Flea's Damien Hirst Butterfly '61 Jazz Bass

[stingrayPete1977]

Lol

[mentalextra]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1337626322' post='1663085']
I got very pissed at a RHCP gig years ago, babbled drunkenly on and on at the band after the gig and tried to join the tour by attempting to get on their bus *deep shame* Under the circumstances they were very nice about it... Flea was a top geezer as I remember (insamuch as I can remember anything).
[/quote]

It could have been worse. They could have got you to audition for them?

[discreet]

[quote name='mentalextra' timestamp='1337627050' post='1663119']
It could have been worse. They could have got you to audition for them?
[/quote]

CHRIST!

[Gust0o]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1337627127' post='1663125']
CHRIST!
[/quote]

I know, It doesn't bear thinking about

[lettsguitars]

Another rhcp lp? noooooooooooooooooo

[Prunesquallor]

[quote name='mentalextra' timestamp='1337625422' post='1663066']
I always thought there was something a bit odd about Flea. I can't quite put my finger on it. You can't doubt his ability but not the sort of guy you could imagine spending a few hours propping up a bar with?
[/quote]
[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1337626223' post='1663083']
Funny how after all the hype before the tour including the magazine article and the comment about Flea telling Damien that the Jazz was the best bass ever made that on that tour he never touched one in the end! 2 Modulus basses at every gig afaik
[/quote]

Flea's said that he doesn't just see himself as a bass player, but as an entertainer. The band does have a crazy image, but surely someone who's best mates with Damien Hirst and Thom Yorke, and goes back to college to study Bach, must something interesting to say?

In the same way, I reckon he treats the stage and studio as two separate environments. He's happy to use the '61 Jazzs to record the last two albums where he's after the best sound he can get, but he's not going to throw them around on stage, which for him, is more about entertainment. He's always tended to use different basses to record than to play live to some degree.

[Conan]

[quote name='Gust0o' timestamp='1337625192' post='1663054']
I'm saving up for a Tracy Emin one. It has a tampon for a truss rod. So [i]now[/i].
[/quote]

They would go for absorbent prices...

[mentalextra]

[quote name='Prunesquallor' timestamp='1337675041' post='1663638']
Flea's said that he doesn't just see himself as a bass player, but as an entertainer. The band does have a crazy image, but surely someone who's best mates with Damien Hirst and Thom Yorke, and goes back to college to study Bach, must something interesting to say?

In the same way, I reckon he treats the stage and studio as two separate environments. He's happy to use the '61 Jazzs to record the last two albums where he's after the best sound he can get, but he's not going to throw them around on stage, which for him, is more about entertainment. He's always tended to use different basses to record than to play live to some degree.
[/quote]

Interesting, I never had him down as a "posessions" sort of guy; presumably he values the 61 jazz "above" using it on stage. I wonder if he think he's live audience are not interested in his sound/tone. Does he have a couple of classic Ferrari's in his garage! but prefers to walk or cycle everywhere!

[Prunesquallor]

I'm not sure it's so much a 'possessions' thing so much as 'I do this in the studio, but I do this live' sort of thing. I've even heard he wears his bass differently. I'm sure he does care what he sounds like live, but not as much as he does in the studio. I read an interview done after he did One Hot Minute in which he said he could've done the album using the trusty Stingray he was using a lot live at the time, but an Alembic gave a more even sound so that's what he used. He also said, though, that the Alembic wasn't as in your face as the Stingray, which is why I guess he switched to the Modulus soon after which gave him the best of both worlds.

Also, he really goes for it on stage, as you know. I heard his tech said he's never got back instruments after a set as f***ed up as the ones he gets back from Flea. I guess even Flea doesn't want to do that to a '61 Jazz, especially one given to him as a birthday present...

[stingrayPete1977]

Why not just use a newer cheaper jazz bass then?
He also did a big advertising campaign for acoustic amps which again got ditched before the tour started? I think deep down he likes a an MM derived humbucker through a Gallien Krueger amp for his live sound at least.

[Prunesquallor]

[quote name='stingrayPete1977' timestamp='1337706086' post='1664330']
I think deep down he likes a an MM derived humbucker through a Gallien Krueger amp for his live sound at least.
[/quote]

+1

[stingrayPete1977]

Fwiw I think his live sound is crap, and I'm a fan! Seen him use modulus and jazz basses live over the years and both sounded terrible with far too much fx used. Some people who have seen them over more years say he sounded best live with a real Ray but I can't comment.

[drTStingray]

He seemed to use that early shell pink Jazz bass with the STP sticker during one tour - I'm guessing he couldn't get the right sound for the music with it as he quickly reverted to the Modulus - in fact I saw them on the Jonathan Ross show in this era and the bass sounded very ordinary. The sound was nothing like the pumped up tone he normally gets live and is on a lot of the albums.

I doubt he cares too much about damaging vintage basses cosmetically - if he did he wouldn't put a sticker on a rare bass like that.

I've seen videos of him using a Musicman bass for recorded work in the last couple of years, but he has a history of using loads of different basses - Spector, Wal, Musicman, Modulus, Fender Jazz being amongst them.

[Prunesquallor]

[quote name='drTStingray' timestamp='1337726756' post='1664722']
He seemed to use that early shell pink Jazz bass with the STP sticker during one tour - I'm guessing he couldn't get the right sound for the music with it as he quickly reverted to the Modulus - in fact I saw them on the Jonathan Ross show in this era and the bass sounded very ordinary. The sound was nothing like the pumped up tone he normally gets live and is on a lot of the albums.

I doubt he cares too much about damaging vintage basses cosmetically - if he did he wouldn't put a sticker on a rare bass like that.

I've seen videos of him using a Musicman bass for recorded work in the last couple of years, but he has a history of using loads of different basses - Spector, Wal, Musicman, Modulus, Fender Jazz being amongst them.
[/quote]

Well, there are more ways of damaging a guitar than putting a sticker on it - it could even get nicked on tour... Who knows? Saying that, though, I've just read that he likes Modulus basses because of the graphite necks: they don't warp too much when going to different climates, playing indoors and then outdoors, etc. Why he keeps changing his studio instruments is anyone's guess. A search for the best sound is mine, based on the interview I read.

For the record, he's only used MM basses on four album tracks from BSSM onwards. Two of those tracks happened to be videoed.

[stingrayPete1977]

Afaik the only reason he stopped using rays all the time was because of the necks warping (that's not an mm issue just a wood neck issue) but sterling ball would not agree to making a legit carbon neck model for him, I bet they would of done it knowing what they know now. If he felt the Ray was trouble with its wheel of fortune truss rod adjuster for his tech to use imagine what an old (or new) jazz bass would be like! At the end of the day the modulus is essentially what he wanted 15 years ago, a Ray with a modulus neck

[daz]

Just in case Damian Hirst is reading this. My favorite bass is a 61 jazz [i]too[/i]

[Prunesquallor]

Just in case Flea is reading this. Why the f*** do you keep changing your basses? Some people here would like to know.

[LeftyBiskit]

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1337604016' post='1662540']
God knows where it is. It was nicked.
[/quote]
I know where it went
Settle down put the kettle on........
A few years ago there was a landlord of a town centre boozer in Bolton,
happened to be a scouser(it's relevant)
The band he used to play in often played on the same bill as the as the Beatles as he was part of the same music scene going around ,they frequently used to leave each others instruments on stage for the Band who were playing at the time as back ups.
any how after one particular gig,everyone is packing away,and in the confusion said landlord packs away McCartneys bass-he didnt realise it wasnt his,as he had the same one.
skip forwards a few years-wilf(as we'll call him)is out of the music game and decides to buy a pub,so I'm in there watchin Mrs Biskit play darts-getting bored,I start chattin to LL and eventually conversation leads round to music-casually mention that i play Bass,to which LL says I did for a time back in the 60's in l/pool.
He then says follow me i've got something of interest to show you9warily i follow him up to his private flat-he only pulls out of his wardrobe a guitar case-hofner shaped-I know what they look like I 've got a 2011 re-issue,pulls this violin bass out so I play it for a bit ,its well gigged,even the case has done the miles,as you would expect.I take a look in the case-there is a small envelope sized piece of paper-written in pencil-property of P.McCartney.
Believe me or not that is what i saw with my own eyes.
LB.

[stingrayPete1977]

Where's my pencil and paper, I might pop a "property of B Edwards" in my pre EB case

[LeftyBiskit]

tsk tsk pete.

[Chris Horton]

[quote name='yorks5stringer' timestamp='1337556778' post='1662055']
These basses are now on sale, at either £25,000 or £10,000.

[url="http://www.designboom.com/weblog/cat/8/view/17935/damien-hirst-flea-from-red-hot-chili-peppers-spun-bass-guitars.html"]http://www.designboo...ss-guitars.html[/url]


Whilst it's a worthwhile cause, I just wonder if Flea had a load of unsold stock? Apparently DH employs a load of people to paint in his style, so a DH original may not actually be done by him. I think If I bought one and found it was not done by him I'd feel a bit sheepish.....
[/quote]



I will get 2 and then i can keep one of them as a back up

[Bloc Riff Nut]

[quote name='Grand Wazoo' timestamp='1317499939' post='1391391']
I don't have a copy but I understand Bass Player magazine has a whole page on our very own basschatter star Alberto Rigoni

[url="http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=2317020839352&set=a.1406188909123.59950.1064406791&type=1&theater"]http://www.facebook.com/#!/photo.php?fbid=2317020839352&set=a.1406188909123.59950.1064406791&type=1&theater[/url]

for those of you who don't know Alberto Rigoni here is a youtube clip

[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-0P4eKBAHs"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-0P4eKBAHs[/url]
[/quote]
For me this was the intresting part of the thread. This is exellent bass, i'm gonna check Alberto Rigoni out for more...
I'm surprised there weren't more comments on the piece. Nice Butterfly Bass, but that's about it!

[Mornats]

[quote name='daz' timestamp='1337791497' post='1665551']
Just in case Damian Hirst is reading this. My favorite bass is a 61 jazz [i]too[/i]
[/quote]

Yeah, and me. I won't even mind if one of your assistants did the paint job Damian. Birthday's in September mate so plenty of time.

[quote name='Prunesquallor' timestamp='1337805960' post='1665873']
Just in case Flea is reading this. Why the f*** do you keep changing your basses? Some people here would like to know.
[/quote]

If I were Flea, or at least a famous-band bass player I'd probably do the same. Hell, if I could afford to pick and choose any bass I wanted for recording and gigging NOW I'd have a whole stack of 'em.

[Stan_da_man]

If I remember correctly, Flea (I don't know if it was to include a graphite neck or not) wanted to take the Stingray bass and rename it the Flea bass. Sterling Ball said piss off so Flea asked Modulus to come up with a Flea bass and the rest is history.

I love Flea but if true, that was pretty dumb!

[EmmettC]

[quote name='Stan_da_man' timestamp='1338238790' post='1671502']
If I remember correctly, Flea (I don't know if it was to include a graphite neck or not) wanted to take the Stingray bass and rename it the Flea bass. Sterling Ball said piss off so Flea asked Modulus to come up with a Flea bass and the rest is history.

I love Flea but if true, that was pretty dumb!
[/quote]

I like flea, and I like stingrays. I think that Stirling Ball was an idiot to let one of the most famous (I didn't say best) bass players go. Flea stopped playing Stingrays and stayed famous, and it's not Like Ernie Ball is broke, but I think Flea could have sold shed loads of Stingrays. If it was me I'd have a Stirling by Musicman Flea signature bass, as well as a Flea graphite necked Stingray, and a limited run of uber expensive Flea/Hirst ball family reserve bass.