Tom Verlaine mid 80's black Jazzmaster

[whitewatersky]

Sound in this video is so good

https://youtu.be/4Cft9YEWsC8

Bass is amazing. Jeez

[mcatano]

It kind of looks like the pickup covers are absent?

They're just painted black - you can see the black chipping off and the white underneath in a couple of close ups.

[marqueemoon]

Sound in this video is so good

https://youtu.be/4Cft9YEWsC8

Bass is amazing. Jeez

Sounds like flatwounds.

Yeah, once again Fred is holding it down here.

[Maggieo]

Sound in this video is so good

https://youtu.be/4Cft9YEWsC8

Bass is amazing. Jeez

God that's killer.

[Paco]

Sound in this video is so good

https://youtu.be/4Cft9YEWsC8

Bass is amazing. Jeez

Fred is always on point. Classy and tight. Verlaine's lipstick strat is making an appearance too, I just love that guitar.

[AMILCAR]

oh man .. that footage is my fav live music document of all times ..just incredible !!! i weared out that bootleg VHS when i was a kid ...
the black pickups on Toms Jazzmaster are painted ... i always wondered what his pedals were at the time ... some crude echo , and boost into ths silverface twin (?) ... the solo in "Swim" is simply his best ,and i got lots of bootleg of his solo tours ... the improvisational aspect are remarkable , he sings and plays whatever came to his mind ,and the band follows him everywhere ,such a tigth group ... as everyone stated above ,Fred bass sound and palying ... wow ..
Jimmy was endorsed by Roland then ,hence the Jazz Chorus and the Ibanez synth guitar ... yet somehow ,he had them sounding like a strat and a Bassman ...
Verlaine used that JM live a lot until 1992 ,along with a sunburst preCBS one , i believe in the 1982 tour he used a white one... he had some Jags too ,a white one ,a black one , and a sunburst one with lipsticks and a stop tailpiece ...
i m watching it again today !

[AMILCAR]

Sound in this video is so good

https://youtu.be/4Cft9YEWsC8

Bass is amazing. Jeez

Sounds like flatwounds.

Yeah, once again Fred is holding it down here.

thats his original Ampeg bass used on M Moon

[Paco]

I think it's just right to get this post back up again in light of Verlaine's tragic death. Watching this video again gives me goosebumps.

For years i was curious about the whereabout's of Tom's famous goldguard 58 Jazzmaster and I finally found out what happened to it. He sold it in the early 00's to a non-musician collector, and I recently saw a picture of Matthew Caws of Nada Surf playing it. There was a slight possibility that this same goldguard (the marquee moon one) was the one on this 80's live video. Now we can confirm it's not

Thanks again Tom, for everything

[marqueemoon]

Tom played a real variety of guitars and always sounded like himself.

[Dok]

Sound in this video is so good

https://youtu.be/4Cft9YEWsC8

Bass is amazing. Jeez

Anybody notice who the current top comment is from? I guess that's from this thread's first time around.

[Maggieo]

Sound in this video is so good

https://youtu.be/4Cft9YEWsC8

Bass is amazing. Jeez

Anybody notice who the current top comment is from? I guess that's from this thread's first time around.

Huh, who is that Maggie cat person?

[LVC]

For years i was curious about the whereabout's of Tom's famous goldguard 58 Jazzmaster and I finally found out what happened to it. He sold it in the early 00's to a non-musician collector, and I recently saw a picture of Matthew Caws of Nada Surf playing it.

Here's a brief article about the '58 JM and its non-musician owner from Guitar Aficionado. Can't remember the date ― that magazine is such a cringefest that I only kept this article ― but that was years ago.



Full size version
Page 1 Page 2

I remember shaking my head so hard at the fact that such a legendary instrument, which had belonged to such an incredibly talented musician, would end up in the hands of someone who can barely play the Smoke on the Water riff... It was one of the things that convinced me not to pursue priceless vintage instruments. While my own skills are thankfully not as dismal as that, it made me realise that it would make so much more sense for a great instrument to go to someone who would use it to create inspiring music for others rather than to a mediocre bedroom hack whose only justification would be his inability to resist GAS.

[Steadyriot.]

For years i was curious about the whereabout's of Tom's famous goldguard 58 Jazzmaster and I finally found out what happened to it. He sold it in the early 00's to a non-musician collector, and I recently saw a picture of Matthew Caws of Nada Surf playing it.

Here's a brief article about the '58 JM and its non-musician owner from Guitar Aficionado. Can't remember the date ― that magazine is such a cringefest that I only kept this article ― but that was years ago.



Full size version
Page 1 Page 2

I remember shaking my head so hard at the fact that such a legendary instrument, which had belonged to such an incredibly talented musician, would end up in the hands of someone who can barely play the Smoke on the Water riff... It was one of the things that convinced me not to pursue priceless vintage instruments. While my own skills are thankfully not as dismal as that, it made me realise that it would make so much more sense for a great instrument to go to someone who would use it to create inspiring music for others rather than to a mediocre bedroom hack whose only justification would be his inability to resist GAS.

You don't need to "deserve" your instrument. As "Dismal" as the playing may be to you.

[Maggieo]

Come get all my guitars. I'm dismal as fuck.

[oldbuco]

Hi ...
Jimmy Rip here, I just noticed this thread. If anyone's interested in Tom's gear I had 42 years playing with him and would be glad to fill you in. The black Jazzmaster (which was actually a very subtle black sparkle) he always cited that one as his favorite, sadly it was stolen from a tour bus in Europe when Tom was a special guest playing in Patti Smith's band. There were probably 8 or 9 Jazzmasters throughout his life, when he passed last year he left me 2, an Olympic white '65 that he used extensively since the CBGB's days and a Sunburst '65. I also have his '65 Olympic white Jaguar ...
I really miss him.
Cheers to all
J.