“Everywhere I went with the picture, I would show it to ’em, and they was like, it was something evil”: Bootsy Collins’ Space Bass design was turned down everywhere he went – his ‘last straw’ proved the winner

Triple exposure of Bootsy Collins, US funk bassist, playing a star-shaped bass guitar on stage during a live concert performance at the Hammersmith Odeon, in Hammersmith, London, England, Great Britain, in June 1978.

It's no surprise that Bootsy Collins' larger-than-life persona (and equally impressive career) extends to his gear – with his quintessential Space Bass, and its many iterations, becoming almost as iconic as the bassist itself. In fact, the star-shaped bass guitar has become so ingrained in music (and gearhead) lore, that both Washburn and Warwick have created their own versions of it throughout the years.

The Space Bass' origins hark back to 1975, when Collins had a dream – and a sketch – of a star-shaped bass. But, alas, no one wanted to have anything to do with it.