The Last Bass Outpost
Gear Discussion Forums => Gibson Basses => Topic started by: mc2NY on December 25, 2012, 01:24:36 PM
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I ran across this live shot of Todd Rundgran's Utopia from 1973, supposedly from Rockford, IL. It's Todd, plus the Sales brothers (Hunt and Tony) on bass and drums....although they seem to be wearing some sort of helmuts so you cannot see their faces. No shirts...but helmuts. Ha!
The guy who shot the pic said Fanny, the early 70s female band, opened up. Not much gear on stage for Utopia headlining. Sure was sparse back then.
Anyway....any guess on what that TBird/Firebird doubleneck is that Tony Sales is playing? Only other one I've seen is the one Julian Copeland had made.
Those Sales brothers sure got around. I met Tony a couple of times at NAMM and Frankfurt shows during his Bowie/Tin Machine days because he was a Vigier endorser, as was my guitarist, and they both did appearances for Vigier.
(http://home.earthlink.net/~mc2/images/RundgrenUtopia_Rockfrd73Web.jpg)
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Don't know what it is, but it sure has an ugly pickguard :o
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it looks like they have just finished welding the drum riser.
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(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v47/gcarlston/players/Cope_3.jpg)
These pick guards are a little better.
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I first saw the live pics of Utopia mark I on the Todd Rundgren forum and managed to get one of them to the Gibson bass site (with permission of course).
(http://www.flyguitars.com/graphics/beast02.jpg)
http://www.flyguitars.com/interviews/JulianCope4.php (http://www.flyguitars.com/interviews/JulianCope4.php)
The Utopia Mark I also had David Mason on keyboards (he later played with Joe Walsh) and Jean-Yves Labat (a.k.a M. Frog) on synthesizers, or more accurately, on "processing". He fed Todd's guitar through EMS gear and processed the sound. When Roger Powell replaced him in late 1974 he could also play the synth.:)