“A Show of Hands” Turns 30: Victor Wooten Celebrates With Limited-Edition Yin-Yang Bass Statue
Thirty years ago, Victor Wooten unleashed a game-changing album. A Show of Hands wasn’t the first solo bass record, but the technical virtuosity and unshakeable grooves on it reframed the possibilities of the bass guitar. Its tracks are funky and serene, bright and warm, lighthearted and serious. Many of them also left listeners wondering, “How in the world did he do that?” before hitting the practice shed.
Wooten is commemorating the occasion, in part, with a limited-edition statue.
“I am excited to celebrate 30 years of A Show of Hands with a statue of my Fodera Yin-Yang bass and an accurate rendering of my hands playing it,” he shared on Facebook. “We will have 75 of these limited edition statues available on Friday via my website. Looking forward to sharing more with you about A Show of Hands!”
The statue is hand-painted with a bronze finish over a resin casting and measures approximately 8 inches high by 8 inches wide. The bass itself is 10 inches long with a metal rod through the casting to prevent warping, while the hands attach to the statue via magnets, allowing a degree of articulation.
The statue will be launching this Friday on Wooten’s merch website, VixMerch.com. A price has not been announced.
A Show of Hands released on February 16th, 1996. “Classical Thump” quickly became a standard of sorts for adventurous bassists, thanks to its double-thumbing technique and extensive use of the fingerboard. You can’t open Instagram without seeing a bassist using the double thumb technique, but at the time, it was nearly unheard of.
Revisit just one of the reasons why Wooten has been on the Mount Rushmore of bassists for decades:
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.
