PSA: Ampeg ASB-1 Devil Bass Scroll Head Red and Black, 1967

[HamerCustomEr]

This may not be your thing, but if it is, good luck finding another one!

$6,335 USD or $7999 CAD (Canadian Dollars)

https://www.12fret.com/instruments/ampeg-asb-1-devil-bass-scroll-head-red-and-black-1967/

 

[chromium]

Always loved those designs (that and the scroll bass), but holeeee-hell those "mystery pickups" are awful.  Enabling use of gut strings as a lure for upright players probably made sense at the time, but they became rare for a reason.

That said, they did make the AMB-1 w/a traditional pickup.  I came to learn that there was also an attempt by SLM in the 80's to reissue the scroll bass, and they even made a few prototypes.  I owned one of those for several years.  Had the look, but had a sleek/fast jazz profile neck.  I was running a Rio Grande Pitbull in it - sounded killer, and had it in the gig rotation for a while.

Cool bass, but I sold it to fund my '76 Thunderbird (no regrets there!)

[Steve Haynie]

I remember trying one like the bass in chromium's photo.  I did not fall in love with it.  That bass was so different that it may have kept me from being totally objective. 

[tomteriffic]

A fretless scroll bass was Rick Danko's (The Band) go to's.  IMO he was a much better player than the bass was.  Everett Hull was an odd duck.  I think he must have been down to his last few brain cells when he okayed these (and the "mystery pickup").