I’ve worked my way through 3 Telecasters in my playing career. One made in Mexico model from ’92 or so, a ’93 American Standard and this here 1990 USA 52 Reissue. In 1996 I started working in a vintage guitar shop. It was a dream gig for someone who couldn’t stop rambling on about guitars.
Check out Dean Parks. He’s playing the black beauty and is one of the unsung heroes of the music industry. He’s worked with practically everyone from Steely Dan to Dusty Springfield. His guitar playing is the definition of serving the song. These are the guitar players that Chris and I really dig. Check out the
I love the Youtube “rabbit porthole” that appears on the right hand side of the screen when watching a video. This showed up there and grabbed my attention. I hadn’t given tuning or intonation much thought in awhile but this excellent video had me thinking enough about them to want to explore them in a
My first (and only) eBay guitar purchase was a made in Japan Gibson Les Paul Knockoff. Sometime in 2005 I became “re-obsessed” with the music that I obsessed over in my youth – bands like Mott the Hoople, Thin Lizzy, David Bowie and UFO. I was playing in a country/roots rock band and writing country/roots
I wanted a Gibson Les Paul badly when I was a young guitar player, but I couldn’t afford one. All I could do was ogle my guitar teacher’s Les Paul, Deluxe Gold Top, and hope one day I could join the club. Being the cool guy my teacher was, he recommended an alternative that would
I must admit, I have a soft spot in my heart for people who buck the system. I remember the iconic image of Johnny Cash flipping the bird at the Grand Ol’ Opry. Who could forget Jimi Hendrix playing the national anthem at Woodstock? But one of my favorites is Bob Dylan going electric at
The 80s was a wild decade. I remember experiencing the dawn of new wave with all the asymmetrical haircuts, zippers, makeup, and lots of things exploding or breaking in slow motion. I also remember how lots of people were claiming that the guitar was dead. No more guitar rock for us, bring on the synth
I think most musicians go through a fair amount of gear in their lifetimes. I know as I’ve collected, and gotten rid of, a lot of gear – I’m reminded of the ones that got away. My first sad story begins with the recommendation from a friend. He told me about this cool Gibson Flying
I was in no real hurry to enter the work force after high school graduation. I also had no plans for college since I assumed college was just a more self-disciplined version of high school and I really hated high school (and self-discipline). All I really wanted to do was play rock and roll guitar.
In 1980 or so I accompanied a friend to a music store to help him pick out his first guitar. My friend didn’t play at all so he wanted someone along who could help evaluate the instruments that caught his eye and his wallet. I believe he had something like $300.00 to spend. We arrived
This is the one that got away…and came back. In the late 70s/early 80s I had been working my way through a number of mediocre Japanese electrics. The cover band I was in (my only source of income at the time) was getting a lot of gigs and I was starting to squirrel away a