On the Roam (2024) s01e07 Episode Script

[man] Yeah.
Yeah.
[Bill] How are you doing?
[Jason] Waking up, bro.
[Bill] All right, man.
My name is Bill.
-[Jason] Hi, Bill.
-[man] Oh.
This right here,
the wood warehouse.
-[Jason] Yeah?
-Yeah. This over here
is the manufacturing plant.
-[Jason] Yeah.
-As a matter of fact,
we're growing, and we're
looking to take that building.
-Holy smokes.
-[Jason] Wow.
-Yeah. Yeah.
-That's amazing.
We wanted to be here
earlier, so--
-Yeah, I think you guys--
-Well, no that's not true,
we just live on the road.
["Wherever I May Roam"
by Metallica playing]
[singer] And the road
Becomes my bride ♪
I have stripped
Of all but pride ♪
So in her I do confide ♪
Off the beaten path
I reign ♪
Rover, wanderer,
Nomad, vagabond ♪
Call me what you will ♪
Wherever I may roam ♪
Wherever I may roam, yeah ♪
[man] [indistinct] area.
-[Bill] This is where
we keep our wood.
-[Jason] Holy shit.
[Bill] So this is the
Hollywood Bowl seating.
-[man] No way.
-[Jason] No fucking way.
-[man] Yeah, man.
-[Bill] The old seating,
we're making guitars
out of them.
[Jason] Hollywood Bowl,
holy shit.
I bet you guys got
like vintage-aged wood too.
-[man] Oh, we do. Yeah, yeah.
-[Jason] You got all
You got all of it?
[Bill] We've taken old
bridges, wood bridges,
old barn wood,
and make guitars out of them.
-Can we get that?
-[Bill] Yeah.
[Jason] What I wanted to do
on this episode
is I really wanted to focus
on building these instruments
from the ground up.
So some of my favorite
artisans,
guys that I follow
on Instagram
that are just amazing.
That's the best.
I love you, man.
Just being able
to document them
and celebrate the craftsman,
that's what
this is dedicated to.
And taking that, and then
that inspires the artist.
[Bill] We're gonna see the end
part of [indistinct]
[Jason]
Visiting the Fender Factory,
it was really kind of the
start of this whole thing.
I wanted to show up there,
I wanted to camp out
and wake up and be there
right in the morning.
[acoustic music playing]
Whoa.
Fender has had a huge impact
on my journey
to playing the guitar.
My first electric
was a Fender Nocaster
that I cherished.
It fueled my passion
for playing guitar
and appreciation
for how they're made.
It's not some freaking
machine, man.
I love that.
[Bill] Roger's been here
since 1960, he's 91 years old.
[Jason]
Dude, what's up, Roger?
-How are you doing, sir?
-[Roger] Hey.
You've been here
You've been here for 60 years?
It's 61.
[Jason] Sixty-one years
you've been here?
I started in 1960.
Born in 1929,
and you've been in
And you're 91 years old.
You're amazing.
Wow.
Thank you, my friend.
Bro, it's all hands on,
artistry.
Same techniques they're using,
been doing since 1954.
[narrator]
So much of what founded
Fender as an iconic company
and made it a household name
is still there today.
It's a legacy
of craftsmanship
that carries on
with each guitar they make.
[Paul] I think the craftsman
for me is just
pouring yourself
into something so that,
you know,
it's reflective of you.
[guitar music playing]
[narrator] It's crazy
to think of all the music
that will be created for the
world by these instruments.
And it all begins here at the
hands of these builders.
[Yuriy]
Somebody picks up a guitar,
and they'll hold it
for several minutes
and stare at every facet
of that guitar.
[Jason] Whoa.
You think it's like, "Oh
yeah, these are machine-made,
blah, blah, blah."
But no, every detail,
like it was wonderful
to go into the Fender
and see how much goes in
to one of these guitars,
like a lot more
than I thought.
It's a beautiful process.
I was really blown away.
-Oh, Dale Wilson, bro!
-[Dale] [indistinct]
I follow you on Instagram!
-[laughs]
-Oh [indistinct]
that is so cool.
-[Jason] Oh, man,
this is awesome, bro.
-Thank you very much.
[Jason]
Meeting all of the artisans
and guys who I follow,
being able to see
all the work, their workshops,
going in there, seeing how
handcrafted everything is.
[Paul] It's kind
of a vulnerable thing.
You make something
and if you're proud of it,
you're proud to show
your friends,
you're proud to show
your family.
But you're also
kind of vulnerable
because you're worried
they might find all the stuff
that you think
is wrong with it.
[acoustic music playing]
I've been building guitars
about 18 years here at Fender
and I built my first guitar
when I was 14 years old
in high school, which, um
While the kids were building
bongs and clocks, I decided
I wanted to build a guitar.
I wanted to slow things down
and take my time
and just focus on something
really detailed.
I could spend my time
making something that
somebody else
could appreciate.
Being able to do this
and make someone's day,
that's why I'm doing it.
Always learning
and developing that
into the craft
and making it better
and I get to pour myself
into that guitar.
I still don't believe
that I This is what I do.
Like,
sometimes I'll tell my mom,
like, "Hey, Mom,
I'm at Jimmy Page's house,"
and she's like, "Oh, that's
nice, honey."
[laughs]
[narrator] These craftsmen
have the coolest jobs.
They come into work every day
and they live their passion,
using their skills to make
music possible for so many.
Going to the Fender
custom shop,
they were so cool to me
and so nice, the whole team.
[all cheering]
[narrator] Seeing how
an instrument comes together
made me wanna learn more,
and to draw from that well
of inspiration.
This led me to Les Claypool,
someone who's had
a heavy hand
in creating custom guitars.
[Les] We never had fires
around there.
Very rare.
[Jason]
Do you go swimming in this?
-[Les] You can.
We used to have a rope swing.
-[woman] We used to.
[Les] We haven't
in a long time.
[Jason] Ho-ho-ho-ho!
Don't worry,
I used to be a lifeguard.
Come on on, you're good.
[woman laughs] [indistinct]
[metal creaking]
[narrator] Les Claypool
and Primus were massive
influences on me growing up.
[laughter]
[narrator] I relate
to his unique style of music
and it inspired me
to pick up the bass.
Oh, man.
That was, uh,
less than a minute.
I call him Geoff.
-[Jason] Look at that, buddy.
-[woman] It's so big.
-That's impressive, sir.
-[Les] Give him a lick.
[narrator] Being able to spend
time with him and his family
and become friends with him
is something
that I never would have
thought possible as a kid.
Whoa, shit!
[laughter]
Damien.
Oh, shit, I've caught Damien.
This is how bad a fisherman
Aquaman is.
[narrator]
Primus is, without a doubt,
one of my all time
favorite bands.
Bass isn't usually
a forefront instrument,
but Les Claypool, when he's
on stage, he steals the show.
[guitar strumming]
[Les] This one really growls.
[guitar strumming]
This one, for me, it sounds
more like Primus, like
[narrator] He has some of the
most incredibly intricate
and impressive bass riffs
I've ever heard.
So much that
there's a couple of them
he can't even play anymore.
He's so connected to
his instruments
that create his unique sound.
He's just a master
of his craft.
[Jason] What inspired me
to play guitar,
I mean, I've always tried
to pick it up
and wanted to learn,
but I just
I didn't have it
when I was a kid.
And I wish I would've south
a little bit longer.
But what inspired me
are these artists,
people like Les Claypool
and the Flea,
they're big inspirations
in my life.
I don't necessarily wanna
make my own songs.
I want to just sing
their songs.
[Les] These are all
Carl Thompson basses.
He's a brilliant,
brilliant luthier.
Everything he makes
is so unique,
and you kinda tailor
your playing
[guitar strumming]
to the instrument, you know?
But I always tell people,
"Hey, if you wanted to buy
the best bass in the world,
buy a Carl Thompson."
But I mean, look at this
thing, it's just
It's gorgeous.
He makes the most amazing
instruments, he's like the
He's like the modern day
Statovarius.
He really is.
-[mellow music playing]
-[sniffles]
-[laughter]
-[producer] Anything you want.
Anything you want.
I discovered Carl Thompson
through Primus,
and Les Claypool was a huge
inspiration to me and Primus
when I was young, growing up,
skateboarder.
And then just seeing
Seeing him
just kind of blew my mind.
-[Carl speaking]
-[Jason] What's up, buddy?
It's a pleasure
to meet you, man.
-[laughs]
-Awesome.
Wow. This shop is amazing.
It was pretty exciting
to be able
to go to Carl's house,
and go into Brooklyn,
and go down in this basement,
and it is tiny like super,
super tiny.
All right. Gonna show me
around a little bit?
-[laughs]
-[Jason] Wax on, wax off.
Wax on.
[laughs]
[Jason] It's an honor.
Being in Carl's presence,
that's a guru grandpa.
You know, you're in the
basement of Grandpa's place,
you hope your grandpa's
that cool.
But he's just dropping
all of these like
beautiful little
nuggets of wisdom.
What the hell's this?
[Carl speaking]
Okay, well that's fine,
your brother drew it.
-[Jason] Is it right there?
-[Carl speaking]
[Jason] Billy Ray Thompson.
Me and Batman, I know him
-I know him very well.
-[Carl speaking]
Wow. A family of artists.
[narrator]
For this incredible show,
we've been able to meet
people from all over,
including masters of craft
in unexpected places.
Carl is no different.
His space might be small,
but the bases he creates
are unbelievable.
He's been making these
instruments here for years,
literally shaping the course
of musical history
from beneath his fingers.
This one's gorgeous.
You sure you want to send
this to Australia?
Nah.
Nah, we can make him
wait longer, right?
[Carl laughs]
You originally started
as a jazz musician,
and then you started
making your bases?
Or you always made your bases?
I'm just
[Carl speaking]
-[Jason] Yeah.
-[Carl speaking]
Oh, wow.
[Carl speaking]
[Jason] Wow.
So what year was
What year is this?
Wow.
[Carl speaking]
[narrator] Carl's lived
such an extraordinary life.
Being a self-taught master,
words can't describe
how amazing he is.
[Carl]
I want it to look like this,
I want it to look right,
it has to be right, yeah.
I don't care
how you approach it.
[narrator] He really shows
the influence of handcrafted.
And while many
larger builders
have lost that human touch,
there are still a few
who champion craftsmanship.
[Jason] Hey, Billy.
-[Billy] Hey.
-I remember seeing this.
Before I even played guitar,
I was like, "What is that?"
-[Billy] Oh, yeah.
-And I brought my first
And I brought
my first national.
And it was on the day
of Robert Johnson's death
and I learned
how to play lap steel,
and then I learned
how to play like
Come on in my kitchen,
and before I could
actually play a note.
So I started
I started playing slide
-Yeah.
-before I could
actually play notes.
-You still got that one?
-[Billy] Oh, yeah.
I got all of that stuff.
[rock music playing]
[narrator]
There are some guitars
that changed the course
of music history.
One of those guitars,
ZZ Top front man
Billy Gibbons
1959 Les Paul,
the Mistress Pearly Gates.
[Jason] Give me a little
history of Pearly Gates.
I point to Eric Clapton
as being the guy
that cracked the code
and the evidence showed up
on the back
of the John Mayall
& the Bluesbreakers record,
and that became
the go-to thing.
But keep in mind
that was in '66 or '67,
this instrument had already
been out of production
since '59, or early '60s,
I could say.
[narrator] Pearly Gates
is one of the most
iconic guitars in the world.
So I sent my team to Gibson
to meet Billy
and his legendary instrument.
[Billy]
Took off to Los Angeles
saying that you got a buyer
for Pearly, so
I sold him the steel Pearly.
[laughs]
-[Cesar] Where's Pearly?
-[Billy] Coming in.
-[Cesar] Oh, my.
-[woman] I have her.
-[Cesar] Oh, my, oh, my.
-Yeah, yeah, yeah.
-[woman] You guys ready?
-[Cesar] Let's go.
[Billy] Come on back.
[Cesar] Go, go, go.
Oh, man.
[Tom] Pearly Gates
is Billy Gibbons' guitar
that he's known to have
from like the beginnings
of ZZ Top, very special.
[Billy] Immediately,
the sound of the instrument
eclipsed everything
that had come before it.
[Jason] You don't get to see
that guitar that often.
So my team got to be there
and to see the most perfect
'59 Les Paul in history.
It defined music and
it created a genre of music.
-[Billy] Oh, yeah.
-This is music history.
[Jason] To be able
to shoot Pearly Gates,
it's magic, it's huge,
it's like,
that guitar is definitely
locked down Fort Knox.
[guitar playing]
[Billy] Even unplugged,
these things have a
Have a resonant sound.
[Jason sighs]
I'm gonna meet Tom Murphy.
Tell me what this is.
This was my file
when we first tried
to replicate Pearly Gates.
These were the pictures taken
of the actual guitar.
[Jason] He's got these legends
and I wanna celebrate their
guitars,
and by doing that,
we're gonna take their guitar
with all the cracks
and the beats,
the smoky lounges
and everything
and all that soul
that's in there,
and then we're gonna
duplicate it
with other artisans
who were inspired
by that music
and then surprise them
so they can retire that one
and then take it out
and go play it in the world.
Getting the opportunity
to help replicate
one of the most famous
guitars in music history
for a music legend,
another surreal experience.
All the love and skill
that goes into building
a masterpiece
really makes you appreciate
the craftsmen
who dedicate their lives
to keeping this
art form alive.
Everyone that works at Gibson
is excited about
these artists.
That's maybe why
they work there
and because they're
moved by them
and now we get to build
his guitar
and then we're gonna auction
it off for charity.
So that was like a really
special thing
just to be able to like
document that
and then give something back.
I was pleased to see
that we were gonna
replicate the Pearly Gates,
Billy Gibbons' guitar,
for Jason.
It's always been
really special to me
because in the spring of '70,
I was sitting on the floor
in a tiny little club
to see Billy Gibbons'
new band.
He walked from behind
his Marshall amp
holding that Les Paul
and I was a 19-year-old kid
hearing Billy Gibbons play
and seeing that Les Paul.
I mean, it was just guitar
heaven and music heaven.
So it was just thrilling
to see that circle happen
where I was influenced
by that guitar
and then got to replicate it.
This particular guitar,
of all guitars I've done
-[Jason] Yeah.
-[Tom] I had to use
a wire brush on a grill
to replicate where
he has worn the wood away,
not the finish,
the wood is rounded off there.
-Wow. Belt buckle.
-Belt buckle
They're low slung, you know.
And so that's what
Billy Gibbons' guitar
looks like.
[Jason] Yeah, because
it has a real
Like, we're talking
about that tobacco,
it's been played in a lot
of clubs and
-[Tom] Oh, of course.
And see
-few joints, kind of
You can see the yellowing
of the binding,
that's the lacquer
turning yellow
on the whole guitar.
I asked him personally,
of all the years
and all the guitars,
how this guitar
-did never get broken.
-[Jason] Right.
He said,
"'Cause she was right here."
Wow.
[Tom]
We heard that Billy had named
that Les Paul "Pearly Gates,"
so he loaned a car to a girl
to go to California
and the car was named
Pearly Gates.
[Billy] My buddy, he said,
"Uh, there's a cowboy
outside of town
that's working a ranch,
he used to have a,
uh, cowboy band.
I think he's got one
of those sunburst Les Paul's."
I said,
"Well, let's go check it out."
He pulled it out
from under the bed,
it was a famous story,
under the bed.
He opened up
the case and there it was.
Well, there was a young girl
that was in Texas,
she was actually
from Los Angeles
and she had an opportunity
to get a part in a movie,
but she didn't have a way
to get from Texas
back to California.
So a buddy of mine and I
gave her a 1936 Packard.
[chuckles] We said,
"Listen, we don't know
if it's gonna make it,
we don't know
if you're going to get there."
But sure enough, she said,
"I'm gonna learn
how to drive it,"
which she did,
made it all the way
to California,
got the part and she said,
"Now what do I do?"
I said, "Well, sell the car."
Which she did,
and she sent the money
back to us on the day
that we found the Les Paul.
[laughs] I had this
hand full of cash
and I gave it to this cowboy
and I said,
"Here, we'll make a deal."
He said, "Fine."
And that was
That was the start of it.
-Wow.
-Yeah.
Under a bed in Texas,
that's how you found
Pearly Gates.
-That's it.
-[exhales]
I loved sitting with him
and hearing his story, so
It was one of those
beautiful moments
when you meet your heroes
and your heroes are cool.
So, it's be cool, be kind.
[acoustic music playing]
[narrator] The craftsman
who built the original
1959 Les Paul
changed the course
of music history.
Each one was hand built
creating a unique personality
for each guitar.
And like Pearly,
they went on to create music
that would inspire us
for generations.
That's the Pearly Gates.
Yeah.
[Les] So, um, we're at
the home of Dan Maloney
who has been making me
bases for years.
See, I wanted to design
my own instrument
that fit me personally,
you know, my ergo instrument.
Uh, it was Dan who I
He was really the only person
I wanted to talk to about it,
-so let's go see Dan.
-[Jason] And so he's
[indistinct]
Let's go see Dan.
Pachyderm base.
He's a good guy.
It's your hometown then.
Yeah.
-The mystery god.
-[Jason] This is the mystery.
-How are you doing, Dan?
-You look good.
-How are you doing?
-[Jason]
Nice to meet you, man.
This is where
it's all made, huh?
[Dan]
This is where it happens.
-All right. Yeah.
-[Les] I asked Dan
to make me one out
of dark chocolate
and, um, so, I'm very anxious
to have the first edible
pachyderm bass guitar, so
[chuckles] Um, we were
We were talking
because I wanted to get
a bass from you,
and then you said maybe
possibly the next bass
we would be making
would be, uh
We could make a koa, right?
[Les] Well, we're making
a couple of koas.
-A couple of koas.
-So we'll see which one
I wanna keep.
-[Jason] Yes. So we get
We get twinsies.
-[laughs]
[narrator]
I love natural materials.
I feel so connected
with these things
that are shaped
from the earth,
they have meaning.
Koa is my favorite wood
and it's from Hawaii,
it's absolutely beautiful.
So this bass is kind
of a marriage
of those things that I love.
[Dan] There you go.
[Les] That's pretty.
Wow, that came out great.
[Jason] Wow.
How long did it take
to make one of them?
[Dan] I started this one about
five or six months ago,
I think.
[Les] I was like, "Okay,
I want something
that balances
incredibly well,
that is light, super punchy,
very basic electronics."
I want shit
to be easy and ergo.
I like it to feel,
have the contours
and these different
things on how they feel
against my body.
And I sit there and I play
with them in my chair
and lay on the couch and do
all kinds of things, so
Because that was, for me,
when I was growing up
with my Carl Thompson base,
I was It was like
my girlfriend, you know.
I wish
I had the thing with me
everywhere, every night.
It was very comfortable to me.
-[Jason] Yeah.
-So I wanted my instruments
to be equally as comfortable.
We shifted the waist on it,
so like, this,
the waist is here,
-the waist is here.
-[Jason] Yeah.
So what I was finding
is that it didn't balance
on my knee very well.
So we shifted
the bottom portion
of the waist back,
it's basically the same base
but we wanted
to extend the lower horn
so it feels better
on your knee.
See, like, it just sits there,
just like
And then you can work
on the console,
it doesn't go anywhere.
But it's also a little bit
of a Of an homage
-to Carl Thompson because
-Yeah.
Carl is the king of all kings,
and this is a bit
of a nod to him.
[dramatic music playing]
[Jason] So each one
of these are hand done?
[Les] Some of the ones
I use, but he does
He does all the fine-aly,
dine-aly.
I mean, how would you
shape this edge?
[Dan] I would use
different methods.
I'd use a bit of that,
I'd use a bigger stuff,
I'd use the grinder
and I'm not into, um,
that real fine stuff,
-I use files, I use sandpaper.
-[Les] Oh, you just ruined it.
[laughter]
-That one's mine.
-[Les] Wah-wah-wah-wah.
[Dan] Yeah. Yeah,
you bought that one.
Yup. It's all good.
[Les] But you can see
I did a couple of dingers
when I was working on it too.
Right here, I did
exactly what you did.
[Jason] Uh, you know,
we edited that out,
so we'll never use it,
I didn't ding shit.
-[Les] But I saw you ding it.
-I didn't.
Thank you for opening
your house and home
and showing us your craft.
And thank you for showing me
that you do it yourself
which I think is amazing.
[bass guitar playing]
[laughter]
-I just fuck around,
honestly, you know?
-Yeah.
[dramatic music playing]
[Joe] It's pretty cool
coming down here.
Carl's dad built this.
So he took the neck
off an acoustic
and built the body for it,
that was back in the 1930's.
-[Jason] Wow.
-[Joe] It was before
Les Paul was,
you know,
building instruments.
His dad was, uh, doing
a bunch of recording on
Early recording gear.
He just always had trouble
getting feedback and stuff
on that early recording
-[Jason] Yeah, yeah.
-so he decided to build
a, uh, an electric guitar.
-[Jason] Wow.
-[Joe] Yeah.
[Carl speaking]
He just loved it.
Did he?
Wow.
Eric Clapton played it?
It's a museum piece, sir.
Carl's father's guitar
has been played
by many big names.
And to think it could be
one of the world's
first solid body
electric guitars.
To see it just hanging there,
it's just a testament
to how humble he is.
Look, there's stuff
back here too.
No, this is it.
[Jason] That is amazing.
-It's amazing.
-Yeah.
[narrator] Carl clearly comes
from a family of creators.
As a father who wants
to pass down to my kids
the things that I love,
my passions,
I felt a deep connection.
[Jason] Well, that's what
our show is really about,
it's like, it's just
handcrafted artists
and really it's the heartbeat
of it right here,
like, being in a basement
in this small studio
making the greatest
bases in the world.
You're one of the
You're one of the greatest
luthierists in the world, bro.
To document him,
that's what this is all about.
Just going down
into his little workshop,
you get to experience it.
It was beautiful
to watch this whole thing
come to life.
[Carl speaking]
[Jason] Just what he
lives by, his mottos,
the things that,
like, that fuel him,
and he's so inspiring.
Thank you, you definitely
shared your gift.
-A hundred percent.
-A hundred percent.
He's a hundred percent.
He's definitely
shared his gift.
Yeah, that's right.
[Jason] You know, I'm using
my passion or excitement
about what he does
to show the world
and he has this super power
of being able to do this,
and he needs to pass it
to the world.
So I think it's wonderful
that we're complimenting
each other.
[Carl] This is called
the Nashville.
-[Jason]
That's called a Nashville?
-[Carl] Mmm-hmm.
-[Jason] Wow.
-[Carl chuckles]
Yeah, the rainbow base started
as a guitar back in the '70s.
[Jason] You're the first one
to do that?
[Carl] This And then
they called it Rainbow Bass,
and when Les
came into my life,
I just thought,
"This guy's a crazy guy.
I'm gonna make him
something crazy."
The craziest. The craziest.
-So I'll make him
something crazy.
-Yeah.
[Carl] Now everybody wants
a Rainbow Bass, you know.
Is that his first one?
Is it like the rainbow?
That's the first one
I made him, yeah.
-That's the first one, yeah.
-But he But he had one
-before that.
-Yeah.
He found one,
he said that that little
-particular bass he has
-Yeah, yeah.
that The walnut bass?
He said he found that
in a hawk shop
in San Francisco somewhere
a long time ago.
-Really?
-So before I even
met him, you know.
Also, then I stumbled
across one
at the local music
store that was used,
I was like, "Holy shit,
this thing's a crap,"
picked it up and played it,
it was the one
-you played last night.
-[Jason] Yeah, that's the one.
I had no money,
so I just went and borrowed
money from everybody,
and I skimped and saved,
and it was $600.
And I went in
to go back to get it
and they had marked it up
to a thousand.
And I told the guy,
I went, "Dude,
you told me $600,"
and I was in high school.
He goes into the back
and he comes back
and he's like, "Okay,
I'll sell it to you
for $600 with tax.
And I was like, "Okay."
And I gave him $600
and I wrote him a bum check
for the tax.
But I got the bass.
[laughter]
When Les came over
and, uh, he said he wanted
to get a six-string bass.
And so he started making it,
and then half way
through I was like,
"You know, I'm gonna maybe
have it be fretless,"
because I'm an idiot.
And I made my life much harder
by having it be fretless.
Why did I decide
to have it fretless?
It's This was
the ridiculous thing.
I just wanted the
I was like,
"I'm bored with four-string.
I wanted challenge myself."
[Carl] That's his base.
-When I made his
-[Jason] Yeah.
[Carl] this stuff went
all the way through,
-the rainbow.
-[Jason] Yeah.
[Carl] Because when I heard
that scroll,
all those woods art.
I was in the kitchen
but, you know,
I should have charged him
$50 million for that one.
[bass guitar playing]
[narrator]
Les' music was influenced
directly by Carl's genius
in making this bass.
And the songs created on it
had a profound impact
on a lot of people,
including me.
[Les] You know,
market pachyderm basses
are amazing,
they're super ergo.
But if you wanted
an incredible piece of art
by the greatest
bass builder luthier
I've ever come across ever,
you'd get a Carl Thompson.
Have you seen the picture
I got from him?
[Jason] No, show it to me.
He's a wild man.
I love him to death, man.
-[laughs]
-He speaks so highly
of you too,
so it's an honor to be able
to come here
and meet you and
I'm so happy
I got a bass from you.
I'm glad you did, too.
I mean,
like I told you before,
I made guitars for Lou Reed,
I mean, Hank Williams.
I never made one
for the Aquaman.
[laughter]
[dramatic music playing]
[narrator] Carl made this
gorgeous six-string bass.
The woodwork
was pure artistry.
He took influence
from Les' style
and incorporated it
into his build.
[Les]
Carl's just a fucking genius.
Yeah, this thing's amazing.
Nice and light.
[Jason] Now, you know,
Les has his pachyderm basses
that he does
with Dan Maloney.
-This thing's badass.
-[laughs]
Yeah! Carl!
But it's really beautiful
to see, like,
where that kind of style
came from,
and that's through Carl.
[bass guitar strumming]
Yeah, this thing's
really cool.
-I'm stoked.
-Yeah.
-[Jason] I'm stoked
to tell Carl.
-[Les] It's very cool.
[Jason] He's very excited
just coming here.
Going to Carl's place,
in his little small basement,
I mean, it's quite
impressive to go
You know, what we're shooting
on the show is like
these massive companies
that are still making
handcrafted things
but then it's like getting
into someone's garage
like Dan, making these
amazing instruments.
But still, Carl,
you would think
it'd be a little bit,
and he's like 80 what?
-[Les] I don't even know.
-[Jason] Yeah.
-But it's--
-[Les] I think he's a vampire,
I think he's ageless.
Yeah. I mean, look at that.
That's just
Nobody beats his woodwork,
it's unbelievable.
They're literally
pieces of art.
[Jason] And that's one
of the beautiful things
about it too,
like you're creating
something with him.
You get to see
behind the curtain
of what it takes to make
something like this
and that kind of artistry.
[Carl] So koa wood,
the core is honduran mahogany,
the neck is roasted maple.
[Jason] Oh,
is that what that is?
This is what they looked
like before, the
That's the neck.
Well, before this,
it's a tree, you know, so
[laughter]
[Jason] So two of my firsts,
I've never had a fretless,
so I felt like it was
I think what's gonna
make me a fretless
is gonna be you guys.
It's beautiful.
And then this is my first,
this will be
the first six-string
right here.
Woo-ho-ho!
Amazing.
I don't know how many guitars
he puts out a year,
but it's just so special
to be able to have,
like, anything from him
and be able to record him.
Carl, if there's a charity
that you really love,
we're gonna raise money,
give that to a charity
if there's anything
that you
-If there's--
-Make-A-Wish.
Make-A-Wish?
I'm gonna auction off,
basically, my first fretless
and hopefully raise money
and we can
And it will bring some more
to some charities,
and then And then
And then we'll also do a
We'll also do Make-A-Wish,
buddy.
When I talked to him
on the phone,
what did I say? I said,
"This guy, I never met him,
but he sure sounds
like a nice guy."
You gave me
a lot of gold today,
you gave me some great advice.
Hey, buddy.
Yeah.
To be able to use my team
and our passion
and be able to capture him
in the most beautiful way,
it was an honor.
-[Les] You wanna see
what Dan made?
-[Jason] I do.
Okay. So, this is one
of the first koas
-that he was working on.
-[Jason]
This is the first koa?
-[Les] It's one
of the first ones.
-[Jason] One of the first.
[Les] So these are the two
koas he was working on
when you were around.
Both of these have been
my road basses.
I've taken them both
on the road.
[narrator] For the making
of this show,
I've come to realize
that the flame inside
all of us
to create and give our gift
to the world
is the thing
that pulls us together.
Being able to share
these one of a kind guitars
with the world,
I wanted to make
an extra one so that
we can auction it off,
and then from there,
donate it to charity.
[Les] Well, I always
tell my kids, I'm like,
"When I go, when I die,
there's no money."
Evel Knievel
said when I was kid,
"You know,
I've made $2 million
in my life,"
which was a shitload
of money back then,
"but I've spent four."
So I tell my kids,
"Look, when I go,
there's no money,
but you're gonna have
a fuck of a yard sale,"
you know, because, like,
I keep all this shit.
Like, you see it's on the van,
you know,
I got all kinds of shit
like that.
-Lola and Wolf
-[laughs]
I made a lot of money.
I spent more.
-You're gonna have a hell
of a yard sale.
-Hell of a yard sale.
[Jason] So, when we auction
it off, it basically gets
Goes to any charity
that you want.
What charity would
you want the money to go to?
Uh, well, because we lost
my little nephew Matthew,
baby Matthew, years ago
to leukemia,
um, and I saw what, uh,
my brother
and my sister-in-law,
my whole family went through,
in that situation,
as you know, as a father,
that's
It's the most horrific thing
-you could possibly imagine
-Yeah.
losing a Losing your kid.
So St. Jude's Hospital
was this amazing place
that really took care
of my brother
and his family, and so
-[bass guitar plays]
-St. Jude's.
-Thank you, brother.
-Right on, man.
That's awesome. Yeah!
Let's go eat
some of your wieners.
Let's eat some wieners.
[Jason] All right.
Let's do this, let's do this.
Let's Let me
show you something.
All right. So straight
from Murphy's lab,
-we got three.
-[Billy] Oh, my gosh.
-[laughs]
-Um, I wanna give you two,
and we're gonna sign one
for a fan.
Do us the honors,
do you wanna open them up?
[Billy] Oh.
Oh, man. [laughs]
-[Jason laughs]
-[Billy] Wow.
Somebody's gonna be
really happy.
[guitar strums]
[Billy] Oh, man. Whoa, yeah.
-[Jason] Right?
-Oh, God.
This comes the tough part now.
[laughs]
[guitar strums]
-Oh.
-Beautiful.
-It's
-That's what it's hooked on,
-right there.
-Nice and dark, too.
-That Yeah.
-Hmm.
Man. Phew. [laughs]
All right. Ooh, baby.
-[Billy laughs]
-That looks good.
Jeez.
Oh. There it goes.
Look at the depth
of that color.
The movement, you know.
They call it flame maple
and there's a reason
because it flairs under the
Under the movement.
[Jason] Really being able
to spend time with him
and give it to him
in his home
and just honor him,
it's a wonderful thing, man.
He's really a beautiful
human being.
[Billy] This is really,
really beautiful work.
-They are, aren't they?
-Stunning.
You know,
every element is so bold.
I hope we captured in camera
like how just unbelievable
these things are.
[Billy]
Pearly has this presence,
this powerful tone
that has yet to be eclipsed.
[laughs]
[Jason] Cesar.
[Cesar] Jason. Hi, Billy.
-[Jason] We did it.
-We did it,
and, uh, we're gonna join you
in, uh, supporting
one of the great charities
that, uh, we know
that you've, uh,
been so closely
associated with.
[Cesar] You know,
with all the work
that we're doing
around music education,
I think Gibson Gives
will be the right place.
[Jason] Nice, Gibson Gives.
-I love it, buddy.
-It's a done deal.
I can't believe
it's happening.
I'm pinching myself.
This is, uh,
a real special moment.
Um, and just in time,
the ZZ Top tour starts
in, uh, just around the corner
and, uh, we don't have
to worry about
what we're taking on the road,
I'm seeing it right here.
-[laughs]
-That's awesome.
[Billy] This is really
really special.
[soft dramatic music playing]
[Jason] I love it here.
I'm really proud of all
the stuff that you guys
have created
and, you know, that's what
we wanna celebrate.
We wanna celebrate
handcrafted.
You guys are still doing it
here at Fender,
it's just so wonderful
to celebrate craftsmanship
and be able to pass it
over to musicians.
It's a beautiful
full circle of, like,
passing on the thing
that we love,
the universal language
of music,
so thank you, Fender.
-Woo!
-[applause]
A lot of these artists
come back and they want
these certain luthiers,
these certain craftsmen
to build their guitars.
And so, this one is
It goes out
to the boys at Fender.
I love this little team,
and please enjoy
how much goes into
these little pieces of art.
[soft dramatic music playing]
[narrator]
What an amazing journey,
unlike any
I've ever had before.
The craftsmen I've met
have opened my eyes
to the love
and detail that goes
into every instrument
they create.
They come from all walks
of life
and create their art
in different environments.
They themselves
are works of art,
in basements, in factories,
in garages.
It's a collective
of specialists
who love what they do
and who share their gifts
with the world.
They're united by the drive
and passion to build
these tools of music,
and translate that
into every stroke
of the file,
tap of the hammer,
and the winding
of the strings.
[soft dramatic music playing]
[narrator] My heart is so full
getting to explore
even a piece of this world,
and to meet the masters
who live in it.
[Carl] I never wanna be
a master.
I had an idea
about making a bass,
and I found a way
to make it happen.
That's all.
It doesn't take a genius
to do that.
[soft dramatic music playing]