{"id":55,"date":"2026-05-04T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-05-04T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bassoftheweek.com\/?post_type=bass&p=55"},"modified":"2026-09-13T08:46:35","modified_gmt":"2026-09-13T08:46:35","slug":"bass-of-the-week-stanley-clarkes-custom-lieber-spider-grinder-folk-bass","status":"publish","type":"bass","link":"https:\/\/bassoftheweek.com\/?bass=bass-of-the-week-stanley-clarkes-custom-lieber-spider-grinder-folk-bass","title":{"rendered":"Bass of the Week: Stanley Clarke\u2019s Custom Lieber Spider Grinder Folk Bass"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Lieber<\/p>\n

Photos by Milo Stewart, Jr.<\/div>\n

Designer and luthier Tom Lieber has been an innovative force in the bass building world for decades. After apprenticing with Doug Irwin and working on instruments for the Grateful Dead, he built The Dragon for Jefferson Starship\u2019s Pete Sears. He began working with Stanley Clarke<\/strong> in the \u201970s, and this week we\u2019re featuring an instrument that reflects their continued collaboration: the Lieber Instruments Spider Grinder Folk Bass.<\/p>\n

This custom version of Lieber\u2019s acoustic bass guitar model was built for Clarke\u2019s 70th birthday and features ornate Mother of Pearl and abalone binding along the body and headstock, as well as a commemorative inlay at the 24th fret. <\/p>\n

The body is built with a carbon fiber parabolic bowl back and a hand-carved spruce top, which is suspended with zero bracing. Its curly maple and ebony neck is adorned with an ivy-like inlay that runs the length of the fingerboard. <\/p>\n

Lieber designed the Spider Grinder in 1976 to create an acoustic bass that was well-voiced and capable of cutting through in live performances. This latest version is fitted with a pair of Fishman piezo pickups and a preamp for plugging into an amp. <\/p>\n

More than a birthday celebration, the bass is a full-circle moment. Clarke first acquired one of Lieber\u2019s Spider Grinders in 1979, which led to their collaboration on many bass designs over the next four decades. It\u2019s a continuation of each man\u2019s lifelong pursuit of tone, innovation, and artistry.<\/p>\n

Lieber Instruments Spider Grinder Folk Bass Photos:<\/h2>\n
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Photos by Milo Stewart, Jr. Designer and luthier Tom Lieber has been an innovative force in the bass building world for decades. After apprenticing with Doug Irwin and working on instruments for the Grateful Dead,\u2026<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":843,"template":"","meta":[],"builder":[16],"class_list":["post-55","bass","type-bass","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","builder-stanley-clarke"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bassoftheweek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/bass\/55","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bassoftheweek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/bass"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bassoftheweek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/bass"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bassoftheweek.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/843"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bassoftheweek.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=55"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"builder","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bassoftheweek.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fbuilder&post=55"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}