1968 Hagstrom H-8 Bass and Oliver Powerflex with Drew Hart // SOUND CHECK

Welcome to the Retrofret garage – BASS STUDIO, Drew Hart! Drew takes a spin on our quirky 8-string Hagstrom H-8 through this totally wild Oliver Powerflex Model P-502. Some people felt the smoke machine in the last video was cheesy, so we have decided to double down.

One of the more endearing oddball electric basses of the 1960s, the Hagstrom H-8 was the only production 8-string bass of the decade (Rickenbacker made a very few on custom order) and remains one of the few of its type ever attempted as a standard catalog instrument. Essentially the bass version of a 12-string guitar, the H-8 is strung in octaves with a higher string above each bass string. The sound is similar to a bass and guitar playing in unison and creates a very rich tonal effect.

This is simply one of the coolest if more eccentric amplifiers of all time, designed by one of the great unsung amp creators of the 20th century. Jess Oliver played a major role in the success of Ampeg as primary designer of the iconic Portaflex B-15 and B-12 amplifiers, still standard recording bass amps 50+ years on. In many ways, Oliver Sound Company, Inc. is to Ampeg what MusicMan and Randall are to Fender. In 1966, a dispute over finances lead to Oliver leaving Ampeg to start his own operation. He soon teamed up with Harry Bloom, whose name appears under his on the Baby Bass patent (along with Ampeg founder Everett Hull). Oliver and Bloom started their small amplifier factory right here in Brooklyn, out of Bloom's shop at 49-01 Farragut Road.

For more about the Hagstrom: https://www.retrofret.com/product.asp...

For more on the Oliver: https://www.retrofret.com/product.asp...

Check out Drew's music here:
instagram.com/drewhartishavinganicetime
https://thenationalreserve.bandcamp.com/

Retrofret Vintage Guitars
87 Luquer Street
Brooklyn, NY 11237
(718) 237-4040
[email protected]

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