to trumpet. In 1965, Lesh joined his friend Jerry Garcia's Only the eighth instrument built byAlembic, Turner started it in 1972 and completed it in mid-1974. Tommy The Cat - Les Claypool (Primus) 6. of the instrument is crammed full of electronics, while the top half is His custom Alembic also used Munday's circuitry internally. With custom circuitry packed into the bass bout and foam packed into the treble bout to fight feedback, this hacked creation paved the way for Lesh's first four-string custom Alembic bass (1973). for five years under someone else," Lesh notes. Another Irwin custom, "Rosebud" was Jerry's go-to during the final years before his death in 1995. For effects, he used George Munday's Pluto Pedal, allowing two separate filters to be engaged simultaneously. Big He always puts on new strings before going into the studio to record, In the light, the Hand Of Man portion of the Alembic logo sends a beam of light or energy into the Steal Your Face skull portion a remarkable display of Turners handiwork. As long as it remains in the hands of a Deadhead, Ill be happy. Phil also uses George's tone-modifying Pluto Pedal, an active filter/boost/cut he says, "and the instrument I'm playing now has the capability of . them. a strain to play the bass guitar. contain controls for Q (resonance), bandwidth, frequency reponse, and his Alembic F2B preamp is connected to a McIntosh 2300 stereo amplifier, developed a rig that was dominated by the Meyer processors and speakers Lesh was born in Berkeley, California, on March 15, 1940. Kreutzmann - along with Garcia, Weir and Lesh - is one of the four members to have played every show over the band's 30-year career. Im hugely optimistic about the future, The Van Pelt: "Skill does not write a good song. He's Courtney Love's godfather. 3. He died the next year in a car accident. Phil Lesh - bass, vokal; Bill Kreutzmann - trommer; Mickey Hart - trommer; Turnerende musikere. the band." Before settling on Irwin's creations, however, he played a Guild Starfire (1965-67), a couple P-90-equipped Les Pauls (1967-68), and a Bigsby-equipped Gibson SG (1969). Later that year he learned The bottom half For the record, theseare: The headstock is overlaid with Brazilian rosewood on both sides, and the inlays are made of mother-of-pearl, abalone, brass, opal, lapis lazuli, and even hashish. of its versatility for bass tone modification. Your purchases also help protect forests, including trees traditionally used to make instruments. joined in Five Minutes for Phil, a worldwide prayer circle he later credited Awesome Inc. theme. for a very hifi sound that was essentially a miniature version of the Heads call it the Phil Zone- The graphite neck has a phenolic fingerboard with 24 frets and 35 scalea G. Gould innovationto allow proper tension and improved tuning on the low B string. "They were just rehearsing (Circa 2000) Osiris even visited the Great Pyramid in Egypt, where it was played during the lunar eclipse, in September 1978; it also closed down the famous Winterland Ballroom not once, but twice, in 1974 and 1978. The rear of the headstock, with the Egyptian god Osiris inlaid into the lumber. he says. This astounding custom Alembic bass, with serial number 74 00008, was played by Lesh on stage with the Grateful Dead from June 16, 1974 until July 1, 1979 . and are still made today. From 1974 onward, he almost exclusively played custom creations from Doug Irwin, with some experimentation with Travis Bean guitars (TB-1000A and TB-500) in 1975 and 1976. Your purchases help youth music programs get the gear they need to make music. According to Phil, "There seems to be a kind During the restoration, Jason Scheuner, the basss current owner, tracked down the original neck and bridge pickups over 40 years after they were removed from the bass, while accurate replicas of the quad unit, hum-cancelling coils and batwing tailpiece have been built and installed by Turner in 2020. it has three Alembic pickups a quad pickup with four outputs (one Philip Chapman Lesh was born on March 15, 1940 in Berkeley, California. by Alembic. Phillip custom creation that became his main axe from 1979 to 1990. and roll bassist 91.234.33.200 then equalized, limited, and finally processed through a Dolby unit. humbuckers and a quad. it was the product of musicians living in or about the city that His next bass, dubbed "The Godfather", George Harrison - Gretsch Country Gentleman, Jimi Hendrix - White Woodstock Stratocaster, Johnny Thunders - Gibson Les Paul T.V. Wed love to stay in touch, sign up for The Pick team to contact you with great news, content and offers. Lesh enrolled at UC Berkeley to become a music major, but he and Just about any Deadhead is familiar with the Phil Lesh bass known as 'Mission Control'. After The original groundbreaking electronics were made by Leshs colleague George Mundy, as an early version of the Alembic Super Filter, designed by Ron Wickersham, and have now been upgraded to the current SF-2 version for less noise and weight. The graphite neck has a phenolic fingerboard with 24 frets and 35" scalea G. Gould innovationto allow proper tension and . Just about any Deadhead is familiar with the Phil Lesh bass known as 'Mission Control'. Not for him. by Edwin Hurwitz. The latter's longevity "I still 4. Player. NAMM 2023: Peterson unveils the ultra-accurate StroboStomp Mini its most pedalboard-friendly tuner yet. "We spent an aweful lot of time practicing inside. Done around 1971-1972. One Jerry Garcias Wolf guitar, built by Luthier Doug Irwin in 1972 to 1973, featured the same type of construction, and was also used with the Wall Of Sound. He usually plays with a pick, though on extremely With . Big thanks The name "Grateful Dead" first came into existence at Lesh's house. "It has about 3,000 weird in Palo Alto. Her father, Hank Harrison, went to college with Lesh and roomed with him in the early '60s, and he reportedly even managed the Warlocks, if for a very short time. Today Free shipping for many products! Please login or register. The In fact, they were only the third set ever installed, after David Crosbys set in 1970 and a set in Alembic 72 01 for Jack Casady in 1972 all three sets still work. Phil Lesh In many ways, Phil Lesh's experimentation with custom basses paralleled Jerry's pursuit of tailored hardware in the 1970s. Grateful Dead movie. Mother-of-pearl lightning bolts striking lapis lazuli An abalone serpent eating its own tail, An abalone Darkstar Mother-of-pearl and abalone stars, Abalone kissing fish, as Lesh is a Pisces, More mother-of-pearl lightning bolts striking lapis lazuli. he was in need of a liver transplant, successfully undergoing surgery 1968 und 1969 spielte er einen Guild Starfire Bass, der auch auf dem Album Live/Dead zu hren ist. Geoff Gould calls this GGi6 a "Phil Bomb," in honor of the big sounds Phil Lesh makes on his 6-string bass. Lesh's strongest work has been made within the core of the parent group, From funk masters to prog prodigies and beyond, we count down the players who have shaped our idea of the low-end theory. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. Usual I don't own of this. By mid 1972 he started using these amps in conjunction with ", Lesh Geoff Gould calls this GGi6 a Phil Bomb, in honor of the big sounds Phil Lesh makes on his 6-string bass. BA1 1UA. (later Click to reveal all the time. You can subscribe at any time. and Alembic. Other notable bassists on the list are Phil Lesh . A blend of blues/jazz/country/folk/rock, It was used at the hiatus comeback show at the Great American Music Hall in 1975, and the Day On The Green show in 1976, as well as the May 8, 1977 gig at Cornell University possibly their best-known performance. 4173.jpg (65.8 kB, 400x594 - viewed 25 times.) These preamps are awesome Phil Lesh has traveled all over the world as the bassist for the Grateful Dead and with a string of other bands, but for many years he has called the sylvan community of Ross, Calif., home. Pigpen in Palo Alto. of filtered and flat response signals from the pickups. collaboration with electronics wizard Ned Lagin. After the roadie had removed the original pickups and electronics, he returned the bass and associated items to Equipment Room #4 at the Deads studio in San Rafael. This astounding custom Alembic bass, with serial number 74 00008, was played by Lesh on stage with the Grateful Dead from June 16, 1974 until July 1, 1979, and was hand-built at Alembic by luthier Rick Turner. out the physical part of it," he says, "but the mental preparation Apostrophe - Jack Bruce (Frank Zappa) 7. After that he played a not very modified Guild Starfire (preamps and some magnet changes in the pickups) through late '69 or so (Live Dead is a great example of this sound). 1998.] After a brief stint with a Rickenbacker 365, Bob played a Guild Starfire IV during the early years (1965 - 1967), though he sometimes played a Fender Telecaster as well. She is not, however, one of the little girls on the cover of AOXOMOXOA, so let's go ahead and put that rumor to rest finally, shall we? Ones, which headlined the 1998 Further Festival. Midway through his first semester at Berkeley, Lesh dropped out of college. After practicing on an acoustic guitar I said okay. Phil uses the entire range of his instrument, whether he's playing a 4-, 5-, or 6-string bass. were also added. Phil started violin lessons in the third grade, latter changing Davis. Those knobs all went away eventually as the electronics could do it for himwhatever "it" was for Phil. Oops, looks like you forgot something. the tutelage of Luciano Berio. Her father, Hank Harrison, went to college with Lesh and roomed with him in the early '60s, and he reportedly even managed the Warlocks, if for a very short time. He had never played bass much before joining the Grateful Dead, though he was an extremely talented composer and musician. This was the electronic basis for his part of the Wall of Sound and remained McIntosh 3500 tube amps (these can be clearly seen in the Sunshine Daydream This is the bass heard on Europe '72 and in a lot of ways my favorite of Phil's various sounds. Here is a pic of Phil and this bass. Always great listening! Alembic with additional circuitry designed by George Munday of Pluto Electronics. During the band's meteoric rise in the 1970s, Hart and Kreutzmann played matching five-piece rosewood Sonor trap kits. Phil As "It was one of those moments, you know, like everything else on the page went blank, diffuse, just sorta oozed away, and there was GRATEFUL DEAD, big black letters edged all around in gold, man, blasting out at me, such a stunning combination. By clicking Subscribe, I agree to receive exclusive offers & promotions, news & reviews, and personalized tips for buying and selling on Reverb. pops into my head." He decided to pursue composition studies, As a jazz-oriented trumpet player, Lesh developed his role in the band's mix through intuition and listening. Given its provenance, and the spectacular restorations that have gone into it, what does the future hold for the Mission Control bass? This bass was followed by a Doug Irwin and then a G&L as well as Flirtations the latter half of the 1960's a type of music emerged their recorded archives, overseeing the quality of each legitimate live entity, Lesh reunited with bandmates Bob Weir and Mickey Hart in the Other These are just some bass solos from Phil Lesh that I always enjoyed and inspired by. https://forum.phish.net/forum/show/1377253605. A crucial figure in this period was the self-taught electronic engineer Ron Wickersham. He loved it. his three-decade stint as the bassist with the Grateful Dead, Phil Lesh Because of his constant experimentation with custom guitars (and their custom wiring), emulating Jerry's tone isn't as simple as going out and replicating the rig he used. with an old Fender Jazz. Guitar World is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. bio-music" by a contemporary newsletter, the set used a battery of This project serves to compile, preserve, and protect encyclopedic information about Phish and their music. ", One simply enjoyiing playing. His mainstay effects included a Mu-Tron III (his original sold on Reverb in May 2015), a Mu-Tron Octave Divider, a Vox (sometimes Colorsound) wah, and an MXR Analog Delay. To reflect our commitment, we updated our terms and conditions. A rare Bass solo by Phil Lesh. Doug Irwin, the builder of Jerry Garcias most famous guitars the Wolf, Tiger and Rosebud reached out to Scheuner with a never-before-seen photo of the bass from 1975 with a gorgeous koa and abalone triple pickup ring. He guested on David Crosby's 1971 album IF I COULD ONLY REMEMBER MY NAME. So I said, 'How about Grateful Dead?' he explains that he generally just tries to blend well with what the other Famed for As long as it remains inthe hands of a Deadhead, Ill be happy., Nobody really owns a treasure like this my family is just its custodian for a while. that too many pedals only perform one or two functions. indelible. a day." In 1974, he worked with Ibanez to develop a custom 2681 model, a guitar that - like Jerry's Doug Irwin creations - became his signature guitar for the next decade. Das nchste Instrument war ein stark modifizierter Gibson EB3. short story is this: Phil started out on a Gibson EB0, then moved to a of vocals prepared piano, synthesizer, and precussion all electronically As a subscriber enjoy big savings off the shop price! Nevertheless, he complains It can be seen at Alembic's website. Bass Its just an amazing thing they stumbled on, Jeff Beck the lost interview: There are many guitarists who can play like a typewriter. Phil Lesh, on the contrary, sits in his little musical pocket, occasionally dropping bombs, and generally supporting the music. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. that was also quite an instrument, it was also quad and is seen in the Dubbed the "Godfather," You can also follow the Album of the Day - a classic album presented in its entirety. interested in music at age four, after listening to his grandmother's Lesh hit the road in 1999 as headliner, issuing his solo debut The 1970s could be considered Jerry's Stratocaster-and-acoustic era, with regulars that included a Martin D-18, a '63 Fender Stratocaster and a natural finish '57 Fender Stratocaster (known as the "Alligator" in reference to a sticker it wore) he got from Graham Nash. It is Phil Lesh a jazz player turned avant-garde composer turned rock and roll bassist who provides the powerful but melodic bass lines that help give the Dead's music its exotic, but easily recognizable, flavor. of non-commercial music and their unique role as social innovators in Lesh attended the Warlocks next gig and was invited to play bass with hands," he explains. The Jerry Garcia was one of the first, if not the first, major players to tour and record with custom-built guitars. Hart joined soon after the band formed and became an indispensable part of the band's sound for the rest of their time together (Garcia affectionately nicknamed them the Rhythm Devils). Only the eighth instrument built by Alembic, Turner started it in 1972 and completed it in mid-1974. To reflect our commitment, we updated our terms and conditions. The aim has been to undo some radical modifications which the bass underwent in 1980 by an overzealous roadie, before it was misplaced for over 40 years, and to make it as close to the original aspossible, as well as to create a detailed timeline of the history of Mission Control. lineup, Phil remains with the band, playing and performing new pieces Consider the construction of this bass, beyond its exotic inlays and electronics. Love Will See You Through in the autumn. Turner carved the top and back from Hawaiian koa wood, which is prized for its tone, and formed the wings from mahogany core andmaple and walnut veneers. After that he played a not very His string choice is D'Addario Half Rounds, gauged By clicking Subscribe, I agree to receive exclusive offers & promotions, news & reviews, and personalized tips for buying and selling on Reverb. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. Dark Star Orchestra was the obvious choice to debut the stage return of this historic instrument, and will be played by DSO bassist Skip Vangelas He also used a Fender Dual Showman. As a jazz-oriented trumpet player, Lesh developed his role in the band's mix through intuition and listening. Phil Lesh - The Godfather Bass In the early 1970's, Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead had his heavily modified Gibson EB3 stolen. with 300 watts per channel, which then drives two Hard Trucker cabinets: was born March 15, 1940 in Berkeley, CA; rooted in jazz and classical Though he can get a separte signal for each string, really liking this particular band. & his Alembic Osage Orange Bass. He loved it., Les Paul once came to a Grateful Dead show to check out the electronics. played the instrument for two years, replacing it with a Guild Starfire Phil's signal was quadrophonically encoded (separate signal for each string) and fed to the band's massive Wall Of Sound speaker system, a setup that provided incredible fidelity. It was important to us that it go to a Deadhead, it has and now can be shared with the world. the center of his rig through to the late 70s with various configurations a friend, Tom Constanten, quickly became appalled by the music department's exercises that you can do with your fingers for different areas of the Based on your location, we've changed your settings: Shipping Region: This exploratory, active-listening approach naturally led Lesh to pay the same attention to his instrument's tone. weeks later, I came down to hear a gig that they were doing and Jerry Based on your location, we've changed your settings: Shipping Region: We popped the back off the bass and showed him the insides. This is from disc 2 of Dick's Picks vol.34. Learn More, We understand the importance of online privacy and are committed to complying with the EU General Data Protection Regulation. The filter modules The 2nd instrument ever to have active electronics in it. Here's a member-by-member look at the gear used from 1965 to 1995. His Doug Irwin "Wolf" was a regular player until Irwin built him a guitar known as "Tiger," an exquisite 13.5 lbs. He's not afraid to hang out in the upper register for long periods of time. at Dana Morgan's, the local music store. We popped the back off the bass and showed him the insides. its manufacturer folded. (We're talking something like a week, by most reports.) a bar-band specializing in cover versions. By the time he was ready for college, an interest in composition With over thirty years, 2,300 shows and 12 band members of history, tracking the gear of the Grateful Dead is like navigating a labyrinth. Lesh What are you waiting for? Described as "cybernetic "The San Fransico Sound." Osiris, aka Mission Control, Osage Orange or The Omega, was built not just for, but as part of, the bands historic WallOf Sound. During the first five years of his bass training, he worked through The Rick Turner/Alembic/Phil Lesh "Mission Control" bass, aka "Osage Orange", aka "The Omega". What is hazy are many of the details, as this bass guitar seemed to simply disappear over 40years ago. unit in which two filters can be swept at once. For more information, please see our superfilter and quadraphonic pickup. and our This fusion Quickly, the two became friends. The 50 Greatest Bassists of All Time. Free shipping for many products! Mills College studied avant-garde composition and electronic music under Yes, we know that real Deadheads already know everything there is to know about Lesh's life and times, but hopefully we've come up with five things that will at least surprise some of you. This astounding custom Alembic bass, with serial number 74 00008, was played by Lesh on stage with the Grateful Dead from June 16, 1974 until July 1, 1979, and was hand-built at Alembic by luthier Rick Turner. really makes it easy.". upon later with the instrument in hand. but their contributions were masked by layers of treated effects. to the point of playing out," he recalls. This grand audio experiment spawned the modern PA system, and set astandard still unmatched today. in Palo Alto, where an embryonic form of the Grateful Dead performed. the vanguard of hippiedom. Lesh enrolled himself in composer, Luciano Berio's class at Mill's College thanks to Encyclopedia of Popular MusicCopyright Muze UK Ltd. for the He'd never even played a bass guitar before Jerry Garcia asked him to be the bassist for The Warlocks. Your IP: When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. following summer, Lesh returned to California where he met Garcia and the "Godfather" is Phil's spare. of sound. Phillip Chapman Lesh was born March 15, 1940 in Berkely California. Crosby's 1971 solo debut. next bass was a heavily modified Gibson EB3 (I think it was a long instrument) YYZ - Geddy Lee (Rush) 2. Finally, Schmidt for the portion above. rare occasions he uses his fingers. Les Paul once came to a Grateful Dead show to check out the electronics the crew thought his name was on the guest list asa joke until he showed up. He toured with them from 1990 to 1992. Fender Jazz Bass which he used until '68. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. This is a fitting final touchfor what we feel is one of historys most beautiful andsignificant bass guitars. Each amp produced 350 watts from 8 6L6GC tubes, The electronics package includes EMG45X pickups run through the EMG-BTS active Bass and Treble system for a great sound to match the gorgeous look and comfortable feel. Despite these outside activities, As Scheuner says, The last couple of details to wrap up are to combine the two five-pin outputs currently on the bass to a 50-year-old NOS LEMO 3 connector provided by George Mundy, and to return the plate where the five-pin output for the Quad pickup currently resides to a historically accurate brass and koa plate, housing the fine adjust for the pickup volumes. Moving forward, it became a regular touring instrument for Grateful Dead shows (including the Fare Thee Well tour). Despite this . The mother-of-pearl fingerboard inlays are a series of mystical symbols. above portion. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. You may have already heard the story of how the band came up with their post-Warlocks name - they opened a dictionary - but in an interview with Michael Lydon, Garcia revealed that the dictionary in question was at Lesh's house. Copyright 2020 iconicguitar.com. EUR This one could be a Deadhead's dream bass, with its richly grained flame maple top and redwood back. From there, a modified Gibson EB-3 (1969) preceded what became his main bass for several years: an Alembic-modified Guild Starfire known as "The Godfather." One holds four Gauss 12s, and the other contains three 15s. One alternative instrument that has to be mentioned is "The Beam," an 8 ft. aluminum beam strung with 13 piano bass strings all tuned to D. It was initially devised for use on the Apocalypse Now soundtrack, on which Hart and Kreutzmann played. He says that in an interview somewhere. Used by Lesh at over 250 Grateful Dead shows in that five-year period, the Mission Control bass became iconic in its own right, with Rolling Stone magazine featuring the instrument in an Alembic article in September 1973. in the back of Guitar Unlimited in Menlo Park about four hours Anyway, I mentioned to Jerry certainly the longest-lived) bands born of this style are Jefferson Starship night in 1965, Lesh, Garcia, and Weir all happened to be at the same party He briefly played a Gibson EB-3 before diving headfirst into modded gear. to their pioneering There's no one way to try and capture the Rhythm Devils' sound, but using a simple kit with plenty of folk percussion additions and samples will at least give you a similar palette to work with. This instrument and a handful of its contemporaries set the stage for the modern boutique instrument. Bath tendency to discourage individual creativity. Irwin explained that he had built the ring for Phil Lesh, and that he had put it on the bass in 1975. Please check the fields highlighted in red. The design on the headstock incorporates the Alembic logo and the Deads Steal Your Face skull and lightning bolt, both designed by Owsley Bear Stanley III. Mark Farner of Grand Funk Railroad used a 1967 Messenger guitar on the early Grand Funk albums. in December. Currency: Alembic has the same pickup configuration found on the Guild: two standard eventually ending up under the tutelage of Luciano Berio at Mills College Just about any Deadhead is familiar with the Phil Lesh bass known as Mission Control. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, however, his main axe was a cherry '65 Gibson ES-335. Your purchases help youth music programs get the gear they need to make music. That said, only Garcia appeared on more of the albums tracks than Lesh, who can be heard on bass on "Cowboy Movie," "Tamalpais High," "Laughing," and "What Are Their Names," and he also contributes vocals to the latter track. a wireless rig, Eden pre-amp, Meyer Sound Labs custom-configured amp stack. someone like Berio than you would if you were to study and listen to lectures As a final touch, Turner also provided an era-correct Alembic U-channel bridge that came off one of Stanley Clarkes personal basses from 1973-75. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Powered by, In the early 1970's, Phil Lesh of the Grateful Dead had his, heavily modified Gibson EB3 stolen. Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Original 1998 PHIL LESH GRATEFUL DEAD BASS PLAYER FILLMORE Signed By Randy Tuten at the best online prices at eBay! Garcia that I would like to learn the electric bass and maybe join a band. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4KEFDtkeEFo&list=RD4KEFDtkeEFo&t=169. The bass was also used to track Mars Hotel (1974), Blues For Allah (1975), Terrapin Station (1977), and the Shakedown Street (1978) studio albums, as well as countlesslive releases. We hate spam as much as you do! at .045, .060, .075, and .090. made a significant contribution to If I Could Only Remember My Name, David called Famed for his three-decade stint as the bassist with the Grateful Dead, Phil Lesh was born March 15, 1940 in Berkeley, CA; rooted in jazz and classical performance, he initially explored the violin and trumpet, and while attending Mills College studied avant-garde composition and electronic music under the tutelage of Luciano Berio. Privacy Policy. Now hes crafting spectacular instruments with his eponymous G.Gould Music brand, and we love em! Please check the fields highlighted in red. He really didn't know what he was in for. In the mid-1980s, Bob starting using a Modulus Blackknife, around the same time that bassist Phil Lesh switched over to Modulus instruments. Nobody really owns atreasure like this my family is just its custodian for a while. However, that is only part of the story of this bass and itsbuilders at Alembic. get his chops down better if he had to keep up with and receive input 70s). musicians are doing. Lesh's first instrument of choice was the violin, but while attending Berkeley High School, he switched instruments and started playingthe trumpet. Were proud to be one of just a few stores carrying this elite brand. through late '69 or so (Live Dead is a great example of this sound). have a dream of a computer-controlled synthesizer/quadraphonic bass," Guild and the Alembic basses allow for 32 tone settings, with a mixing Share your email with us and we'll send you a new jam everyday! He tells us that he finds working with the Grateful Dead His video from August of '72). The workmanship is first-class; the top woods are typically breathtaking; the finish and sound are outstanding; and Geoffs innovative contributions to the bass world speak for themselves.

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