Even the oldest instruments originally had at least a 3x5 card with some scant details of the build, though this card looks like it was lost long ago. There is a file with a bunch of information about owners, this one went through a great many of them.
It must have visited here at some point because I scribbled this in a replacement file for this bass, but didn't date the entry:
peghead front: Cocobolo
peghead back: Zebrawood
top: Koa
back: Koa
(no note for body wood)
neck: Walnut - Maple or Beech - Walnut - Maple or Beech - Walnut
logo: special black epoxy with Ebony dust with brass
sacrificial veneer: Maple
backplate: hammered brass
inlays: mother of pearl oval
truss rod: single
finish: oil
at the time I recorded the owner as living in Oakland, CA
There's another undated note (with a 2010? written later) with a phone number from central California that says "custom built by us for Carlos"
A note dated 1-6-2010 says we received a message that the owner of this bass passed away. We prepared a Replacement Value Statement for this bass the next day.
On 10-8-2018 we got a message that someone in southern California just purchased this bass from Raphael Saadiq* (who never registered so I can't really confirm this statement, it's just what's in the file). There are some pictures from then.
*Ownership information is private, except when there's a public figure in the files. I feel a little weird about this note because I have no substantiation. But if some evidence pops up, we'll know where to place the details.