Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I just found this picture of me taking my 1977 4001 for a flight in 1979 on The Shapes's European tour. Not a great picture, but it's probably just as well.

How I wish I still had that guitar (paid $400 for it)

Come to think of it, how I wish I still had that hair.

How about the Marshall?

I was once this young ...





and now I am this old ...

I didn't know they made 5-string Hofners?

WOW! What a big difference Rath. Good pics though. Gotta love the '68 Fireglo.

Hehe. 5 string Hofner. Good one Dane. Lol.

Oh yeah, my Marshalls. I had two 100w bass heads running two slant top 4x12s then. They were loud and that's about it. I was constantly frustrated by the lack of equalization available from them. The 4001 would get really muddy when I pushed them.

Then we did a tour with The Photos in 1980 and I used their bass player's SVT head and 8x10 cab. That was a turning point for me. As soon as that tour was finished, I went to get an SVT rig, but they were out of business and you couldn't get them for love nor money in the UK at the time. There was however, a new company starting up in a little back end shop in Romford, East London who I was put in touch with. I went to see them, and that's the short version of how I became the second person ever to buy a Trace Elliot. It was called the 1010, and was a 250w amp with 11 band grahpic, and an 8x10 cabinet, all built into one flightcase. That amp lasted me up to the time I emigrated to the US. I'll see if I can't dig up some photos of it somewhere.

First thing I did when I got here was but a new Trace Elliot stack.

actually I did consider converting a hofner to a 5 string ...

Gareth go back to the SVT's, there's plenty around here. I've got three of them.
Jeff, I still think that's your kid in that picture.

nope ... just me 30 some years ago ...

will a Jazz bass SD 1/4'er fit in the bridge of a Hofner?

Me a couple of years ago, a mere 18.



Then I got into TV!

Jeff-
Who's the chick-a-dee on the side of the stage in the photo with the Hofner? Some groupie from the free-love flower power days? I think if you grew your hair out you'd look much the same. You're lucky. This is more evidence to support my theory: Playing Rick basses = fountain of youth!

Gareth-
Who ever said white men can't jump? Is that the camera angle or are you over a foot higher than that Marshall half stack? All you need is a basketball in your right hand!

Hmmm, I'd love to get SVT's again, but I've got to admit that after 20 odd years of Trace Elliot, I'm kinda dialed in on them. I love SVT's though. One day, one day.....

Here's a picture of my setup now.

I think Jeff has extra hair that should rightly belong to me. Give it back.

As for jumping. That picture is real and untouched. I am genuinely that friggin' high. The look on my face has a very "this is going to worse before it gets better" feel to it I think. I remember that leap well. I started the thing off a 5 foot drum riser. A picture taken right after the landing wouldn't look anywhere near as cool. I was probably whining knowing me.

That's a really cool photo to have in your archives.
If I attempted a jump like that today, I think springs, screws and rivets would shoot out of my knees and injure some audience members!