Kubicki club, part 2

[zuma]

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Pricy, but if anyone is interested in a "time capsule" NOS FCS/Kubicki Ex-Factor - this would be it. (no affiliation)

And the guy selling it is named "Phil"

Seriously though, that's one pretty bass.

 

[JIO]

And the guy selling it is named "Phil"

Seriously though, that's one pretty bass.

Hah! Yah, Phil Kubicki was hangin' out with Elvis and Jim Morrison while he posted it!

 

[zuma]

Hah! Yah, Phil Kubicki was hangin' out with Elvis and Jim Morrison while he posted it!

Hopefully they were having a couple of beers!

 

[PaulS]

Hot damn that’s pretty pristine looking.

 

[JIO]

Hopefully they were having a couple of beers!

I think they were enjoying Phil's favorite mixed drink that I read about somewhere and now can't find. I think it was gin based but I'm not certain.

 

[zuma]

Never knew Phil, never met him, yet somehow I often picture his smiling face from that old Yahoo Groups photo. I guess that means his soul is alive and well, especially in these parts!

If you remember the recipe JIO, post it. Maybe we can toast it to the ol' fella someday. I believe Mar 18 (2013) is when he passed. Since I don't know his birthday, seems like a good day to send some energy his way. Guess I'm feeling sentimental tonight.

 

[Chickenwheels]

Hi, I was doing a search on Kubicki basses and came across this club. I was one of the first players to get a Kubicki Factor bass. I purchased one from the first batch. It was intended to be a silver color. I walked into the shop to pick it up but Phil didn't have it ready for me but had a green color bass, so I took that instead. This was late 1984? I was just about to go on tour with Charlie Sexton in 1985 and used the bass from 1985 onward for the duration of Charlies stint with MCA as a solo artist. The Kubicki made its TV debut when I played it on the 1985 MTV New Years Eve Special. I believe John Taylor got a black one from the first batch, too (a magazine mentioned Taylor and I as users -I forget the magazine name). So did Jammaladeen Tacuma, a yellow bass. During the first Sexton tour the sound guys (Shubert systems who did Toto and others) complained about the Kubicki first run of pickups and threatened to remove them and put in EMG's. I told Phil and he came up with an improved/different pickup and put it in my bass. I later toured the world with Sexton as an endorser of Kubicki basses and also did some press for them in Japan. When I came back from the first Japan tour Phil gave me a bass in appreciation, the first red flip flop color on the top. I continued to record and tour with Charlie using both basses until the late 80's. I eventually sold both basses. Phil was a super talent and a great guy. Between tours I would head up to Santa Barbara and hang with Phil while he went over my basses. He even had me dress my own frets as he watched and helped. Later, a funny and embarrassing thing happened...I was on tour in London and we played a one off at a famous punk club. It was a debacle! The punks were spitting on us, throwing stuff, and cussing us out. They hated us! Finally Charlie had enough threw his guitar down and left the stage so of course I threw my Kubicki down and damaged it. I got back to LA and took my bass in to Phil and told him that it had gotten damaged on stage and alluded that I didn't do it...Phil goes "Oh Really? a friend of mine in London told me you slammed the bass down on the stage and damaged it!" What a guy Phil was--lol. He let me slide on that and they fixed it. They loved seeing all the wear on my basses. We drank beer at his shop fixing and talking bass. Good times a hanging with him. Here's a later live video of Sexton's last single that was all over MTV back then. It shows the flip flop bass and the green one on a stand.

Fantastic stuff. The bass sounds awesome on the video, too. What an incredible time it must have been.

 

[littlebun]

Fantastic stuff. The bass sounds awesome on the video, too. What an incredible time it must have been.

It was. Being in my 20's and landing a gig like that was like winning the musicians lottery--lol.

 

[ThomasTronics]

I have some service work done on my bass in the late 90's.
It's hand signed by Phil, I think that'll be the closest I get to knowing him... Other than his basses of course.

 

[zuma]

It was. Being in my 20's and landing a gig like that was like winning the musicians lottery--lol.

I've been watching Sexton's "Hold Me" video on heavy rotation. And there you are, Kubicki in full view too! Excellent!

 

[ThomasTronics]

What year is the video again?

 

[Chickenwheels]

It was. Being in my 20's and landing a gig like that was like winning the musicians lottery--lol.

If you don’t mind, what sort of amplification were you using back then? I’m fascinated by that time period, especially as some players were using PA gear as amps (Mario Cippolini, Vail Johnson).

 

[littlebun]

If you don’t mind, what sort of amplification were you using back then? I’m fascinated by that time period, especially as some players were using PA gear as amps (Mario Cippolini, Vail Johnson).

Trace Elliot GP12 rack preamp into DBX 160 single channel compressor feeding the front ends of two Mesa Boogie D-180 tube rack mount bass heads. This fed two Bag End S15B 1x15 bass cabs w/Gauss 4580, and two Mesa Boogie 2x12 guitar slant cabs w/ a Celestion and an EV in each cab. Hard Rockin Steel 45-105.

 

[littlebun]

What year is the video again?

1987-8?

 

[Chickenwheels]

Trace Elliot GP12 rack preamp into DBX 160 single channel compressor feeding the front ends of two Mesa Boogie D-180 tube rack mount bass heads. This fed two Bag End S15B 1x15 bass cabs w/Gauss 4580, and two Mesa Boogie 2x12 guitar slant cabs w/ a Celestion and an EV in each cab. Hard Rockin Steel 45-105.

Far out, this did not disappoint! I love these awesome, massive 80’s rigs. The Bag End stuff reminds me of John Patitucci’s setup at the time, very similar. The golden age of roadies!

 

[littlebun]

Far out, this did not disappoint! I love these awesome, massive 80’s rigs. The Bag End stuff reminds me of John Patitucci’s setup at the time, very similar. The golden age of roadies!

I'm going to share something with you that not many people know about concerning this gig...We were booked to be the opening act for ZZ Top--who were beyond huge at the time because of their new hits and videos. As we were about to go out...a call came from The Stones asking Charlie to open for them on their upcoming tour. So ZZ Top was blown off and we readied to go out with The Stones. Right before leaving for the tour we got word that Keith and Mick got into a fight or some kind of misunderstanding and that tour was cancelled!! (Remember when Keith went off and did his own thing for a while in the 80's? That's why.) Too late for ZZ Top now, so MCA had to quickly throw a world tour together with Charlie as the --headliner-- playing theatres as an unknown basically. Losing those tours cost him dearly, in my opinion, because the exposure of The Stones or ZZ tours would have introduced him to the world in a big way. Not staying with ZZ was a critical mistake.

 

[Chickenwheels]

I'm going to share something with you that not many people know about concerning this gig...We were booked to be the opening act for ZZ Top--who were beyond huge at the time because of their new hits and videos. As we were about to go out...a call came from The Stones asking Charlie to open for them on their upcoming tour. So ZZ Top was blown off and we readied to go out with The Stones. Right before leaving for the tour we got word that Keith and Mick got into a fight or some kind of misunderstanding and that tour was cancelled!! (Remember when Keith went off and did his own thing for a while in the 80's? That's why.) Too late for ZZ Top now, so MCA had to quickly throw a world tour together with Charlie as the --headliner-- playing theatres as an unknown basically. Losing those tours cost him dearly, in my opinion, because the exposure of The Stones or ZZ tours would have introduced him to the world in a big way. Not staying with ZZ was a critical mistake.

Wow, thanks for sharing. I absolutely love these old war stories. This sort of thing probably used to happen quite a bit back then.
I’ve been a fan of Guy Pratt for a very long time, and he is also very candid about this era. Lots of coincidence and serendipity, and some incredibly interesting stories. Love it.
Thanks again!

 

[Kubicki Fan]

I'm going to share something with you that not many people know about concerning this gig...We were booked to be the opening act for ZZ Top--who were beyond huge at the time because of their new hits and videos. As we were about to go out...a call came from The Stones asking Charlie to open for them on their upcoming tour. So ZZ Top was blown off and we readied to go out with The Stones. Right before leaving for the tour we got word that Keith and Mick got into a fight or some kind of misunderstanding and that tour was cancelled!! (Remember when Keith went off and did his own thing for a while in the 80's? That's why.) Too late for ZZ Top now, so MCA had to quickly throw a world tour together with Charlie as the --headliner-- playing theatres as an unknown basically. Losing those tours cost him dearly, in my opinion, because the exposure of The Stones or ZZ tours would have introduced him to the world in a big way. Not staying with ZZ was a critical mistake.

Thanks for sharing this! Your account of this bit of rock history would fit in nicely on this thread: Unusual Rock Trivia?

 

[JIO]

Yet another Kubicki clone - probably will sell quickly at that price. Strange derails but possibly could sound ok. The Ex-Factor-style neck is what would make it worth the cost.

Rare domestic 80s old Bacchus Headless Philip Kubicki Factor Bass TYPE Fixer Ba | eBay

 

[Vic Firth]

Japanese Headway factory (same factory that made Riverhead instruments) made it in the late 80's. Fixer was the original name of the model, this one was probably repainted