My 1968 Vox Stinger IV teardrop bass

My first electric bass was a red Kalamazoo, a budget guitar series made by Gibson in the sixties. As our band went through gear upgrades, the teardrop-shaped bass caught my eye. Hey, Bill Wyman of the Rolling Stones played one. Another local band had a bass player who had the Vox Constellation teardrop bass. I preferred the lower priced Stinger IV. Here is a picture of it just as I saw it in the Vox 1968 musical instruments catalog. I purchased it from Welhaven Music in Rochester, Minnesota and kept it long after the band broke up. It was a sweet guitar, although considerably neck heavy with the iconic Vox paddle headstock. I loved the graceful lines and the tone of that bass and still find it one of the most eye-appealing guitars ever designed.



I sold that bass in 1979 since I no longer played it. That was a big mistake! I never suspected that many years later I would get the bug to play bass again. In 2003, I started watching eBay hoping to someday find a Vox bass like the one I had. I did find one, but didn't win the bid. I really didn't expect to see another Stinger IV this late in the game, but I happened to check eBay one evening and there it was! It was a Stinger IV bass guitar just like the one I bought in the late 60's and it looked in perfect condition. A music store in Ohio had it listed, so I figured it would be a safe transaction. I bid $700 and knew that I wouldn't be at home at the time the bidding ended so I could raise my bid if needed. I just figured I would leave it to fate: If it was meant to be mine, I would win it. Imagine how surprised I was when I checked on it when I returned from my trip. I had won the bid with my $700 offer! Nobody bid even a dollar more! A week later, the Vox teardrop bass that I probably paid less than $200 for in 1968, was once again mine!



I began restoring its luster from end to end. I even removed the pick-ups and controls and cleaned them inside. I polished all of the metal to remove the years of tarnish and put back that sparkle again. I polished the body and put on new Pyramid flatwound strings. Everything is original except for the two bridge cover screws. The bass stays intonated and in tune which I find amazing. It has that woody, alive resonance that only a semi-hollow body could produce. The 'broomstick' neck is the thinnest I've ever seen. It's fast and the action is low just how I like it. A truly wonderful vintage bass from a time that will live on in all of us 60's era music lovers. I won't part with this bass ever. It connects me with a better time...and you know what that means!

"Ace on the Bass"