Photo: Jay Blakesberg

During Dead & Company’s fourth weekend at Sphere in Las Vegas, Thursday, April 24 through Saturday, April 26, bassist Oteil Burbridge played a replica of Phil Lesh’s Mission Control #2. The instrument was used on select songs during the band’s latest live shows and is slated to be a marquee item during the Annual Grateful Guitars Foundation Benefit Auction, which will be held on August 15 at New York’s Pier 17.

The reproduction instrument was crafted by Leo Elliott at Scarlet Fire Guitars and commissioned on behalf of the Grateful Guitar Foundation. Following Burbridge’s use of the bass, he expressed gratitude on social media, writing, “It’s one thing to get to play with @deadandcompany – It’s another to play with Dead & Co at @spherevegas – but it’s extra special to be able to strap on this amazing replica of @phillesh’s Osiris bass, otherwise known as Mission Control…” 

He continued, touching on the specialty of the setup, “This instrument is a beast. I am doing my best to comprehend the elaborate EQ system, which you can clearly see on the front of the bass. That’s a lot of knobs! Phil told me it was even hard for him to deal with and he helped design it!”

Burbridge closed out his statement with a mention of the albums Lesh’s original instrument was used on, and its historic place in Grateful Dead history. He said, “But after a lot of feeling around in the dark I found something I never found before. What a treat to have the chance to try to even get close to the sounds on Mars Hotel, Blues For Allah, Terrapin Station and Shakedown Street. What an incredible two weeks it has been! This was the coolest way to cap it off!”

Lesh’s original instrument, known as Mission Control, is a custom Alembic bass guitar that was played by the musician on stage with the Dead from June 16, 1974, through July 1, 1979. It was hand-built by luthier Rick Turner and features intricate inlays and electronics. It was part of the band’s iconic Wall of Sound, played during Cornell ‘77, and used from the base of the Great Pyramids in Giza to the Closing of the Winterland in San Francisco. 

Those interested in bidding on the signed replica bass can sign up here. 

Purchase tickets for Grateful Guitar Foundations Benefit at NYC Pier 17 with musical accompaniment by Dark Star Orchestra. 

Scroll down to view Burbridge’s post via Instagram.