4005 Lightshow Bass

wints · Post by **wints** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 12:58 am

That bound F hole is cool...

firstbassman · Post by **firstbassman** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 10:52 am

I've mentioned this before, but since the Lightshow has come up again.
Peter's site, says the LS4005 pictured belonged to Jack Casady. But Jack told me he never owned a Ric bass. Peter or JH, can you shed some light (pun intended) on this? Your source? Any confirming info?
PS1: I do understand it was the 60s and there are lots of things Casady (and many of us) don't remember.
PS2: I'm going to see Jack in a few weeks so can ask a follow-up.

ilan · Post by **ilan** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 11:40 am

No amount of recreational chemistry can make a person forget he owned THAT bass.

johnhall · Post by **johnhall** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 12:27 pm

It's my understanding that the bass was owned by the group collectively and kept in storage along with many other instruments when the band maintained an office in San Francisco. I was thinking it was Peter Sears that brought this to them.

It disappeared at some unknown point until it was located, gutted, at a pawn shop in Albuquerque. When it came to my attention, I phoned the Starship who chose to make no claim for it. I told a friend of mine who then drove there and bought it back; I completely restored it for him using a spare set of circuit boards and fresnel fronts that I had.

rickcrazy · Post by **rickcrazy** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 3:51 pm

"...recreational chemistry..." LMAO!

marc61 · Post by **marc61** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 4:23 pm

Ilan, actually the "recreational chemistry" might make one think they owned a bass like that even if it didn't exist

jps · Post by **jps** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 4:42 pm

I just know I owned a 4005LS back in the '70s!

j_gary · Post by **j_gary** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 7:37 pm

Jeff, what was the story on your LS?

New, used, sound & feel, pricing? Get more girls?

Whose bright (get it?) idea was it to sell?

I remember thinking they were silly things. Now I'm thinking I'm a silly thing.

jnbass · Post by **jnbass** » Fri Jan 12, 2007 8:51 pm

was it a 4005LS or just LS/D?

marc61 · Post by **marc61** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 2:58 am

It's interesting that the LS was the ultimate show guitar made during a time of ultimate shows...

You would have thought more would be produced. Not sure what the price point was on these, maybe regular folk couldn't afford to buy'em and rockstars want them on the arm.

lars · Post by **lars** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 4:01 am

If you think of it, lightshow's are kind of cheezy. A guitar with flashing lights? Would a serious musician be seen with something like that? IMHO they have a very high "Spinal Tap-factor". Besides, any reasonably bright stage light would outshine the tiny bulbs inside the guitar.

No wonder only five sold .

Now, after 30 years, of course they are cooler than cool.

jps · Post by **jps** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 10:34 am

Things can be a bit hazy regarding the '70s. According the James T. Kirk, it must have been the LDS!

firstbassman · Post by **firstbassman** » Sat Jan 13, 2007 8:38 pm

It's my understanding that the bass was owned by the group collectively and kept in storage along with many other instruments when the band maintained an office in San Francisco. I was thinking it was Peter Sears that brought this to them.

Thanks John. And if that is the case, then Peter needs to correct this page:

http://rickresource.com/rrp/temptingbass.html

Because, it says Jack owned the bass.

BTW, Pete Sears never played with the Airplane. (Did with Starship as you mention.) But also did play keyboards with Jack and Hot Tuna in the 90s.
A live recording from that time in Japan:

http://www.amazon.com/Live-Japan-Stoves-Yokohoma-City/dp/B000005ZYH/sr=8-1/qid=1168756498/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-8822732-0549756?ie=UTF8&s=music

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 5:34 am

Lars and other Forumites:

My uncle Florian Wilczynski invented the lightshow, back in 1954.

It's true.

Flory was the guitar/pedal steel/banjo player for a Chicago polka band called "Joe Pat and His Orchestra". I remember watching the band play live on one of Chicago's polka TV shows about 1960 or so. He gigged with them 3-4 nights a week.

Flory's day job was as a QC engineer for Admiral Televisions in Chicago. He was quite the electronics guy.

He stuck a string of about a dozen of the old 7W Christmas tree lights inside his open-backed Kay banjo, and rigged them to flash with a foot switch. And, yes, that sucker got HOT. It was a metal-rim banjo, too...

Nothing can compare with the sound and fury of Flory and his bunch when they launched into the long version of "Who Stole the Kishka". It was their own "Stairway to Heaven", about a sausage hanging on the curing rack being kidnapped. It could bring tears to the eyes of the toughest ward alderman.

I can see them now, on a stage whose details and lighting are dimmed by the years, Joe on his beautiful black Scandalli 120-bass accordion, frontman par excellence, Huey the drummer way in back, holding court over his red sparkle set of Slingerlands, Charlie the bass player, the three brassmen whose names I've forgotten...

And over to Stage Right stood Uncle Flory, his banjo flashing in time to the frenetic beat of this tragic ode to Sausage Loss.

Talk about cheezy!

Joe Pat (Paterek) passed on a couple of decades ago, and Flory himself has joined Joe as members in good standing in the Chicago Chapter of the Pearly Gates Polka Federation.

Joe Pat's Orchestra continues to perform under the direction of Frank Gentile (an Italian!?!?!). They are best known for the Polka Mass they wrote and perform in honor of the late Pope John Paul II, who is revered by Chicago Polish Catholics:

NOTE: Every word of this post is the Gospel Truth.

jnbass · Post by **jnbass** » Sun Jan 14, 2007 5:42 am