Quote:
Originally Posted by Roy Diza
Could you enlighten us on this early piece? You guys probably recognize it as being listed currently on one of those auction sites. It's also missing a big chunk of wood in the control area, which looks to be a very involved expensive repair job. I do apologize for the tiny pics. I tried my best to have them larger to no avail:
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Looks like the first bass we made for Anthony Jackson. It seems as if it was used to smash a wall down. That was no accident. The Ebay seller claims it's an easy repair. Well, I can't see a way to repair splintered wood. It needs a new pair of body wings made so they will match. Then after all is done, the bass would have to be re-finished so the finish all matches as well. No easy repair there. You can save the neck, machines, pickups and bridge. Did I miss anything?
That bass was actually re-made 2 or 3 times. That body had semi-hollow cavities in it to reduce weight. The first body didn't. The first make of the bass had the old Circuit with the big control plate and then that was re-done with special made pots. Then, we put I believe a simple bass/treble circuit in the bass in the end. The bass was first made in 1981 and then fully completed in its unbroken state in 1982 with all the modifications. I am not sure when we put the BT circuit in it. Could have been a year later, I can't remember.
Then someone had to go and smash it. A shame. We made two basses like that. Bill Dickens got the 2nd one. We also made another Bass for Anthony a few years later with a completely different design. Some of the things requested by Anthony were against my better judgment but he insisted.
The Next 6's we made were the BT line and they have held their place in history. John Patitucci got one of the rack meaning, the one he tried was sold before he could send money and agreed in advance he would take the other bass if the first one sold before, which it did.
Musicians often have ideas of their own. Unfortunately, not all ideas are worth cutting up wood for. Anthony's 2nd bass was beautiful but I would have never made anything like it, body or head in design. He also wanted the bass to be his own one-of-a-kind that no one else would ever have.