2003 Jon R Hill 8-string Active Bass Guitar with a Natural finish in Mint Condition. Its shape is similar to the Dean 8 8-string bass.

Jon R Hill guitars is now known as Bootleg Guitars, which was formed in 2010.

This is a beautifully crafted neck-through custom bass that rivals the best from Alembic, Fodera, and other high-end basses. It is in like-new condition with zero wear. It features two active 3-EQ EMG soapbar pickups with push/pull on the volume control. It weighs an astonishingly-light 7.81 pounds. The neck thickness measures 0.746" at the 1st fret and 0.810" at the 12th fret.

Includes an Ameritage Custom hardshell case in good working condition. All latches work, as does the handle. Does not include any other accessories.

Brand: Jon R Hill
Model: New (Only one of its kind)
Year: 2003
Neck: 5-piece
Neck Thickness: 0.746" 1st fret, 0.810" 12th fret.
Fingerboard Material: Wenge
Fingerboard Radius: 14”
Pickups: EMG Soapbars
Electronics: Active 3-EQ; Push/Pull Volume
Scale Length: 35"
Frets: 24
Bridge: ABM
Bridge String Spacing: 2.27"
Tuners: Schaller
Nut Width: 1.55"
Nut Material: Brass

“I started in my Fathers garage back somewhere in 1989, out in Vermilion, Ohio. It was kind of a strange time in my life. All of my friends were graduating from college and I didn't really go to college. I went to an Electronics Tech School, wasn't really a model student, dropped out and went into retail sales. The money wasn't bad and I could see a lot of career opportunities, but I just couldn't envision myself doing this for a long-term livelihood. So, I asked

myself  "what do I really want to do with my life?" And the answer I kept coming up with was to build guitars. In High School (Bay Village, Oh) and even Middle School we were fortunate enough to have a Wood Shop, Art and Music Programs even Architecture. I excelled at all of these mostly because I loved it. I always felt like I was on a different path than the "Normal", especially where I grew up. These were classes offered but it never dawned on me that it could actually be a career. It seemed like such a "Pipe Dream". Then one day I just decided that I should at least try it and if I fail, I fail, if I succeed, great! Not the most responsible choice and there were probably a hundred better ways to go about it, but nevertheless Hill Guitars Began.

I soon grew out of my father’s garage. Plus, the garage wasn't heated. I remember hanging freshly painted guitars to dry inside the house in strategic locations like chandeliers and open doorways. I don't understand why my dad didn't say a whole lot, but for some reason he always seemed to support me.

So, I moved to an interesting location I would call ‘the neutral zone’. It was between Slavic Village and a pretty depressed part of Cleveland on Union Avenue. I rented the 3rd floor of a basically empty building, about 2500 sq. ft., no elevator, so all the lumber deliveries and machines had to all be carried up stairways (that was fun). I was there about 4 years and out grew that place.

The next move was a more commercial location on 36th and superior: 10,000 sq. ft. It was really cool. It had two big freight elevators, a big wide-open space, high ceilings, plenty of windows, and some good neighbors. I was there for a year and a half and something interesting happened. I received an offer to manufacture guitars for another company - Dean Guitars.

What had happened with Dean is the Founder Dean Zalinsky had sold the name to a company based in Miami, Florida called Tropical Music. They are a distributor for many products and mostly to the Middle and south American countries and tried early on to have another American company manufacture their guitars (I don't think it went so well). So, they just went with an import line, but they started losing endorsements and I am guessing sales were diminishing. So, they hired a guy to help re-build the Dean Image and name, Tracy Hoeft. So, we struck a deal and started building Dean Guitars. Unfortunately, I didn't really know a whole lot about Dean at the time and we were trying to market against Washburn, Ibanez and the overall vibe was a Modernized Dean Hybrid, with Seymour Duncan Pick-ups, Floyd Rose Tremolos, etc..., the point is they weren't the Dean Classics from the 70's. But we built them anyway and sold thousands over the next few years. We were 8 months into the Dean deal and then they dropped the bomb on us. They wanted to move the operations to Florida.

Within 3 months we were packing. 2 Employees went with me and we began hiring replacements down in beautiful Plant City, Florida.

It was a tough decision to go, but I knew I would learn a wealth of things by sticking with these guys for a while, plus it was a relief from the financial burdens I had faced for so long. This is where I got to learn about CNC Machines (computer routers) and programming, I got a Birdseye view of the international trade and met priceless contacts. And I will say we were building some really cool guitars, but I knew the financial situation was catching up with them. They were selling these guitars rather inexpensively trying to "buy the market". We decided to go with an independent distributor to help us with the U.S. Sales and that's when we started to replicate the original Deans of past and started getting a better amount of money for them, but I think it was "too little too late" and they ended up selling the Dean name again to our distributor, Armadillo Enterprises. And that meant the end to our factory.

This was early 1997 or thereabouts. I had started a little side business with my partner and the owner of our building manufacturing guitar parts. But this was short lived and soon I was out looking for a real job. I landed a job down in Fort Myers, Florida at a door factory. I always tried to find jobs at locations that were open to letting me use the shop on the side, but it was tough. I built a few guitars here and there, but I think over the course of 5 years I probably didn't make a total of 10 guitars.

I moved back to Cleveland by the end of 1997, tail between my legs, but boy, what a ride.

I have slowly over the past several years been re-purchasing tools, machinery, lumber, parts and am finally at a point where I can start effectively building guitars again without the aid of other shops. I now reside in a single-family home/studio in the Historic Tremont area of Cleveland and am taking full advantage of a 2-car garage, which is suitable for now. My plan is by the summer’s end to have a more suitable shop with a little more square-footage and perhaps HEAT!

I will say that going through all this has forever humbled me and building guitars for me now is almost a religious experience. I feel that every guitar that I build now is a legacy and a tribute to all those people that helped me along the way. So, thanks to all of you that have supported me through all this.”

Jon R. Hill

https://youtu.be/A405EkdpgjU

Bootleg Guitars

3825 Edgewater Dr, Vermilion, OH 44089 

(216) 496-0994

This gorgeous bass is in like-new flawless condition with zero wear anywhere.