So, what have you been listening to lately?

[slinkp]

I am shocked. They always had such practical instruments before.

https://www.guitarworld.com/gear/story-behind-zz-tops-spinning-fur-guitars

[uwe]

ZZ Top, WTF?

Very Cheap Trick'ish. Rick Nielsen will sue.

[Pilgrim]

C'mon guys, that can't be anything but a joke.

Perhaps a lampoon of the silly multistring creations which appear occasionally??  That would actually make sense.

[doombass]

Perhaps a lampoon of the silly multistring creations which appear occasionally??  That would actually make sense.

I'd say it is, I found it quite amusing.

[doombass]

I've missed this. Motörhead at the Montreaux Jazz Festival. Instantly I thought what about the usual intro: "We are Motörhead, and we play rock n' roll". Yes it came with some forewords. Also skip to 17:15. "This is a rock n' roll song.I could tell you it's a jazz song but it is'nt. it's a rock n' roll song. YOU LIKE ROCK N' ROLL, DON'T YOU? *crowd yeeaaah! Thank you, I'm glad to hear that, cause you're gonna have to sit through this and if you don't it's gonna be f***ing awful. ONE TWO THREE FOUR! And there's more, "Sing along if you like, or play the saxophone".

[Dave W]

The 17 string "bass"* was a gag purchase.

* or whatever it is. We don't know the tuning, and the bass range isn't 17  strings wide.

[slinkp]

Yeah I wondered what on earth the tuning could possibly be.
Maybe it's 17 E strings

Apparently it really is 17 strings and you can actually buy one (not available in yellow sadly)
https://www.amazon.com/SRLIWHITE-Electric-Rosewood-Fingerboard-Fretless/dp/B09TK22DQ1

My question is.... who else is buying these... and what was in the mind of the builder?

I especially like this note in the listing:

Suitable For: Home-schooling

[westen44]

The 17 string "bass"* was a gag purchase.

* or whatever it is. We don't know the tuning, and the bass range isn't 17  strings wide.

An article I read earlier today suggests that doing stuff like this may also be a way for ZZ Top to deal with their grief.  All of them know Dusty Hill would have found this amusing.  Frank Beard seems to be the one who was most helped by the stunt.  People deal with grief in their own way and it's not for outsiders to say what should or should not be done. 

[Pilgrim]

An article I read earlier today suggests that doing stuff like this may also be a way for ZZ Top to deal with their grief.  All of them know Dusty Hill would have found this amusing.  Frank Beard seems to be the one who was most helped by the stunt.  People deal with grief in their own way and it's not for outsiders to say what should or should not be done.

I wondered about that.  Seems reasonable that it was a prank and cathartic to the band.

[doombass]

I also like this line from the listing: "This instrument's neck creates an incredibly comfortable fret-hand feel that's ideal for beginning players or experienced pros alike. "

[Dave W]

I also like this line from the listing: "This instrument's neck creates an incredibly comfortable fret-hand feel that's ideal for beginning players or experienced pros alike. "

If you're an orangutan, it might be. Especially if you're an experienced pro orangutan. 

[uwe]

I only wanna know: Are four truss rods really enough?

I'm from an engineering nation, we want stuff that works.



I don't think there are enough bass notes in all of ZZ Top's aggregated musical universe to ever use this thing to its full extent. Dusty would have done fine with one of those Stig Pedersen creations.

[lowend1]

I don't think there are enough bass notes in all of ZZ Top's aggregated musical universe to ever use this thing to its full extent. Dusty would have done fine with one of those Stig Pedersen creations.

You forgot this one...

[westen44]

I wondered about that.  Seems reasonable that it was a prank and cathartic to the band.

https://www.guitarworld.com/news/jared-dines-elwood-francis-17-string

After reading this article, I think the other one I read may have been making too much of this stunt being something to lighten ZZ Top's grief.  Frank Beard seems to be the one who got the most benefit out of the levity, but that's just the way things turned out.  Of course, that's good, even if it might have been unplanned.

[Pilgrim]

Nice article!