ZZ Top’s iconic bearded bassist Dusty Hill passed away in 2021, and his estate is now selling off a number of his most eye-catching custom builds. eliminator tour cycle.
like wearing fur leg The base of the hot rod cars we recently covered dates back to 1983. eliminator This album is being offered as part of a sale through Julien’s Auctions. It is expected to fetch an estimated $40,000 to $60,000.
It’s easy to see why this bass guitar is so special. Namely, the custom hot rod body shape, inspired by the Ford coupe on the cover of Eliminator, and the fact that it spits smoke out of its tailpipes.
Perhaps less obviously, it’s also carved into guitar history as one of the earliest private builds by Wayne Charvel (founder of the Charvel guitar brand).
The bass listing doesn’t say what material is used for the body, but it does say it features a maple neck, rosewood fingerboard, and single EMG pickup.
Turning the guitar over reveals a neck plate engraved by Wayne Charvel on the back of the body with serial number 143 and Charvel’s post office box details at the time.
Around the time of Hill’s death in 2021, Charvel’s son Michael wrote, remembering his father’s work on the instrument.
“The most memorable bass my dad made for Dusty was in 1983. eliminator Tour,” Michael Charbel wrote.
“He built a car guitar and matching car base for Billy and Dusty. The instrumentation was made to fit Billy’s 33 Ford 3-window coupe, known as the ‘Eliminator Coupe.’ An imitation of the wheel was his volume and tone controls, and smoke spewed out of the tailpipe.
“Those were great memories. I remember Billy calling my dad at 3 a.m. ZZ-Top was on tour in Germany. According to Billy, the guitar was well received and when the guitar started blowing smoke, Apparently the audience went crazy!”
This bass was used in the band’s set at Monsters of Rock in Donnington, England in 1983, and was featured on numerous promotional occasions at the time. The piece was also displayed under glass at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland for a while.
The auction will run from December 8th to December 12th, 2023. For more information and to place a bid, please visit Julien’s Auctions.
If you have some coins, it might be a good idea to buy Hills. leg Base too.