whitefang Posted December 13, 2016 Share Posted December 13, 2016 Y'all know I'm not one to post YouTube clips, but seeing this movie(yet again!) the other night made me wonder... What do y'all think of how they decorated this Fender for the movie, did it actually play, and whatever became of it? Probably languishing in some collector's pile somewhere. I thought it looked SO COOL when I first saw the movie in '63. Whitefang Quote I started out with NOTHING...and I still have most of it left! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DocPate Posted December 13, 2016 Share Posted December 13, 2016 Couldn't get past the poor acting. But it was a cool guitar I guess Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baldwin Funster Posted December 13, 2016 Share Posted December 13, 2016 Way more important, whos got the gold lamee ONESIE. Even kanye couldnt pull off that look. Quote FunMachine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d halfnote Posted December 13, 2016 Share Posted December 13, 2016 Here's the only comment I've found so far (sorry, the link at site is dead) http://www.offsetguitars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=26599 -------------------- what he said is below ----------------------- "Hello! I've recently been hit hard with the Jazzmaster Gas and found this great forum. After seeing so many great builds here, I'm seriously considering trying to build my own. I've seen a few comments here about the Birdie Jaguar and, like many of you, have been unable to find any photos of it on the Internet. I found this clip on YouTube and you can really see the guitar very clearly - especially if you view the clip in HD. Here it is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqCjsxkB4KE The Jag starts being seen at about 4:33. This guitar was on the wall of the Hard Rock Cafe in Dallas for a few years and when the Hard Rock closed it's whereabouts became unknown. A new Hard Rock Cafe recently opened in Dallas and I have yet to go over and see if it's there. Anyway, I just wanted to introduce myself and treat you to a really cool Jaguar that some of you may never have seen. Take Care" ---------------------- There might be something here at the Wikipedia sheet https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bye_Bye_Birdie Quote d=halfnote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitefang Posted December 14, 2016 Author Share Posted December 14, 2016 JESSE PEARSON, who played Conrad Birdie in the film, is really a good actor and did a fine job in the role. The character WAS supposed to be a "rock'n'roll star" characiture, and Jesse pulled it off well. The musical was obviously based on the incident of ELVIS joining the Army. But I also got to wondering....was it simply a cosmetic mock-up of a Fender Jaguar as just a PROP? Or was it also operable? You'd have thought if it could actually be played, some "big name" back at the time would have bought it and used it. Whitefang Quote I started out with NOTHING...and I still have most of it left! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d halfnote Posted December 14, 2016 Share Posted December 14, 2016 I'm pretty sure it was real Jaguar just gussied up. Quote d=halfnote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larryz Posted December 15, 2016 Share Posted December 15, 2016 It looks like a real Jag to me, gussied up with some fancy gold and a big B on the back with Conrad Birdie on the front, as a movie prop...If it was on the wall at the Hard Rock Café, somebody somewhere has probably enshrined it... Quote Take care, Larryz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitefang Posted December 16, 2016 Author Share Posted December 16, 2016 Of course, it's only RECENTLY that I even NOTICED the guitar all that much. Usually when I see the flick, my attention is more focused on ANN-MARGARET and JANET LEIGH! Whitefang Quote I started out with NOTHING...and I still have most of it left! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winston Psmith Posted December 18, 2016 Share Posted December 18, 2016 I hadn't seen that movie in decades, and recently caught it on some cable channel. Had the same thoughts about that Guitar; who customized it, and where did it go? Looking at it up close on a good-sized screen, it looks like a real Jag, not some mock-up, and the custom work is pretty cool. One thing I noticed; both of Birdie's sidekicks are slinging what look like stock Fender Basses? I guess there was no Rhythm Guitar in that band . . . Quote "Monsters are real, and Ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." Stephen King http://www.novparolo.com https://thewinstonpsmithproject.bandcamp.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baldwin Funster Posted December 18, 2016 Share Posted December 18, 2016 Not many are wearing motorcycle helmets when they play bass these days. That guitar must have been wireless, no amp, drums ,horn section shown. Or PA. People sang louder back then. You dont see as many girls fainting at concerts these days unless its from exctasy or something. Quote FunMachine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winston Psmith Posted December 19, 2016 Share Posted December 19, 2016 Not many are wearing motorcycle helmets when they play bass these days. That guitar must have been wireless, no amp, drums ,horn section shown. Or PA. People sang louder back then. You dont see as many girls fainting at concerts these days unless its from exctasy or something. Gotta love that "Air Tremolo" effect, and that natural Reverb, too. Quote "Monsters are real, and Ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." Stephen King http://www.novparolo.com https://thewinstonpsmithproject.bandcamp.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Fraser Posted December 19, 2016 Share Posted December 19, 2016 Looking at it up close on a good-sized screen, it looks like a real Jag, not some mock-up, and the custom work is pretty cool. Yeah, as bling guitars go, it looks magnificent. One thing I noticed; both of Birdie's sidekicks are slinging what look like stock Fender Basses? I guess there was no Rhythm Guitar in that band . . . Or drummer. And the bassists were wearing police uniforms (I think, from the ½ second they're on camera.) I think this was the inspiration for the Village People. Quote Scott Fraser Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitefang Posted December 20, 2016 Author Share Posted December 20, 2016 They WERE wearing police styled helmets as they did all ride in on motorcycles. If THEY were the inspiration for the Village People, then ho do the INDIAN CHIEF and COSTRUCTION WORKER figure in? Whitefang Quote I started out with NOTHING...and I still have most of it left! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larryz Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 Not many are wearing motorcycle helmets when they play bass these days. That guitar must have been wireless, no amp, drums ,horn section shown. Or PA. People sang louder back then. You dont see as many girls fainting at concerts these days unless its from exctasy or something. Gotta love that "Air Tremolo" effect, and that natural Reverb, too. You guys completely left out the whole phantom horn section LOL! Quote Take care, Larryz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winston Psmith Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 Not many are wearing motorcycle helmets when they play bass these days. That guitar must have been wireless, no amp, drums ,horn section shown. Or PA. People sang louder back then. You dont see as many girls fainting at concerts these days unless its from exctasy or something. Gotta love that "Air Tremolo" effect, and that natural Reverb, too. You guys completely left out the whole phantom horn section LOL! Baldwin Funster does mention the phantom horn section . . . "no amp, drums, horn section shown." Quote "Monsters are real, and Ghosts are real too. They live inside us, and sometimes, they win." Stephen King http://www.novparolo.com https://thewinstonpsmithproject.bandcamp.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larryz Posted December 20, 2016 Share Posted December 20, 2016 Good call Winston! I must have been so wrapped up watching the video (and Ann Margaret's eyes) that I must have missed it in Baldwin's comments LOL! My apologies! Quote Take care, Larryz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whitefang Posted December 20, 2016 Author Share Posted December 20, 2016 Must've been part of that same band who's music came out of THIN AIR in all them Elvis movies. Whitefang Quote I started out with NOTHING...and I still have most of it left! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt 7 Posted January 10, 2021 Share Posted January 10, 2021 From The Fender Electric Guitar Book: A Complete History of Fender Instruments, page 117: "One of the very first custom Fenders was a Jaguar, long before the notion of a proper custom shop. It was built by Fender for a ludicrous 1963 movie, Bye Bye Birdie. In it, a rock'n'roll star briefly strums a luscious black Jag with gold fittings and a decorated body that incorporates his (fictional) name, Conrad Birdie." The Hard Rock Cafe has believed the second Bye Bye Birdie guitar was "destroyed." Which isn't true. One of the two was marginally damaged in the movie scene where Jessie falls from the stage. It remains uncertain which of the two identical Jags ended up at Hard Rock Cafe. HRC featured the story of the Bye Bye Birdie Jag in an episode of their "Memorabilia Monday" Facebook show: Note: Hard Rock Cafe's Bye Bye Birdie guitar is noticably damaged and missing parts. The near-mint, 2nd Bye Bye Birdie guitar, one of the first custom Fender guitars made by Fender, is owned by a Los Angeles collector, seen here: http://markweinguitarlessons.com/forums/threads/missing-bye-bye-birdie-black-gold-1962-fender-jaguar.94701/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted January 10, 2021 Share Posted January 10, 2021 Gad, is that fugly. Quote Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt 7 Posted January 10, 2021 Share Posted January 10, 2021 It remains part of Fender guitar, esp. the Jaguar's, stellar history. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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