Can we ID?

[The Guilds of Grot]

Well just to throw in my two cents, I don't see why because it is a bass the Flying V body would be any larger. Most Guild basses use the same body as the guitar.

 

[SFIV1967]

I don't see why because it is a bass the Flying V body would be any larger.

Because it is not a Gibson Flying V body but a body which Glenn Quan made for Jack with what Glenn "thought would be the appropriate size for a V Bass." And the whole bass looked rather big at least in this picture:



Ralf

 

[The Guilds of Grot]

Because it is not a Gibson Flying V body but a body which Glenn Quan made for Jack with what Glenn "thought would be the appropriate size for a V Bass." And the whole bass looked rather big at least in this picture:



Ralf

Yes, but why would Glenn Quan think that a bass body should be larger then a guitar body when they usually are not?

Was he thinking along these lines?

 

[SFIV1967]

Yes, but why would Glenn Quan think that a bass body should be larger then a guitar body when they usually are not?

Well, he probably didn't have a Gibson Flying V guitar at hand?

And Jack actually had such a monster Balalaika bass already 10 years earlier! From his interview with flyguitars.com:
"A note off is a bass balalaika that I have. Rick Turner transformed it in to a four string bass from a three string bass. There's a contrabass and a bass, I have the bass balalaika and I got it in Paulo Alto in 1967, from a gentleman named Dante Perfumo. He was an Italian musician who just collected all kinds of instruments. I went down and visited him and I remember he had almost like a chicken coup garage out the back and he had all these woodwind instruments from the 1800's that were tuned before they went standard 444. The bass is a big triangle and at the bottom is probably 40 some inches. It looks like you're playing a giant flat iron....It's still gorgeous to this day....It's just monstrous and it is just a find of a lifetime. That instrument to me is more precious than anything manufactured."

Ralf

 

[fronobulax]

Well, he probably didn't have a Gibson Flying V guitar at hand?

And Jack actually had such a monster Balalaika bass already 10 years earlier! From his interview with flyguitars.com:
"A note off is a bass balalaika that I have. Rick Turner transformed it in to a four string bass from a three string bass. There's a contrabass and a bass, I have the bass balalaika and I got it in Paulo Alto in 1967, from a gentleman named Dante Perfumo. He was an Italian musician who just collected all kinds of instruments. I went down and visited him and I remember he had almost like a chicken coup garage out the back and he had all these woodwind instruments from the 1800's that were tuned before they went standard 444. The bass is a big triangle and at the bottom is probably 40 some inches. It looks like you're playing a giant flat iron....It's still gorgeous to this day....It's just monstrous and it is just a find of a lifetime. That instrument to me is more precious than anything manufactured."

Ralf

There were several Covid Concerts streamed from Fur Peace Ranch that featured Jorma. The motivated reader can search for some discussion on LTG. There are also videos that show Jack somewhere else, watching the stream with Jorma playing and Jack playing along. Several of the Jack videos show him playing a bass balalaika probably the one mentioned.

 

[walrus]

Is this it? If not, it is still a cool looking bass!



walrus

 

[fronobulax]

Is this it? If not, it is still a cool looking bass!



walrus

That is an iteration of the Diana Bass, named after Jack's late wife. Jack is working with luthier Tom Ribbecke and Uncle Google can get you lots of stories and pictures.

I didn't find the concert quickly which makes me think it was posted on Facebook. I'll try and look when I mosey over there.

 

[Prince of Darkness]

Picture is Jack Casady and Jorma Kaukonen of Jefferson Airplane and Hot Tuna fame. It was posted elsewhere as being from their high school years which would make the photo date to the early 1960's. I am curious about the bass since most of the interviews I recall start with Jack playing a Fender, originally borrowed and later another Fender owned and modified by Jack. Perhaps this is evidence of other borrowed basses or maybe the stories don't start early enough?

I note the wide leather strap which is certainly the mark of a bassist who plays a lot and wants to be comfortable.

I believe that Jorma Kaukonen is posing with a Gibson L5S, which was a guitar that he played in the seventies. The earliest version, with low impedance pickups, was introduced in 1972. Humbuckers came later

 

[SFIV1967]

Several of the Jack videos show him playing a bass balalaika probably the one mentioned.

Here are pictures of Jack's Balaleika Bass and a video!







Here he tells the story of it!




Ralf

 

[fronobulax]

Here are pictures of Jack's Balaleika Bass

So do we think it is bigger than the Flying V or just equally awkward to play?

 

[mgod]

I think the bass that looks like a B.C. Rich is likely a Lado, who I think were an English company in the 80s who made an imitation Alembic. The man was kind enough to give me 2 hours yesterday developing a project for me to find a way to play when no one’s around - and I forgot to ask him.

 

[SFIV1967]

Not sure what LADO had in the 1976/77 timeframe, I didn't find any reference to Jack Casady.
I only found this 1981 example and also other pictures are very different from the "B.C. Rich"-lookalike.



Joe Kovacic (Lado) retired in 2019 from building guitars and basses.

Lado Guitars - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Ralf