A mint-condition Mu-Tron III. Photo courtesy of
LosAngelesGuitarShop.com5. Bootsy Collins' Musitronics Mu-Tron III
Designed by electronics whiz Mike Beigel,
the Mu-Tron III debuted in 1972, but with
its watery, wavy-sounding sweep, it really
belonged in the psychedelic ’60s. Stevie
Wonder used it on the Clavinet for his
1973 hit “Higher Ground,” catapulting it
to prominence among gear freaks, including
Bootsy Collins, who had just joined
Parliament-Funkadelic and, at the ripe age
of 21, was looking to redefine funk bass for
a new generation. He took to the Mu-Tron
like it had been custom-designed for him
(years later, he adopted the “Boot-Tron”
and “Zillatron” aliases in tribute), often
using it in tandem with a Big Muff or a
Morley Fuzz Wah for distortion.
“I’d Rather Be With You,” from his 1976
breakthrough, Stretchin’ Out in Bootsy’s
Rubber Band, exemplifies Bootsy’s fascination
with the dynamics of auto-wah and
envelope effects, and how just a whiff of
distortion could transform the bass into a
lead instrument. Jimi Hendrix exerted a
huge influence on Collins, and nowhere
is this more dramatic than on the steamy
bedroom classic “What’s a Telephone Bill?”
(from 1978’s Ahh…the Name Is Bootsy,
Baby!), which opens with a prolonged, light-fingered
teasing of the Mu-Tron’s envelope
filter and builds to a climactic solo drenched
in distortion, wah, and Echoplex.
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