The Kinks' Pete Quaife and his Model 1999

seth_lorinczi · Post by **seth_lorinczi** » Sun Feb 29, 2004 9:12 am

Here's a weird little bit of personal history I had all but forgotten about. Thought some of us might enjoy it however.

In 1991 or so, my band was touring Canada. After our first show (in Ottawa I believe?) we crashed at this pretty dingy apartment with some kids from the show. I say "kids" because I was 20 or so and they were younger than I.

We get upstairs, and leaning up against the corner was the coolest Rickenbacker I had ever seen. It was a dark red sunburst, darker than others I had seen. I knew far less about them then than I do now, but I could tell this was something special. It looked a lot "cleaner" and "simpler" than the Rickenbackers I had seen or owned up till then. Examining it more closely, I realized that it lacked the triangle inlays and binding I was accustomed too. Also the treble pickup was larger and clunkier than I remembered. It was a beautiful instrument, and wonderful to play...very thin neck, delicate feeling too. I could tell this bass was really something special.

I asked the kids about the bass, and they told me that "Some old guy sold it to us, said he used to be in the Kinks." I was stunned...I had seen photos of Pete and his beautiful Model 1999 since I was a kid, I thought it was the most beautiful instrument I had ever seen. I couldn't believe that these kids had gotten ahold of it; they were a little vague in that department, though I didn't sense they had stolen it. They already had a buyer, and I was flat broke, so there was no way I was leaving with it. I do remember staying up nearly all night playing it, trying to extract whatever "mojo" I could from this incredible instrument.

Recently, I remembered this incident and decided to search for clues. I came across this interview with Pete Quaife (who does indeed live in Canada):

[url=http://earcandy_mag.tripod.com/quaife.htm]http://earcandy_mag.tripod.com/quaife.htm[/url]

The interview features photos of the present-day Quaife "with the Rickenbacker bass that is pictured on the cover of 'The Kink Kontroversy'." I felt a strange sense of relief that he still had his old bass, and wondered if I had imagined the whole thing. But a closer look reveals that the bass in the photo is a modern-day Rickenbacker. So maybe it was true after all....

Anyways, just a weird memory I stumbled upon. If anyone has any thoughts or clues I'd love to hear 'em.

ojobob2 · Post by **ojobob2** » Sun Feb 29, 2004 9:52 am

i read that his original bass warped out of shape severely, and he replaced it with a later model. I think it says that in that very interview.

So maybe you were told wrong?

Gotta love the kinks, I live in the part of london where they came from

miguel · Post by **miguel** » Sun Feb 29, 2004 2:34 pm

Well, my first post! I have been lurking for ages, but now I have finally decided to register and become a member.

Concerning Pete Quaife bass, I would like to say that I am a friend of Pete and that he has told me a lot about his beloved 'Rose & Morris 1999'. Yes, he owned two. One was retired after an accident in a 1965 live show in Europe. The second was purchased in London a couple of days after retiring the first. It was the same 1999 model.

Pete has never told me about selling his original Rickenbacker to anyone. On the contrary, he used to talk about it a lot, how he still played it, where he stored it (in its original case, on top of a wardrobe!), how beautiful it was, how Ray Davies let him take the bass after Pete left The Kinks in 1969 and so on. The pictures taken at his Ontario house show what I´m sure is his second (1965) Rickenbacker. Anyway, I have asked him about all this, and I´ll post the reply if I get any.

cheyenne · Post by **cheyenne** » Sun Feb 29, 2004 3:19 pm

Welcome Miguel, these are real interesting stories. A real piece of history. As I understand, John Entwistle got the first one, then Pete got his, and Chris Squire got the 3rd one.

ojobob2 · Post by **ojobob2** » Sun Feb 29, 2004 3:24 pm

I read that Entwistle gave up on ricks cos the neck on his 1999 warped too.

wints · Post by **wints** » Sun Feb 29, 2004 4:47 pm

If I,m not mistaken the bass pictured in the article is not a RM1999. It looks to have a dot inlay at the 19th fret...The RM,s only have the 15th and 17th...The fireglo doesn,t look 60,s either. The necks on these are super thin and it didn,t take much to bend them out of shape. My RM1999 bears testimony to that. Entwistle used his for only a short time in early 64 from the pics I,ve seen and Roger Waters 1999 went the same way too from what I,ve read...

admin · Post by **admin** » Sun Feb 29, 2004 5:16 pm

Welcome Miguel. I have had the opportunity to speak with Pete Quaife about his first Model 1999 that developed a warped neck and he was the first to comment on the rapid changes in temperature that his bass was required to endure while performing with The Kinks.

miguel · Post by **miguel** » Sun Feb 29, 2004 10:36 pm

Thank you for your welcome! I believe (and I think I´m right) that actually Pete Quaife was the first british musician to buy a Rickenbacker bass in 1964. Then, Entwistle followed and bought his. As for the Rick bass that Pete owned until late 2003, he has just told me that he no longer has it. It seems that it was taken from him and then sold to someone in Canada. A shame.

haw · Post by **haw** » Mon Mar 01, 2004 1:03 am

Out of interest, if the necks on these 1999's warped so badly so early, what is going on with Chris Squire's? By the sounds of it, his bass should have shuffled off to bass heaven years ago!

miguel · Post by **miguel** » Mon Mar 01, 2004 1:36 am

By the way: Do you think that a 'Pete Quaife signature model' would be well received by the costumers?

wints · Post by **wints** » Mon Mar 01, 2004 3:26 am

Rory, some basses from this period can take the strain and some can,t....They are delicate and Quaife,s story goes to illustrate that. The necks from this period are very thin, (although all 60,s basses are really)...They were not designed to take the tension of rounds and when Entwistle and Squire used them many copied. The necks were always difficult to adjust and I,m sure back then very few people knew how to keep them properly. From that arises the warped condition that has affected so many of these basses, and why you see so very few genuine RM1999 today...

marty · Post by **marty** » Mon Mar 01, 2004 3:33 am

It's hard to tell, but in that picture of Peter Quaife holding the Rickenbacker, it looks like the neck pickup is further from the neck than the older Rics ,so it would have to be a model later than '74?....If so , not his original Ric.

Interesting that Andrew pointed out Rodger Waters Ric bass....I was wondering what ever happened to that.
He used it extensively through Pink Floyds '60's period ,but I don't recall seeing any shots of him using it after that era....often wondered whether it was put into retirement or stolen.
If the warped neck scenario is true then that explains it.

haw · Post by **haw** » Mon Mar 01, 2004 4:10 am

Ah, i see. Sounds like lucky Squire for having a good tech. Shame there's so few about. I'd love one, but by the sounds of it, I have more chance of getting hold of some rocking horse poo!

iamthebassman · Post by **iamthebassman** » Mon Mar 01, 2004 4:32 am

"By the way: Do you think that a 'Pete Quaife signature model' would be well received by the costumers?"

I would ABSOLUTELY HAVE to have one of those. Lefty please.

miguel · Post by **miguel** » Mon Mar 01, 2004 4:48 am

Thanks, Ronn, that´s what I thought. It would be a great signature model!