"Modified" basses of well known bassplayers

[Blazer]

In a reply to the current thread about modified Gibson basses in the Gibson forum, let's talk about the kind of modifications that would make you look away in disgust if it were the work of an amateur but instead they were performed by famous owners...

I'll start off with the Teisco bass which Krist Novoselic used in the "Smells like teen spirit" video and where it was smashed by Kurt Cobain. The remains of this bass still survive and are on display at the Hard Rock cafe.


Billy Sheehan isn't the kind of guy that shies away from using a router and a soldering iron. And his best known basses reflect his conquest for tone.

[Dave W]

Mel Schacher's Jazz Bass with a Gibson mudbucker added at the neck.

[Barklessdog]

Of coarse the Tractor bass of Berry Oakley

[Chris P.]

The Entwistle and Mike Watt basses are already discusses at Gibson's.

I'll try to find some pics of Mani (Stone Roses) with his Pollock style (by John Squire) painted 4005 and the same Mani (but now Primal Scream) with a Bartolini loaded Ricky 3000.

[ilan]

Some famous modified Rics:

McCartney's 4001S, stripped and sanded down (against the grain) to bare wood, then the "cresting wave" in the horns rounded out, and a zero fret added.

Chris Squire's '64 1999RM - according to Squire the body was shaved thinner before it was refinished in cream white. Some pics, however, suggest that the bass is not thinner than a standard Ric bass. It was also wired in stereo.

Roger Glover's '72 Jetglo 4001, was all original for the Machine Head recording sessions, then the neck toaster was replaced with two slanted Fender J pickups.

Renaissance's Jon Camp's modified Ric 4001 "Great White".

Cliff Burton's 4001 with the Gibson mudbucker and Fender J pickups.

Mike Rutherford's double neck Ric... a bass and a 12-string cut and glued together.

[Freuds_Cat]

Mel Schacher's Jazz Bass with a Gibson mudbucker added at the neck.

Man I always wondered how he got that sound!  Thanks Dave. 
I'm a big fan of his playing and sound and I could never understand how he got a deeper bottom end than what I know standard Fender pickups will give but it always looked like he just played normal Jazz and P basses in the often grainy pics that I've seen.

Found this:

Then



and now



I know that he played through WEST amplifiers (Flint Michigan) but I'm not sure when this changed.

[Dave W]

Vintage Guitar magazine had an interview with Mel where he discussed his equipment, it's been well over 5 years ago and it's not online but it's somewhere in my old issues stacks, I'll try to dig it out. I do remember him saying the first thing he did when he got the J was to take out his router. 

[Freuds_Cat]

Well Stig Pedersen from  D A D   (Disneyland After Dark), is not a particularly world famous bassist but these pics are definitely worthy.