The Tone is in the Wood

[acidbass]

Edgar Winter bassist and songwriter Dan Hartman (who played on Edgar Winter's monster rock hit "Frankenstein" from 1973) designed this $5000 silver “Bass Suit” in 1974. 

 

The controls are on the sleeve attached to an aluminum plate. The guitar neck ends in a Crescent Moon and the suit itself has moons on it.

 

“The bass suit was actually one of the first cordless guitars in existence, and I invented it. It was built right into this silver bodysuit so it looked as though the bass was coming out of my body, and the volume and tone knobs were on the sleeve.”

 

“When it worked it was great, but the tunings were a little strange, plus I can’t tell you how many times I got shocked. It wound up being just one more thing that we had to worry about on tour: ‘Well, I wonder if this will work tonight.’ After a while I couldn’t stand wearing it anymore so I gave it up.”

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

Well that looks like it was a solution looking for a problem.

 

Apart from looking ridiculous, I bet going for a slash between sets would be a bit tricky.

[Lozz196]

DEF good for metal!

[Jean-Luc Pickguard]

Good for mental

[StingRayBoy42]

I want one.

[Barking Spiders]

is he 12?

[TheGreek]

All over FB...can't get away from it. 

 

Should have guessed it would turn up here eventually. 

[skidder652003]

BassBoner!

[Man.about.Tyne]

24 minutes ago, Barking Spiders said:

is he 12?

IQ or shoe size?

 

[Lfalex v1.1]

Slight Tangent;

 

I thoroughly recommend Overkill's cover of "Frankenstein"

 

May be a little aggressive for some, though. 

[Richard R]

It was 1974, so of course it looks ridiculous. But it was part of the show and the entertainment,  and as long as the audience had a good time that's the main thing.

 

I wouldn't wear it for the worship band on a Sunday mind you! 🤣

[Lord Sausage]

Didn't he also write Living in America for Jimmy Brown?

[Crusoe]

6 hours ago, Jean-Luc Pickguard said:

Well that looks like it was a solution looking for a problem.

 

Apart from looking ridiculous, I bet going for a slash between sets would be a bit tricky.

That's probably how he kept getting shocked

[Angel]

Wow, I had to do an instant replay on that image.

 

Looks a complete ****.

Bit worried about where one sticks the input jack. 

[neepheid]

Better discussing this than yet another effing tonewood bitchfest, which is what I feared when I saw the thread title.

[Baloney Balderdash]

16 hours ago, Barking Spiders said:

is he 12?

If he was he must have been a genious, inventing the first ever wireless bass system.

 

It's so ridiculous it is cool!

 

 

Edited April 3, 2024 by Baloney Balderdash

[Doctor J]

It's utterly stupid.

 

If he had the treble pickup sided closer to the neck, instead of the bass side pickup, he'd have a much more even tonal palette.

[BigRedX]

16 hours ago, TheGreek said:

All over FB...can't get away from it. 

 

Should have guessed it would turn up here eventually. 

 

It's already been on here several times in the past 5 years.

[tinyd]

He wrote Relight My Fire as well. The original is a lot funkier than the Take That cover....

[tegs07]

No more stupid than grown men having alter ego’s and daft costumes (Kiss) covering themselves in flour and dressing like steam punk cowboys (Nephilim) getting all pretentious about mime (Bowie) pretending to be gangsters still when they attend business meetings and have property portfolios and live in the most affluent parts of LA rather than carrying guns in Compton (too many to mention).

 

Why not?

Edited April 3, 2024 by tegs07

[Paul S]

Just a bit of fun.  Massively talented guy who died far too young.  

[Beer of the Bass]

Is there any live footage of this contraption? I can only find the studio photographer shots, and I wonder if it turned out so impractical that it didn't make it out on gigs that much. It is ridiculous, but the band at the time were all about that campy over-the-top performance style and it kind of fits.

[Dan Dare]

On 02/04/2024 at 15:09, Jean-Luc Pickguard said:

Apart from looking ridiculous, I bet going for a slash between sets would be a bit tricky.

 

That's probably why he got zapped a few times by it 😁

[BreadBin]

The inspiration for MDP's fanned tuners.

 

21 hours ago, Angel said:

Wow, I had to do an instant replay on that image.

 

Looks a complete ****.

Bit worried about where one sticks the input jack. 

Good job it was wireless then!