Joe Pass and solidbody guitars

[Miketec]

I have read a lot of messages on this group about the solidbody guitars
Joe Pass played on his early recordings with Pacific, Sounds of Synanon
and Catch Me. Somebody say that it was a Jazzmaster, others say a
Jaguar and some pleople think that it was a Telecaster. I would like to
know exactly what guitar was, so I ask to the experts of this group to
give us their opinion, based on real facts and no especulations or
photographs. We have seen the photographs of Joe Pass with the
Telecaster and the Jazzmaster, but it doesn't prove that he used those
guitars in the recordings I mentioned.

Have fun.

Miketec

[Tim McNamara]

Post by Miketec
I have read a lot of messages on this group about the solidbody guitars
Joe Pass played on his early recordings with Pacific, Sounds of Synanon
and Catch Me. Somebody say that it was a Jazzmaster, others say a
Jaguar and some pleople think that it was a Telecaster. I would like to
know exactly what guitar was, so I ask to the experts of this group to
give us their opinion, based on real facts and no especulations or
photographs. We have seen the photographs of Joe Pass with the
Telecaster and the Jazzmaster, but it doesn't prove that he used those
guitars in the recordings I mentioned.

Without being able to vouch for the veracity of the information,

From http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~ux5t-oois/photo.html

"I've always stuck with the same basic kind of Gibson, like the model I
play now (1976), an ES175. It's the only kind of electric I've ever
played when I had a choice. I've had this one since 1963.Back in my
Synanon days, I didn't have a guitar of my own; all I had was a
solidbody rock and roll guitar that belonged to Synanon. I was playing
a gig at a local club with it when this guy named Mike Peak came in and
saw me playing jazz with a rock guitar. A few months later, on my
birthday, I came home and there was this brand new ES 175 that he had
bought for me. He was in the construction business and played a little
guitar himself and just felt that I should have the proper kind of
instrument. It's the only electric I've used since then." (Guitar
Player, April '76)

The photo shows what looks like a Jazzmaster. The Web site author
opines that the birthday in question was 1/13/64, but Pass states 1963
and I think we can trust him on that. Records made after that, then,
would have been recorded using Joe's ES 175. Nice birthday present!

Checking the discography at

http://www.asahi-net.or.jp/~ux5t-oois/records.html

It would appear that the "Sounds of Synanon" (1961) would have been
recorded on the Jazzmaster, along with all of the 1962 records. Unless
he borrowed another guitar for those sessions, which we may never know.

[Miketec]

And what happens with the Telecaster? Did Joe Pass play this guitar
anytime? In which recording?

Miketec

[pmfan57]

Post by Miketec
And what happens with the Telecaster? Did Joe Pass play this guitar
anytime? In which recording?
Miketec

In various interviews, he often was not clear which Fender solidbody he
had in Synonon. Whichever one it was, he probably used it on Sounds of
Synnonon. But before he used his 175 on For Django (1964 or so), he
used at least the Jazzmaster, sometimes a 12 string Jazzmaster, in
recordng sessions and, at least for live gigs (see Genius of Joe Pass
video), sometimes a Jaguar. He is also pictured at a Les McCann
session on Pacific Jazz with a Gibson 330 or 335 with a Bigsby (I know
that's not solid body).

You can hear that it's solid body on some selections in the Pacific
Jazz years, such as on Catch Me.

[pmfan57]

Post by Miketec
I have read a lot of messages on this group about the solidbody guitars
Joe Pass played on his early recordings with Pacific, Sounds of Synanon
and Catch Me. Somebody say that it was a Jazzmaster, others say a
Jaguar and some pleople think that it was a Telecaster. I would like to
know exactly what guitar was, so I ask to the experts of this group to
give us their opinion, based on real facts and no especulations or
photographs. We have seen the photographs of Joe Pass with the
Telecaster and the Jazzmaster, but it doesn't prove that he used those
guitars in the recordings I mentioned.
Have fun.
Miketec

Photos from recording sessions are in booklet from the Mosaic set
showing Jazzmaster. Also, the genius of joe pass video has the first
two tracks played on a Jaguar. Why in the world wouldn't photos of
recording sessions count as evidence/proof???? This is common
knowledge, not some conspiracy to fool you.

[Joe Montgomery]

Post by pmfan57
Why in the world wouldn't photos of
recording sessions count as evidence/proof???? This is common
knowledge, not some conspiracy to fool you.

Maybe it's The -J- azz Illuminati?

-o- r the wor -k- of The FreeBird Masons?

Dang, gotta stop watching too much PBS..

DaVinci Jo -e- .****


****Secret Code Enclosed

[bulerias]

Post by Miketec
I have read a lot of messages on this group about the solidbody guitars
Joe Pass played on his early recordings with Pacific, Sounds of Synanon
and Catch Me. Somebody say that it was a Jazzmaster, others say a
Jaguar and some pleople think that it was a Telecaster. I would like to
know exactly what guitar was, so I ask to the experts of this group to
give us their opinion, based on real facts and no especulations or
photographs. We have seen the photographs of Joe Pass with the
Telecaster and the Jazzmaster, but it doesn't prove that he used those
guitars in the recordings I mentioned.
Have fun.
Miketec

thread conclusion:

no photo evidence - no guitar identification.

[bob r]

Post by bulerias

Post by Miketec
I have read a lot of messages on this group about the solidbody guitars
Joe Pass played on his early recordings with Pacific, Sounds of Synanon
and Catch Me. Somebody say that it was a Jazzmaster, others say a
Jaguar and some pleople think that it was a Telecaster. I would like to
know exactly what guitar was, so I ask to the experts of this group to
give us their opinion, based on real facts and no especulations or
photographs. We have seen the photographs of Joe Pass with the
Telecaster and the Jazzmaster, but it doesn't prove that he used those
guitars in the recordings I mentioned.
Have fun.
Miketec

no photo evidence - no guitar identification.

There's video of Pass playing the hell out of a Jaguar in 1962 on the DVD
"The Genius of Joe Pass", so I know that he was using a Jaguar at one point
in the early 60s. He sounds absolutely wonderful on the Jaguar.

In an interview he did in the '70s, Joe said that he used "a solidbody rock
and roll guitar that belonged to Synanon" during his Synanon days. There are
photos of him playing a Jaguar and a Jazzmaster from that time period. The
"Sounds of Synanon" record was recorded in 1961. According to Joe, a fan
gave him a Gibson 175 for his birthday in 1963. So you can figure that
"Catch Me" would probably be the earliest record he'd have used the 175 to
make.

Joe also did studio work and probably kept a Telecaster handy for the
occasional "rock call"; he's pictured with one in the book "Joe Pass Guitar
Style". Don't know if he did any jazz recording with a Tele.