John Entwistle

“Frankenstein”

1965 sunburst (refinished in the mid-’70s to Fiesta Red/salmon pink) “Frankenstein” Fender Precision Bass with maple neck.

Assembled from various basses, including the chrome pickup cover from a Fender Jazz Bass; the neck pickups and circuitry from two of John’s three “dead” slab basses.

Serial no. 13081, stamped on neckplate.

Used beginning 1967.

[J.E.]: "I put this together in San Francisco on a day off part way through a Who tour. It’s the remains of five smashed basses hence the name ‘Frankenstein’. In the mid 70’s it was retired from stage work so I had it refinished from sunburst into its present pink colour. I used this baby from 1967 onwards through ‘Tommy’ and all the tours up to ‘Quadrophenia’... The neck, pickups and circuitry are from a ‘dead’ slab bass, the tailpiece from a Jazz bass, the pickguard from a black P bass and the machine heads from 2 white P basses...Two hours with a Phillips screwdriver and a soldering iron and I was ranting around my hotel room screaming 'It’s alive! it’s alive!'"

Quote from April 1994 Bassist interview:

[Q]: "Which sound was responsible for that amazing sound on ’Won’t Get Fooled Again’?"

[J.E.]: “That was Frankenstein, which I made from dead parts. I had a day off in San Francisco once and spent it screwing a bass together from five smashed Precisions including a couple of slab ones of which they only made about 20. I took the pickup and scratch plate from one of the slab Precisions, the neck from another, machineheads from a Jazz Bass, the body off a sunburst Precision and the tailpiece from another. The slab Precisions were like white, squared-off Telecasters, with a split pickup, a maple neck, black scratch plate and what looked like blue veins coming through the white paintwork. I don’t know what they used on them but those basses had a sound of their own, really raunchy with more of a growl than a regular Precision. I have about 35 Precisions, all with different colours and from different eras, but I always go back to Frankenstein."

[J.E.]: “I used Frankenstein through Hiwatts for the whole of ‘Tommy’, ‘Live At Leeds’ and ‘Who’s Next’ but by ‘Quadrophenia’ and ’Who By Numbers’ I was playing Gibson Thunderbirds. I felt I was getting stuck in a rut, using all the treble.

This Bass was sold in Sotheby’s May 2003 auction: estimated £5,000–£7,000; sold for £62,400.

In this list of Entwistle's equipment, we can see Entwistle with a Rickenbacker 4005L "Lightshow" Bass.

This Bass was also used for The Who's October 3rd 1973 appearance on “Top of the Pops”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGjjlbxBALE

In this video, John is playing his 64 Thunderbird IV. On Gibson's website they write "One definite fan, though, was The Who’s John Entwistle who used both “reverse” and “non-reverse” Thunderbird IVs in the early ‘70s. He told Guitar Player magazine in 1975, 'Once I realized the Thunderbird was the bass I was going to be playing for a few years, I panicked because (Gibson had) stopped making them. I went to Manny’s (NYC guitar store) and told them to buy up the whole stock, so consequently I got 10 two-pickup Thunderbirds.'"

John Entwhistle can be seen in this video playing on his Status Buzzard Bass at 00:26.

John Entwistle is seen using a Danelectro Longhorn Bass, characterized by its bronze sunburst finish, two lipstick tube Alnico pickups, and distinctive "Coke Bottle" peghead. Thewho.net provides a user-uploaded photo that showcases this bass, known for its bolt-on neck with a Brazilian rosewood fingerboard and a masonite/poplar frame body.

“Alembic took two years to make the three basses for me. The other 4-string is in a Hard Rock somewhere. I sold it as its punishment for going wrong at the beginning of Live Aid.”

http://www.thewho.net/whotabs/gear/bass/bassendorsements.html

The late great John Entwistle with a Gibson EB-3 (possibly an EB-0) bass speaking with Rotosound’s sales director Alan Marcuson in 1966

In the early years of his live performances, John Entwistle occasionally played a Rickenbacker 4001, as shown in a user-uploaded photo on Flixster.

Entwistle can be seen in a photo on VH1 playing his custom "Fenderbird" bass.

In this picture John can be seen with a Gibson G3 bass in his hands.

A young John Entwistle can be seen holding a EB-2 in his hands.

Entwistle can be seen in this photo playing a Vox Sidewinder Bass.

According to TheWho.net John Entwistle played a Gretsch 6070 Hollow Body Bass in 1965.

John Entwistle played a custom Fender Explorer Bird from 1975-1978 for recording only. In this video (Who Are You? by The Who) you can see him playing it.

The Fender Jazz Bass, as used on Substitute.

"Sold by John at auction in April 1988. It was the highest-priced Bass of all the ones that John sold, fetching approximately $33,000. John stated in the catalog that this was used on the U.K. Television show Top of the Pops in the early 1970s."

At 1:08 in the video, it is seen clearly that John was playing a Steinberger L2 bass (which surprised be because I never thought he used them). It only appears he used it in a few songs on the "Face Dances" album (1981), the song above "Don't Let Go The Coat" being one of them.

Entwistle can be seen on this page in photos playing an Alembic Series 1 bass.

Quotation from John Entwistle for Bass Culture magazine :

“Modulus Graphite made this prototype for me. Unlike all the other Buzzards, this one has no leds in the neck. I used this for almost every show on Ringo Starr’s All Star Tour of Japan and the USA.”

The Who bassist briefly experimented with the Bass VI around 1964-1965, playing it at several live performances (a photo shows him onstage with a Bass VI at an April 16, 1965, Who set at London’s Goldhawk Social Club).

According to TheWho.net on John Entwistle's Gear (1960-1966), John used a Mosrite Ventures Bass Guitar from 1965-1966 while looking for a bass with a sound he liked. He was also recorded using it in the video The Kids Are Alright (linked above).

John Entwhistle played a Vox Teardrop Bass in 1964 while looking for a bass sound he wanted.

"Ca. August 1969, from the Beat Club Tommy promo, John’s Rickenbacker 4005." (Photo above)

"19 Jan. 1970, IBC Studios, recording the Seeker with 1967 Rickenbacker 4005." (Photo here)

1967 Rickenbacker 4005 (“Model 31”) bass in natural Mapleglo

*Serial no. GE 2208.

*Round-top body with chequer binding, “slash” soundhole, bound fingerboard with triangular markers.

*Acquired late 1968/early 1969.

*Used in studio, including The Seeker

*Used in television promos, including Beat Club, 1969 (for Tommy), and I Can See For Miles (on Pop Goes the Sixties, 1969)

*Sold in Sotheby’s auction, 2003. Estimated £1,200–£1,800. Sold for £7,200.

"I played that on a Vox violin bass. Absolutely revolting thing that looked like a mint humbug. Vox gave us two guitars each." - John Entwistle

"15 Dec., 1971 in Seattle, John plays “The Axe,” a Peter Cook custom bass built around a Gibson Thunderbird neck. © copyright and courtesy of Jeff Gledhill"

Ca. 1967, backstage with the custom “Boris the Spider” bass

In this video, John is playing an Ovation B778 natural finish. It can be recognized during the bass solo.

In this list of Entwistle's equipment we can see Entwistle with a Non-Reverse Gibson Thunderbird IV Bass.

In this list of Entwistle's Bass Equipment we can see a photo of Entwistle with a White 1973 Rickenbacker 4001/8 Prototype 8-String Bass. This Bass was one of two, the other one having been bought by Chris Squire of the band Yes.

From the Website thewho.net. the picture shows John Entwistle in 1989 playing an 8 strings Warwick Buzzard. According to the website, Bartolini were used for this bass