Dusty Hill ‘53 Precision

[Chicken Wing]

Dusty’s ‘53 Precision is going to be auctioned off this week. Current bid $80k

Invalid Link Removed

 

[EdO.]

Dusty’s ‘53 Precision is going to be auctioned off this week. Current bid $80k

Insane. I don't get why old basses someone famous played go for so much money (collectors not players, I know...). I'd much rather have one built to my specs but that's just me I suppose.

 

[Chicken Wing]

Small group of people with lots of money to spend. I could see another bassist like Flea buying this. He’s got the cash. Geddy. Robert Trujillo.

 

[Matt O]

Oh, the irony

 

[Wisebass]

What really knocked me out was her cheap sunglasses!



They give them away at the end of the song!

Wise

 

[Wood and Wire]

Small group of people with lots of money to spend. I could see another bassist like Flea buying this. He’s got the cash. Geddy. Robert Trujillo.

Somebody on this forum sold Flea the 60's Jazz that he's now most associated with.

As far as I recall, Flea had publicly mentioned that he yearned for a Jazz, of a specific era.

The Talkbass member managed to make contact via social media, and ended up travelling internationally (I seem to recall from U.S.A. to Australia, on their own dime) to meet RHCP on tour, and sell the bass to Flea.

You'd have to find the original post (which I think was in the "what's one thing you've done that you're convinced nobody else on TalkBass had done" thread), but I seem to remember that when it was established that the Talkbass member was not just going to donate the bass to Flea, the whole band got involved in inspecting the bass, and giving opinions (in what seemed to me - though perhaps not the seller - like an intimidation tactic).

After a lot of umming & ahhing, and haggling, they lowballed the guy over what was already a really honest price for an original stacked knob Jazz.

Anyway, that's apparently how Flea got his Jazz, and the Talkbass member seemed generally happy to have united his musical hero with his new #1 bass.


Back in the 80's, and 90's, I really loved RHCP - warts and all - so I don't feel I learned anything about them from that anecdote ; other than the more general observation that most wealthy musicians are not swimming in as much spare cash as people assume they are, and that when it comes to spending their own money, they're usually pretty frugal.

Now, Geddy on the other hand, is the sort of collector who I could imagine wanting to own this - but I doubt he's actually paid collectors prices for most of the instruments in his collection.

I think Robert only has Jaco's bass - and that's because it's Jaco's bass - which I seem to remember was by some kind of special agreement with Jaco's family.

 

[Mark_70]

Maybe Sting would swing for this thing??

 

[Mastermold]

.... other than the more general observation that most wealthy musicians are not swimming in as much spare cash as people assume they are, and that when it comes to spending their own money, they're usually pretty frugal....

When Mike Campbell bought his '59 Les Paul for a hefty six figure price, he asked his wife first if it was okay with her!

 

[Bajo Clarkko]

This is merely speculation on my part, but I don’t think that Dusty’s ‘53 P Bass has Mojo, as much as it probably RADIATES Mojo.

But hey, that’s just me.

 

[J Wilson]

It's worth what someone is willing to pay. A '53 (though I'm guessing under the hood it was probably made stage ready, though the original pots and harness may have been reserved) with Famous Player provenance will find a home, but for most of us in the real world, it's crazy money.

For $80k, I could buy 400 Squier reproduction 50's Precision. Doesn't seem real somehow.

 

[80jazz]

Insane. I don't get why old basses someone famous played go for so much money (collectors not players, I know...). I'd much rather have one built to my specs but that's just me I suppose.

This is why I bid low on a bass I had a bid on.

 

[StayLow]

Somebody on this forum sold Flea the 60's Jazz that he's now most associated with.

As far as I recall, Flea had publicly mentioned that he yearned for a Jazz, of a specific era.

The Talkbass member managed to make contact via social media, and ended up travelling internationally (I seem to recall from U.S.A. to Australia, on their own dime) to meet RHCP on tour, and sell the bass to Flea.

You'd have to find the original post (which I think was in the "what's one thing you've done that you're convinced nobody else on TalkBass had done" thread), but I seem to remember that when it was established that the Talkbass member was not just going to donate the bass to Flea, the whole band got involved in inspecting the bass, and giving opinions (in what seemed to me - though perhaps not the seller - like an intimidation tactic).

After a lot of umming & ahhing, and haggling, they lowballed the guy over what was already a really honest price for an original stacked knob Jazz.

Anyway, that's apparently how Flea got his Jazz, and the Talkbass member seemed generally happy to have united his musical hero with his new #1 bass.


Back in the 80's, and 90's, I really loved RHCP - warts and all - so I don't feel I learned anything about them from that anecdote ; other than the more general observation that most wealthy musicians are not swimming in as much spare cash as people assume they are, and that when it comes to spending their own money, they're usually pretty frugal.

Now, Geddy on the other hand, is the sort of collector who I could imagine wanting to own this - but I doubt he's actually paid collectors prices for most of the instruments in his collection.

I think Robert only has Jaco's bass - and that's because it's Jaco's bass - which I seem to remember was by some kind of special agreement with Jaco's family.

Thanks! Saving ppl the search trouble, as it was a story in a different thread from a different forum:

https://www.talkbass.com/threads/flea-all-basses.1481612/page-11#post-25961106

I would not have expected Flea to have $35k in Y2K. Story makes sense as written in the linked thread.

 

[EdwardofHuncote]

Here we go again...

 

[bobba66]

If I had made better decisions when I was young I would be shopping for cool stuff like this now.

 

[SubHuman]

Anyone know what tuners they used on this Bass? The shafts or stems seem longer than most clover tuners today. I bought some Vintage tuners with the longer stems but the Tuner base plates were too big for the Tele headstock and wouldn't fit. I then bought some Hipshot Ultralights and they are really nice tuners but the stems are not long as the ones on Dusty's. I tried searching but no good results.

 

[el84]

I like Dusty, he's Hank Hill's cousin. I think this bass has mondo mojo

 

[Matt O]

Anyone know what tuners they used on this Bass? The shafts or stems seem longer than most clover tuners today. I bought some Vintage tuners with the longer stems but the Tuner base plates were too big for the Tele headstock and wouldn't fit. I then bought some Hipshot Ultralights and they are really nice tuners but the stems are not long as the ones on Dusty's. I tried searching but no good results.
View attachment 5271264 View attachment 5271265

Kluson 546

 

[Five or Six]

I like Dusty, he's Hank Hill's cousin. I think this bass has mondo mojo

I thought maybe I was one of the few here that knew that about Hank. Plus, Cotton gave him the Cadillac. Sorry, couldn't help it.

 

[Plain Old Barry]

Would I buy it as a bass? No.

Collectors buying THAT bass are a far different story that I don't participate in.

 

[Hevy T]

Small group of people with lots of money to spend. I could see another bassist like Flea buying this. He’s got the cash. Geddy. Robert Trujillo.

If John Entwhistle was still alive I could almost guarantee it would be his by now