Instrumental music – the Shadows and the Ventures – fell out of the charts in Manila in early 1964, displaced by the Beatles, Peter, Paul and Mary, and so on. That cut-off coincides with the shift by the Shadows to Burns guitars and the Ventures to Mossrites. It’s quite unusual that both bands would make the shift at almost the same time, but the result of all this is that Burn-era, Mossrite-era, and succeeding-years Shadows and Ventures music are virtually unknown here. Except perhaps for those in the “In Space” album, Mossrite era and later Ventures pieces ring no bells here, even among those who were teenagers in the early 1960s.

However, the early Ventures pieces were well known here.  They spawned a thousand guitar bands, and every school, even girls’ schools, all had several.  In 1962, the Ventures, composed only of Bob Bogle and Don Wilson, came to Manila to play at packed concerts and also for the US servicemen in the US bases that we had then in the Philippines.

Here is a photo, taken in the summer of 1962, that shows Bob Bogle, Don Wilson, and Bobby Vee, together with Ramon Jacinto ("RJ") and his band the Riots. Ramon and the Riots are mentioned prominently in the book "Walk Don't Run," and that photo appears there as well. Bob and Don spent ten or so days in Manila that year, so the Riots had a lot of time to spend with them, playing basketball among other things (they played very aggressive basketball, the Riots' rhythm guitarist Jimmy Colayco told me).  Jimmy is the leftmost fellow in the photo.

I have started with this historical note, because Bogle's "Walk Don't Run" is the most recognized instrumental piece here and has remained so over so many generations.  When I first picked up a guitar just over ten years ago, it was only "Walk Don't Run" that I wanted to play.

Andy

I am not sure when that last photo was taken.  The Riots had already switched to white Jaguars.  Can anyone tell what guitar Bob was using?

Here is Jimmy playing Ventures at my home earlier this year. some 50 years after the earlier photos were taken.

I'll leave this historical topic now and will post on what gear I think would be appropriate for the pieces from Bob's Jazzmaster years.  I am not an expert by any means, and hope to be corrected and learn from this forum.

Andy

I've always loved the way Bob used the vibrato (tremolo, whammy bar...whatever) and feel I've never been able to get it right...like Bob.    I usually play a strat.     Anyone have similar experience or am I the only remedial one here :-).   Any advice?

Thanks
chuck

I was just talking with Jimmie, who appears in the pictures above.  He says that photo was taken in the summer of 1962.  Ramon Jacinto was using his white Jaguar, but Jimmie was using a white Jazzmaster, not a Jaguar as I assumed.  Before then, they were using a Jazzmaster and Stratocaster respectively, both sunburst, as were Bob and Don.

Jimmie says that was a Mossrite in Bob's hands, an early model.  Bob didn't take that guitar home with him but left it with Ramon as a gift.

Andy