SAMBA – latino name, with northern roots and slavic spirit
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Defil Samba restored by W. Kardaś
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During 1962 and 1963 in Szczecin one of the most important live shows series for Polish pop music has happened. FESTIVAL OF YOUNG TALENTS. Czesław Niemen, Maryla Rodowicz, Kasia Sobczyk, Karin Stanek, Helena Majdaniec, Niebiesko-Czarni, Wojciech Gąssowski, Krzysztof Klenczon, Chochoły, Mira Kubasińska, Tadeusz Nalepa, Zdzisława Sośnicka or Halina Frąckowiak – those are the people (or bands) who attended the festival, and are still present in many memories.
Those live shows had created a new subculture in Poland. Young artist had pulled many young people into their world of music, and this machine couldn't have been stopped. In every school, nearby every workplace big-beat bands started to spread like mushrooms after the rain.
Bydgoszcz was one of those cities. Nearby the Factory of Accordions a band called TEMPERAMENTY had started to play. I had an occasion to talk with one of their musicians Jerzy Pulcyn. Those are his memories:
"... during the 64/65 the guitars came into the Factory of Accordions. Hagstrom Kent and Fender Jazz Bass plus Fender Bassman amp – everything up to check out the western musical instruments. Of course we (Temperamenty) as a band attending near factory, had got a chance to play those instruments. We played with 3 guitars plus microphone plugged into one Fender Bassman –quite interesting experience. For us those were the days, probably we were the only band in Poland holding such gear. Unforgettable semi-final WFMN in Koszalin, where we put amps Fender Showman (property of Pięciolinie) and our Bassman on stage. Press comment in Panorama Północy; while Temperamenty set on stage ... wall of sound had appeared. Those were the times ... "
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Hagstrom KENT PB-24-G
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"... for us KENT was the best from those guitars ... and thats how famous SAMBA and LOTOS bass had been born. We haven't been that brave to copy the Fender ..."
In 1965 a "review" of the mentioned guitar was made, and so the plans, that was sent to the DEFIL – it was responsible to produce wooden parts. Official production had begin in 1966. Made in DEFIL bodies and necks travelled to Factory of Accordions to be set with other parts. Like J. Pulcyn says:
"... later we played SAMBA and LOTOS only, to promote it ..."
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Of course it wasn't a clear copy of an instrument, but there are still many familiar signs. Surely it's body and headstock shape, pickups design and specification, bridge and of course tremolo system, that was set only with this guitar. Alongside with this guitar a bass guitar LOTOS was created.
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"Tremar" Hagstrom KENT PB-24-G
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Tremolo SAMBA
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headstock Hagstrom KENT
PB-24-G
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headstock SAMBA fot. P.Chudzik ©
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In 1969 CPM (Centrala Przemysłu Muzycznego – Main Management of Musical Industry) had decided to end the production of SAMBA and LOTOS in Bydgoszcz (BFA – Factory of Accordions Bydgoszcz), so that DEFIL had became the only working factory producing those models. There wasn't anything wrong about it, because since 1968 DEFIL produced paralelly SAMBA and LOTOS with BFA. Guitars were produced till 1974, when SAMBA was successed by JOLA2 .
Specifications
- Scale length – 628 mm (approx. 24.72")
- Fretboard radius - 220 mm
- 2 x Single coil pickups
- 1 x Volume control
- 2 x pickup on/off switches, 2 x Tone switches
Special thanks:
Szymon – for the translation
LUNA & AMPLI groups – to find out the true stories
Jerzy Pulcyn – for a nice conversation
Jurek for his knowledge
