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May I ask for your help with something? I love this video of Riders in the Sky...and I don't know what year it is from...but I can never figure out whether it is Alan Jones or Alan Tarney playing bass guitar. Do you know which Alan it is?

I keep changing my mind as to whom I think it is, and that person's smile makes me think it's Alan Jones, but I am just not sure.

Also, do you know what model bass this is? I am trying to learn to recognise the difference between a Precision Bass, a Jazzmaster Bass, and a Strat Bass, but right now I can't tell the difference most of the time. Am I right that Alan Jones usually plays a Precision Bass? And Mark Griffiths as well? I have heard you say that John Rostill preferred the Jazz Bass. Like I said, I am trying my best to become more educated about these things, and I appreciate your help very much.

Best wishes,
Donna

Hi Donna
That's the extremely skilful playing of Alan Jones using his precision. Marvellous bass guitarist.
regards
Lee

Hi, Donna,

There are no Fender Jazzmaster or Stratocaster Basses. The Jazz Bass is styled more or less on the Jaguar / Jazzmaster models and the Precision Bass on the Stratocaster (originally on the Telecaster, but restyled in the mid-fifties). The main Fender basses are:

Precision Bass:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fender_Precision_Bass

Jazz Bass:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fender_Jazz_Bass

Bass VI:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fender_Bass_VI

Telecaster Bass (a late sixties model styled after - bit not slavishly after - the original early 1950s Precision):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fender_Telecaster_Bass

Mustang Bass:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fender_Mustang_Bass

There are (and have been) others, but the above are the core of the range, with the Precision and Jazz models never out of production except for short periods when the factory was closed.

Hope this helps.

JN

Dear Lee: Thank you very much for your reply; it is much appreciated. So it was Alan Jones! I have bookmarked your website so that I can read more about the Undercover Shadows. Thanks again.

Dear Jim: Thank you for the links and the descriptions of the basses. I am going to read all of this information and learn the material. This is much better than what I was doing...looking at guitar catalogues and such. I appreciate the time you took in providing all this detail.

Best wishes,
Donna

Dont Forget The Burns Bass
as used by John Rostill from 1964 onwards
The Picture is of my re-issue
the original design had slanted pickups and toast rack(Palm Rest)

Jay

Jay, that is a very nice bass guitar. Thank you for posting a photo of it. Can I impose on you with another question? I was wondering about the bass that John Rostill is playing in this video. More specifically, if I wanted to know if it is either a Precision or a Jazz bass, is there something visible to a non-musician's eye like mine, that would tell me whether it's a Jazz Bass? Or is the difference between the two models very subtle and only a trained eye could tell the difference? Thank you very much for your help. Learning these kinds of things is adding to my enjoyment of The Shadows' music. It's all very interesting to me.

Best wishes,
Donna

It's a Jass Bass - among the most obvious differences :-

Offset body shape (the side of the body nearest the bridge where the strap fastens is angled)
Large chrome or nickel cover over the bridge area
Position of the controls

rogera wrote:It's a Jass Bass - among the most obvious differences :-

Offset body shape (the side of the body nearest the bridge where the strap fastens is angled)
Large chrome or nickel cover over the bridge area
Position of the controls

Also:
- number of controls (Precision Bass: 2, Jazz Bass: 3 [usually])
- Jazz Bass controls mounted on a discrete chromed metal section of the scratchplate (like a Jaguar)
- the scratchplate on a Precision curls round following the rounded outline of the instrument, whereas the Jazz Bass control panel doesn't go as far down the body's edge
- visibly narrower neck (at the nut) on the Jazz as compared to the Precision.

JN

Roger and Jim: Thank you both very much for this information. It helped me a lot. I really appreciate it.

Thanks again,
Donna

Dear Phil: Thanks a lot for the info and for posting those videos. I watched all of them and, on my own, I would have never figured out it was a Burns Bison that Dave was playing (I probably would have said a Maton brand and been wrong). I do remember those USSR videos, they were in black and white on YouTube. I'll go back and look for Dave Richmond now.

By the way, your website is really terrific. I went onto it recently, when Iain mentioned Graham Jarvis in another thread. I remembered your website and I went there for info on Graham.

I logged onto the Shadows Forum just now, after finishing a practice session with my little Squire Strat. I played "Lou Lou Skip to My Lou" about a hundred times , probably none of which was totally correct. [D major, then A major, repeat, repeat, scream] Then I saw the video with Cliff and Hank singing and dancing, while playing a guitar at the same time...I guess I am not even close to being able to do that. If I was, I could only play an electric guitar version of Skip to My Lou. Even I don't want to see that!

Thanks for helping me. I appreciate it.

Best wishes,
Donna