Glenn Cornic - Jethro Tull Bass Player - Mixed Parts

ac100X

ac100X

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Apr 6, 2003
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#1
This is only interesting to odd bass collerctors:

I was watching this video and noticed the Jazz Bass Glenn Cornic was playing looked different, then I realised it was a Fender Jazz Bass with a Vox Symphonic Bass Neck.
The VOX Symphonic

IMG_3371 overall.JPG IMG_3372 Head.JPG


you have to get to 1:48 to see it. First there is a Gibson EB3.

Any others out there that mix and match parts from other manufactures basses besides just pick ups?
 
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#2
ac100X said:
This is only interesting to odd bass collerctors:

I was watching this video and noticed the Jazz Bass Glenn Cornic was playing looked different, then I realised it was a Fender Jazz Bass with a Vox Symphonic Bass Neck.
The VOX Symphonic

View attachment 3006640 View attachment 3006641


you have to get to 1:48 to see it. First there is a Gibson EB3.

Any others out there that mix and match parts from other manufactures basses besides just pick ups?
Click to expand...

Loved his playing since day one, I always thought he was one of the most underrated bass players in the rock/pop genre. In response to your question, no I've never done that, if there is something about a bass I don't like I don't bother with buying it.
 
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#3
I believe that Fender style bass has a see thru Lucite body. That was his go to bass in the early days of Tull, 67-68 before Martin Barre joined the band. He seemed to favor Gibsons soon thereafter, mostly EB's or T-Birds.
 
#4
ac100X said:
This is only interesting to odd bass collerctors:

I was watching this video and noticed the Jazz Bass Glenn Cornic was playing looked different, then I realised it was a Fender Jazz Bass with a Vox Symphonic Bass Neck.
The VOX Symphonic

View attachment 3006640 View attachment 3006641


you have to get to 1:48 to see it. First there is a Gibson EB3.

Any others out there that mix and match parts from other manufactures basses besides just pick ups?
Click to expand...

I was a big fan in the 70’s. I’ll play this in his honor the next time:
959D1733-E75B-40ED-BE9B-99C9E92D97C1.jpeg
 
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#5
UNICORN BASS said:
I believe that Fender style bass has a see thru Lucite body. That was his go to bass in the early days of Tull, 67-68 before Martin Barre joined the band. He seemed to favor Gibsons soon thereafter, mostly EB's or T-Birds.
Click to expand...
Your right, it is a lucite body, you can see through it, so i was made of parts he had on hand.
 
#8
I don't think it's a Lucite body, just a strange paint job. He said it was a '62 Jazz. He didn't like the original neck on it, so he swapped necks with a friend in late '66 to get the left-handed Precision neck that you see in some early Tull photos. The Vox neck must have come later. He switched to mostly playing Gibsons on Tull's first American tour. His first Gibson was an early double-cut EB-0 which he found "too bassy" for use on stage, though it was used for a few songs in the studio, including "Nothing Is Easy" on Stand Up. Then he bought his EB-3, which he used on stage and on most of his subsequent recordings with Tull.
 
#10
ac100X said:
Look at the video at 1:48 I can see-through the upper bout.
Click to expand...

It seems that way, but it could just be reflections; it's a poor-quality video. If it is Lucite, then it's a different bass than the Jazz he was usually seen with. You can see in these photos that his regular Jazz, regardless of what neck was on it at the time, was not transparent, but did have a weird, splotchy paint job with a dark spot on the upper bout that might, in just the right situation, make it seem transparent for a moment.

It's also possible he had more than one Jazz-like bass, but if so, he never mentioned it in interviews as far as I know.

glenn-cornick-of-jethro-tull-performing-in-copenhagen-denmark-1969-picture-id659279554.jpg

Onstage in Copenhagen, 10 January 1969


Glenn_Cornick.jpg

Not sure when or where this is, but from Glenn's shorter hair I'd guess it's the oldest of these pictures.


MICHAEL_RANDOLPH_J_2668648k.jpg

The Rolling Stones' Rock 'n' Roll Circus, 11 December 1968, with Tony Iommi on guitar
 
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#11
Craig4003 said:
It seems that way, but it could just be reflections; it's a poor-quality video. If it is Lucite, then it's a different bass than the Jazz he was usually seen with. You can see in these photos that his regular Jazz, regardless of what neck was on it at the time, was not transparent, but did have a weird, splotchy paint job with a dark spot on the upper bout that might, in just the right situation, make it seem transparent for a moment.

It's also possible he had more than one Jazz-like bass, but if so, he never mentioned it in interviews as far as I know.

View attachment 3007138

View attachment 3007139

View attachment 3007140
Click to expand...
I don't think it's Lucite either, the spot on the upper bout sort of blends in with his shirt giving it the appearance of being transparent.
 
#15
I like Ian's reminiscences. I think he's gotten more tolerant as he's gotten older. He's never really said why he kicked Glenn out of Jethro Tull back in November 1970, and Glenn always said no reason was ever given (though he seemed to suspect that Ian didn't approve of him chasing girls on tour).

After Glenn's death, Clive Bunker was asked why Glenn left. He replied, "Who knows, we were young," which seems to suggest that he thought it was about some personality conflict that older, more mature people might have dealt with better.

Martin was asked also. He didn't feel it was appropriate to go into details, but he indicated that there were indeed personality issues. Things reached a point where Glenn just wasn't getting along with the group anymore and it was in everyone's best interest for him to go do something else.

In 1975, when Chrysalis arranged a dinner in Los Angeles (I think that's where it was) for all past and present Tull members, Glenn and Clive were present, though Mick Abrahams was not (my guess is Mick was invited but chose not to make the trip). There was a photo from this dinner in the old compilation LP M.U.: The Best of Jethro Tull, reproduced below.

View attachment 3008483
Left to right: Jeffrey Hammond, Martin Barre, Clive Bunker, Ian Anderson, John Evans, Glenn Cornick, Barrie Barlow
 

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#16
Tony Iommi is playing guitar in Craig4003"s third photo.
He was in Tull for a very short period before forming Black Sabbath.

Seeing as his Jazz has a lefty neck in the 2nd and third photos, it appears Glen swapped parts freely.
Also, in his first photo the tuners look like the ones on the VOX Symphonic.
I would say that the OP's hypothesis is confirmed.
 
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#18
jim nolte said:
Loved his playing since day one, I always thought he was one of the most underrated bass players in the rock/pop genre.
Click to expand...

Never was much of a Tull fan, until I got involved in a prog rock project, I'm currently in...

... BL (keyboards/flute) wants to do both a prog set, and a dedicated Tull set. He thought I might like learning and performing the bass lines...

... he was right. Both challenging and fun to play.
 
#20
Skybone said:
It was the Rolling Stones Hyde Park gig film. Iommi is also seen playing a white strat.
Click to expand...

The picture with Tony Iommi is from the Rolling Stones Rock 'n' Roll Circus in 1968, which was filmed indoors on a sound stage, not in Hyde Park. Tull isn't really playing, just miming to their own record. According to Ian Anderson, this was Tony's only appearance with Tull.

Tull did play in Hyde Park at one point in '68, but not with Iommi, and it was a different occasion from the famous Stones Hyde Park gig, which was in '69.
 
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