Grass Roots bass mixes Gibson Thunderbird with Rickenbacker 4000 series & Ibanez Iceman

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Francis writes:

Hi, I'm a fan of the Guitarz blog. With all the oddball shapes that run by you, I thought it would be cool to share some photos of this oddball bass I recently acquired. It's a Grass Roots bass from the early 90s, I think. Previous owner told me it was MIJ but I think Grass Roots moved production to Korea at some point. My facts might be off as I'm not usually an ESP fan. It has that characteristic Firebird/SG neckdive but because of its odd Rickenbacker headstock-on-Iceman/Firebird-bass cut, the butt end of it perpetually rests underneath my elbow and maintains balance but for all the wrong reasons. Any idea where this is from and when it was made? Originally white, I believe. Yellowed clear coat. Both P-bass and Jazz Bass pickups.

Thanks for those photos, Francis. I'm afraid I know nothing about this bass nor the Grass Roots brand. You mentioned ESP, and your bass does look like it could be a relation of this ESP Phoenix Firebird-like guitar that we looked at in April 2010.

If any readers know more about this bass please let us know via the comments. Thanks!

G L Wilson

© 2012, Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 10th year!

Julian Cope and The Beast

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Julian Cope is one of my all-time favourite artists and is also quite the guitar collector. One time at a gig I attended in Oxford, between songs he swapped a white Gibson SG Junior for another almost identical just because he fancied changing guitars.

Anyway, I've always wondered about his doublenecked non-reverse Firebird/Thunderbird nicknamed "The Beast" (not that I've personally seen it in action) and whether or not it was an actual Gibson or a custom build.

Earlier I stumbled upon this interview in which Cope reveals that "The guitar was made by Valdez in Los Angeles in 1971, from a 1967 non reverse Thunderbird IV and a 1968 non reverse Firebird."

Just thought I'd share that with you.

Photo: Promo shot of Julian Cope wielding the doubleneck Firebird / Thunderbird for his CORNUCOPEA festival at the South Bank Centre, April 2000.

G L Wilson

Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 9th year!

Gibson Thunderbird IV Zebra Wood bass

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You can't talk about Firebirds without mentioning its bass twin, the almighty Thunderbird! 

The Thunderbird Bass was also released in 1963, and with the same design, it seems almost more radical than the guitar, because at the time there was not so many other basses to compare with - Fender's pioneering Precision Bass was of course dominant, you had Gibson and Hofner's violin basses and Rickenbacker 4001, Fender's new J-bass and a few more models and brands... 

Thunderbird was also Gibson's first long scale bass (34" - actually, being European, I never really understood what " stands for!)

Here is a late limited release of 2007, made of zebra wood (an exotic wood from an endangered species that might have contributed to Gibson's recent trouble with law). I like the contrast between the elegant wood and the iconically rock design. Thunderbirds have pros and cons, I'm definitely pro - I play a new Epiphone Thunderbird Pro that is both versatile and with a strong personality, and I'm 100% happy with it.

bertram

Guitarz - The Original Guitar Blog - now in its 9th year!

Stiehler Guitars "Thunder-Backer" bass

guitarz.blogspot.com:

Built by luthier Bob Stiehler, the "Thunder-Backer" features a custom solid mahogany one-piece non-reverse Thunderbird-style body married to a Rickenbacker-style maple neck with ebony fingerboard and pearl inlay. It certainly makes for a very attractive looking bass.

See more at Christian Guitar Works.

Thanks to Jason Land for suggesting we include this bass here on Guitarz.

G L Wilson

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