bnt Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 Which famous bassist sent an instrument back to the manufacturer for a checkup, in the following condition: [quote]It needed some help. The original cast bridge was cracked, and the saddle assembly rattled and was sagging. The horseshoe magnets were dead. The coil was fine, but the cobalt magnets -- stone dead. The frets needed some serious dressing and a new nut. (He has played around with a zero fret extension over the years, and the bass originally had a stock nut) . . . The finish was nothing at all. It had the patina of dirty wood and sweat. It didn't stink of armpits, but it was not sealed. ... There were plenty of hack marks and sandpaper gouges . . . The horns just appeared to have been scraped and sanded too much. The front and the back were fairly well done but all of the edges and contours were done amateurishly...[/quote] Answer: [spoiler][url="http://www.thecanteen.com/arnquist.html"]Paul McCartney's Rickenbacker[/url].[/spoiler] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 I knew that was [i]his[/i]... There's a description/picture of it in "The Bass Book", which states that the horn dug in his ribs and that he'd re-shaped it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 And then there's this.... "[i]There was a terrible fire at my barn. Everything in it was destroyed, including many basses and amps. I heard about it the same day, and drove home after that night's show. Of course I was saddened by the loss, and sifted through the remains. One charred relic of a bass caught my attention. Its blackened body was shrunk to half its size, with the pickup melted right onto the charred wood. The neck was gone - the truss rod had survived, but the heat had bent it in half. All four strings were annealed to the bridge, and stuck out at odd angles, one with a tuning peg melted onto its end. A sad sight. I took the bass to that night's show with **** ******* in New Haven - we set it up on stage next to the other basses- quite a sight. And it smelled awful. In doing that, Michele, my tech, noticed that it had no volume controls, which meant it must be the 3 string bass which Music Man had custom made for me, and which had been featured on a magazine cover only months before. They had put so much work into the bass, having to redesign the neck and pickup for only that one instrument. How could I break them the news that it was gone? I shipped them the bass, and preceded its arrival with the following fax[/i]:" Hello Sterling. I am having some trouble with the neck of my custom 3 string, and have shipped it to you to adjust. Sincerely, **** ***** [i]Days later, I received this answer:[/i] We have received your bass. Please be advised that this instrument is out of warranty. California no longer allows smoking in bars, which has substantially reduced the odor problem your bass exudes. We have otherwise checked it out and everything appears to be to factory specifications. Regards. Answers on a postcard. There's a huge clue in there, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hit&Run Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 [quote name='Lfalex v1.1' post='215568' date='Jun 9 2008, 05:31 PM']Answers on a postcard. There's a huge clue in there, though.[/quote] Levin? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 [quote name='Hit&Run' post='215571' date='Jun 9 2008, 05:49 PM']Levin?[/quote] Yeah. The custom 3-string bit kind of gives it away. I wish I could find the photo of him standing next to the burnt-out carcasses of his Trace SMX head, 1153 and 2103 Cabinets. Only an endorsee could look so relaxed about such carnage! That said, he does genuinely regret the loss of a lot of special gear in the fire. And he didn't start it himself, so it's not like he set out to wreck it all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 I have seen that photo fairly recently, I think on Talkbass. I will see if i can dig it up... ped Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul_C Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 (edited) Edited March 30, 2010 by Paul_C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ped Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 Waheyyy there it is. I was googling like a man posessed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bass_ferret Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 The 3 strings was a bit of a give away Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wotnwhy Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 yep, thats tony levin Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bnt Posted June 9, 2008 Author Share Posted June 9, 2008 I expected that TLev story might come up - he has a list of the lost gear online, [url="http://www.tonylevin.com/pbfire.htm"]here[/url]. It includes the fretless he used on Peter Gabriel's [i]Sledgehammer[/i]. There was one small consolation - it did inspire some King Crimson artwork. I'm currently looking for some Nikki Sixx / BC Rich stories... there must be a few? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lfalex v1.1 Posted June 9, 2008 Share Posted June 9, 2008 [quote name='bnt' post='215622' date='Jun 9 2008, 06:52 PM']I'm currently looking for some Nikki Sixx / BC Rich stories... there must be a few? [/quote] The only one I know of regarding Nikki Sixx was one involving a fight between him and a brick wall. No, really! He was away with the faeries (again) and punched a wall, presumably with his right hand. Had loads of steel pins put in it to hold the mess together. No more fingerstyle for you, Nikki! That's not quite the kind of [i]gear abuse [/i]we were looking for, though, is it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gust0o Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 After a few beers I once got into a fight over a game of air hockey, to much the same effect as the above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted March 30, 2010 Share Posted March 30, 2010 [quote name='Lfalex v1.1' post='215568' date='Jun 9 2008, 05:31 PM']"[i]There was a terrible fire at my barn. Everything in it was destroyed, including many basses and amps.. Of course I was saddened by the loss...[/i]"[/quote] Saddened? Understatement of the century. I'd have been distraught. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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