Jim Demuth or Jimmy D is an astute guitar player and overall musician out of White Plains, New York. He has collected many guitars over many years. In July, he is offering select guitars from his collection to raise money for charities. Heritage Auctions is honored to help Jimmy D on his quest of kindness.
Consigned directly from the son of Leon Rausch, we have a circa 1957 Fender bass that was put together by the Fullerton Fender factory and consists of a 1957 P-Bass body and a circa 1962 Jazz neck. The 1957 Fender P-bass originally belonged to Charlie Meeks, the bass player for The Texas Playboys.
Per the handwritten LOA from Leon Rausch, Charlie was feeling depressed about being in the band and being a career musician and wanted to break his bass on a light-pole outback of the Ft. Worth Panther Hall on New Years’ Eve 1965. Leon did not believe that Charlie would follow through until he went outback and saw what remained of Charlie’s 1957 P-Bass. Leon gathered the pieces of the broken ’57 P-bass and kept them. On their next trip to California, Leon took the broken P-bass parts to the Fullerton Fender factory and this bass is the result. Leon would go on to play this bass until he retired, and is on the cover of Leon Rausch’s Time Changes Everything.
Also in the July auction will be Bob Wills’ 1959 Fender Tweed Deluxe amplifier that he used as his fiddle amp. Leon’s son also consigned lots of posters, ticket stubs, a Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys’ tour jacket, and other memorabilia from Bob Wills and Leon Rausch.
Be sure to check out our Entertainment Showcase auctions and the July 17th Vintage Guitar auction to get a piece of this collection.