On loan to The Met The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Thunderbird IV (serial no. 160065)
Gibson American
John Entwistle
Not on view
This is one of two Thunderbird IV basses that served as John Entwistle’s primary stage and studio instruments from 1971 to 1975; it was used to record Quadrophenia (1973) and Who by Numbers (1975). The other example was accidentally destroyed by Who drummer Keith Moon when he knocked it over, breaking the neck off, while exiting the stage at a July 1971 concert in Forest Hills, New York; Entwistle then smashed it to pieces.
Technical Description:
Three-piece mahogany body and neck, rosewood fingerboard; 34 in. scale; sunburst finish on "reverse" body; neck-through-body construction with pearloid dot inlays to fingerboard; headstock with black facing; two humbucking pickups, two volume controls and one tone control; nickel bridge, tailpiece and tuners, one clear and gold, two clear and black plastic knobs, three-ply white and black plastic pickguard with Thunderbird logo; one knob replaced, pickup covers removed
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