JKBSystems.com - Nashville, Tennessee

The BASS! 1961 Fender P-Bass

I came in to the possession of this bass in 1963 whilst I was working at the Keyhole Lounge in Hialeah, Fla. Hank Snow's bass player, Ralph Jernnigan, stopped in one night and he had his bass with him. He asked me if I would like to try it for a while. I said sure.

At the time I was playing a brand new, less than 2 weeks old Fender Jazz Bass, thru an Ampeg B-15 flip-top amp (I still have that amp by the way). I was smitten with how much better his bass sounded, so much more tone, body, depth, and punch. I said to him, "Hey, your bass has scratches, nicks, bumps, cigarette stains on it, how about I  trade you my BRAND NEW Fender Jazz bass, with out a flaw, for your 2-year old Fender P-Bass. He said OK! We made the trade and I've been playing it ever since.