GD60: The Story Behind Oteil Burbridge’s One-of-a-Kind “Dire Wolf Bass” by Asher Guitars

Photo by Jessica Burbridge

Dead & Company celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Grateful Dead with an incredible weekend of music at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco, California. The three-day event saw the band digging into the Dead’s catalog with special guest sets by Billy Strings, Sturgill Simpson, and Trey Anastasio.

Bassist Oteil Burbridge was on fire, laying down heavy grooves each night. Many noticed that he was sporting a new bass, and we’ve got all the details on it.

The “Dire Wolf Bass” was crafted for Burbridge by master luthier Bill Asher. It’s a six-string bass that pays homage to Doug Irwin’s “Wolf” guitar made famous by the Grateful Dead’s Jerry Garcia, primarily during the band’s fruitful run in the ’70s. Irwin gave his full blessing to recreate the design. Burbridge requested the bass from Asher as a way to connect the past and present, the company says.

“There’s never been anything like this bass before,” said Asher. “To take Doug Irwin’s visionary design and reinterpret it as a bass—with his involvement and Oteil’s trust—was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. This is about legacy, but it’s also about pushing the boundaries forward.”

Asher’s high level of craftsmanship is evident. The body, which is chambered, is built with a laminate of purpleheart and quilted maple, while the five-piece neck is made of purpleheart and curly maple. Its ebony fretboard has “Wolf” decorative faux ivory inlays that match the inlays of the original guitar. Garcia’s iconic axe got its moniker from a wolf inlay just beneath the bridge, but Burbridge’s reimagines the concept with an intricate medallion inlay made from mother of pearl, ebony, purpleheart, brass, and stone. The back of the bass has Burbridge’s ankh logo inlaid in mother of pearl, abalone, and stone. Both inlays were designed by Jenny Shuman and inlaid by Jessica Asher.

As good as it looks, the Dire Wolf Bass sounds even better. (Check out our coverage of Burbridge playing the bass at GD60.)

“Historically, Doug Irwin’s guitars were known for their intricate artistry and groundbreaking electronics,” Asher writes. “Garcia’s Wolf, in particular, became a symbol of musical freedom and psychedelic exploration. Now, that lineage continues—through low-end frequencies and new generations of players.”

The Dire Wolf Bass is fitted with a pair of custom DiMarzio Bass 6 Dual Sounds as well as an SDS-1 pickup. Alongside the machined aluminum replica knobs made by Scarlet Fire, the control layout includes switches to flip each humbucker between series and parallel modes. It also has a switch for an effects loop with a Waldo buffer. Finally, the hardware includes a U-channel machined brass bridge and Hipshot tuners.

Asher sums it up by sharing that “The Dire Wolf Bass is a living tribute: to Jerry Garcia, to Doug Irwin, to the ongoing power of musical craftsmanship—and to the unique role that Bill Asher now plays in that lineage. It’s a rare moment where music history, masterful design, and cultural significance all converge in one instrument.”

As for Burbridge, he’s ready to go where the wolf takes him, saying, “I can’t wait to track this Dire Wolf wherever he wants to take me… it’s gonna be an epic journey.”

Asher Guitars “Dire Wolf Bass” Specs: