Julian Copes musical career stretches from the late 1970s (Teardrop Explodes) through the eighties and 1990s as a solo artist, and finally with Brain Donor. He is also an author, and guitar collector.
One of his most unusual guitars is a Gibson Firebird / Thunderbird doubleneck, that he calls The Beast.
FlyGuitars The Beast is an amazing looking guitar - was it a custom order by Gibson?
Julian Cope The guitar was made by (Arturo) Valdez in Los Angeles in 1971, from a 1967 non reverse Thunderbird IV and a 1968 non reverse Firebird. Valdez screwed with the pick-ups, including replacing the bridge pick-up with a PAF (guitar scholars tell me that at that time it was probably a purely pragmatic decision). Valdez has a great reputation at Black Market Music, on Sunset Boulevard.
FlyGuitars ...and how did you come across it?
Julian Cope I bought it in 1990 from Musical Exchanges on Snow Hill, in Birmingham. for £800. As I'd always bought shed loads of weird gear from them when I lived in Tamworth, they used to send me consignments of stuff down to London, and I could take my time deciding which was useful. When eight guitars arrived at the Who's old Ramport Studio (subsequently becoming Virgin's Townhouse 3), nobody paid any attention to anything but the beast.
FlyGuitars What sound do you go for with the Thunderbird?
Julian Cope The bass is best on both pick-ups turned full up through a 1981 SVT. My parts were always played with a pick but my producer Donald Ross Skinner also used it with his fingers.
FlyGuitars ...and to what extent do you use the Beast live and in the studio?
Julian Cope I used it all through the 1990s because no bass could approach that sound. I also toured it all the time, and had it delivered to my hotel bedroom wherever we were - the flightcase is the size of a small IKEA kitchen, so it became the bane of the lives of my roadcrew
The bass is used on every track on my 1991 Peggy Suicide album, except for 'hanging Out & Hung Up On The Line". The bass is all over my 1992 Jehovahkill album. For the 1993 album Autogeddon, I used the beast, plus my new (1993) Gibson Les Paul bass (another total motherfucker).
FlyGuitars If you had had some input into the conversion of the instrument in 1971, what would you have done differently?
Julian Cope I have a 1966 Mosrite 6 and 12 that can play both simultaneously - that's the only feature I'd add.
FlyGuitars You mention the 1993 Les Paul bass - do you use any other Gibson basses?
Julian Cope I also use a 1983 black Gibson Explorer. I recently swapped my 1968 non-reverse Thunderbird II for a 1969 Ampeg plexiglas after coveting Geezer's on VOLUME 4 since I was 14. [Geezer Butler; bass player for Black Sabbath]
World Shut Your Mouth
Jehovahkill
Peggy Suicide
Autogeddon
Fried
FlyGuitars comment
This double-neck bass/guitar would seem, at first, to be one piece of wood; no join is visible. According to Julian this bass is a Thunderbird IV, and on the surface this would seem incorrect; the bridge pickup is far too near the bridge (usually at position 3). Then again, as the join between the two instruments is completely invisible (in the pictures at any rate), so it is likely (if this was a Thunderbird IV rather than Thunderbird II) that the original bridge pickup route was filled and rerouted at the same time.
It is impossible to identify the precise model of Firebird; none were fitted with the currently installed style of humbuckers. The tailpiece on the 6 string would most likely have been a vibrola originally. Both pickups, and pickguard are replacements. On the bass, the bridge (2), and bridge pickup are non-original. The tailpiece may also be a replacement - and has certainly changed position (from 1), moving further away from the bridge. The front pickup (4) seems to be stock however. The controls have been rearranged (5), and don't correlate well with the overlay, suggesting some at least were filled and redrilled. The yellow circles are the normal pot positions (give or take a bit due to the photo angle), and the blue circle shows the original location of the input jack. It also seems that some wood has been removed to give the doubleneck a smoother profile.
The white double-neck bird (bottom right) shows Tony Sales (bass player with Todd Rundgren in the 1970s. He plays a very similar bass. The instrument has the same pickup configuration on the bass (though P90s rather than humbuckers in the guitar), and the same controls; uncannily similar. Could this be the same bass? If not, the similarities may suggest that Valdez made more than one double neck bird.
If you have any information as to the whereabouts of Julian's 'Beast' during the 1970s and 80s, custom Gibsons by Valdez, or any other doubleneck birds please comment
Check out Julian's own website Head Heritage
Other FlyGuitars interviews
Hi This bass belonged to me , my name is on the scratch plate I am a founder member of Climax Blues Band and acquired the bass from Arturo Valdez in LA. Should have kept it, oh well! Cheers