[7/2/25]: Oteil Burbridge took to Instagram on Wednesday to show off his notable new instrument: “Dire Wolf,” the first-ever Doug Irwin-certified bass model of Jerry Garcia‘s iconic “Wolf” guitar.
As Burbridge wrote in a post alongside various photos and videos of the new prototype, built by luthier Bill Asher, “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to explain how this all came about because it’s like a dream to me. I don’t even remember whose idea it was initially to do a bass version of [Jerry Garcia’s] Wolf guitar. I’ve seen the original and a couple of the replicas live and up close. I got to hold each of them myself. However it happened, it’s all actually happening!”
“Wolf has some unique properties,” he explained of Garcia’s instrument of choice in the mid-to-late 1970s. “You can hear it on the tapes. Of course a lot of that is Jerry but it’s distinct. I’m so curious to see how those unique properties translate two octaves lower!”
“The first piece of wood for this guitar was cut from the same batch of wood that Jerry’s Wolf was made with. I almost cried when Bill sent me the video of Doug Irwin up out of his wheelchair cutting it himself. I’ve learned so much from Bill about Doug and all the associated history of the instruments Jerry and [late Grateful Dead bassist Phil Lesh] played. Doug is one of a kind and you realize how much magic, skill, love and devotion goes into these instruments when you plug them in and let them out of their cages. These things are alive and ready to roam!
“I can’t wait to track this Dire Wolf wherever he wants to take me,” Burbridge added. “I have a feeling it’s gonna be an epic journey.”
Related: A Brief History Of Jerry Garcia’s Most Well-Known Guitars
The “Dire Wolf” bass was presented to Oteil Burbridge as a gift by the Grateful Guitars Foundation, a 501-c3 nonprofit that obtains world-class musical instruments for talented players who seek to carry on the jam tradition. The organization also celebrated the instrument’s arrival by making a $5,000 donation to Can’dAid to support arts and music education.
Burbridge will debut the Dire Wolf during the upcoming Jerry Garcia Symphonic Celebration at Morrison, CO’s famed Red Rocks Amphitheatre this Sunday, July 6th. The show will feature Burbridge, Jerry Garcia Band members Melvin Seals and Jacklyn LaBranch, Tom Hamilton (JRAD), Duane Trucks (Widespread Panic), and Lady Chi performing the music of Garcia alongside the Colorado Symphony. Tickets are on sale here.
Later this summer, Oteil Burbridge will take his Dire Wolf to San Francisco, CA, the birthplace of the Grateful Dead, when he links back up with his Dead & Company bandmates for their three-day celebration of the Dead’s 60th birthday in Golden Gate Park. Find ticketing details here. Swipe through Oteil’s post below for more photos and videos of the new bass, including a video of the Doug Irwin certificate of authenticity. Scroll down to read more background information on the instrument.
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[6/11/25]: Oteil Burbridge will receive the first-ever Doug Irwin-certified bass model of Jerry Garcia‘s iconic “Wolf” guitar. The Grateful Guitars Foundation will present the instrument, dubbed “Dire Wolf,” to the Dead & Company bassist on July 6th at the Jerry Garcia Symphonic Celebration at Red Rocks Amphitheatre.
Designed by luthier Bill Asher and certified by Wolf’s original creator Doug Irwin, “Dire Wolf” marks the only bass created in the style of Garcia’s iconic instrument introduced in 1973 and used primarily throughout the decade. This past spring at Sphere, the GGF lent Burbridge a replica of Phil Lesh‘s Mission Control #2 bass, which will serve as the marquee item at Dark Star Orchestra‘s upcoming benefit for the musical non-profit on August 15th at The Rooftop at Pier 17 in New York City.
“As a Grateful Dead fan, I fell in love with Doug Irwin’s Wolf watching Jerry Garcia play it in The Grateful Dead Movie as a teen and was blown away when I got to see Jerry playing it live many times in 1989,” GGF founder Andy Logan said in a statement. “The wonderful rich tones and sustain come from the innovative ‘hippie sandwich’ and through-neck design, and we are so thrilled that master luthier Bill Asher has created a custom six-string bass version called Dire Wolf for our hero Oteil Burbridge. All of us at Grateful Guitars cannot wait for all the fans to be moved by similar sweet tones with the additional thundering bottom end from the new Dire Wolf bass in Oteil’s skilled hands.”
In addition to Burbridge, the Jerry Garcia Symphonic Celebration will feature longtime Jerry Garcia Band members Melvin Seals and Jacklyn LaBranch alongside Tom Hamilton, Duane Trucks, and Lady Chi with the Colorado Symphony. At that same show, the GGF will present a $5,000 gift to local Colorado 501(c)3 non-profit Can’dAid to support its mission of bringing instruments and music education to underserved children.
The Grateful Guitars Foundation puts historic instruments and authentic recreations into the hands of musicians carrying the jam band tradition into the 21st century. Recently, the non-profit gifted guitarist Steve Kimock a Wolf recreation, which he put to good use on tour with Live Dead & Brothers. The GGF also lent Garcia and Lesh’s instruments to Dogs in a Pile earlier this year in California, gifted Dark Star Orchestra’s Rob Eaton a custom Rich Hoeg guitar, and let Stella Blue’s Band use authentic, stage-played instruments from the Grateful Dead for its free concert in Central Park. Learn more about the Grateful Guitars Foundation here.
Tickets for the Jerry Garcia Symphonic Celebration at Red Rocks are on sale now.