1962 Airline Pocket Bass Sunburst w/OSHC

1962 Airline Pocket Bass Sunburst w/OSHC

Up for sale, is a 1962 Airline Pocket Bass, built by Valco in Chicago and sold under the Airline brand through the Montgomery Ward catalog, right in the middle of that great mid century run of Chicago instrument makers, Valco, Kay, and Harmony among them, built some of the most distinctive and now highly sought after American instruments of the era, even though most of them were sold as affordable, mail order gear rather than premium instruments at the time.

The Pocket Bass has become a real favorite for session and studio players because of that history, a small double cutaway poplar body, a genuinely short scale right around 25 3/4 inches, and a rosewood fingerboard combine to give it an outsized, punchy, and slightly woody low end that is completely its own thing rather than a Fender or Hofner clone.

This example is in excellent condition considering its age. It has the right amount of patina, discoloration and player you can expect (see the back of the neck). The whole instrument appears to be all Original and comes with its original hard case. It carries its single pickup neck pickup feeding into simple volume and blend controls, giving it real tonal range from full and round to woody and percussive, and it has that massive, outsized tone these basses are known for despite the compact scale and body.

It ships out professionally packed and fully insured to Continental US and select international destinations.