Catalog images courtesy of Steve Brown. Eko's '62 basses. of colors, though it's doubtful Pigini was offering a pick-and-choose concept. Three new basses - two hollowbodies and a solid "all-wood" model - were shown, and others listed including the 1100/2 and 1150/2 "celluloid" models. Eko's '64 catalogs used color illustrations and the two celluloid basses were back on display; the 1100/2 illustrated as "3 Dimensional - Peroxlin (Mother of Pearl)" and "Double Cutaway Style fully covered with Peroxlin." Electronics, dimensions, and hardware were unchanged. The 1100/2 shown here is a definitive example if Eko's celluloid instruments, sporting a blue-sparkle top and white mother-of-pearl back separated by the gold strip. Sparkle/pearloid models were out of Eko's catalog by '65. And while their wild aesthetic debuted at the front edge of the "guitar boom," the garish instruments didn't carry over into the phenomenon. One might also speculate just how the 1150/2 affected the design and development of Eko's violin-shaped 995 bass (VG, February '11), which debuted in the mid '60s and became one of the company's best-known instruments. While Eko's sparkle and pearloid solidbodies aren't memorable in terms of tone, they often lead discussions about the aesthetics of '60s kitschy (and now retro-cool) instruments. Meet THE MA HAL L D February 2018 45 VINTAGE GUITAR KERS BOOT H 28 43