What type of bass is this, anybody got a clue?

[OldManC]

Wow, I never thought of balsa as a particularly fine tonewood... 

[Chris P.]

Wait!

Billy F. Gibbons states it are Bolin guitars, but that other book or magazine say they're Gibsons? Could there be a pair of Bolin's and Gibsons? I'm sure BFG knows what he says and the ones in the book are certainly not Gibsons. No logo, strange red pick ups, ...

About them boing hollow or not: The pics in the BFG-book shows real diamond holes but with something silver behind it. Like it's stuffed with foil or something.

@ Saf: 102/3 is great but I like the Cadzzila even better. And I just love the Gretsch Billy Bo Jupiter Thunderbird Bass. The name's already perfecttly long:)

[Dave W]

Myabe BFG is talking about a different pair. I don't think an article about the Gibson Custom Shop would just make up specific information like that.

[Basvarken]

Bill Gibbons likes to raise confusion. You never know what he makes up or when he's serious.

[uwe]

Whew, that thread developed nicely, thanks for everyone's input! I just have two questions:

1. Why did no one of you guys dig this up before?

2. Anybody got Dusty Hill's home number? I wanna buy a bass off him.

And balsa ain't no bad tone wood at all: My Yamaha RBX4 A2 A.I.R. (Alternative Internal Resonance) is made of balsa laminated by some harder wood. The sound? Warm and blurry, yet retaining a certain airiness. Great sound for an unplugged session where most piezo equipped acoustic basses would sound harsher. What it doesn't have is ball-shaking sublows like you would have from a, say, maple solid body , I always notice that when playing the Yamaha in a rehearsal space with a loud drummer, it then doesn't have quite the authority of other basses. Yamaha should offer a fretless version of it, that would sound perfect.

Uwe

[Chris P.]

Dusty Hill: 555 - 7492745

[Chris P.]

BTW: We ALL knew about these basses, but we decided not tell you for several reasons.

[uwe]

While I am typing, we have decided to retaliate in tried and trusted fashion. Paratroopers taking off. We'll abduct your Queen first (no getting away to England this time, her German husband can arrest her for us!), if I'm in a gentle mood she can be my Reinemachefrau and dust of ze kölleckshün with ostrich feathers.



Darn, Rachel Ward was hot.

[Basvarken]

her German husband can arrest her for us!

he died in 2002... 

[Barklessdog]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AN0t5Dx294c&feature=related

[TBird1958]

Klink! Ve are zending you to ze Russian front!

General Burkhalter let me assure you.........................

Love that show 

[uwe]

he died in 2002... 

Small logistic issues like that have never held us back.

[Blazer]

Small logistic issues like that have never held us back.

Nope, that was never the problem here... 

[gearHed289]

Strange... I got a facebook message from Mat Klein the other day (oddly shows up on my phone, but not online) about these instruments. Pretty much confirms what's already been said - He made the white ones. The green ones were copied and made by Bolin. Klein has worked at Gibson since '86 and apparently still does.

[Dave W]

Strange... I got a facebook message from Mat Klein the other day (oddly shows up on my phone, but not online) about these instruments. Pretty much confirms what's already been said - He made the white ones. The green ones were copied and made by Bolin. Klein has worked at Gibson since '86 and apparently still does.

If he's still there, then Uwe ought to be able to get one made. At least it doesn't have an Indian rosewood board.