Who bass legend, John Entwistle, was a very good friend of The Bass Centre's - from our early days in Wapping High Street right up to his untimely passing in 2002 - and his personality, wicked sense of humour and astonishing talent will always be sorely missed. So, with the new British Bass Masters Series "Frankenstein" Bass, we are proud to pay tribute to the most iconic, influential and - damn it, yes! - THE greatest bass player of all-time.
Renowned for using a LOT of basses, one instrument stands out from the rest of John's incredible collection, if only because of its unique origins. The beast affectionately dubbed "Frankenstein", famously assembled from the remains of a number of "dead" instruments, was his main stage & studio axe from 1967 to 1971, the golden era during which The Who released their classic albums "Tommy", "Who's Next" and "Live At Leeds" and cemented their reputation as one of the World's greatest live rock 'n' roll bands.
In 2003, a year after his death, as testament to the reverence in which John and this particular bass are held, the original Frankenstein went under the hammer at Sotheby's in London, for an astonishing £62,400 ($100,000)!
Sporting a gorgeous salmon pink finish - as its namesake was eventually refinished in the mid 70's - our Frankenstein model may not have been brought back from the dead, but it does feature period accurate looks, cool retro features, an authentic growling tone, a super fast, satin finish neck... and a considerably more affordable price tag!