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Pictures courtesy of Bobby Cochran. Thanks man your a legend.
July 26, 2005 Ibanez
Press Release
On display at the
January 2005 NAMM musical instrument convention was a recreation of the
guitar that graced the cover of Ibanez's new history book. The fancy,
heavily inlaid guitar with a multitude of switches in the black and white
photo was one of a number of custom Ibanez guitars made for Bob Weir of the
Grateful Dead in the 1970s. The actual guitar on book display was made to
spur interest in the Ibanez history book, but it generated enough interest
on its own to be on display for sale at the 2005 NAMM show in Indianapolis.
The guitar, which has
been given the model designation BWM1BS--Bob Weir Model One, Brown Sunburst--
features a pre-amp with three band active
EQ, DiMarzio Virtual PAF and Virtual
Vintage pickups, a 5-piece maple/walnut thru-neck with pearl vine inlay, swamp
ash body and much more. The completely handmade guitar will be limited to 30 pcs
worldwide with just 15 pcs
going to the United States.
The so-called "Cowboy
Fancy" models that were made for Bob Weir by Ibanez about 1976. That name comes
from an answer Weir gave to Jeff
Hasselberger
of Ibanez who had asked him what he would like a guitar to look like. Referring
to the often ornate inlays on the guitars of the old Country and Western stars,
Weir replied, "Let's go for the full cowboy fancy," and so Full Cowboy Fancy it
was. The word "Ace" on the fretboard refers to Weir's nickname, which comes from
his first solo album of the same name.
The Cowboy Fancy shape
was intended to be a compromise between a Gibson ES345, which Bob was playing at
the time, and the Ibanez artist. One of the requests by Bob Weir was for a
larger headstock than the prior smaller and more ornate Weir model headstocks so
as to increase sustain.
Hasselberger
came up with the Ibanez 3-on-a-side design, which ultimately made its way into
smaller versions for the George Benson guitars and other Ibanez jazz guitars.
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