“I said to Billy, ‘We should order one of these, and I’ll play it. It’ll be hilarious.’ Then it went viral. I hate playing that bass. Now I’ve got to play it every night”: Elwood Francis on why he regrets his 17-string bass becoming a ZZ Top staple

Musicians Elwood Francis, Frank Beard and Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top performs onstage during Day 1 of the 2023 Stagecoach Festival on April 28, 2023 in Indio, California.

In 2022, ZZ Top guitar tech-turned-bassist Francis Elwood made headlines throughout the guitar press and beyond when he whipped out an almighty 17-string bass guitar with the Texas blues-rock legends.

And although Elwood has since admitted he feels uncomfortable in the role he has occupied since Hill’s passing in 2021, his new addition to the ZZ Top arsenal continues the band’s great tradition of wacky instruments (the spinning fur guitars that starred in the Legs video being their most famous examples).