked to my wife about this subject I would be met with a cold blank stare! :)
Quote from: Mike_S on February 20, 2024, 10:47:54 AMIf I talked to my wife about this subject I would be met with a cold blank stare!
My success was about the same! And later today i talked to her about that Hohner (and later Yamaha) thing i mentioned and was met with a cold blank stare. She didn't really remember that i had said anything :D
Kinda same like talking to a stool :) (No pun intended)
Quote from: Zoltan on February 20, 2024, 11:21:11 AMQuote from: Mike_S on February 20, 2024, 10:47:54 AMIf I talked to my wife about this subject I would be met with a cold blank stare!
My success was about the same!
Before showing my wife this photo, I explained the whole McCartney lost bass thing, how I had owned a copy, etc. When she saw the photo she said, "You still sit like that."
Quote from: Ted on February 20, 2024, 10:27:10 PMQuote from: Zoltan on February 20, 2024, 11:21:11 AMQuote from: Mike_S on February 20, 2024, 10:47:54 AMIf I talked to my wife about this subject I would be met with a cold blank stare!
My success was about the same!
Before showing my wife this photo, I explained the whole McCartney lost bass thing, how I had owned a copy, etc. When she saw the photo she said, "You still sit like that."
;D ;D that sounds exactly like something my wife would say too
Great picture Ted!!
Rocking pic, Ted! At 17, I had the acne but none of the ace gear...
Great photo Ted
way cool.... my kind of rocker... head back, hair flying and letting it all go! You still rock Ted!
I love old photos, excellent stuff.
ah beautiful picture et good memory
s
Unfortunately I don't have any photos from when I was 17 and playing in a teenage band (the red roosters ;D ) in my country (france) and region (Lyon).
At the time, I had in my hands
-a fender jaguar
- and sometimes a "chet atkins" gretch
...these two legendary guitars ...were not mine, they were only lent to me
...because these guitars, not imported from the USA at the time, were worth their weight in gold, and all the rock bands in the region wanted to hire me to play with them ...just for the prestige of having a guitarist, the only one in the region to have such guitars. When I told them it wasn't mine, they shrugged and turned on their heels.
Translated with DeepL.com (free version)
Quote from: thetworegs on February 23, 2024, 12:52:18 AMGreat photo Ted
Here's another one, taken within a year of the first one.
This was the first time I'd ever played in front of an audience.
I'm playing the Fender Jazz Bass that belonged to my high school. My friends Mike and Paul are doing a Blues Brothers bit, obviously.
Paul and Mike G - Blues Brothers - Nutrients - tweaked.jpg
Over on the left, just off stage, the girl on the right side of the door, that's Colleen. The girl who not only friendzoned me for years, but also the girl who denied me the chance to see Tom Waits (https://songcrafters.org/forum/index.php?msg=411369). That's her, Trevor.
This is what i want. And i hope i'm speaking on behalf off most everyone here. Nostalgia, old pics. Stories. Out with the new stuff. I want to dwelve on these things. The original pic raised the bar high yet you managed to throw in another banger.
I wish a was this cool at your age. I was probably playing with Dungeons & Dragons and listening to hair metal.
Quote from: Zoltan on April 13, 2024, 01:07:38 PMI want to dwelve on these things.
Speaking of dwelling on things. That was a high school talent show. We thought we were a shoo-in for the musical category. You know who won??? Some girl who lip-synched to record. Not that I'm bitter after 43 years.
cool stuff men... I don't have many photos but I have one... I will try and add that here. here is a story from HS... there were these twin brothers that loved to rock and they were younger than me so I didn't really know them but one of my classmates was a good rhythm guitarist and singer...
they did a Bowie song for the schools talent show (about 250 in attendance)... Suffrajet City... I was sitting there thinking how cool that was and how good they sounded..
I played in a really decent cover band in the Charleston, SC area for about 2 years. We actually played in places that Hootie and the Blowfish played starting out. Nobody knew who they were then. I was in the Navy though and at shore duty at that time and was smart enough to know I was never going to pay the bills with music. So back to sea I went...
I did do something though very few people can ever say they did. I played in a real band underwater (ok we used a drum machine but otherwise 3 of us)... and we usually won first prize in the half way night (half way through the patrol) talent show... It is not all work underwater... sometimes we did fun things like build an 9 hole putt putt golf course etc... played horse raising, casino nights, etc etc.
Quote from: StephenM on April 13, 2024, 05:48:58 PMI played in a real band underwater
That's really cool. Were the acoustics as awful as I imagine they were?
and then some
cracked me up... you're right ... I did not explain this well...lol
Nice one, Ted, great pboto, great memories.