Bootsy Collins’ career has always been marked by larger-than-life ideas, flamboyant visuals, and groundbreaking funk. One of the most iconic symbols of his artistry is the legendary Space Bass, a star-shaped instrument that’s become almost as famous as the man himself. But as unforgettable as the design is today, the journey to bring it to life was anything but easy.
Back in 1975, Collins had a vision—a dream that translated into a sketch of a star-shaped bass guitar. But when he tried to turn that vision into reality, he found nothing but resistance.
“Everywhere I went with the picture, the same picture that I showed Larry Pless that I drew, I would show it to ’em, and they was like, you know, it was something evil,” Bootsy explained. “‘No, we can’t do that. We can’t sell that.’”
He took the design across New York City’s famous 48th Street, a hub for music shops and luthiers. None of them were willing to take on the wild and unconventional concept. It seemed too strange, too bold, too unmarketable.
Disheartened but not defeated, Bootsy decided to leave New York and head to Michigan, still clinging to the hope that someone might help him create the bass of his dreams.
“I just happened to be in Warren, Michigan. This is like my last straw,” he recalled. He walked into a music store called Gus Zoppies, which mainly sold accordions—a sign that didn’t faze Bootsy at all.
“I went in there because I wanted some info,” he said.
Inside, he met an older man who told him, “We don’t do that kind of work here. But I got a young guy in the back. He makes guitars.” That young guy turned out to be Larry Pless.
Pless had been building and repairing custom guitars at the shop for a couple of years. When Bootsy showed him the sketch, the reaction was unlike any he had received before.
“He said, ‘What you got? What you want me to do?’ And I showed him the picture that I drew, and he started getting a smile on his face, and he was like, ‘I’ve been looking for something like this to do.’”
At that moment, Bootsy knew he had found his collaborator. Pless promised to have a prototype ready in two weeks, and he delivered on time.
“I was so ecstatic like it’s already done. That’s how I met him. I mean, he was the cat that stood up when everybody else was like, ‘Can’t do it.’”
The first Space Bass was crafted with a mahogany body, a maple neck, and a neck shape modeled after Collins’ favorite Precision Bass. It even included dual outputs, giving Bootsy the tonal flexibility he needed.
The custom bass arrived just in time for the Stretchin’ Out in Bootsy’s Rubber Band photoshoot, cementing its place in funk history.
Though the original Space Bass was later stolen, Pless built a second one for Bootsy. Years later, the stolen instrument resurfaced—in a pawn shop in Ohio—and was eventually returned to its rightful owner.
Reflecting on the incident, Pless joked, “Who would be dumb enough to steal such a recognizable guitar as the Space Bass?”
Over the decades, the Space Bass has become a symbol of Bootsy’s creativity and refusal to compromise his vision. Both Washburn and Warwick have crafted their own iterations of the Space Bass, keeping the funky spirit alive.
In recent interviews, Bootsy has continued to share stories from his incredible journey—including his time with James Brown, how LSD influenced his songwriting, and why he’s recently started playing a five-string bass.
But it all started with one bold design and a single luthier who finally said, yes.
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