The Shaftesbury 3263 bass appeared in the UK in late 1968, shortly after Rose-Morris opened their new Shaftesbury Avenue retail store in September 1967. The Rose-Morris / Rickenbacker relationship was coming to an end, and it seems the Shaftesbury line was a direct attempt to fill the demand that Rickenbacker were unable to themselves. Accompanied by the 3261 and 3264 (six string and twelve string), the 3263 bass was initially produced in Japan, though by late 1969, they were supplied by Italian maker Eko.
The Eko-built 3263 bass differed in some ways from the earlier Matsumoku version, most notably having a bolt-on, rather than set, neck, and having truss rod adjustment at the body end of the neck, rather than on the headstock. The instrument was produced in Recanati, Italy, and was, in many ways, very similar to the guitars Eko was producing under it's own marque, but also for Vox in the late 1960s. They used the same pickups, tuning keys, and other hardware, and naturally the same woods and construction techniques. This lead to very similar sounding, but obviously very different looking instruments. The 3263 bass is certainly comparable to the Vox Stinger IV and Skybolt IV models.
Rose-Morris widely promoted the 3263 bass from late 1968 through to 1972, then again in late 1973 and 1974. It is not clear whether distribution was continuous during this period or whether there was a brief gap. Precise dating of these instruments is not easy, but this would seem to be a 1970s bass. It has no serial number (although many had stickered numbers, hence easily removed), but the very earliest Eko examples had serial numbers stamped into their neck plates. The black scratchplate may also be indicative of a later example, though this (currently) remains to be confirmed. In January 1974, the Shaftesbury 3263 bass had a price tag of £65.80.
This is actually a nice playing bass, with plenty of snarl and bite from the bridge pickup. Its short scale makes for a fast playing guitar, and despite its semi-hollow construction, does not seem especially prone to feedback. Check out the demo videos below for an idea of this bass in action.
This is a great bass to play and a lot of fun! If you were a young mod in the UK during the 70s and early 80s revival years, a real Rickenbacker would have been totally out of reach - and a vintage Shaftesbury would certainly have been the next best thing. Its short scale and light body made for an easy playing bass, and it's 330-styling and attractive fireburst finish made it totally mod. True it doesn't sound exactly like a ric, but it's pretty nice none-the-less.
Subscribe to the vintageguitarandbass youtube channel for more vintage guitar and bass demos. Also, check out the other Shaftesbury 3263 videos (different amps, different settings) in the supporting members area.
Find out more about these instruments here: 197X Shaftesbury 3263, 1973 WEM Dominator Bass Mk 1
This is a pretty cool looking bass, and one that plays pretty nicely too. Made by Eko for Rose Morris (UK Rickenbacker distributor) from the very late 1960s. Short scale, and (thanks to the Eko build and components) quite similar to the late 60s Italian Vox guitars. I normally use flatwound strings, but it's demo'd here with some gnarly old roundwounds. They needed changing, but I wanted to document the sound. Played through an early 1970s WEM Dominator bass mk1. Brilliant amp for fuzzy / gritty sounds. Check out the companion video through a 1964 Ampeg B15 to hear it a little (but not a lot) cleaner
There is a longer version of this video in the vintageguitarandbass supporting members area here.
Recorded here with a Shure SM57 (left channel) and a Heil PR-40 (right channel), through a Focusrite Scarlett 2i2 interface - highly recommended gear!
Extra content on this bass is included in our Supporting Members area here