Bruce Welch - Two Early Time Guitars.

[GoldenStreet]

We've been musing on here about the Fender Telecaster as was used on the cover of the Shadows first
album release and in other examples, with much speculation, but with no real conclusion thus far.

For a short while and before the uniformity of the Shadows adopting all three guitars
painted red - two Stratocasters and a P Bass, there is another guitar being played
in the hands of Bruce Welch - a brown Sunburst Fender Jazzmaster.
Is there any information available about this particular guitar?

Cheers.
Bruce Gibbins.

Bruce, should you not have already seen it, this is a thread from July 2014 on the same topic, with no definite conclusions, I regret!

viewtopic.php?f=11&t=11162&hilit=JAZZMASTER

Bill

[bosunbob]

Hello Tony and Bob.

What you write places a fans interest into a more realistic perspective and that's a good thing.
It's not so difficult for both Bruce and Hank to recall their early years bio; they've been asked
to repeat this endless times and to their credit, repeat the story with patience bountiful charm and
generosity - repetition, nails down the recalling of events. However, when is comes down to recalling
detail surrounding a particular guitar, as I have done with my Telecaster and Jazzmaster interest
an enquiry. It is probably unrealistic fo expect a high accuracy when band members, often tired from touring or
from studio recording work and what must have seemed on occasions like endless takes of a song or tune,
making back story recall of a particular guitar, and many year after the time, is nigh impossible.
Yet, bless their cotton sox they try. Pehaps with conflicting accuracy, but they do try and
that is all we can expect from them.
Honestly, the Shadows, seem always willing to interact with fans and recognise the importantplace
we have, as a whole, played in their success. They are men of their time when good manners
and respect ; a generosity of spirit, were important. more so than today. Now, however recent
generations of people seek instant gratification and then quickly move on.

Theirs , and ours, band and fans, is a symbiotic relationship that has endured for sixty years
that in itself is unique in a flighty world of fast change and fickle interests.
The Shadows body of work is so vast that a fan base now includes younger people
enjoying the music then coming in, learning to play and sound like Hank does,
Shadows music will, I am sure, continue to be enjoyed for many years into the future and long after
I have returned my own guitars back into their cases for the last time.

Cheers, Bruce G.

[bosunbob]

Hello Bill
Many thanks for the link to the past and all of that information from back in the day.
It seems back then as it continues to be now six years later, that a true understanding
of the events back then concerning the Telecaster and Stratocaster guitars.
What we are left with, are TV show performances and record covers showing these guitars.
We are fortunate to be able to enjoy seeing the Shadows play prior to the all red line-up.
Cheers and best wishes.
Bruce G.

[Gatwick1946]

Really interesting thread this is turning into.

I was born in Nov 1946, so I can recall chats with school friends, about what our heroes (role models?), used guitar wise, and the cool clothes they wore! Compared to say, the chaps that played skiffle - poor old Lonnie D ( who had the bright idea to put him and his band in dinner suits on Six Five Special, belting out Rock Island Line et al?). I think anyone born in the 21st century would be a bit puzzled?

But I do wonder why Bruce chose a Jazzmaster, rather than a Stratocaster or a Telecaster? Remember that in 1959, Cliff and Jet were 19 and Hank and Bruce were 18?, and Tony only a wee nipper of 15/16. Teenagers then were more likely to do what their elders told them, compared to nowadays when everyone does their own thing.

Was the Jazzmaster the most expensive Fender? ( I seem to recall that the Jaguar was not made until 1960?61?).

I presume Hank let Bruce have a go on the strat? - perhaps he didn't like it then? I know from my own experience that a strat does need a bit of care and attention - not everyone gets on with that vibrato unit or the layout of the controls. A professional musician needs an instrument that will not go out of tune if anyone as much as breathes on it. Too many of our idols were burnt out by the pressures, and left us too soon - thank the stars our heroes can enjoy their retirement years.

Jump forward to July/Aug 1960, suddenly everyone wants to know, after Apache was such a big success. Now the management/money people gather like flies around the proverbial - there are big bucks to be made from these kids! Were they told - "You have got to have all red guitars, cos its good for your image" ( more wedge in our pockets)?

So there is Bruce, on stage, trying to keep the bloody thing in tune and not accidentally hit the volume knob in the middle of The Savage ( have we not all done that?). He used to tuck the vibrato arm back out of the way - did not anyone tell him just to unscrew the flipping thing -
or wedge something under the bridge unit to stop it moving about?

I have never tried a Jazzmaster (owned a Jaguar back in the 1980's) - are the controls a bit more user friendly?

This was when a chap had to lug all his own gear about - no roadies or guitar techs to sort it out and tune and set up the next guitar on the rack.

Keep on posting guys, all your viewpoints are of interest to me.

PS can't wait for the Shadows clubs to get going again!

Kindest regards,
Christopher

[RUSSET]

I would like to make a guess that if Bruce & Jet were sent the two Sunburst Fenders from JMI to use alongside Hank's F.Red 1959 Strat, maybe the Jazzmaster was the one that was chosen for him by JMI or the management. It was the newer model that Fender had made, & more expensive. Did JMI want to have examples of each of the Fender instruments on display on TV to show off what they now had available for sales purposes ? The Shads were the ideal free TV adverts.

When they graduated to the complete Fiesta Red set, they would also have co-operated with having a new set of 'free' guitars to use. I remember stories from the press (a lot later) where Bruce had tuning problems with his Strat & got very frustrated about the problem. What is obvious from some close up photos from those early days is that the Fender Strats seemed to be coming from the USA with all the bridge saddles set up in a straight line. With our hindsight knowledge about intonation, we are fortunate to be able to make the appropriate adjustments to the saddles & get set-up correctly. I doubt whether the Shads would have had much in the way of tech. knowledge about doing such things then. These were brand new style instruments to our young population at the time. But, they sounded a lot better than what our alternatives were at the time. Did Fender put any set-up instructions in the case then, like all the 'Case-Candy' we get these days ? I know that in 962, when I got my first cheap Hofner, both I & my mates had no tech. knowledge at all, & didn't know it existed. Maybe those young teenage Shads were in the same position as the rest of us ?

Tony.

[Gatwick1946]

Tony,

Thank you - I think you have put it better than me.

A couple of further points have occured to me:

1. I think Bruce removed the vibrato arms from his Burns Marvins - perhaps with advice from John Rostill? I do not recall seeing in print anywhere, anything we can quote to conclude that he had any work done to stabilise the bridge block?

2.From 1968 onwards I cannot recall any photo evidence of Bruce with strat + vibrato arm? After all, he did not need it.

When I first became a fan of The Shadows (somewhere between Apache and FBI) I tended to appreciate Hank and Jet. It is only now, with the aid of the internet, that I have come to see how important Bruce was. I enjoyed the Hank, John, Brian and Allen Hawkshaw recordings, but I do miss those crisp chords!.

One last word - when I was later able to afford a few stratocasters myself (never more than 2 at any one time!), I twigged that because (custom shop jobs excepted) fender guitars are made on an assembly line, one needs to beware of the odd dodgy one! Ie frets, allignment etc.

Kindest regards,
Christopher

[RUSSET]

Hi Chris,
Thanks for your kind comment. Having been mainly a Rhythm guitarist in a '60s style band way back in the '60s & over the past 25 years doing '60s covers, I bought my first F. Red Strat in the late '90s, being one of the Fender HBM signature models 'Made in Japan' at that time. It is a great guitar, & I very quickly applied some stick-on gold letters of my initials onto the top horn. Wow .... I had at last my own Hank Marvin Strat, although, at the time I was just the Rhythm player. Over the years I have upped my skills to be able to play 3-4 Shads melodies myself, but I am probably more comfortable being Bruce.
I very quickly pushed the trem arm around to the rear position to keep it out of the way of my strumming.
Over the next few years I upgraded it to Gold hardware & put a solid steel trem block in, & a set of Fender Custom Shop '54 pickups. It's a great guitar, as are most of the Jap made models, apart from the fact that it has been a trend of Fender to give all '50s' labelled models these excessively Fat neck profiles. Anyway, you get used to them with time.
When the current Chinese production started making the Squier Classic Vibe & Vintage Modified series' , I was delighted to eventually see Jazzmaster & Jaguar models being made, so I had to have a Jazzmaster at a reasonable price in Sunburst, being a Shads & also a Ventures fan. Again, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality of these new models, & all I had to upgrade was the naff original style bridge to a 'Mustang' bridge, which helped to stop string displacement from a heavy strumming hand.
Maybe Bruce found that the strings moved about a bit on his Jazzmaster too ? It's possible. I assume that if, as I mentioned in my previous message, the new instruments were just sent to Bruce & Jet, under an agreement with the Shads' management; they might not even have been asked what they wanted. They could have just been sent them & told this is what you will be playing from now on. We'll never know, & what does it matter really. It's part of history, & I for one am glad it all happened.

Cheers, Tony.

[Gatwick1946]

Thank you Tony,

I think we are singing from the same hymn sheet. By the way I purchased a Classic Vibe Strat after reading your posts a few years ago (2012 I think?), but later upgraded to a Mexican version in 2014. My goddaughter wanted to learn the guitar, so I passed the Squire on to her - because I remembered my own battles with rubbish, old planks of wood masquerading as musical instruments. She is doing well - shame she has not expressed any liking for instrumental groups!

I am now down to 4 guitars, but can't resist THAT TEMPTATION for much longer methinks????

Ps I used to live on the Isle of Wight, and saw Jet out shopping quite a bit, but did not speak to him as I respected his privacy and as he was with his family. Saw him play at the Medina Theatre, Newport backed by the Rapiers (great band IMHO) - he came on dressed as a chicken!!!! - his dry sense of humour was so funny! Had a good chat with Colin (Rapiers), a gentleman, and very happy to talk guitars, amps, echo units and sign my copy of their CD "1961".

PPS I have seen Bruce and his Midnight Shadows. Their first number was Chattanooga Choo Choo, and Bruce realy drove the number along with his heavy downstrokes and crisp chord changes - he does not use many barr chords. The Youtube recordings at Shadowmania do not quite capture the full sound.

A live band in a good theatre is amazing IMHO!

Kindest regards,
Christopher

[RUSSET]

Hi Chris,
I too have a Squier Chinese made Simon Neil Sign. Strat, which is usually known to players as the 'Biffy Clyro' & it is in Fiesta Red with Rosewood board, just like the Shads' first all Red set. It's basically a '60s Strat with a special set of pickups slightly different from the regular '60s ones in the main range. It's just really a great sounding CV Strat, & for £260 at the time it was first released. I have still got it, & the only upgrade I made was to install a full size Steel trem block, as they come with those cheap, thin Chinese ones. The body wood was solid Alder & it is a Great instrument. I believe the current the CV range of Squiers now have Poplar bodies, but I'm not sure that is any way detrimental to them.

My latest acquisition is an F. Red Mex Vintera series '50s Tele, Maple neck/board which really has that '50s tone. Again, it has rather a Fat neck profile, but I'm used to it now, & it's a really good quality guitar at a reasonable price. The Vinteras are the replacement for the old Mex Classic series (vintage style) guitars, with some favourable upgades.

The first Mex Strat I bought was in 2019, that was a Mex 'Player' series (formerly Standard series) which has most of the parts & feel of a USA Standard series guitar, for about 1/3 of the price. It's in Polar White, Maple neck/Board, Bridge Tone control, 22 Frets, & ..... Alnico magnet pickups ! I avoided the original Mex Standards for a long time as I didn't want the old ceramic magnet pickups in them. It's not to say that those were worse, but it is just my personal preference. Again, it is a great guitar that I find hard to fault, & a comfortable pleasure to play.

I saw the Shads live in the Hippodrome Theatre, Birmingham around 1965 when they had their Burns guitars. I remember being impressed by, Brazil, Chattanooga Choo Choo, Argentina, & Deep Purple, which they played superbly. It was like listening to a perfectly balanced version of the record through a quality Hi Fi system, & I was stunned. I sat about four rows back on Bruce's side of the stalls. His playing was spot on & faultless. What a guy.

Regards, Tony.
























Regards, Tony.