RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS star {FLEA] has launched his own range of affordable bass guitars - after seeing his music students struggling to play cheap instruments.

The rocker - real name Michael Balzary - was inspired to create the collection after noticing the students he taught at his non-profit Silverlake Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles were practising on flimsy guitars as they couldn't afford much better.

He tells Kerrang! magazine, "I found that a lot of the kids I was teaching were coming in with inexpensive basses, which were pieces of s**t. The necks were warped and were falling apart. They were like toys. I wanted to make something that kids could afford but were quality, play well and last a long time.

"It's hard to get it perfect the first time, but I'm really happy with what we've made. When I was a kid, skateboarders would form their own skateboard companies. It was f**king cool to have a DIY (do it yourself) company. I had been adding my name to established bass models for many years, but I thought, 'F**k it, I'll make my own bass! I'll make it b**ching and it'll be cool!' I just want the kids to rock!"