Celebrity Gear - once used by the famous

[molan]

[quote name='odub' post='174371' date='Apr 11 2008, 09:47 AM']My G&L was owned (and made for) jerry donahue of the hellecasters[/quote]

I owned Jerry's custom shop Strat for several years. Bought it off him at a trade show. UK importers (Arbiter?) cocked up and sold me the only Signature Strat in the country and it was due to go to Guitarist the next day. Whislt I was waiting to collect it Jerry turned up and apologised and said he couldn't let me have the shop item but would I take the original prototype in exchange. It was hand built in the proper custom shop, with lots of stuff that never made it to the production models - real abalone inserts, higher grade custom wound pickups etc. It was also serial number 0001 - big surprise I said I'd have it if he would sign the back of the headstock as well

Eventually flogged it to a mate who's a "proper" guitarist. it's still his #1 guitar & we have a deal that if he ever sells it for more than he paid me we'll split the profit!

I currently have Randy Hope-Taylor's Flea bass built for him to take on tour with Jeff Beck a few years ago.

I also have an old Ricky that has a set of Rotosounds on it that once had the packaging signed by Bruce Foxton - that does that count

[Sercet]

[quote name='Born 2B Mild' post='175023' date='Apr 12 2008, 09:53 AM'][i]Entwistle's collection of guitars and basses was auctioned at Sotheby's in London by his son, Christopher Entwistle, to meet anticipated duties on his father's estate. Joy Division/New Order bassist Peter Hook is among those who acquired some of Entwistle's basses at the auction. [/i] (Wiki)

In May 2003, I got the catalogue in advance with the idea of buying one to have as a showpiece on the wall in the Ad agency I then ran. The catalogue is something itself. Hundreds of colour photos of his collection, but the guide prices for each instrument were way high. I even intended to go to the auction, out of interest. In the end I didn't bid or go, but I do have the catalogue to enjoy.

Assuming the gear got sold, there must be an awful lot of ex-Entwistle basses out there![/quote]

The auction was great. Viewing was the day before. All of the instruments were on stands - you just picked them up and played them; you didn't even have to ask first!!! I played a lot of basses that day. I'm pretty sure that most of the basses sold for way above the estimate. I sat behind Peter Hook during the auction. He bought a Gretsch acoustic bass and an Overwater. My only regret is that i didn't buy two basses that day - the Wal fretless seemed expensive then, but low-cost now.

In the Guy Pratt book he says something like "I once had a bass owned by John Entwistle. That's nothing special though; almost every bass player has owned an Entwistle bass"

[ironside1966]

I Had a Washburn Bantam headless from Steve Dawson, ex Saxon and inspiration for Spinal Tap.
Unfortunately was stolen.

[steantval]

I once owned an amazing (at the time) small Peavey combo 400-450 watts that was apparently used by the bassist in Foreigner for his studio work/recordings.

[nick]

[quote name='ironside1966' post='175182' date='Apr 12 2008, 02:25 PM']I Had a Washburn Bantam headless from Steve Dawson,[/quote]

Respect

[OutToPlayJazz]

One of the schools I work at has an electric piano that was toured by Elton John. I'll get a picture of it this week, but other than that, no interesting celebrity instruments that I know of.

[johnnylager]

Tony Iommi's plectrum. Thrown by Geezer Butler. Beat that.

[sixshooter]

My V8 Trace Elliot was one of two that came back from Sting, bought it at John Henry in London.

My Modulus 6 string was played and reviewed in Guitarist Mag by the famous Steve Lawson

[MacDaddy]

I'm always a bit wary of celeb muso owned gear. I mean if it's not good enough for *insert name here* then why should it be good enough for me?

Having said that, my Tech Soundsystem combo used to belong to Squarepusher.

[Merton]

We have a massive flightcase formerly owned by T'Pau. What do I win?

[Rich]

[quote name='Bernmeister' post='174685' date='Apr 11 2008, 04:56 PM']Its a bass from the Zon range, although i'm not sure which model.
I remember seeing It Bites back then, they were great.
Its good to have them back, i'm looking forward to hearing the new material[/quote]He used a Zon Legacy, one of the all-graphite ones (quite an early one, I believe?). On the last It Bites album/tour he was also using a Thumb 6 for that low B rumble, and a fretless Yam BB in 'The Ice Melts Into Water'.
Fabulous band, criminally underrated. I just wish Frank was still involved.

[nash]

i had a usa fender deluxe jazz that used to belong to gareth from funeral for a friend. not really famous but its major label.

[cetera]

Up until a couple of years ago I owned a 1969 Gibson Les Paul Custom 3pu which was owned & played live by Ace Frehley of KISS between 1979 & 1980. It had a slightly burnt pickup surround (swapped off one of his smoking guitars) and had been customised by him with pearloid tuners, DiMarzio Super Distortion pu's etc.... It was also signed, in a signed original Gibson case and came with a signed pic of him at the point of sale....

Twas a lovely piece of classic rock n roll memorabilia but I got a cash offer I couldn't refuse....

[Lfalex v1.1]

Was Boz Burrell's once.
No provenance, though.
Purchased via the (Wapping) Bass Centre.
It's a 1990, and is now tuned CGDAE.

[Higgie]

My Bass teacher has a Squier JV Jazz bass that used to belong to Jack Bruce. It is the nicest Jazz bass I have ever played. It's fiesta red with a tort guard. It's by no means perfect, little nicks and dings etc, but there is just something magic about it

I have a feeling that the spirit of Jack Bruce is trapped inside the pickups

[Born 2B Mild]

I have long been an admirer of the fretless bass playing of [b]Richard Sinclair[/b], since his Caravan days, and most especially with Hatfield And The North. He also sang in a kind of fretless style too! [i]Very Canterbury[/i].

He then joined Camel. He always seemed to use the same natural bodied Jazz Bass. Try finding him pictured with a different one! I wanted to know more about it, as I was after a fretless and fancied getting something like it. Three years a go, I emailed his website and to cut a long story short, I ended up buying his early 80s Fender fretless JB (photo below) that he had bought in Japan whilst on tour. Better still, I met him in London to collect it and got to try out his original which turned out to consist of an ash body made by his dad!

It is a bit beaten up, but is a much better instrument since [url="http://www.guitarrepairman.co.uk/"]Jim Fleeting[/url] gave it a seeing to. I’ve now added a J-Retro.

[Matty]

[quote name='Kurt' post='174800' date='Apr 11 2008, 07:22 PM']I have an Ashdown ABM 410t cab in white, which is one of a batch made for The Manic Street Preachers video shoot for A design For Life (I think it was that one anyway-white stage, suits,amps, cabs, guitars, drums...you get the idea) It's a bitch to keep clean, has a serial number plate but no serial number, and I really couldn't tell you who the bassist is with the MSPs but it sounds cool![/quote]

I have a white 2x12 cab built by the guy who used to build custom cabs for Ashdown.
Probably the same roll of vinyl.
If you ever sell it, id love a second cab in white...

[Thunderthumbs]

[quote name='Rich' post='176229' date='Apr 14 2008, 01:09 PM']He used a Zon Legacy, one of the all-graphite ones (quite an early one, I believe?). On the last It Bites album/tour he was also using a Thumb 6 for that low B rumble, and a fretless Yam BB in 'The Ice Melts Into Water'.
Fabulous band, criminally underrated. I just wish Frank was still involved.[/quote]
+1 for Dick Nolan/It Bites/Frank, etc.

Although my mate went to a friend's house party where he'd hired Frank for the night to talk about philosophy, and said that he's got his head firmly stuck where the sun don't shine, so maybe he's not the same Frank we love and remember.

On the Celeb gear front.....I used to own an Aria SB900 whose previous owner was Tony Butler of Big Country.

[joegarcia]

As mentioned on here before, I have Paul Turner's Aguilar GS412. Nice bloke, had to go to JK's to test it before I bought it.

[Dr.Dave]

My '69 Jazz was previously owned by a bloke who toured with Tom Jones/Humperdinck - folk of that gendre - and ended up joining the house band at a Las Vegas hotel which at some point had some sort of telethon appeal.

During camera rehearsels Frank Sinatra got bored, wandered over , sat next to Robbie and had a play on the Jazz.

It's also on a few 70's albums by pop artists like Gilbert O Sullivan that Robbie did session work for.

It was , however , a piece of s**t , which is why I sold it for vast profit!!

[guzzibass]

[quote name='rohan' post='174224' date='Apr 10 2008, 11:12 PM']Peavey is ex bassist of Man. not exactly fame...[/quote]

Martin Ace?????

[Mickeyboro]

Would seem likely!

I learned all my bass playing from Man albums and now know them quite well...the people not the albums

[waynepunkdude]

My cab was apparently Mark Kings, I'm not to sure it's not exactly top of the line.

[thisnameistaken]

Er...

No wait, I'll have one...

Nope, sorry, nothing. A mate of mine had two flightcases with "Chick Corea" stencilled on them. That's about as close to t'stars as we get oop north.

[Mr. Foxen]

I just traded my speaker cable for a T-shirt to Milky, guitarist of ASVA. My first ever gig supporting them. Woo. I also use cables sold to me by a roadies as used by The Clash.