Oteil Burbridge to Auction Signed “Mission Control” Bass Played at GD60 and The Sphere
We recently got the inside scoop on Oteil Burbridge‘s one-of-a-kind Dire Wolf Bass from Asher Guitars, which he played at the Grateful Dead 60 event with Dead & Company. However, he also utilized a perfect replica of Phil Lesh‘s Osiris Mission Control bass guitar. (He also used it at their Sphere residency in the spring.) That bass is now up for grabs in an auction by the Grateful Guitars Foundation, which obtains world-class instruments and sells them to benefit music education non-profits.
Aside from being used during the Dead’s 60th anniversary weekend extravaganza, it’s been signed by Burbridge and the rest of Dead & Company. The bassist shared the story on his Facebook page.
“Golden Gate Park gave us a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to gather in the spirit of 60 years of the Grateful Dead! I had the great pleasure of playing this beautiful replica of Phil Lesh’s legendary Osiris Mission Control bass guitar. The original was played by Phil at Cornell and in Egypt, among many other places,” Burbridge wrote. “Renowned luthier Leo Elliott of Scarlet Fire Guitars does faithful, detailed recreations of the legendary guitars and basses played by the Grateful Dead. And let me tell you that bass feels and sounds so amazing! It is also the marquee item for auction at this year’s Annual Grateful Guitars Foundation Benefit Auction, and bidding is underway! Many thanks to my bandmates Bob Weir, Mickey Hart, John Mayer, Jeff Chimenti and Jay Lane for graciously signing this bass! It is GGF’s sacred mission to support jamband music and instruction programs that will seed the next generation of players.”
The Scarlet Fire Guitars Osiris Mission Control is meticulously crafted to recreate Lesh’s original workhorse. It was designed with industrial-grade measurements from the masterpiece. Features include a short-scale neck with 24 frets, a mahogany body core with a premium koa top and back, a 7-piece neck, and recreations of the intricate inlays. Most importantly, the electronics and hardware were reverse-engineered from the original instrument to give the same tonal flexibility.
The auction is happening now and will end on August 16th at 9 PM PDT. At the time of this article, the current bid is $17,500. Visit the auction page for more details.
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
