Bootsy Collins的Space Bass的故事

Bootsy Collinsis a one-of-a-kind musician, so it is completely reasonable that he would have a one-of-a-kind instrument created to accentuate his one-of-a-kind ensemble. We are, of course, talking about the Space Bass [sometimes referred to as The Star Bass], an instrument that would go on to become synonymous with Bootsy’s larger than life image.

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我们的故事始于1975年，在密歇根州的一家谦虚的音乐商店中，Bootsy任命了一位名为Larry Pless的年轻吉他技术，并创建了奇异的乐器。Pless在此之前曾在Bootsy的低音方面工作，但从未见过该男子。在太空低音之前，Bootsy在演奏Fender爵士和精密贝斯詹姆斯·布朗和George Clinton’s各种项目。这次，他想到了一个新的定制贝斯，适合他古怪的形象。

Bootsy在餐巾纸上大致勾勒出设计，描绘了带有星形床头柜的野星形状设计。PLESS在他自己位于弗林特密歇根州的商店里创建了低音原型的工作。PLESS重新设计了设计的某些方面，以使其更加实用 - 其中包括对床头柜设计的改动，这些改动将被称为“ Starburst”而不是星形。

最接近脖子的点也被卷曲成更多的SG样式形状。该乐器的后期版本具有Bootsy最初勾勒出的尖头身体和床头柜形状。普莱斯（Pless）叙述，原始太空低音的价格约为900美元（今天约4400美元，已根据通货膨胀进行调整）。

Bootsy在接受采访时召回了PLESSPremier Guitarin 2017, “The first Space Bass was made in 1975 by a guy named Larry Pless, at a place called Gus Zoppi Music in Sterling Heights, Michigan. I took a drawing in there and he was a young and up-and-coming guitar maker. Wouldn’t nobody make it. I was up on 48th Street in New York—all up and down there—and I was telling them about this star bass that I wanted, and nobody was interested. I had to find somebody that would do it because, first of all, I didn’t have no money [laughs], and second of all, nobody was interested because it wasn’t hot on the market. Nobody had a star bass. Nobody was talking about a star bass…. and Gus Zoppi Music store was an accordion store—it wasn’t even a guitar store where I found this guy. I just happened to go in there, I started talking to the owner, I asked him if he had any suggestions, and he said, ‘Yes. I’ve got a young guy that’s working for me in the back that might be interested because he’s always been wanting to make guitars.’ So that’s how I found this guy.”

原始的低音具有枫木脖子的设计，并在菲律宾的“身体”“机翼”上具有独特的桃花心木变体。颈部形状是根据Bootsy最喜欢的精密低音而建模的。低音最初只有一个皮卡。它具有双输出，随着Bootsy添加了更多的拾音器，每个拾音器都添加了输出（当前有四个），这都将用于单独的踏板板和AMP。

太空低音及时及时交付给BootsyStretchin’ Out in Bootsy’s Rubber Band1976年的专辑。这张专辑以人声和贝斯为特色，由Funkadelic教父George Clinton制作。

After the bass was delivered to Bootsy, he began playing it regularly, until somebody stole it in Chicago. Fortunately, it was such a recognizable instrument that it was eventually returned to him. However, while the bass was missing, Bootsy had Pless build him another one. The second bass had a basswood body and a maple neck – Bootsy preferred the tone of the first bass to the second.

拉里·普莱斯（Larry Pless）不是您典型的琴师 - 他在通用汽车的职业生涯中大部分时间都在工作。他在工作的商店不是一家典型的“ Luthier商店”，它是木工来创造的艺术空间。这家商店在当地所知，它看到了其墙壁内形成的独特乐器。由普莱斯（Pless）的学校朋友建造的一把吉他的形状像一只手。Pless只有20岁才能建造标志性的低音，但他已经有了吉他的经验 - 他制造的第一把吉他是他姐姐的尼龙弦声。他估计，他在他的职业生涯中以琴师的身份制造了约140个吉他。

Bootsy Collins以其古怪的服装而闻名 - 他的太空低音很快成为他角色不可或缺的一部分。尽管Bootsy是个大人物 - 高大，穿着奢侈的衣服，但太空低音的补充也非常奇怪而大。它需要一个特殊的砧箱进行运输。普莱斯说，当贝斯在出租车上运输时，它占据了整个后座，他不得不前进。

The basses would sometimes return to Pless for maintenance [or to have more rhinestones added to the body]. The mirrored pickguards were often a part that required attention.

Bootsy努力演奏，表演后低音会浸透汗水 - 他的汗水会在镜子上吃掉，因此Pless最终不得不将它们涂成漆，以保护他们免受Bootsy的腐蚀汗水的侵害。后来，PLESS还为Bootsy建造了双颈6/12串。

多年来，已经生产了许多不同版本的太空鲈鱼或星贝司。1998年，Bootsy委托纽约Luthier Manny Salvatore建造了一个具有更为杰出的明星形状和床头柜，更像是最初向Pless提交的草图。

Washburn制作了一些空间低音，沃里克目前生产贝斯的签名版本。沃里克（Warwick）还于2009年合作创建了Bootsy Collins Signature Infinity Bass。Bootsy仍然有他的原始作品，直到今天。

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