The electronica-jazz band Rendezvous has earned quite a following in the world of underground music. Now that their debut album is being mixed by David Bascombe (renowned London producer who has collaborated with Verve, Natalie Imbruglia, Kylie Minogue, Suede, and many more music greats), Rendezvous is about to go mainstream with a bang.

As chance would have it, Rendezvous’ bass guitarist, Itai Simon, is the proud owner of a 1966 vintage Fender Precision bass guitar. Before anyone got the skinny on his precious vintage find, we scored an exclusive interview with Simon and found out all about his priceless Fender.

Q: How did you end up with your vintage Fender bass guitar?

Simon: Oh, I can tell that story over and over again! Finding my vintage Fender bass guitar was like finding a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow…

Back in 1999, I was already playing bass guitar but haven’t quite settled on any bass guitar yet. I owned a handful of bass guitars back then: a vintage 1978 Fender Music Master Bass, a Rickenbacker Bass, and a Hofner Bass. Just like many other musicians, I haven’t quite found my “partner” just yet.

A lot of my friends have been on the lookout for original vintage Fender bass guitars back then, especially the guitars made in the sixties. These guitars are quite special; unfortunately, they are also very rare. People who own them would never want to sell their vintage Fender guitars, not even for a fortune!

I was 19 when I found my vintage Fender bass guitar. Back then, I was playing bass for an Israeli rock band named Utopia. Our band was recording an album for Helicon Records, a rather bigwig record label. We were also busy touring the country, with a couple of our tracks playing in Israeli radio stations at the time.

One fateful night during band practice, our friend Herzl Raz called. He was probably the best luthier (string instrument “repairman”) in Israel. He asked us to come immediately to his shop without giving us any more details. Mystified and curious as to why we were being summoned, we drove off in the night and headed to his shop.

It was then that we found out what got him excited. He has been approached by a religious young man whose grandfather, a well-respected rabbi, has just passed away. Apparently, the son found a few “old guitars” in his dead grandfather’s attic. Rabbis weren’t supposed to be rock musicians, so he wanted to dispose of the guitars as quickly and as quietly as possible

We took a peek at the old guitars and found out they were so much more than just dusty, old instruments forgotten by an old man. The guitars were actually 100% original vintage guitars in perfect condition, unused for about thirty years! There was a Fender Stratocaster from 1964 and another from 1965. There was also a Fender P Bass guitar from 1954, a truly rare find which I didn’t take but should have! Lastly, I laid my eyes on a Fender Precision Bass guitar from 1966, which I took home with me that night.

Between the 1954 Fender P bass guitar and the 1966 Fender Precision bass guitar, I initially couldn’t quite decide which one I would purchase. Looking back, I now realize I should simply have taken both.

Still, I knew I found my match after I played the vintage Fender Precision bass guitar. It was my true match, the instrument that complements me perfectly. It’s sad that many musicians never find their instrument. Looking back, I’m really glad that I’ve found mine!

Q: How is your vintage Fender Precision bass guitar different from other bass guitars? What other bass guitars have you owned and what is the biggest difference you’ve noticed thus far?

Simon: Describing how my vintage Fender bass is different would be an endless task, but I can tell you this much. Every musician has good days and bad days when he plays his instrument; however, after receiving my 1966 Fender Precision guitar, I never had even a single bad day ever again. I sometimes feel like my vintage Fender is the one playing for me and I’m just there for the ride. All I need to do is hold it in my hands and I know exactly what to play from that moment on.

Q: What should serious bass guitarists know about vintage bass guitars in general?

Simon: The same in life, I guess; if something is perfect and works like magic for you, don’t change anything about it. Try not to fix what’s not broken. If a guitar does wonders for your playing, don’t assume that replacing the pickups, neck, or the body will “spruce it up.” Changing a vintage guitar’s parts might just change the way it sounds and works.

However, if a vintage guitar sounds weird to you to begin with, don’t purchase it just because it’s “vintage.” It simply might not be the instrument for you. Just like in life, don’t settle for something that seems to be good on paper if you feel that it’s not the right match for you.

Find the sound you want. You have to know what kind of musician you are and what type of music you want to play. Once you know yourself better as an artist, you know what kind of instrument you want. Stick to your gut feeling when choosing a vintage guitar. Although some musicians never find the instrument for them, you just might find the right one for you – just be patient.

Finding the perfect guitar doesn’t mean the absence of flaws; for me, flaws add character to an instrument. The perfect guitar should have the right depth – lots of it!

Q: How much do you think would a vintage Fender bass guitar like yours sell in the market today?

Simon: Of course, every object in this world has a market price. However, the selling price of an original Fender Precision bass guitar from 1966 with great depth and character is usually the price an owner is willing to sell it for. In other words, since I’ll never sell my precious Fender, it shall remain priceless, something I’ll never release to the market for as long as I live.

Q: Do you have any special specifications and unique information about your guitar? Has it ever been fixed before?

Simon: My vintage Fender Precision bass guitar is all original; it has never been fixed. No replacements have ever been made. Even its pickup and bridge covers are still original. All the other parts of my vintage Fender are dated 1966, except for the pots which are dated to the later of 1965. Perhaps the pots had to wait for a little while before Leo Fender and his team put them together with the guitar’s body and neck in 1966.

Q: Was it love at first sight or did your infatuation with the vintage Fender evolve gradually?

Simon: It was love at first sight for me. However, just like any true love, mine has evolved over time. I learned to appreciate my vintage Fender Precision bass guitar’s true value more each day; up to now, I continue discovering more things to love about it. My guitar is thirteen years older than me, something I am very much aware of and something I respect very much.

Q: What are the pros and cons of owning a vintage bass guitar?

Simon: I think I’ve been raving about my guitar in the previous questions; all its wonderful characteristics are a great plus to any musician who is serious about having a great instrument that they’ll play for the rest of their lives.
As for the cons, I can never leave my vintage bass guitar anywhere when I’m out with it, which is all the time. There was this one time that I went to see a movie right after a studio session. I left my vintage bass in the trunk of my car. I was watching a really good Samuel Jackson movie but I couldn’t seem to enjoy the movie. It took just 15 minutes before I finally left the movie theater and went back to the car to check on my bass.

Now that I’ve found the right instrument for me, my worst nightmare is that my bass would got stolen one day. In fact, I’ve probably had at least a dozen of those dreams! Not fun at all, but at least it always ends well after I wake up with my vintage Fender still there.

Q: Would it have made a difference if it were vintage but of another name other than Fender?
Simon: The name is not what makes a guitar special. Even its being vintage is not exactly what makes an old guitar a real treasure. A vintage Fender guitar is so much more than its name and age. Sadly, in this lifetime, a vintage Fender bass guitar from the sixties is a work of art that just can’t be reproduced.

Q: If someone gave you a million dollars in exchange for your vintage Fender, would you agree to the trade?
Simon: If you said two million, I’d probably think of having the dirt wiped off on from peg and nothing more.

Visit Itai Simon’s page or listen to his vintage Fender Precision bass by visiting Rendezvous’ official site.
Interview by Sandra Gellar