Amateur mods on professional basses

[David McIntire]

Yeah I’m pretty tired of reverse image searching too...

Heh. I figured the one I put up would be supremely recognizable. Considering we are sharing his videos as he puts em out daily. I've known every pic I've seen here. Even without labels. I thot part of the fun was to figure em out. Stump friends. I'm havin fun.

 

[DJ Bebop]

Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead and his Big Brown/Godfather bass.

 

[Aaron Houts]

Yeah, not too shabby. Here’s another shot. That pickguard extension is the giveaway.

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Now THAT is badass!!!
I would have gone volume blend tone and had the output jack come out of the bottom/side of the bass.

 

[DJ Bebop]

Berry Oakley of The Allman Brothers Band Tractor bass

The real one and the Custom Shop reproduction "Jr."

Barry jr. with his dad's bass.

 

[darkwasthenight]

What is that against the wall next to the Blackstar amp?

It's a 'replica' La Baye 2x4 that our guitarist dropped together using a spare neck and a literal 2x4. Admittedly using the term 'replica' pretty loosely there, but it suffices as stunt guitar for a song or two.

 

[slowjam98]

Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead and his Big Brown/Godfather bass.
View attachment 3793663
View attachment 3793659

That first pic literally says “modified by Alembic.”

 

[slowjam98]

It's a 'replica' La Baye 2x4 that our guitarist dropped together using a spare neck and a literal 2x4. Admittedly using the term 'replica' pretty loosely there, but it suffices as stunt guitar for a song or two.

Nice! I’m not sure that’s too far off from the original.

 

[DJ Bebop]

My Bass

 

[DJ Bebop]

That first pic literally says “modified by Alembic.”

Still, I bet he had a hand in it.
Many of these may have had help.

 

[dspellman]

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, we cobbled up a bass for our bass player (who insisted he was a keyboard player whose mind we exchanged for that of a sheep and thus he became a bass player) from pieces of a precision and a jazz bass, with a Gibson EB-style pickup added. We did so under the phone tutelage of a guy named Tim Bogert, who did nasty things to his basses as well. The resultant bass toured for a couple decades until it was retired by the bass player's wife.

 

[GypsyBilly]

It's a 'replica' La Baye 2x4 that our guitarist dropped together using a spare neck and a literal 2x4. Admittedly using the term 'replica' pretty loosely there, but it suffices as stunt guitar for a song or two.

I'd say that looks more like a 2 x 6 than a 2 x 4. Whatever it is, I'm sure it's a tone wood two-by. LOL

 

[Pdaddy1978]

Let’s see pics of amateur mods and customization on professional bassists basses. Could be “upgraded” electronics or simply a cosmetic reshaping.

I’ll start with this beauty—Dennis Dunaway’s Airline Bass.

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Currently on display at the temporarily closed Musical Instrument Museum in Scottsdale, AZ.

How cool is that?!
Ive seen alot of pics of Dennis playing that bass, but never seen it that close up.
Pretty sure he was still using it in the very earliest incarnation of Alice because I've seen pics of him playing it in the Sunset strip clubs. They were so broke they couldn't afford food, much less fancy gear.
Dennis was famous for "modding" all his basses.
The Airline, The Eb0, and his Jazz.