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  • National Museum of African American History and Culture only
  • "NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Culture/Fourth Floor, 4 053"
  • "Funk (Music)"
  • "Guitars"
  • "Sacramento"
  • "1970s"
  • Topic
    • Instrumentalists (Musicians) 1
  • Object Type
    • Musical instruments 1
  • Place
    • California 1
    • Juliesse Avenue 1
    • North and Central America 1
    • United States 1
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    • National Museum of African American History and Culture 1

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  • Bass guitar used by Robert

    Bass guitar used by Robert "Kool" Bell of Kool & the Gang

    Manufactured by
    Oasis Guitars, American
    Used by
    Kool & the Gang, American, founded 1964
    Robert "Kool" Bell, American, born 1950
    Medium
    wood, brass (alloy), metal and plastic
    Dimensions
    H x W x D: 46 1/2 × 13 7/8 × 3 in. (118.1 × 35.2 × 7.6 cm)
    Type
    musical instruments
    guitars
    Place made
    Juliesse Avenue, Sacramento, California, United States, North and Central America
    Date
    1976-1978
    Description
    2015.212a: An electric bass guitar used by Robert “Kool” Bell of Kool and the Gang. The bass guitar is made of light colored wood and has brass tuning pegs. It has two pickups in black. The strings are attached to an oval shaped metal tailpiece with four smaller tuners. The bass also has four volume and tone controls on the left side of the lower front body. Two switches for pick-ups are also on the lower left side of the front body. On the headstock is gold inlay with the bass name running vertically down the center that reads “O / A / S / I / S.” The top of the headstock has an inlaid gold design. Imprinted into the wood on the back of the headstock at the top is “37 57 / USA.” On the back of the body on the lower left side is an oval-shaped black electronics cavity plate. Also on the back at the top near of the neck is a strap button.
    2015.212b: Guitar is housed in a guitar case.
    Topic
    African American
    Disco (Music)
    Funk (Music)
    Instrumentalists (Musicians)
    Rhythm and blues (Music)
    Credit Line
    Collection of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture, Gift of Robert "Kool" Bell of Kool & The Gang
    Object number
    2015.212ab
    Restrictions & Rights
    No Known Copyright Restrictions
    See more items in
    National Museum of African American History and Culture Collection
    Classification
    Musical Instruments
    Exhibition
    Musical Crossroads
    On View
    NMAAHC (1400 Constitution Ave NW), National Mall Location, Culture/Fourth Floor, 4 053
    Data Source
    National Museum of African American History and Culture
National Museum of African American History and Culture
Museum Address

1400 Constitution Ave NW, Washington, DC 20560

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