Collectible Guitar Magazine :: Then and Now - Mar/Apr 2016

Greg Martin

A Kentucky HeadHunter on his Passion for Collecting and Playing Guitars!

FEATURES • George Freeman • Jerry McPherson • Gibson’s 1958 335 VOS Reissue • Rich Dangel’s 1962 Gibson Barney Kessel • Lennon’s J-160E vs Presley’s Black Gibson Dove • Gibson USA’s 2016 Game Plan

MAR/APR 2016

PRODUCT REVIEWS • Martin’s Limited Edition D-222 Anniversary Edition Guitar • Aalberg Audio’s EKKO Delay • BOSS VB-2W Waza Craft Vibrato & VO-1 Vocoder

$5.95 US $6.95 Canada VOL 3 :: ISSUE 2

• The DoBRATO

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TEAR UP THE BUCKET LIST. THE NEW DANELECTRO 64™. danelectro.com © Danelectro 2016

FROM ONE COLLECTOR TO ANOTHER...

When Do You Let Go And When Do You Hang On? I recently traded a gorgeous Riggio Custom Jet (Jaguar style) boutique electric guitar of mine to a guy in exchange for 4 electric guitars. 3 of the 4 guitars I got from him were “known entities”, meaning I pretty much knew their value and what I could resell them for. They were a 65’ “players grade” Gibson SG, a 90’s Gibson Night Hawk and a US Fender Strat Special. The guitars needed a little love and a great set up to bring them back to life but they came out just fine (oddly enough Joe Riggio himself did the setups for me). The 4th guitar was an “unknown entity”. It was a custom made solid body Gibson Les Paul Jr. style electric made by a Luthier in Walla Walla, WA. It was unique in that the front and back were made from an old “Giesedieck” beer crate and it had the beer company’s name and slogan on the front and back of the guitar. I am not really a “beer” kind of guy but I know that custom beer is all the rage these days, and this is a collectible brand harkening back from the early 1900’s, so finding a buyer for it would not be too difficult. But this particular guitar was very lightweight, good looking and played great. The builder’s name was Schoen and the guitar just had an overall positive vibe to it. I was smitten by it.

After some Internet searches I came up with a value that was better than I thought it would be, but also the email address of the maker.

I sent him an inquiry (with photos) about the guitar in question and then a

this guitar and 4 other similar guitars as part of a special limited production run for Emerald City Guitars in 2013. Owner Jay Boone loves the Les Paul Junior guitar, and this was meant to be as close as I could get in every way to those 1950’s specs, yet still retain my own reclaimed wood and gritty vibe.“ When I read that I could only think to myself, “Wow, that is why this guitar felt so good. This guy is quite a Luthier and this guitar has some special old wood in it”.

This one is truly a one of a kind guitar.

Schoen makes acoustic instruments (resonators, acoustics etc.) in about a 4 to 1 ratio to electrics, so there aren’t a lot of these out there.

My only dilemma now is… do I sell it as originally planned or hang on to it? very pleasant conversation followed. This Granted this is a good position to be in is what Kurt Schoen replied, ”The guitar but still a decision has to be made. you have originally sold for $1,850.00 I believe. It is a 2014 model with a Lol- Ah, the life of a collector… when do lar “1950’s wind” P-90 pickup. Original you let go and when do you hang on? specs had a Pigtail aluminum bridge, What do you think?

3-on-strip tuners and a 24.75” scale. The control circuit is a careful copy of the Guitar people helporiginal, using the same pots, capaciing guitar people, tor, and routing. The body is solid, with front and back caps made from a 1950’s era Griesedieck beer crate, the wood is Bruce & Judy actually called butternut. The interior wood was cut from a framing timber of an 1800’s New Orlean’s Lower 9th Ward shotgun-style house that was destroyed in 2005 by Hurricane Katrina”. I made

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6 :: MAR/APR 16 :: COLLECTIBLEGUITAR.COM

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New from NAMM: Gibson’s 1958 335 VOS Reissue

by Jack Mao

12 Greg Martin: A Kentucky HeadHunter on His Passion for Collecting and Playing Guitars!

by Eric Dahl

Rich Dangel’s 1962 Gibson Barney Kessel

by Rick King

26

Jerry McPherson

by Alison Richter

George Freeman:

32

Don’t Fret... Just Play

by Guy Arseneau

18 All About Amps Still More On Tubes

by Skip Simmons

by Gabriel J. Hernandez

48

28

COLUMNS & STORIES

10 Quirky Vintage Magnatone X-20 Typhoon

by Bob Cianci

Lennon’s J-160E vs Presley’s Black Gibson Dove: The Ultimate in Guitar Showdowns!

20

cover photo by Greg Martin

FEATURES

26 The One That Didn’t Get Away Rich Dangel’s 1962 Gibson Barney Kessel

by Rick King

38 Pedal Snapshot

by Phil Traina 40 View of the Day My Latest Pedal Board

by Dave Cleveland 46 The Fretboard Less Traveled Harmonizing the Blues Scale

by Rich Severson 54 Pawn Shop Finds Ibanez PF-200

by Roger Zimish

REVIEWS

Gibson USA’s 2016 Game Plan

by Jack Mao

50

8 Martin’s Limited Edition D-222 Anniversary Edition Guitar

by Bruce Adolph

42 BOSS VB-2W Waza Craft Vibrato & VO-1 Vocoder

by Michael Hodge

16 Aalberg Audio’s Ekko Delay with Wireless Controller

by Bruce Adolph

43 The Dobrato

by Bruce Adolph

COLLECTIBLEGUITAR.COM :: MAR/APR 16 :: 7

PRODUCT REVIEW

Martin’s Limited Edition D-222 Anniversary Edition Guitar

by Bruce Adolph

Deciding to celebrate the 100th year of making Dreadnought guitars is something I wouldn’t let go by either.

The very first Dreadnought guitars were designed and crafted

by C. F. Martin & Co. in 1916, but marketed in Boston and New York exclusively under the Oliver Ditson brand. After Ditson went out of business in the early 1930s, Martin introduced the D-1 and D-2 Dreadnoughts for standard playing style that would soon become

Martin’s iconic D-18 and D-28 models.

They named it the Dreadnought after a British term, which means, “fear nothing”. The British had the H.M.S. Dreadnought – the largest naval ship out there.

Martin was making the largest acoustic guitar body design to date… so the name was applied to it. Looking back over the last 100 years they must of got it right, as it has become the most popular acoustic guitar design in the world.

The D-222 commemorates this milestone (1916-2016) as a 12-fret Dreadnought crafted from a Sitka spruce top with Vintage Tone System (www. martinguitar.com/VTS), mahogany back and sides (our #12 of 100 for this review has gorgeous mahogany tonewoods), grained ivoroid binding, a slotted headstock and an ebony fingerboard and bridge. It has some appointments that echo the first ones made too. A nice wide nut, sloped shoulders and a back stamp on the headstock that reads, “Oliver Ditson Co. Boston New York”. The acoustic body is elongated (longer than normal). The aforementioned bridge is thinner than the modern era ones and the diamond (or dart as some call it) on the back of the headstock close to where your left hand rests on open chords seems a little more pronounced than usual.

The Harptone hardshell case signals ahead of time that something special dwells inside. The excellent playability is what you would expect from Martin (whose guitar making skills are still well informed from their glorious past). But the sound of this guitar – oh my! It is big; it is loud – evenly balanced, rich and three-dimensional! Tone for days…

There are two very good reasons to buy this guitar… if you can still find one on a music store’s guitar wall that is.

8 :: MAR/APR 16 :: COLLECTIBLEGUITAR.COM

1). It is a wonderfully built instrument – in my opinion it looks, sounds and plays even better than the current price tag Martin has placed on it. MSRP $4,999.

2). As a Limited Edition, being 1 of 100 made, the D-222 will certainly rise in value as years go on. From our perspective it truly is a collectible guitar.

I tried my best to buy it this particular guitar from Martin (being a magazine publisher does have some privileges) but Martin had already sold all 100 to their dealers. If you can find a D-222, my advice to you is to buy it on the spot!

If you can’t find one, then “fear nothing” and consider what I am considering… ask the Martin Custom Shop to build you one out of the exact s a m e materials, but then add a little bit of something different that you want on your own limited edition guitar… and make it truly a “one of a kind” Martin! www.martinguitar.com

www.mo-ka.net (photos: Noah Saydel)

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Knaggs best thing:

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QUIRKY VINTAGE

by Bob Cianci

Magnatone X-20 Typhoon

When the name Magnatone is mentioned, it usually conjures up images of legendary vintage amplifiers with that famous, highly desirable and otherworldly sounding liquid tremolo. But Magnatone made guitars too and a few of them had circuitry that was very advanced for the day, as evidenced by the X-20 Typhoon, Magnatone’s top of the line solidbody electric, which was introduced in 1965.

The Magnatone X-20 Typhoon I had the opportunity to inspect featured a black sparkle finish that was well worn and checked, and had seen a lot of playing time over the years, a true survivor of the rock ‘n roll wars. The poplar body featured a double cutaway not unlike that of a Stratocaster, but with an offset waist like a Jaguar or Jazzmaster. Three single coil pickups that resembled DeArmond Dynasonics (two with adjustable pole-pieces, and one with slugs) were attached to a white/ black/white pickguard, along with a simple black slide switch on the top bout, and three Veg-O-Matic switches on the bottom bout. The whammy bar had been broken off and was long gone, but I noticed a feature on the Jazzmaster-like tailpiece called Lever/Lock, that apparently served as a lock for the whammy bar in certain positions, a very clever feature. I wish my Jazzany guitar was the lack of a traditional master was equipped with such a device. nut. The Typhoon had a zero fret that The bridge was an interesting con- acted as the “nut,” with a metal retainer traption; six adjustable round bars in a plate affixed over it that held the strings U-shaped base with a blade-like piece tightly in place. The truss rod cover was extending into the body. The blade sat a rounded triangular piece of plastic on a V-shaped base that could be raised and the headstock featured the make or lowered by screw, which allowed and model name. The headstock itself the bridge to rock backwards and for- was reminiscent of some of the 60’s Japwards when using the vibrato bar. The anese guitars I have seen over the years. bridge came off when the strings were The scale length was 25.5,” and the neck changed, and I have been told that many was narrow and thin and contained 21 Typhoons lost their original bridge parts frets. It featured a rosewood fretboard, over the years as a result. The tuning and was also finished in black sparkle. pegs were six-in-line Klusons. One in- The paint was flaking off onto the palm teresting feature I never saw before on of my left hand as I played. The Ty10 :: MAR/APR 16 :: COLLECTIBLEGUITAR.COM

phoon also had a tilt mechanism that allowed the player to adjust the angle without removing the bolt-on maple neck from the body.

Magnatone guitars were made in the USA for decades apparently, but they were never big sellers, and were always under the radar and overshadowed by Gibson, Fender and other manufacturers.

It should be noted that this guitar stayed in tune beautifully as I bent strings and cranked out blues licks, Chuck Berry riffs and slashing cowboy chords, appropriately plugged into a vintage Magnatone amp.

You may have already assumed that the Typhoon is no shred machine, and you’d be right, but I could see where it would be useful in certain musical circumstances. It sounded fine overdriven as well as clean.

As mentioned, the finish was originally black sparkle, but through extensive use and age, had checked extensively and had discolored to olive green in spots. Trust me; it looked better in person than you may think.

The Typhoon also came in various other finishes, including red, turquoise, sunburst and yellow sparkle.

What made the Typhoon so unusual was the circuitry, which made use of passive electronics that gave the player a truly amazing array of tonal colors from which to choose.

The guitar sported two volumes and one tone. The upper slide switch deactivated a volume control depending upon its position, and the white Veggie switches allowed the player the choice of sixteen different sounds, with pickups either in or out of phase, or in series and parallel.

Capacitors added more bass or treble. It was pretty heady stuff, and yes, confusing for me, a technical klutz, as well as the gentleman who offered the instrument for sale. I also discovered that the black slide switch could be placed in the middle, providing eight more tonal colors, giving the Typhoon a mindbogcontinued on page 44

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PRODUCT FEATURE & REVIEW

New from NAMM: Gibson’s 1958 335 VOS Reissue

by Jack Mao

Consider the Gibson 335. It’s unquestionably one of Gibson’s most successful designs ever and has been in continuous production since its inception in 1958 (that tops even the Les Paul). Even today, at first glance, the design of the Gibson 335 is at once unique and iconic, which is befitting a guitar that has been beloved by generations of guitarists the world over. However, let us turn the clock back to 1958 when the 335’s design was a radical departure from any guitar Gibson had ever built.

To further paint the picture, back in 1958 out in California, Leo Fender was making some serious inroads into the marketplace and Ted McCarty, then

president of Gibson, was out to make some new and different designs to show the world that Gibson was up to date with the times. Back then; Les Paul had been on board with Gibson since 1952 helping to design and the market his Les Paul model guitar. What does Les Paul have to do with the 335 you ask?

The answer is that the inspiration for the 335 came directly from Les Paul’s original “log” prototype, that is to say it is derived from two pieces of wood laminated to a center block. Look at pictures of the hollow body Epiphones Les Paul used to create his prototype Les Paul and you’ll get the idea.

12 :: MAR/APR 16 :: COLLECTIBLEGUITAR.COM

The 335 is also the direct evolution of Gibson’s archtop designs going back to the 1930’s.

Some of the features of the 335 can be traced back to the ES 125 and ES 140, as well as some of the construction detail from many previous Gibson instruments including the headstock inlay and some aspects of the routing construction. The guitar also featured a thinner body width (same width as a 58 Les Paul Junior actually), new Seth Lover designed PAF Pickups, an unbound neck, and a whole lot more. The 1958 model featured the dot markers in the usual configuration, but inlay markers at the 15thh, 17th, 19th , and 21st frets.

There were just two finishes offered in 1958, Natural and Sunburst.

The end goal of Ted McCarty’s design team was to come up with a design that was completely different, but with enough DNA of existing Gibson guitars to make the overall project cost effective.

Since the final design was completely new, it necessitated Gibson tooling up to make the 335 from scratch at a consider-

able expense.

The exact moment the combinations of all the epiphanies leading up to the 335’s development took place is lost in history, but suffice to say by around mid-1957 Gibson had finalized and tooled up for the 1958 model year 335, which was presented to the world at that years NAMM show. Unlike the other radical designs unveiled at that show – the Flying V, The Explorer, and Moderne, the 335 was an immediate commercial success.

Considering the relatively small overall shipping totals for 1958 and bounty of new and innovative designs and the sheer quality of Gibson guitars that came out Kalamazoo in 1958, it’s not overstating the point to call the original 1958 Gibson 335 a masterpiece of design and innovation in every sense of the word.

Today, prices for clean examples from 1958, if you could find and actually afford one, have topped well over 100K, and every year that passes sees fewer and fewer of these guitars in circulation.

Fast forward to 2016; enter Mike Voltz, head of R&D development for Gibson Memphis division, whose design team has come up with the 1958 ES-335 VOS reissue. Other than a limited run 50th anniversary edition in 2008 the 1958 335 reissue is being offered for the first time in 2016 and is a painstaking reproduction of the original in every respect. The attention to detail here is simply amazing – everything from the design to the wood to the electronics to the fret wire, the ply of the Pickups to the design of the tuners to the ”A” range serial numbering specific to

1958. I mean seriously, every detail I can think of has been recreated here in minute and accurate detail. Yes, I am sure there would be room for some hair splitting on this point (I have already seen a few comments to that effect on the internet) but overall I would have to conclude Mike and his team did a fantastic job recreating the original. Keep in mind also that back in 1958 there were no such things as PLEK machines and computerized assemblies, so there often was some slight variations in the guitars rolling off the Gibson assembly lines – even in the same model year.

We recently had the opportunity to ask Mike about the 1958 ES-335 VOS Guitar project: Collectible Guitar: What was the motivation for you to reissue a 58’ 335?

Mike Voltz: The initial ES-335’s we reissued represented the most popular ES- 335’s in the collector market. 1958 was the first year of the ES-335.

CG: Gibson has had various reproductions of vintage 335’s in production for many years now – Was there something specific to the 1958 model year that made it make sense to reissue this particular guitar?

MV: Besides the importance of being the first 335 made, this reissue represents the early non-bound fingerboards. Although this is a small detail, it’s significant in the evolution of our ES335’s. These features are a part of why we’ve had such solid requests for this model from collectors and our dealers.

COLLECTIBLEGUITAR.COM :: MAR/APR 16 :: 13

CG: How many of these guitars will Gibson make?

MV: We feel strongly that this is a significant model to represent our Historic collection, so we have it in our core line up, which is not a limited collection.

CG: Is this Guitar going to be limited to the 2016 model year or it is planned to be in continuous production?

MV: Every year we re-evaluate our line up to make sure we are meeting market demand. That being said, I sure hope we will continue the production. We really like this guitar!

CG: I researched everything I could find on the original 1958 335 design specification and could not find any detail you and your team overlooked.

The attention to detail here is amazing. Is there anything in the original design specification not carried over to the reissue?

MV: We’ve really tried to capture the feel and vibe of the original ’58 by replicating details as closely as possible. The sunburst we selected is based on a guitar that had not faded much. Being able to select models that have had such varied histories and capture that individual instrument is a part of why recreating these instruments is so enjoyable.

CG: Can you tell me a little about your background and design philosophy and how that applies to a project like this?

MV: Prior to my career with Gibson my backg round was in guitar building and vintage restoration.

I was an early Ro b e r t o - Ve n n grad, then on to Sho-Bud and several years restoring guitars for George Gruhn.

14 :: MAR/APR 16 :: COLLECTIBLEGUITAR.COM

Guitars are like great art or architecture, you need to study the masters and then create. It can be from reproducing the fine old pieces to creating new ones with ties to the past.

CG: Is there anything in particular you would like our readers to know about this Guitar?

Mike Voltz

MV: I think the best advice is to try one.

Which is exactly what I did. How does the 2016 1958 ES-335 VOS feel and play? My first impression is that it feels a little heavier than other 335’s I played and owned. The one-piece neck (no laminates) feels more like a 57 Les Paul then the other 335’s I’ve played. The PAF reissue pickups sound light and airy, characteristic of the originals. The Natural finish model I checked out has a gently aged patina to it and the quality of the wood grain is readily apparent. The unbound neck feels somewhat chunkier then other 335’s I have played. The pickguard for 1958, which was larger than the model years that followed, and the iconic “Mouse Ears” have all been recreated here as well. Get ready to channel your favorite blues, jazz, rock, or country artist. The number of hit records recorded with a 335 is truly staggering and I found myself saying “Oh, that’s where they got that great guitar tone,” as I played it.

Street pricing 2016 1958 ES-335 VOS is $4,499.00 For the Sunburst and $4,649.00 on the Vintage Natural. The guitar comes with an equally impressive period correct case and a Certificate of Authenticity.

This is an investment grade instrument you will not want to part with anytime soon. Bottom line: the 2016 1958 ES335 VOS is, by every measure I can think of, a winner.

LTD2016 DECOY Body size: FXC. Top and back: Flame Maple (arched). Sides: Flame Maple.

Neck: Maple. Fingerboard: Ebony. Inlay: Watermelon Fish. Binding: Ivoroid. Purfling: Abalone.

Finish: Gloss Green-Blue Burst. Hardware: Gold. Nut width: 42.5 mm. Nut and Saddle: Bone.

Electronics: Palathetic Pickup with CTP-3 CoolTube Preamp. for more information, contact The ESP Guitar Company, 10913 Vanowen St., North Hollywood, CA 91605

800-423-8838

www.esptakamine.com

PRODUCT REVIEW

Aalberg Audio’s Ekko Delay with Wireless Controller

by Bruce Adolph

Straight from Norway the EKKO EK-1 is a high-quality semi-analog delay pedal. It is Aalberg`s first made guitar pedal, and specifically designed to function both as a stand-alone pedal or by using the creative blue tooth AE-1 Wireless Controller.

pedalboard and being able to instantly How can a warm sounding delay pedal switch from rhythm to lead sound, or be so cool? We recommend you try one tapping the delay tempo in while you are yourself! bouncing around the stage? Controlling MAP EKKO $299.00 Remote AE-1 your guitar effects remotely is a new $129.00 www.Aalbergaudio.com frontier.

The EKKO Delay Pedal is a warm sounding stereo delay with true bypass, placed inside a rugged, custom-made aluminum housing (this pedal feels good in your hands). The blue LED-bars are worth the price of admission! They are at the top of the pedal to indicate the actual parameter settings and are visible from a distance (smart idea).

All of the EKKO’s parameters, including tap-tempo and presets can be easily controlled with the wireless controller Aalberg AE-1 (sold separately) with a distance of up to 100 feet using Bluetooth.

For Controls you have: TIME, LEVEL, FEEDBACK, Tap-Tempo, Bypass ON/OFF, FX-Select and the feature list is long…

•

Parameters: Delay Time, Delay Level and Feedback Rate

•

Up to 2 seconds delay time

•

True Bypass

•

Semi-analog delay pedal (100% analog direct signal with pedal in bypass and on)

•

Compatible with AERO AE-1 Wireless Controller

With the ability to communicate with a remote controller you have many options. Put this controller on your guitar, or guitar strap, and you suddenly have control over your pedalboard no matter where you are on stage. Every effect parameter can easily be adjusted from the controller, giving you more creative freedom and physical freedom too from your stationary pedal board.

The optional AE-1 works with other Aalberg Audio pedals so imagine standing front of stage far away from the 16 :: MAR/APR 16 :: COLLECTIBLEGUITAR.COM

ALL ABOUT AMPS with Skip Simmons

Still More On Tubes

If you are shopping for tubes, it won’t be long before you read “XYZ brand tubes will radically improve the tone of your amp!” Different brand tubes of the same type CAN sound different, but expecting dramatic, life-changing “improvement” by using a certain brand of tube may prove disappointing. Before deciding that you need to “re-tube,” keep in mind that good tubes, especially preamp tubes, will usually last for many years in a well-designed tube amp. Also, don’t expect a tube change to dramatically affect the tone unless a tube is actually bad or you are swapping for a tube with a different amount of gain, like subbing a 12AX7 with a 12AU7. One popular swap for harmonica amps is substituting a lower-gain preamp tube for the stock tube. This really can make a harmonica amp easier to play by reducing the gain, especially in a high-gain circuit like the tweed Bassman.

for this purpose.

Somewhere along the line, someone decided that having your amp on standby every minute that you weren’t actually playing would extend the life of the tubes. In reality, it won’t make a significant difference unless you are keeping the amp on 24 hours a day. The other crazy “rule” I hear concerning the standby switch involves turning the amp on for the first time. Supposedly, when powering up the amp you should wait a certain amount of time before turning the standby switch to “play” mode in order to protect your tubes from “premature cathode-stripping.” Scientifically this is true, but in reality, waiting more than ten seconds or so before turning the standby switch to “play” can cause a BIG surge of current to flow through the amp; you hear it as big “thump” in the speaker. This surge can also cause the fuse to blow or, (common in old Fenders), the standby switch itself to arc internally.

Keep that speaker plugged in - Some of us love to experiment with different speakers and it is easy to turn an amp on without a speaker hooked up. An amp won’t instantly blow up if this happens, but if a strong signal is sent to the amp Fun with speakers - In order for a tube without a speaker connected, a blown amp to develop its maximum power with output transformer can result. Keep it the least distortion, an amp’s output imin mind! pedance should be matched to the imDon’t ignore the lowly pilot light - pedance of the speaker cabinet. In other I have seen quite a few amps that had words, an amp with a 4 ohm output been left on by mistake for weeks, or should be connected to a 4 ohm cabinet. even months. In every case the owner However, in the real world a good old did not realize the amp was on because tube amp can tolerate a mismatch of up the pilot light was burned out. If it is to 100% (up or down) without harming an old Fender, the amp will probably the amp in any way, so feel free to expersurvive this torture, but always replace iment a little. A popular thing to do is to that pilot light bulb ASAP if it goes out. add an extension speaker to your small Most amps use a #47 bulb that is easily combo amp. This doesn’t actually make available. the amp more powerful, but adding The Great Standby Switch Conspira- another speaker does add more apparcy - The standby switch was originally ent volume and punch. Remember, all intended to be a way to silence the amp classic Fender amps have a single fixed without actually turning it off. When it impedance, yet all the larger amps have was time for your 15 minute break, us- parallel-wired extension-speaker jacks ing the standby switch would effectively for which Fender sold matching extenturn the amp completely off, but still al- sion cabinets. In other words, old Leo low for instant sound without waiting himself said the mismatch was just fine. for the amp to warm up. It works great

Try two 8-ohm speakers with your De-

18 :: MAR/APR 16 :: COLLECTIBLEGUITAR.COM

luxe, or run that tweed Champ through an old 8 ohm P12R and be amazed! I know a few pros who deliberately mismatch the speaker/amp impedance because they prefer the tone of a certain speaker. Putting a 16-ohm speaker on an 8-ohm amp will likely clean up the bass a bit, while putting a 4-ohm load on the same amp can make it sound more loose in the bass. A mismatch of greater than 100% is not good, so don’t try it. And last but not least, always use guitar cords for guitars and speaker cords for speakers. No exceptions allowed on this one, even for short-term testing purposes.

Your old tube amp is not a ticking time bomb - People who have recently purchased their first vintage amp often go online to educate themselves and are told that their amp is a “time bomb” just waiting to self-destruct if one little capacitor fails. Relax! Classic Fender amps don’t often blow power transformers or otherwise “self-destruct” due to capacitor failure. The key is to use the right fuse. If your amp has a shorted tube or capacitor, the fuse was designed to pop before any other damage occurs to the amp. Most quality vintage amps were carefully designed by very smart people to run conservatively and to be safe from a “meltdown” due to component failure.

Skip Simmons is a nationally known vintage amp repairman.

He can be reached at SkipSimmonsAmps.com

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MADE IN USA MADE IN USA

Growing up in the Midwest “The Kentucky HeadHunters� were required listening as a teenager. All of my friends liked their music since they melded the best elements of country, blues, and southern. Greg Martin has been an integral part of the HeadHunters family and when we spoke I found a true reverence for vintage guitars and amps. Collectible Guitar recently caught up with the guitar-slinging HeadHunter to discuss some of his favorite guitars and the stories behind them.

Greg Martin A Kentucky HeadHunter on his Passion for Collecting and Playing Guitars!

by Eric Dahl

20 :: MAR/APR 16 :: COLLECTIBLEGUITAR.COM

CG: At what age did you start playing guitar and what was your first instrument?

Greg: I started playing guitar in 1964, age 11, after seeing The Beatles on Ed Sullivan. I started with a mid-50’s Gretsch Silver Jet with a Bigsby, then a Baldwin Grand Bison, TV yellow 1958 Les Paul Special, early 60’s Fender Esquire, and in 1972 I got a new black Les Paul Custom for graduation.

CG: Who was the artist or musician that made you want to pick up and play a guitar?

Greg: The first big influence was my Uncle Wade Martin, who was a country singer and songwriter around Louisville.

Uncle Wade opened shows for Merle Haggard, Jack Green, and many other Nashville artists that came through Louisville in the 60’s and early 70’s. He wrote “High Steppin’ Daddy” on our first LP, a song he recorded in the early 60’s.

CG: How many guitars have you owned over the years, and which ones do you wish you had back?

Greg: I have easily owned at least 200 guitars over the years, not all at once, but at least that many. I can think of a few guitars I wish I had kept: the 50’s Gretsch Silver Jet I learned to play on, 1958 Les Paul Special, 60’s Fender Esquire, 1972 Les Paul Custom I got for graduation, a 1960’s Olympic white Strat, and a late 50’s refin Strat I used on “Pickin’ on Nashville”. I did recently get back a 1971 white Strat I sold in 1976, so I’ve at least gotten one back!

CG: What is the story on your guitar - “Hank”?

Greg: From 1981 to 1989 I played guitar for country music artist Ronnie McDowell. We were playing the Mississippi State Fair in Jackson, Mississippi. I noticed a gentleman with long hair watching us play, and it was Bud Phillips, guitar tech for Hank Williams Jr. Bud invited us over to watch Hank Jr. play, and that’s when I first saw “Hank,” the 1958 Les Paul I now own. We ended up touring with Hank Jr. for at least two years, so one night Bud let me use the 1958 ‘burst.

The moment I plugged that Les Paul into my 1971 Marshall, the heavens opened up. That was the tone I had been looking for all my life. Bud Phil-

lips and Hank Jr. allowed me to use the guitar from 1990 to 1991, and it was amazing. As the tour was ending in Nashville and I knew I had to give the 1958 back to Hank Jr. I took the guitar back to Hank Jr. on his bus and I was going to give it back. We had a conversation about guitars and as I was leaving Hank told me to keep the 1958! It’s been with me ever since. Anytime I see Hank Jr. he says he hears I’m still playing it, and of course I always will. After I got the guitar, I started calling it “Hank” in honor of Hank Jr. Joe Bonamassa also calls it “Hank the Plank.”

CG: Is “Hank” your most valuable vintage guitar, or just the most memorable?

Greg: Yes, “Hank” is easily the most valuable instrument I own. It’s such a part of my DNA. The Gibson Custom Shop has done a copy of it, known as the CC #15. I always dreamed of owning a 50’s Les Paul after seeing John Sebastian play his ‘burst with the Lovin’ Spoonful in 1966. “Hank” and my 1957 Strat are two instruments I will always keep.

do you use in the studio?

Greg: My main go to guitars in the studio are “Hank,” a 1957 Strat, and a 1963 SG Les Paul. I have other guitars if needed. For acoustic work, either a 1972 Martin D28 or 1971 Martin D35.

In the studio I normally use vintage Marshall amps, from 1968-1974. I have one 1974 50-watt head that sounds amazing.

Sometimes I’ll use a 1969 Super Lead or a 1968 50-watt Plexi. I’ve also tracked with Super Reverbs - my favorite Fender amp. Other than an occasional WahWah, I don’t normally use pedals. I love plugging straight into an old Marshall or Fender and turning it up. I control things from the guitar. For the next HeadHunters CD, I’m going to keep it simple. I’m going to take “Hank” and the 1957 Strat and plug straight into a 1950’s tweed Fender Deluxe and Champ.

CG: Do you play different gear when touring with The Kentucky HeadHunters?

Greg: On the road I use a 1975 Marshall 100-watt head with two power tubes pulled. Pulling two tubes knocks it CG: What guitars, amps, and pedals down to 50 watts and tones things down volume wise. I plug straight into the 1958 Les Paul - “Hank” head and have a 4x12 cab loaded with Eminence Speakers turned sideways on the stage. I also carry another 70’s Marshall head in the rack as a spare, and sometimes a Germino Headroom 100 or Category 5 “GM” head. As for guitars, I use my Gibson Greg Martin CC #15 prototype #1, a 1964 Gibson Melody Maker rebuilt by Will Kelley for open A slide, a 1963 Gibson SG Les Paul for open E, and usually a spare.

CG: Your band is known for country music. Why did you branch out into blues for your 2015 album?

Greg: When we put The HeadHunters together in 1986, our repertoire was primarily Blues, Rock-A-Billy, and Rock.

Even though we grew up in the country, and the element was there subliminally, we never really embraced it until later. When Ricky Lee Phelps joined the band a few months later, he brought the soulful twang element to the band.

That’s when we realized we had something different. Our sound, combined with his voice, made an interesting musical stew. Even though we garnered quite a bit of success in Country music in the early 90’s, we never strayed far from our Blues and Rock roots.

COLLECTIBLEGUITAR.COM :: MAR/APR 16 :: 21

tage market, as we now know it, hadn’t manifested itself in the 70’s and early 80’s. We do hit pawnshops and music stores from time to time, but for the most part my collection is set. I have some dealers I know and trust, and if I’m looking for something they usually help me.

These days I hit more vintage record stores. With the resurgence of vinyl and the CD market going away, buying records is fun again. However, I do watch dealer lists and keep my eyes open. I have some vintage guitars I’d love to get before I get too old...

CG: What guitar, amp, or pedals are on your wish list right now, and why?

Greg with Joe Bonamasa CG: How did the HeadHunters start asked us about the project and encourrecording with Johnnie Johnson? aged us to finish it. We went back in the Greg: We went to a Grammy party the studio in 2014 and finished up the tracks, night before the actual awards presenta- and Alligator released it in June 2015. In tion, and that’s when we met Johnnie. retrospect, it was fate, there’s no other We immediately went to his table and way around it. Johnnie was a member of he was amazed we knew so much about our band. It’s a shame we didn’t get to do him. In 1992 we were asked to pro- more together. duce and play on his next CD, which became “That’ll Work”! When he came out to Kentucky to do some overdubs in 2003 for our “Soul” CD, we started jamming in the studio. Before we knew it, we had another CD in the can. Johnnie passed away in 2005, so we put the tapes away.

Two or three years back Johnnie’s widow

CG: Do you still visit the local guitar and pawnshops looking for gear when you tour?

Greg: Even though I’ve owned a couple, I’d love to get another blackguard Tele again. I sold my last 1953 Tele in 2004, and I regret it now. I’ve had several block and dot neck ES-335’s and would love to have another one of those. A 50’s Esquire and 1959 Rosewood Strat would be fun.

I seem to be gravitating to Fenders more as I get older. I’d like to have some old Fuzz Faces from the 60’s and 70’s, and perhaps an old Moserite Fuzz. Except for some old Vox and Cry Baby Wah-Wah pedals, I don’t use many effects. I have a great Dunlop Eric Johnson Fuzz Face that Eric gave me a couple years back. It sounds great with my old 1957 Strat.

Greg: Not as much these days. With the internet being so prominent the vintage guitar market isn’t what it used to be. The vin-

Greg with Jeff Beck 22 :: MAR/APR 16 :: COLLECTIBLEGUITAR.COM

Greg with Billy Gibbons

1932 National “Style O” Steel Body Dobro

CG: How did you end up being the DJ of your own weekly radio show?

Greg: I grew up listening to AM radio in the 60’s and FM in the 70’s. Growing up in Louisville I was a big fan of WKLO and WAKY and we would watch the DJ’s do their shows through the showcase windows. Around 1986 I started doing a radio show called “Blue Monday” at WLOC-FM in Munfordville, KY. Eventually the HeadHunters schedule got very busy and I had to give 1963 Gibson Les Paul SG

1964 Gibson Melody Maker

1957 Fender Stratocaster a.k.a. “Brownie McGee”

up the radio show. In 1997 I started hosting “Lowdown Hoedown” at WVLC once a week that lasted two and a half years, then I moved to WDNS-FM in Bowling Green, KY, in 2001. I have been there for over 14 years. My show is from 7:00-10:00 CST every Monday night, and we also stream it on the internet. I’ve had Warren Haynes, John Sebastian, Brian Setzer, Paul Rodgers, Glenn Hughes, Peter Frampton, Joe Bonamassa, Chuck Leavell, John Oates, and many other guests. www.wdnsfm.com 1974 Gibson Flying V

CG: What’s next for you and The HeadHunters?

Greg: Currently we’re on break, but we’re gearing up for another tour. This year we will be touring abroad. We’ll go back in the studio this spring to do a new CD. I sincerely hope we keep doing more Blues CD’s. “Meet Me in Bluesland” is one of the most honest CD’s we’ve ever done. I’m very proud of that one.

CG: How did you start posting FaceBook videos with you playing cool guitar licks?

1956 Gibson Les Paul Jr

COLLECTIBLEGUITAR.COM :: MAR/APR 16 :: 23

GREG MARTIN

Greg: You know, the “Licks from the Outhouse!” videos really started as a joke. I thought me posting videos in my pajamas from my basement, kitchen, or hotel room was pretty humorous. After doing a few, people seemed to genuinely enjoy them so I’ve kept doing them. Putting these videos online is kind of scary too. You’re pretty much putting your soul out there for people to see. You have to take the criticism along with the praise, and like most of us I’d rather have the praise!

CG: When you aren’t touring, being a DJ, or posting FaceBook guitar videos, what does a HeadHunter do for fun?

Greg: Other than being a father, husband, and paying bills, music is a 24/7 thing. I play the guitar before I go to bed; play a guitar first thing when I wake up. I keep a guitar in about every room at the house. Guitars are probably my security blanket. I love music, I love guitars, and it’s the only career I could have had. In my spare time I collect records and vintage stereo gear, but anything I do is all related to music. I had a back problem

back in May 2015, and for 2-3 months my left hand grip was very weak. For a couple weeks I had no idea what would transpire. By the grace of God, patience, and a lot of prayers, my grip came back and I’m even more dedicated to playing the guitar. It’s who I am, it consumes nearly every minute, but it’s a joy!

Martin, were very understanding. They never tried to discourage me from playing music, even though they knew it would be a hard road early on. When you love doing something, it’s never really a job. * After the interview Greg had these closing thoughts.

CG: The HeadHunters seem more like a family than a band. Has that always I was just thinking today how blessed I’ve been over the years. Many years ago, been true?

God put a deep love for music in my Greg: I have known and played with heart. When I finally answered His callRichard and Fred since 1968, and Doug ing, the grand adventure began. In retsince 1981. I played my first gig at a 4-H rospect, I kinda regret not going straight talent show with Richard at Metcalfe into music as a career right out of high Country High School Nov. 21st, 1968. school, but I just wasn’t ready to make We immediately became like brothers. that commitment. From 1972-1977, I It is indeed a family affair, down to our worked a regular job, and played music crew. The older I get, the more I realize as time allowed. I wanted to please my the impact my older brother Gary had on parents by going into printing like my me growing up. Gary gave me the love dad, but I wasn’t being true to myself. Affor vintage instruments, and he taught ter seeing Led Zeppelin in concert April me the art of trading and trading up. He 25th, 1977, I decided to quit my job and passed away in 2013 and I really miss go into music. Richard and Fred called our conversations about music, guitars, me in Oct. 1977, and they wanted me to and family. My parents, Maxie and Ruth rejoin Itchy Brother. I have been blessed with a wonderful family, a great band to play with, and some great guitars. Guitars and music, my two biggest addictions in life.

I was also lucky to have a great boss from 1981-1989, Ronnie McDowell. I have met many of my heroes, played a lot of great music, seen many places, and the grand adventure has far exceeded my expectations. Thank God for music and guitars.

The current line-up for The Kentucky HeadHunters consists of Doug Phelps on Bass & Lead vocals, Richard Young on Guitar & Lead Vocals, Fred Young on Drums, and Greg Martin on Guitar and Vocals.

Their latest album “Meet Me in Bluesland” is an incredible album throughout and a nice testament to the musicianship of the band and the late Johnnie Johnson. The HeadHunters have won awards from the Academy of Country Music, several CMA’s, and a Grammy, which isn’t bad for some good ole boys from Kentucky. Greg Martin is the real deal as a father, husband, DJ, guitar collector, and guitarist for The Kentucky HeadHunters. Be sure to catch them on tour, and now you know the real story behind “Hank” the guitar!

THE ONE THAT DIDN’T GET AWAY

by Rick King

Rich Dangel’s 1962 Gibson Barney Kessel

guitar photos by Joe Riggio

In my last article I spoke of my love for Tacoma and it’s music. You can’t talk about Tacoma’s music history without including its godfathers, The Fabulous Wailers. Cited as an influence by such guitar greats as George Harrison, Pete Townsend, and even Eric Clapton and many others. Tacoma’s own Rich Dangel’s influence cuts deep into the cloth of Rock and Roll history. His song, Tall Cool One, and others from The Wailers first album on Golden Crest records, which he had written in his mid-teens, is remarkable.

Local musician, Dave Croston, has been a loyal customer of mine for a very long time.

When he called me in the late 90’s and said he had a guitar that he was going to trade in to a local music store toward a saxophone, he asked me if I was interested. I told him that if he already had a deal going with the music store that he should just complete his deal.

He said that the guitar was a 1962 Barney Kessel and that

26 :: MAR/APR 16 :: COLLECTIBLEGUITAR.COM

if I could give him $1000 for the guitar, he thought that was a better deal than trading it in. The deal sounded good to me so I told him to bring the guitar down. It was a little beat up, but I wrote him a check and thanked him for thinking about me. He was walking out the door when he turned around and told me that I would have been surprised by the look on Rich Dangel’s face when I showed him the guitar. I asked him why and he told me that Rich had purchased it at a music store in Bremerton in 1962, played for a short time, and was not happy with the feedback it caused. Another local musician picked the guitar up and years later, Dave got it from him. I told Dave of my love for The Wailers and reassured him that the guitar would remain in my collection.

My admiration for The Wailers sparked my curiosity about their back-story. How could this band from Tacoma leave a major label to start their own local label, Etiquette Records, as teenagers? Two of the three founding members are no longer with us, but original bass player and original Etiquette founder, Buck Ormsby, is a personal friend. I knew that if I asked him, he could answer some of my questions. Buck was gracious enough to give me an entire history lesson. This is from that interview.

Rick: At what age did you start playing an instrument?

Buck: When I was probably seven, I started banging on a piano. Then I started taking steel guitar lessons at the Honolulu Conservatory of Music in Tacoma over on 2nd and “G”.

Rick: How was that?

Buck: I am left-handed, I wanted to play left handed, but they said no, do it this way. That’s why I play bass guitar normally (right handed). I always felt like I should turn it around, like Hendrix. I just didn’t feel right.

Buck Ormsby is on the left with the P-Bass, Rich Dangel is next to him with the Epiphone

saw everybody. We would go out and see Little Richard, and his bass player was named “Professor”, or something.

The first time I saw them it was 1956 and he was playing with a thumb pick and he had an Ampeg bass amp and a Fender P-Bass. He just sounded so good that I knew I had to have that set-up. In 1957, Barks Music store got in a P-Bass.

I went down to see it and I traded in my

Rick: When did you start playing bass?

Rick: What happened to that P-Bass?

Buck: It got stolen, actually twice.

The first time was in Portland. We were playing with the Beach Boys. It was after the show at the Portland Coliseum.

We had “The Wailers” painted on the side of our van. They broke in and stole our uniforms and my bass. That was in 1962. In 1964 the Portland police called me and said they had my bass, and I got it back. The second time it was stolen from my apartment in Seattle, when we were recording the album Cadillac to Mexico. I am pretty sure I know who stole it.

Rick: How did you join The Wailers?

Buck: Well, when I started playing with Little Bill in 1955, I tuned the bottom four strings down on the triple-neck steel guitar. I still had the other necks, but the big strings worked for bass.

Buck: I always loved those guys. We played shows with them when I was in Little Bill and the Bluenotes. Rich was always coming up with amazing stuff on guitar. John Greek also. I have always felt that Mike Burk was an innovator on the drums. He came from a jazz background. Listen to what he plays on that first album. His cymbal work is unbelievable.

Rick: When did you buy your first Fender bass?

Buck: Little Bill and I used to go the Evergreen Ballroom. He had a car when he was 16, I was 15, and we would go down there every Sunday night. We would see all these groups, James Brown and the Famous Flames, Hank Ballard and the Midnighters, Etta James, Ray Charles. I mean we

steel guitar.

Rick: I agree. You can hear that Elvin Jones influence.

Buck: They asked me to join the band in the summer of 1960. They Buck Ormsby on steel guitar

continued on page 47

COLLECTIBLEGUITAR.COM :: MAR/APR 16 :: 27

George Freeman: Don’t Fret... Just Play

by Guy Arseneau The year was 1960. The average cost of a new house in the United States was $12,700, gasoline was priced at a quarter a gallon, and a loaf of bread sold for the princely sum of twenty cents. For children of that era, Huckleberry Hound and The Flintstones were the reigning cultural icons on that magical device known as the television set. Adult viewers understood themselves and society through the homogenized blandness and stark whiteness contained in the vanilla frothiness of such television fare as Father Knows Best, Leave It to Beaver and The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet.

“Grass” was something to be cut, “gay” referred to a state of happiness; the fractured syntax of “multitasking” and “conversate” was mercifully absent from the English language, and the thought-numbing mindset of “political correctness” was still over half a century away.

Yet in this year of naïve insularity, one that was to pre-figure convulsive changes at all levels of society and punctuated by a subliminal smugness embodied in adherence to “truth, justice and the American way,” an extremely talented young man named George Freeman bought a guitar; after that things got a whole lot different.

“I paid about $200 for my Gibson 335 guitar when I lived for a time in New York City, way back in 1960,” Freeman recalls.

“It was brand new and bright red in color.

Back then, $200 was a lot of money, but

over the years this guitar turned out to be one of the best investments I ever made.”

Born in 1926 on the hard scrabble south side of Chicago, George Freeman came of age during the time of Prohibition, the early days of organized crime and the growing popularity of urban jazz, which was rapidly becoming a uniquely counter cultural American musical art form.

28 :: MAR/APR 16 :: COLLECTIBLEGUITAR.COM

The younger brother of the late jazz legend and saxophonist Von Freeman, George credits his older sibling for his current success as a musician. “Von was my best friend,” he notes, “He taught me how to play the guitar and make it talk my language and tell my story. After a while, it got to the point where my guitar and I could ‘speak’ to each other, continued on page 30

GEORGE FREEMAN

you might say. That’s when I knew I was laden bistro and former speakeasy, The ready to let an audience in on our con- Green Mill Jazz Club, a onetime hang versations.” out for celebrity gangster Al Capone. In Today, over sixty years later, his Gibson September of 2014, after a thirty year ab335 guitar still defines George Freeman sence from New York, George Freeman as a jazz musician and entertainer ex- and his guitar made a much anticipated traordinaire. Dubbed the Jazz Musician return to the Big Apple at the Harlem of the Year by the Chicago Tribune mu- based Smoke Jazz and Supper Club, losic critic and columnist Howard Reich, cated on the upper west side of Manhathe continues to use his Gibson 335 for tan. appearances at Chicago’s Jazz Festival at Millennium Park, duets with his partner Mike Allemana at Chicago’s Tuley Park, and numerous appearances at jazz clubs in the Windy City such as the history-

“My guitar is kind of like an automobile,” Freeman says half-jokingly. “Have you ever noticed that when your car is nice and clean it always seems to drive better? That’s how my guitar is. I use or-

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30 :: MAR/APR 16 :: COLLECTIBLEGUITAR.COM

dinary furniture polish on it to keep it bright and clean, and I have to tell you, the cleaner my guitar is, the better it plays.”

Having logged over a 100,000 miles for his concert and club appearances throughout the United States, George Freeman’s Gibson guitar always traveled with him and occupies a prominent role in his recording sessions with such jazz legends as Charlie Parker, Dexter Gordon, Illinois Jacques, and Gene Ammons. At an age when many men are in retirement, George Freeman is in a recording studio.

“After my brother Von died in 2012,” he recalls, “I lost interest, or at least I thought I did, in playing the guitar, except around the house for family gatherings and such. I really didn’t expect to play professionally again.” But thanks to his nephew and Von Freeman’s son, Chico, George is now center stage and in the spotlight. In May of 2015, George Freeman, along with his trusty guitar and jazz saxophonist/nephew Chico Freeman released a new CD called All in the Family, recorded on the Chicago-based Southport Label.

With a playing time of 78 minutes and consisting of 22 songs written by George and Chico Freeman, this highly attractive (some would say seductive) musical adventure also contains the songwriting talent and recording skills of Swiss-born jazzmeister Reto Weber, the piano dexterity of Kirk Brown, and the haunting drum beat of Hamid Drake. Fleshed out by the nuanced playing and subtle riffs of George Freeman’s guitar and Chico’s skill as a saxophonist, this CD represents a new chapter in an old story that is as fresh as it is eternal. A family affair that is now shared as a public event, the musical virtuosity and talent of George and Chico’s CD, along with that of their band mates, gives the listening public an opportunity to understand a new concept of family that serves to underscore a dynasty of talent.

Speaking barely above a whisper, in a voice that is at once quietly reassuring and as smooth as an angel’s ass, George Freeman shifts himself on a stool as he deftly tunes and adjusts the stings of his ever-present guitar. “Don’t fret—just play,” he says with a self-mocking smile.

-- Guy Arseneau www.guyarseneau.com

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COLLECTIBLEGUITAR.COM :: MAR/APR 16 :: 31

Jerry McPherson

photo: Mark Seliger

by Alison Richter If you’re looking for Jerry McPherson on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or a website, keep scrolling; he’s not there.

With session work keeping him busy around Nashville and in his home studio every day, McPherson has no time — and really, no need — for social media.

“I’ve never even had a business card,” he says. “I guess social media is good for letting someone know I’m still around, but the decades that I’ve been doing this, it’s all word of mouth. You can’t top going into a session, doing a great job, and leaving everyone going, ‘Wow, we’ve got to get him again.’ No website, business card, reel, or CD is going to top any of that.”

McPherson was born in Dallas, Texas, and raised in the Southern Baptist Church. By the time he reached his teens, he was enamored of the music of Peter Gabriel-era Genesis and David Bowie, played guitar in garage bands, and began doing session work in high school.

He attended Baylor University in Waco, where he originally double-majored in environmental studies and geology. While in pursuit of his degree, he began commuting to Houston to cut studio sessions at Rivendell Recorders. Realizing that music was his true calling, he changed his educational course and graduated with a double major in marketing and management. After college, he relocated to Houston, where he met Keith Edwards, a session player from Los Angeles who was drumming for Amy Grant. When Grant needed a guitar player, Edwards made the recommendation. Grant’s husband at the time, Gary Chapman, came to Houston, attended a club gig where McPherson was playing guitar, and hired him on the spot, taking him directly from local musician to arena tours. McPherson moved to Nashville in 1986, a year after joining the band, and remained Grant’s guitar player for 19 years. After that, he was on the road with Reba McEntire, and then with Faith Hill.

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McPherson’s studio work reads like an all-encompassing artist directory: Miranda Lambert, Christina Aguilera, Kelly Clarkson, Rascal Flatts, Chris Cornell, Chris Isaak, Civil Wars, Don Henley, Michael McDonald, Josh Groban, and the hit television series Nashville are only a fraction of his resume. He is solely focused on session work now, but occasionally gigs in Nashville, often joining recording artist Lari White. “Basically, here in town, you work every day at a different studio with a different client,” he says. “Sometimes from you leave the house around 9:15 in the morning and don’t get home until 10:30 at night.”

Your studio credits include Country, Christian music, and Pop, but your background is in Rock, as well as orchestral music from your parents’ record collection. Early on, what were you playing? What types of bands were you in?

I didn’t really play in bands all that much. I started off as a young kid in ga-

rage bands when I was 12 or 13, but I was raised in the church and my parents would not let me play club gigs. I would play in bands up until the point that we got good enough to play in a club, and then I would have to bail. What’s funny is that all the guys that were in those bands are not working musicians anymore, so I guess it was kind of a blessing in disguise that my parents stuck to their guns as far as the club thing. I did my first professional recording session when I was 15. I didn’t have a driver’s license yet, so my sister had to drive me, which was pretty embarrassing. I was so nervous that I forgot a pick and ended up taking the packaging for a 9-volt battery and folding it up to form a pick. That was my first trial by fire as far as session stuff, but when I got the check … I can’t remember how much it was, but it was a lot of money. It was like, “Somebody just asked me to show up, I didn’t have to rehearse or do any prep work other than my own playing. They liked what I did, and they gave me a fat check at the end of it. I think I like this.” I didn’t have to be around drunks. I was around really good, professional people in a good recording studio, and if you made a mistake they would back you up and punch you in. It’s like, “OK, there’s a lot to like about this gig.” That’s what got me the bug as far as session work. I didn’t start out wanting to do session work. I just knew I enjoyed playing guitar. But people thought what I did would work on their music, so I started getting calls.

that has humbuckers, unlike the old Jaguars, and I had an EverTune bridge put on it. So those two guitars, a Gretsch … I take a ton of guitars to sessions. You have to have the main food groups: a Telecaster and a Strat. I have a ’66 Strat that was under water in the flood, a Fender Custom Shop Esquire that was under water. I had seventeen guitars under water, and about four of them ended up making it out of that bunch. It took a lot of money and time to get them back to life.

Which miking techniques and placements do you swear by, and how did you find them?

For my work programming in Guitar Rig [McPherson programs some of the factory presets for the Native Instruments software] I got used to the idea of having different mics and different mic placements. When I built my home studio, there were eight amp heads that I wanted to use, and about eight to ten cabinets. I thought it would be nice to have a Shure SM57 and a Royer on each one, and maybe a different mic placement for another mic. If you’re putting a differ-

photo: Mark Seliger

ent mic on each cabinet, you’re looking at 30 microphones. It may look cool in photos, but I knew that was not practical.

I was trying to figure out, How do I get all these speakers up and make different mic placements? It wasn’t until I changed the question to, If I only owned the 57, how

You track with a variety of artists. What do you bring to sessions?

I have a newer Les Paul, probably a 2006, that was in the [2010] flood. It was under water and it came out looking really bad. The guys at Glaser Instruments [in Nashville], through a lot of work, resurrected it. I ended up putting an EverTune bridge on it.

It’s one of those guitars that sounds great and plays great. I can set the Evertune to where it is so dialed in tuning-wise that it sounds like a keeper guitar. As soon as you hit it, it sounds like, “Oh yeah, we’ve got to have that on the song.”

I have a newer Fender Jaguar

COLLECTIBLEGUITAR.COM :: MAR/APR 16 :: 33

JERRY McPHERSON

could I get it around to all these different cabinets? Back in 2008, I started experimenting with servomotors that are used for aiming video cameras. I got with a machine shop here in town and designed a new head for the servomotor, where I was able to hook microphone boom stands to it and remotely move that mic around. So I have all my speaker cabinets in a circle, pointing to the middle, and in the middle is a servomotor that’s actually a pair of motors that swing around 360 and also go up and down. I applied for, and was granted, a U.S. Patent for it.

I sit in my studio and I can remotely move the microphone to the different cabinets. It’s been awesome, because when I do guitar overdubs here, with after another. We were hearing a Matchevery pass I’m going to a different amp less into this 212 cabinet, a newer Vox, and a different speaker cabinet. a ’65 Vox, a ’94 Dual Rectifier, a SilverThere’s a young guitar player here in tone . . .all these different amp heads. town named Paul Allen who is really up And when you played them back to back, on sounds. He came to my studio and they sounded so similar it was scary. I said, “You’ve got eight amp heads. Let’s knew, but not to that extent, how much record all those amp heads one at a time the speaker plays. A speaker is like a cone into one common cabinet.” He played filter; it’s like an EQ almost. You can run guitar while I plugged the cabinet into a bunch of different amp heads into one the different amps, hit “record,” and we cabinet, and if you keep that microphone played them all back to back, one right

photo: Mark Seliger

in that same position on that speaker, your overdubs end up overlapping too much sonically. The fact that I can move that microphone around, place it, store presets, and then move that — I’m able to get a depth out of my overdubs that I’m normally not able to do.

Do you use this piece of gear during sessions?

Most of my work is on Music Row, and we never move the microphone. I just

Come visit our booth at the 2016 Dallas International Guitar Show

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did a Chris Isaak record where I took my Mic Mover. I worked with Chris Martin of Coldplay once and I took my Mic Mover to that session. There are sessions where either it’s high profile, or I’m going to be there for a few days, and I’ll take the Mic Mover. Everybody gets a kick out of watching it swing around to the different cabinets. It’s awesome.

I absolutely love it, because if you get a brighter guitar plugged into an amp and it’s a little too piercing, instead of reaching for an EQ or a tone knob, you just move the mic off the dust cap a little bit more. For me, the best EQ on the planet for an electric guitar is moving the mic.

Going from college-age guy to touring arenas is a big jump. How did you handle it?

All along, the jumps have been incremental just enough. There are definitely other gigs that I could have been handed that I would have drowned. I wouldn’t have made it. But it was incremental just enough from both a playing standpoint and a personal growth standpoint. I was just enough at the place where I could deal with being on the road, and other people could deal with me. I grew up the youngest of three, and I was the clown of the family. I was the tension breaker.

I could make the jokes that would set everybody back at ease. That sense of humor has taken me a long way, especially when working on the road and in the studio. I’m always cracking jokes, and I’ve had producers say, “I would hire you to be on this record just for your jokes.”

So it’s kind of like, “Well, I’d rather be known for my guitar playing, but whatever gets me here, I’ll go with it.”

Had that first gig been with a wild rock and roll band, for a guy who was raised in the church and not allowed to play in clubs, you could have easily become a casualty, with every temptation in front of you and readily available.

That is actually a really good point, in that I was very fortunate to get with someone who was on Amy’s level. In the Christian world, no one came close to her. She was it. We played the Grammy Awards, we played The Tonight Show, all these award shows, we were even on Hee Haw. It was that thing of ‘opportunity meets preparation’. I was prepared for it, and it happened to be a great opportunity. As far as me running off, I had a

photo: Mark Seliger

lot of opportunities to play with people that probably wouldn’t have been good for me personally, but because of my upbringing, the last thing I could do was to let my parents down. When you’re

brought up in the church, especially Southern Baptists, there’s a lot of guilt involved. I didn’t want any more guilt, and that probably kept my nose a little cleaner than had I not been under the

JERRY McPHERSON

cloud of guilt.

Was there a learning curve in terms of how they do things on Music Row? There’s always going to be that learning curve. When you’re called for a gig — and I’m sure this happens to everyone, especially if you’re self-employed — you envision in your head what it’s going to look like, because you want to be prepared when you walk in. Typically what happens is that your general preparation will be right, you’ll over-prepare in some areas, and then you’ll get there and there’ll be something out of the blue that you did not see coming and that you’re completely unprepared for. Part of my learning curve for Music Row is the same as if it were Los Angeles or New York, which is to be ready for the unexpected.

Just because you lined this gig up in your head, what it would be and what you’d be asked to do, you’re always pretty much always going to be hit with something: “Oh, I didn’t see that one coming.” Part of my learning curve was to accept that I can only do so much to be prepared, and the rest … I’m going to have to swat a ball that is going to come in from my pe-

best they can. You’re building on this hopefully good song, and if it takes me to play a part that somebody else is known for, so be it.

That offends some guys, and they need to go and do their own solo gigs. As a session player, you have to lay your ego aside and realize that the main thing at stake is making that song the best it can be. If that means playing in the style of another guitar player, you do it. I genuinely have peace about doing that kind of thing. I don’t have any kind of preconceived notions that, “No, this is what I do, you’ve heard me, and I’m going to do my photo: Scott Uchida thing.” I don’t care. I really ripheral, and I’m going to somehow have don’t care. You deepen your vocabulary to hit it back. So I think my preparedness of what you can bring to the table. Now for Music Row would be the same if I you can play in the style of some other player and maybe add your own little lived anywhere.

When you’re called in day after day twist to it, and you’re making yourself to play the way the artists or producers more valuable to the song. These are long want it done, how do you keep from los- life lessons as far as what comes across emotionally. You’re always learning and ing your personal playing style? exploring sounds and techniques in order That’s an important thing as far as ses- to get those emotions across. That’s what sion players: your identity is less valu- keeps it interesting. If we figured it all out able than the task at hand. Your job is to in the first couple of years, we’d all put it make that song and that artist sound the down.

photos: Mark Seliger

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the Straight Truth About Pickups by Jason Lollar Yes, we’re still chasing the dragon. It’s been on my list of “great pickups I’ve always wanted to build” forever, and took several years to design — my new Lollar “Regal” humbucker.

Based on the classic “wide range” (but with a few twists of my own), it’s fat and clear, with a nice top end sparkle.

Great note bloom and a vocal midrange that never sacrifices note definition. Same size as the original — drop it in and turn it up.

I personally design and wind over a hundred different pickup models including most of the vintage classics, obscure works of art from steel guitars to clavinets, and even a few of my own designs that have never existed in the past.

I invite you to visit our website for sound clips, videos and current product information or feel free to give us a call.

Lollar Pickups,Tacoma, WA. (206) 463-9838 www.lollarguitars.com

PEDAL SNAPSHOT

by Phil Traina We are fresh back from Winter getting the types of tones he was after.

NAMM in sunny southern California. Fil set out to harness all the magic of Every year brings new and exciting gear the original choices. I pulled out a couple things that unit into a caught my eye and that I personally repractical pedal ally enjoy. format. The Shaffer replica Schaffer Replica By Solodallas ($350) pedal is a simFil (Solodallas) has been a friend of ple stompbox mine for a few years now. I must admit with 2 knobs he is quite obsessive, particularly over and labeled the early Angus Young (AC/DC) tones. input and outDuring his crusade to nail those tones, put. The easihe discovered that a wireless unit called est way to dethe Schaffer Vega was a huge factor in scribe the tone

is “squishy”. Setting the levels of the input gain and output gain lets you adjust how hard you hit your amp. There is a very cool compression and sag, as well as boost that you get when the pedal is engaged. I plugged a Les Paul into a 1973 Marshall 2204 and let it fly.

Instantly channeling the 70’s rock tones I know and love, strumming an open G chord made me feel like Pete Townsend of The Who playing Wembley Stadium. There is also a new product coming down the Solodallas line called The Storm. I’m looking forward to that review as well.

Vemuram Galea in the looks department, and has the ($383.00) tones to match. One of my favorite pedIf you have never als is the Jan Ray, which is set up to nail taken a look at the the blackface tonescape. The Jan Ray is Vemuram pedals a lower gain pedal, and the Galea picks out of Japan, do up where the Jan Ray leaves off. It is yourself a favor. a medium gain, tweed-inspired magic Vemuram knocks box. The Galea boasts a full EQ secit out of the park tion with bass, mid, and treble, as well as level and gain controls. There are 2

trim pots that you can dial in from the outside of the pedal. One is a saturation pot, which lets you dial in the smoothness in the tone. The drive trim pot lets you tailor the drive level to your particular amp. If you run a hot driven amp you may want to dial the drive back a bit. If you are looking for a great versatile medium gain overdrive, the Galea is one to put in the mix.

Free The Tone Tri-Avatar Multi-Di- Each depth control takes on 120 degrees mensional Chorus ($350) of the chorusing, giving you 360 degrees This is not your father’s chorus pedal. in total. In stereo mode the depth conLet’s start with the controls. Level, dry trol really plays well. The center feeds mix, high-cut, rate, depth, as well as pre- both left and right, while the others feed set. The level and Dry mix are fairly self- the respective sides. The preset capabilexplanatory. The high cut rolls off the ity is great, storing up to 4 presets. I was highs, or gives you a crisper chorus tone. able to get rich, smooth multi-chorus The biggest difference between this and tones to 80’s rock ballad chorus, to lesevery other chorus pedal is in the depth lie sounds, and beyond. The Tri-Avatar controls. There are three parameters of chorus is one of the most useful chorusdepth control: right, center, and left. es I have come across.

Way Huge Overrated Special ($199.99) Starting out as a joke between Joe Bonamassa and Jeorge Tripps of Way Huge, Joe said recently on periscope that is was a crack on his playing. Some may

think it’s overrated, but also a crack on the Dumble landscape. Adorned with the Dumble lettering, it definitely hints to that world. Basically, the Overrated Special is a modded Green Rhino, also

by Way Huge. Basic controls include Volume, Gain, Tone, and with the added control of the 500hz knob, adds midrange punch. Using it in front of an already driven amp beefs up the tone. I was able to coax singing sustain even out of a clean amp. I had a great time us-

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ing it on cleaner settings as well as overdriven settings. Although the Overrated Special is not being billed as a Dumble in a box pedal, it sure does have a few of the characteristics. If you are looking for a fun OD box and appreciate the tongue and cheek of Way Huge, the Overrated Special is a great choice.

Phil Traina, The Gear Concierge Helping guitar players get the tone they’ve been looking for. Living the dream in Northern California with his wife and kids.

My Latest Pedal Board Greetings from View of the Day Central! to use and also quickly lets me inI’m excited to take you behind the scene stant access any of the 4 loops. The of my latest pedalboard. It’s been in the Switch DR is right upfront close to works conceptually for a while. After my feet. It works flawlessly!

other effects, can give you a serious scene weeks of planning I was able to get my Here is a quick rundown of the pedals I change. I like the volume pedal after all friend and solder gun guru, JT Brinton, to chose for the board and the signal path. the drive stuff to keep any noise down. wire it up for me.

I won’t go into the details of each pedal, I also chose to keep the MIDI switchAs I explain some of the choices and de- just know that if I didn’t love them, they able gear out of the loops (except the M5) wouldn’t be on there! tails of the board I know there will be folks because I can change all that via MIDI. that are going to ask, “Why in the world The guitar goes into the Desire boostThe Decibel 11 is super easy to work with did you do that?” Hopefully, by the end of ---Keeley Compressor---Switch DR INand it is really getting my creativity cookthe article you will see the method to my --Loop 1, Freeze Pedal---Loop 2, Line6 ing. The way it controls the Stymon and pedal madness! By the way, pedals are so M5---Loop 3, Earth Quaker Hoof Reaper Eventide pedals gives me so many crazy addicting! I was recently at winter NAMM and Palisades---Loop 4, Zvex Fuzz Facoptions. The Holy Fire pedal is last before and almost went into “pedal hysteria”. So tory and Walrus Mayflower---Switch DR the amp because, set to unity gain, it is many great companies are turning out in- OUT---Dunlop Volume Pedal---Strymon completely transparent. If I have a sound credible sounding pedals. Thanks guys for Mobius---Eventide Pitchfactor---Eventide I really like but it’s hitting the amp a little keeping the tone bar high.

Timefactor---Eventide H9 MAX---Cretoo hard, I just turn down the output of ation Audio Labs Holy Fire.

So, here we go! the Holy Fire. Also, I can take a sound and I chose to keep the Desire boost and drive the amp a little harder with the Holy I do 90 percent session work, so I need Keely out of any loop because I end up Fire, if that’s the vibe I’m going for. a lot of versatility. Deciding on the size keeping both of those on a lot, especially board you want will help determine the Some of the things I recommend for any pedal count. I’m a huge fan of Pedal- the Desire boost. I put the Freeze in loop board are great cable and great connecTrain!!! Their line up of pedal boards is 1 so I can Freeze a note and latch it. It tors. We chose to use the George L cable superb and is able to meet the demands can ring the whole song and I can turn for its great tone and switchcraft ends for of anyone wiring up a pedal rig. I ended it on and off with the loop 1 instant ac- their reliability. I really wanted this board up going with the Terra. It is 42 inches cess pedal. Having that sustained note to last a long time, so hiring JT to do the wide and about 14.5 inches deep. It is big available before the volume pedal and the wiring was well worth it. It would have enough for me to get all the pedals I want spacey effects allows me to create other- taken me forever to solder all those ends, on there but still manageable enough to do worldly washy sounds. I like the Line6 but he did it during the course of 2 sesthe pedal tap dance on. Speaking of the in loop 2 because it’s early enough in the sions. Another thing to consider is how dance, I was able to keep my toe reach to chain where I can use it as a wah, drive, you fasten the pedal to the board. JT chose a minimum by using the Switch Doctor tremolo, etc…. Loop 3 is a combo of fuzz to use the 3M Dual lock. He likes to do from Decibel 11. This lovely switcher– and drive. I can use them together or in- this crazy thing to test the fastened pedals. and might I add, sonically transparent- is dividually. Loop 4 is the same idea, fuzz He takes the board after he attaches all the able to give me 4 audio loops and control and drive. In a preset I might have loop 3 pedals and holds it over his head! It made all my MIDI pedals. So, with the touch fuzz on and loop 4 drive on. I can hit one me a little nervous, but it worked! of one button, I can instantly change the button and it goes from a fuzz part to a Please feel free to reach out to me if I can entire rig to a whole new sound. It’s easy drive part. This, in combination with the answer any questions or give any advice. I’d be glad to help.

Until the next View…..

Dave Dave Cleveland is a session guitarist from Nashville. He’s recorded for Miley Cyrus, Martina McBride, Stephen Stills, Judy Collins, Whitney Wolanin & Girls Generation. He recently wrote the tv theme for Mud People and Mustang Millionaire.

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JT Brinton wiring it up

VIEW OF THE DAY

by Dave Cleveland

Photo by: The Joelsons

Play it. Love it.

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PRODUCT REVIEW

BOSS VB-2W Waza Craft Vibrato & VO-1 Vocoder

by Michael Hodge

Here’s two Very special pedals released at this years Winter NAMM. They should be available by the time you read this.

BOSS VB-2W The BOSS VB-2W (Waza Craft) Vibrato is a modern recreation of a highly coveted classic. I found one of the originals and paid an arm & leg for it a few years ago. Therefore I was really excited to check this guy out.

OUT OF THE BOX: The new BOSS boxes are actually very Mac like, and a sign that exciting things are happening with the company. The VB2W pedal is faithful to the original look and blue color. The Top has four knobs: Rate, Depth, Rise Time and a 3-way mode switch between Latch, Bypass, and Unlatch. What is different is the addition of a Stock/Custom switch. This allows the pedal one extra modern vibrato sound designed by the Waza Craft team in Japan. Also new is a second ¼” jack to allow an expression pedal to control the depth in real time. Another cool feature is that BOSS is using an old school Analog Bucket Brigade Circuit. This makes it 100% faithful to the original. This is interesting because of the three modes, BYPASS Mode, is used to take the Bucket chips out of the equation eliminating Latency. If they made the pedal digital, they could get around it but anyone familiar with the original would immediately hear the difference. In LATCH Mode, it acts like a regular pedal with that little added Latency that may or not bother you. In UNLATCH Mode, the effect only engages while you hold down the pedal. This is perfect to turn it on at specific moments in your playing. With the addition of an EXP pedal, you have more creative sonic options as well. The CUSTOM Mode allows for more wobble and depth than in

the standard Modes.

IN USE: I love this pedal. The original VB-2 is great but I was always concerned about something happening to it since it’s almost 40 years old. It’s kind of a Holy Grail Pedal like the Klon Centaur. The new Waza Craft Version did not disappoint me at all. It’s road worthy and fared very well in my side-by-side test. Actually it’s a little cleaner than my original, which I don’t mind. The Analog circuit gives you that undeniable sound and response you can’t quite get digitally. I use it a lot for swells to add a little something, or cranked up in an arpeggio bridge type thing. In UNLATCH Mode you hold down the pedal at the end of a chord or swell. It may seem like a basic effect, but it’s very musical and adds a Vibey thing that you’ll love. Once you try it I think you will find some room on your board, someway, somehow. It’s that cool. The Street price runs $199.00. That’s less than half you’d pay for a vintage unit and comes with a BOSS five-year warranty.

For more information visit: http://www. bossus.com.

always had a soft spot for Vocoder. There is something so wonderful when you turn speech into electronic music, and this pedal does some really cool things.

OUT OF THE BOX: The fire engine red Classic BOSS single pedal, has four knobs on top. BLEND/ LEVEL, TONE, COLOR, and a MODE knob with 4 modes: Choir, Vintage, Advanced and Talk Box. On the right side is a standard ¼” input and an XLR Mic Input. On the left is a ¼” out and the pedal has a Send and Return effects loop.

IN USE: First off, this thing is plain cool. I started with the CHOIR Mode. This mode doesn’t require using the mic and gives a guitar synth type choir sound something organ like. For Pads and layering I found this very musical and a nice addition since I was happy to just get a Vocoder.

The VINTAGE Vocoder Mode is great.

With this Mode you sing or talk into the plugged in mic and it’s instant gratification. You can play single lines or Multi BOSS VO-1 VOCODER REVIEW note chords and it tracks very well. When Revealed at this year’s winter NAMM, not plugged into the mic the unit seems the VO-1 Vocoder was an instant hit. I’ve continued on page 44

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PRODUCT REVIEW

The Dobrato

by Bruce Adolph

I was walking through Hall E at the NAMM Show (which I jokingly call Hall Ukulel-E because there are so many uke companies exhibiting there).

I was looking down at my phone to read a text and then looked up to my left and saw a banner for the Dobrato.

I said to myself, what the heck is a Dobrato? I walked up and introduced myself to the main man in the booth - Kent Viles. He was a friendly guy demonstrating the Dobrato through a Fender tube amp. It turns out that Kent is the one who puts them together.

drunk guy trying to play Hawaiian music (but that was my playing and not the Dobrato’s fault). Watch the videos on the website and you will see talented players displaying the merits of what the combination B-Blender and Bigsby vibrato can add to your music. Like any new effect pedal or musical technique you want to work at it and find the tasteful places to utilize this guitars capabilities.

I obviously need some practice but I am intrigued at what this unique instrument has to offer.

The size of the Dobrato is really comfortable and the fit and finish along with the set up make this a fun guitar to play. The more and more I played with the B-Blender, the more I fell for it. This is a whole new niche instrument. Check it out at www.castlecreekguitars.com All Dobratos are designed and assembled in the shop at Castle Creek Guitars in Gunnison, CO. Retail is $2,500.00 and it comes with a Boulder Alpine Series gig bag.

What is the Dobrato you ask? He tells me it is the world’s first acoustic/electric round neck resophonic guitar with a vibrato tail-piece & an optional B-Blender arm. The arm allows the B string to be pulled to C# using the tremolo arm in a vertical movement while the vibrato works with the regular up and down movement. The Dobrato combines the classic sound of a wood resophonic guitar with the vibrato’s tonal variations. In this unique build, the Dobrato retains its natural acoustic tone when amplified and creates a unique new “voice” for blues, country, fingerstyle, bluegrass, pedal steel effects, and jazz.

Kent imports the body parts and then adds quality cones, biscuits, hand-carved saddles, an original Bigsby Vibrato Tailpiece, the Special B-Blender device and a Highlander iP-1X inline pickup system paying special attention to the set up and playability of each Dobrato.

He shipped us one to take for a test drive away from the noisy convention floor. The unique body shape and smaller size has a 1920’s Gibson L1 type vibe to it. You can almost picture Robert Johnson holding one. On Castle Creek’s website there are some pretty well known artist’s positive comments posted about the Dobrato.

The first few minutes on the guitar test driving the Bigsby and the B-Blender sounded more like a

COLLECTIBLEGUITAR.COM :: MAR/APR 16 :: 43

“Quirky Vintage” cont. from page 10

gling total of twenty-four different sounds. It’s simply amazing that a fifty-year-old guitar could be so electronically advanced. I hope the Typhoon came with an owner’s manual explaining this complicated circuitry. Otherwise, guitarists would be forced to resort to hunting around for sounds at will.

The Typhoon carried a list price in 1965 of $290, which included a hardshell case. Clearly, it wasn’t a budget instrument by any means, and that may have been the reason you don’t see many of them around.

As mentioned earlier, Magnatone guitars were generally outclassed by

“BOSS Review” cont. from page 42

to Bypass allowing you to play on and then using the Mic adds the effect when you want it. The ADVANCED mode seems to add a high octave as well, making you able to get that sound like Daft Punk. I tried it on Bass and its super funky too.

You don’t usually hear a bass with a Vocoder, so that’s something I will use on a session real soon. Lastly the TALK BOX Mode works like a champ. It works quite different than the classic Box. Normally you run a speaker line into this big heavy Pedal that contains a Driver connected to a Long piece of Plastic tubing. The tube goes into your mouth like a speaker and you move your mouth around while this thing blasts into it.

That sound is then picked up by a vocal mic that it is connected to with Velcro or tape. What I like about this is that I don’t have to haul around that big heavy Heil Talk Box of mine.

Gibson, Fender, Gretsch, and at that time, Vox… but there’s no denying they were fundamentally solid designs with advanced electronics.

The author would like to thank Buzzy Levine, proprietor of Lark Street Music in Teaneck, New Jersey, for allowing us to inspect, play and photograph this issue’s quirky vintage guitar.

Bob Cianci is a lifelong musician, music journalist, and author of the book, Great Rock Drummers of The Sixties, and has written extensively for many guitar and drum publications, newspapers, websites, and fanzines. He is a working guitarist and drummer in three bands in New Jersey.

His guitar collection numbers over twenty-five pieces at the moment, and is constantly evolving.

I also don’t need a mic into the PA, the sound comes out of my guitar amp.

Granted, this is not the only pedal that does this, but it works great. Lastly, you can plug in anything with a ¼” cable including a keyboard, for that classic Herbie Hancock sound.

CONCLUSION: The BOSS VO-1 Vocoder is a sweet pedal.

Whether you are looking for something special for live or studio you will find good uses for it. Given its small size, and having four very musical modes, I give it solid thumbs up. The Street price runs about $249.00.

For more information go to: http://www.bossus.com.

Michael Hodge is a guitarist and producter from Nashville, TN

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THE FRETBOARD LESS TRAVELED

by Rich Severson

Harmonizing the Blues Scale The blues scale is a favorite tool for single note improv soloing. When it’s harmonized it takes on a horn section sound and adds a new dimension to your playing. These ideas work best over blues progressions. I like to use a jump up tempo blues feel. Bouncing from single note blues riffs to harmonized riffs can add a fresh approach or a bridge between soloing ideas.

EX. 1

"G" Blues Scale

& œ bœ G

Root

⁄

œ bœ

œ

œ F

Bb

C

Db

D

b3

4

b5

5 b7

3

5

6

3

˙ G

Root

œ bœ

&

œ bœ

œ

"G" blues harmonized with a 3rd and a 6th below˙each tone

œœ b œœœ œ

œ

6

8

˙

5 7 7

& œ b œ nœ

9

10

13

15

œ

œ bœ

˙

"G" Blues scale 2nd string

⁄

1

2

EX. 4

& œ bœ

3

6

œ bœ

œœ b œœœ œ

5

8

10

11

8

œ

11

13

œ

˙

12

15

EX. 5 "G" Blues scale 4th string

& œ ⁄

3

œ bœ

5

8

œ

10

5 7 7

3 5 4

6 8 7

3 4 4

6 8 8

œœ b œœœ œ

6 7 7

œœ œ

œ # œœ

3 5 4

˙˙ ˙

String Group #1 8 10 9

œœ bb œœ n nœœ œ œ #œ

9 11 10

œœ œ

10 12 11

13 15 14

15 17 16

œœ b œœœ œ

˙˙ ˙

String Group #2

"G" Blues scale 3rd string

⁄

3 5 5

˙˙

( all four sting groups )

3fr

⁄ EX. 3

œœ œ

œ #nœœ

3

"G" Blues scale 1st string 3

œœ b œœœ œ

6

5

EX. 2

Adding a minor 3rd below each note of the blues scale and then a perfect 4th below that note, we get a movable shape. Lucky for us, 3 of the 4 shapes are very familiar chord shapes, Emin, Amin, and Dmin. We just have to target the top note of each chord shape with a note of the blues scale. We use the blues scale built from the root of the key of the blues progression. If we are playing

b œ nœ

11

12

17

˙

15

1 2 2

2 3 3

œœ b œœœ œ 0 2 2

3 5 5

3 4 4

6 7 7

œœ b œœ œ œ 3fr

6 8 8

œœ b œœœ œ

œœ œ

3fr

3 5 5

5 7 7

11 12 12

13 14 14

œ œœ ##œœ nœ

˙˙ ˙

Sting Group #3

5 7 7

œœ œ

8 9 9

7 8 9

10 12 12

bb œœœ n#nœœœ

12 14 14

˙˙ ˙

String Group #4 8 10 10

46 :: MAR/APR 16 :: COLLECTIBLEGUITAR.COM

10 12 12

11 13 13

12 14 14

15 17 17

blues in the key of G then we use a G blues scale throughout the 12 bars, even though the progression moves to the chord D & E String Groupings, String group #1 encompasses strings 1,2&3. String group #2 strings 2, 3 & 4. Group #3, strings 3, 4 & 5 and group #4, strings 4, 5 & 6.

Get the idea?

Ex. 1. Shows the notes of the G blues scale, their scale degrees and how it can be played across the fretboard.

Each note is then harmonized using the 4 string groups and their chord shapes. Next we focus on each string group.

Ex. 2. String group 1, first playing the blues on the 1st string and then harmonizing each note. This shape looks like an open position D minor chord.

Ex. 3. String group 2, first notes of the G blues scale on the 2nd string, then harmonizing each note as an Amin chord shape.

Ex. 4. String group 3, notes of the G blues scale on the 3rd string then harmonizing each note with an Emin chord shape.

Ex. 5. String group 4, notes of the G blues scale on the 4th string then harmonizing each note with a less familiar shape.

If you would like to see video on this idea go to www.99centGuitarLessons. com click on the “BLUES” button and then on “Horn Section Style Lines”.

In the next issue of Collectible Guitar we’ll do an actual solo using this idea.

‘Till next time, Rich Rich Severson is a guitarist, clinician, author, and former GIT instructor.

To preview Rich’s music and guitar educational products go to www.GuitarCollege.com and www.99CentGuitarLessons.com

Rick: Where did you record “Louie Louie”?

continued from page 27

came back from their East Coast tour and the Dick Clark show. I got a call from their manager and he asked me to join after John Greek left.

Buck: We recorded it in Seattle, with Joe Boles.

The thing is, we recorded “Louie Louie” at the end of 1960. The record was done, but we didn’t have the labels for the records because we didn’t want to get in a hassle with Golden Crest Records if they claimed The Wailers name.

I was up in Seattle and Kearny Barton had a little studio in the back of Dolton Records. It was there that I heard Little Bill recording “Louie Louie” through the wall. I knew I had to beat Dolton records to the punch. If I put The Wailers name on “Louie Louie” I would have a problem with Golden Crest Records. I went back to Tacoma and got on the phone with the printer and told them to put Rockin’ Robin Roberts on the label and to print them up that way.

Rick: Were you signed to Golden Crest records?

Buck: I wasn’t; they were.

Rick: So they weren’t very happy with the label?

Buck: No, the label wasn’t happy with them. The label wanted them to move to the East Coast, but they were still in high school.

Tall Cool One was basically a national hit, and they wanted them to support it. The parents wanted them to finish high school.

Rick: What made you want to start your own record label as a teenager?

Buck: We were having a band meeting at the New Yorker, in Tacoma, getting our checks and talking band stuff. It was a Sunday and we had just played the last two nights. The guys said the label was not going to support us anymore and maybe we should just fold it up and finish high school. I was a new member, a side guy basically. I said, “Hey, I just got in this band!” This was at the end of 1960. I said, “We are a great band with great music,” and they said they couldn’t record anymore because they had a contract with Golden Crest. I asked them about starting our own label.

Rick: How did that go over?

Buck: Rich, Mike, and Mark Maruch all said they couldn’t do that. Since we had just gotten paid, I told them if any-

Rick: That was your way of avoiding a lawsuit?

Buck: I was up in the air because I was trying to get information on the contract and nobody knew anything. That is why I called the printer and said that we needed to do that.

Rick: You needed to beat Little Bill to the radio? one was interested to put their money on the table. Me, Robin, and Kent Morill put our money on the table, and the other three declined.

Rick: Then what happened?

Buck: Then they asked, “What song are we going to record?” The answer was simple, “Louie Louie”. That would be the first song on Etiquette Records.

Rick: Why Etiquette Records?

Buck: It sounded elegant, but still rock and roll.

Buck: Yeah, that would have been “bad”. The first Etiquette single (ET1) was Rockin’ Robin doing “Louie Louie”. The last single (ET26) in 1967 was Rockin’ Robin doing “You Weren’t Using Your Head”.

Rick: And the rest is, as they say… history.

Rick King is the owner of Guitar Maniacs in Tacoma Washington. He lives in Gig Harbor with his wife Sheila, two dogs and a cat. Contact Rick: rickking58@gmail.com

COLLECTIBLEGUITAR.COM :: MAR/APR 16 :: 47

FEATURE

Lennon’s J-160E vs Presley’s Black Gibson Dove: The Ultimate in Guitar Showdowns!

by Gabriel J. Hernandez

On the surface – and on paper – the matchup looked better than an Ultimate Fighting Championship cage match inside one of the UFC’s trademark “Octagons.” On one side stood champion John Lennon’s long-lost 1962 Gibson J-160E, fresh off its record-shattering performance this past November in Julien’s Auctions sale in Beverly Hills, California, where it sold for a whopping $2.41 million. On the other side was a formidable challenger, Elvis Presley’s black 1969 Gibson Dove, a guitar many considered almost as iconic – and valuable – as Lennon’s.

this rare occasion when guitars close to was actually seen this magnitude are offered for sale, the with the most.” results are significant.”

Marren is probLet’s examine this a bit closer: The ably right. Elvis provenance of both guitars is unques- played several guitioned; the importance of each guitar to tars during his life, its respective artist is clearly outlined and but it was this defined; Lennon and Presley are two of black 1969 Gibmusic’s most iconic and recognizable son Dove and figures; both died untimely deaths, un- his earlier Gibder contemptuous circumstances; and son J-200 that both continue to inspire and galvanize he is most oflegions of fans worldwide, and will ten associated probably continue to do so for countless with. But still generations to come. Most importantly, the question It was billed as a fight for the ages. though, is the fact that their music will remains as to And on January 7, 2016, the stage was certainly – and undeniably – live on forset at Graceland Auctions in Memphis, ever.

Tennessee, to see if Elvis’ black Gib- But for some reason, the sale of these son Dove could best Lennon’s long-lost two guitars – which on the surface J-160E price tag. The lights dimmed, would seem to be somewhat in harand the “fight” began. Unfortunately, mony with each other – did not paralit wasn’t even close, as Lennon’s J-160E lel the significance of their respective delivered a first-round knockout: Elvis’ owners’ lives at all. Considering all guitar failed to meet even the minimum the facts, this might seem somewhat reserve price of $300,000. The guitar surprising, which then begs the queswent back to its owner, Mike Harris, tion, “Why?” Why did Elvis’ black who is said to be working out the details Gibson Dove fail to reach the miniwith another auction house for another mum reserve price of just $300,000, attempted sale later this year. while Lennon’s guitar shattered all Looking back, one would have thought Elvis’ black Gibson Dove – locked away for nearly 40 years in a bank vault by its owner after Presley personally handed it to him in his front row seat during a concert on July 24, 1975, in Asheville, North Carolina – would have put up a much better fight. After all, Graceland’s pre-auction estimate was $300,000$500,000, and the description in their auction catalog did its best to hype the sale: “Rarely is such a prodigious asset of rock ‘n’ roll grandeur made available at public auction. Most instruments of this caliber remain in artists’ estates or move directly into the hallowed halls of various museums and institutions. But on

expectations and records?

“Elvis’ guitar obviously carries a lot of iconic weight behind it,” declared Jeff Marren, Graceland Auctions’ consignment director. “It’s the guitar he played the most on stage, and the guitar he played during the 1973 Aloha From Hawaii concert TV special.

Barring a guitar he played during his youth before he became famous, or right after he became famous, I’d have to say this Gibson Dove is the guitar that Elvis Photo of Elvis Gibson Dove courtesy of David Beckwith and Jeff Marren, Graceland Auctions

48 :: MAR/APR 16 :: COLLECTIBLEGUITAR.COM

why this Gibson Dove didn’t live up to its lofty expectations. After all, the auction catalog distributed by Graceland prior to the auction compared the two guitars incessantly, more than once referencing the Lennon guitar’s recordshattering price tag of $2.41 million. In fact, their exact words were, “…Elvis Presley’s 1969 Gibson Ebony Dove guitar is certainly one of the most culturally significant and celebrated guitars in all of music history … The Ebony Dove was the most photographed and widely seen of any of Elvis’ guitars…”

than anything else. He would come out with them for the first one or two songs and then put them down on a stand and never play them again for the rest of the show. On the contrary, when you think of John Lennon, or Eddie Van Halen, or Eric Clapton, their guitars are like a part of their body. You don’t thing about those guys without a guitar.

You just don’t ever see them without a guitar.”

But while the Marren’s comments may partly be true, according to several noted and long-time Elvis memorabilia dealers and historians, other factors may have played a bigger role in why Elvis’ Gibson Dove didn’t meet the auction’s reserve price.

The other factor was the marketing efforts behind both guitars. Julien’s Auctions released the first press release about the Lennon guitar going up for sale on June 6, 2015, which was a full five months before the actual auction on Nov. 7, 2015. On the other hand, Graceland Auctions announced the sale of Elvis’ black Gibson Dove on Dec. 15, 2015, just 23 days before the auction’s actual sale date of Jan. 7, 2016.

“I’m sorry, but Graceland is just not an auction house,” said Chris Davidson, long-time collector and expert in Elvis Presley memorabilia. He’s also the former owner of the Elvis-A-Rama Museum in Las Vegas, which was purchased by Elvis Presley Enterprises, Inc., in 2006. “They own Elvis’ home.

They’ve conducted a total of five auctions, I think, and the last two haven’t been very successful because of the quality and questionable authenticity of some of the items for sale.

“That said, the guitar is definitely real. But Graceland is relatively new at this,” Davidson continued. “The other thing is that even though Lennon is in the same league as Elvis, I don’t think there’s any way this Elvis guitar compares to that Lennon guitar.”

And Davidson makes a good point.

Another long-time collector of Elvis Presley memorabilia, Stephen Shutts, agreed with Davidson’s assessment.

“I do think it’s a trademark signature piece of Elvis Presley history,” said Shutts, owner of Nashville-based Rockology. “But there are other things I think about first when it comes to Elvis before I think of a guitar. I think of rhinestones, the jumpsuits, the side burns, the pompadour haircut from the ’50s, etc. A guitar to me when it comes to Elvis isn’t very high on the list. Even though he did play guitar, the guitars he did use on stage were more of a prop

“We normally do press for our auctions about four to six weeks out from the actual date of the auction,” said Graceland’s Marren, when asked about the apparent short notice. “In this case we did press for it a little less than one month out from the auction date.

But as to why it didn’t sell? Sometimes items don’t meet the reserve price and that’s that.”

The experts, however, didn’t necessarily agree.

“I honestly don’t think they gave it enough time for it to season itself in the public’s eye,” Shutts said. “In order for a guitar like this to sell for a high price, potential buyers need to see what it’s all about. They need to digest the authenticity of where it came from, who it belonged to, and the provenance behind it. I think they should have given it a solid three or four months so that people could really understand what it was and where it came from.”

Apparently, the owner plans on taking another stab at a huge payday later this year. According to Davidson, he believes the guitar will be auctioned

off again later this year, and this time by a more credible auction house wellknown for selling these types of rock and roll memorabilia.

“No one in the world gets more money for rock and roll items than Julien’s Auctions,” Davidson said, stopping short of saying that’s where Elvis’ black Gibson Dove will end up later this year.

“It takes a lot of years to build up that type of reputation and respect with collectors from the rock and roll world, and Graceland just doesn’t have that.

They may be familiar with items that belong to Elvis, but Julien’s is a true auction house. The owner will have better luck with Julien’s … hands down.”

We’ll keep you posted.

Gabriel J. Hernandez is the owner of Blues Vintage Guitars, Inc., a shop in Nashville, Tennessee, specializing in the buying and selling of vintage and newer high-end guitars and gear.

You can reach him any time at 1-615-613-1389, or visit his company’s web site at www.bluesvintageguitars.com.

COLLECTIBLEGUITAR.COM :: MAR/APR 16 :: 49

FEATURE

by Jack Mao

Gibson USA’s 2016 Game Plan

I had the opportunity last fall to attend Gibson USA’s 2016 product launch here in Los Angeles and sit down with the heads of Gibson’s USA manufacturing for their various divisions. This included Mike Voltz, Gibson’s Director of R&D and chief designer for Gibson’s historic division, Master Luthier Jim DeCola, who heads up Gibson USA’s product design, as well as David Winters, the general manager for Gibson Memphis.

When I arrived at Gibson’s Beverly Hills showroom (I confess I did not know Gibson even had a Beverly Hills Showroom – let alone one located on one of the most expensive streets in Beverly Hills) I was, per the invitation, expecting a standard 15-minute NAMM-style press interview. Instead, I wound up spending almost three hours with Mike and Jim getting an in-depth walkthrough of the entire Gibson USA 2016 product line.

50 :: MAR/APR 16 :: COLLECTIBLEGUITAR.COM

First of all let me say that everyone I talked to at this event were extremely passionate about guitars and were as knowledgeable and highly qualified as anyone I’ve ever talked to in the Guitar Industry. Obviously these guys live and breathe guitars 24/7. Let me also say that the L.A. Gibson event was part of global product line rollout. Mike, Jim, and David had just arrived in L.A. from Nashville a few hours earlier follow-

ing a similar product launch event in New York, and then following a brief break were on to the Far East and, after Winter NAMM, Europe. The correct impression here is that that this was a Global product year line rollout with the general vibe being similar to, say, a car or other big brand manufacturer trying to remain competitive in a changing global marketplace.

The theme for Gibson 2016 is “Gibson’s Best Year Ever”. Gibson as a corporation in 2016 is an international multi-faceted global manufacturing conglomerate selling not just guitars but a whole slew of different audio and pro audio (hardware and software) products across the globe. Indeed, Gibson in 2016 is an entirely different entity then the distressed company that was bought at a bargain price and brought back to life back in the 80’s.

To give credit where credit is due, without Gibson’s executive management it’s anyone’s guess what would have happened to the iconic guitars we all know and love. The point here is that Gibson in 2016 has all the facets of a really big business, replete with global sales projections, forecasts, and big budget advertising and marketing initiatives etc. that go along with it.

The question here is, how many ways can you reinvent a product that arguably had its heyday back in the late Fifties and early Sixties without destroying the essence of what made that product great in the first place? As we roll into 2016 that’s a good question to ask considering that Gibson’s 2015 prod-

uct line featured a lot of “innovations” that failed to excite and in fact turned off a lot of Gibson’s customer base.

These included the Tronical (Branded as “G Force” on Gibson guitars) “robot” tuner, which was installed on most of the Gibson USA 2015 guitars, the brass “zero fret nut” assembly, and unique neck profiles as were found on the 2015 Les Paul Junior and SG Junior.

The 2015 model G Force tuner (which I tried out numerous times) worked okay but had the tendency to misbehave at the wrong time (like when you’re on stage in the middle of a song and trying to make a mid-song tuning adjustment). The 2015 model G Force tuners were controversial at best, and a lot of end user’s took them off and replaced them with conventional tuners (which, as Gibson confirmed when I talked to them, voided the warranty of the instrument.)

I thought for sure Gibson would ditch the G Force tuner for 2016, or at least relegate it to the back page of the accessory catalog. Instead, Gibson doubled down on their bet and now offers most of their 2016 Gibson USA Guitars in either “Traditional” or “High Performance” variations. This means you can get your Guitar with the G Force Tuner and metal nut / zero fret assembly and other “upgrades” for about $300 more than the “Traditional” version.

For 2016 the metal nut zero fret assembly on the High Performance version has been upgraded from Brass to Titanium and attaches with a locking

screw over the existing nut (locking the two piece assembly in place). This can also be retrofitted onto the 2015 Guitars. The G Force tuner also gets a significant upgrade, albeit without an apparent upgrade path for those people currently owning the 2015 edition.

That said, I’ve installed the 2016 edition G Force Tuners which Gibson provided for this article and the 2016 replacement titanium nut on my 2015 Les Paul Junior. The 2016 G Force tuners simply drop in over the existing routing holes (specifically on Gibson USA 2015 model Guitars) and were quick and easy to install. I’m happy to report the 2016 G Force tuners are much faster and more responsive then the previous version, and seem significantly less prone to tuning malfunction – the most noticeable difference being that the tuners took a lot less moving around to find the correct string intonation. This results in a more transparent experi-

COLLECTIBLEGUITAR.COM :: MAR/APR 16 :: 51

upgrade, which simply drops in over the existing Brass nut. I noticed an immediate improvement in the overall feel of the guitar as the Titanium nut saddles the strings with a much more natural and less brittle feel then the Brass version.

Gibson USA is also rolling out a new electronics assembly on some of their Gibson USA Guitars, allowing you to change the phase polarity of the pickups a number of different ways – this is great, except the controls to do this are via a set of DIP switches housed inside the electronics cavity, so to make any changes you have to unscrew the back plate.

ence, making me much more inclined to depend on them while playing live. I did notice the new G Force tuners seemed to add some overall weight to the guitar, as I suspect the motors in the individual tuners have been upgraded as well.

The G Force system in general does have a whole slew of features that can only be accessed by the correct sequence of button pushing. Downloading and studying the manual is mandatory if you wanted to get the most out of the system. I think Gibson tried to over-simplify the G Force system in their marketing strategies the last few years, which I think may have kind of backfired and resulted in a lot of people getting frustrated and retrofitting their guitars back to conventional tuners.

I also installed the 2016 Titanium nut

feature sets. Obviously, this is a marketing strategy not aimed at the collector market, as it’s pretty hard to build up a cache around a given instrument from a collectible standpoint if you are changing model specifications every calendar year.

All this by no means reflects on Gibson success in the global marketplace – especially as targeted to mainstream consumers, most of whom will, due to the more affordable price points, wind up buying a Gibson USA instrument rather the higher end Memphis and Historic variations. After all, the further we get from the 50’s and the heyday of classic American Guitar manufacturing, the fewer the number of people who have even seen, let alone owned, one of these iconic instruments. Gibson may well be banking on the public acceptance of these increasingly radical design departures as the “new normal”, and in point of fact and ultimately hindsight, they may well be proven right.

Gibson’s executive management has always flown in the face of convention in the music industry in general, showing up, for example, at consumer trade shows, having a global network of showrooms, as well as corporate stores worldwide, etc. That may ultimately be Gibson’s marketing genius and the key to their long term survivability in the marketplace - there are, at the end of the day, a lot more consumers out there looking to get away from the barrage of digital screens and electronics inundating their lives and thus are buying Gibson Guitars in record numbers – I don’t doubt that Gibson’s overall market share is growing.

Finally, in what may well prove to be their most controversial design move yet, Gibson is, on many of their Gibson USA 2016 Guitars, incorporating a refigured contoured heel design that feels and looks completely different then anything Gibson has ever done. This innovation is, I wonder what Orville Gibson would as it was explained to me, designed to think about all this. Remember, he too allow the player to have easier access to was bought out by a group of Kalamthe upper frets. azoo investors who took Gibson in a There are some other features on the completely different direction then from High Performance Models, like a new where he started the company: making Titanium bridge assembly, different Mandolins. Ultimately, trends change, model’s color, etc. On some of the High fashions change, and in the disposable Performance Models there is also a re- culture we live in where people tend to ally nice Aluminum hard-shell case that have short attention spans and even less looks very high end and is unlike any interest in historical perspective, all the other case on the market. If you check changes to Gibson’s guitars that we, as out the Gibson USA website you will readers of Collectible Guitar, would see the 2014, 2015, and 2016 model find unforgivable, may not even rate a years detailed– all three years featur- second glance by the general public. ing somewhat different and “unique”

52 :: MAR/APR 16 :: COLLECTIBLEGUITAR.COM

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PAWN SHOP FINDS

Ibanez PF-200

by Roger Zimish Ibanez guitars have been a force to recon with in the US since the 1960’s. In 1906 Matsujiro Hoshino founded their parent company, Hoshino, in Nagoya, Japan. They were primarily a supplier of musical instruments, books, and stationary. In 1932 their first acoustic instrument appeared carrying the Ibanez name. During World War II the company’s buildings were destroyed and they were unable to resume business until 1950. In the early 1960’s a guy by the name of Harry Rosenblum, who was the founder of Elger guitars and the owner of Medley Music in Ardmore, Pennsylvania (not too far from where I grew up), became the American distributor for Hoshino and Ibanez guitars. During the 1970’s Ibanez and other Japanese guitar manufacturers were copying classic U.S. made guitars and selling them in the U.S. In 1977 Gibson filed a Federal lawsuit for trademark infringement based on the copying of Gibson’s headstock design. Some Ibanez guitars are known as the “lawsuit era” guitars and now are quite collectable.

series PF-200NT selling for about $500 in a pawn shop. This guitar has some classic Ibanez mojo and the weight to go with it at about 9 pounds of guitar muscle. The body is Mahogany with a Flamed maple top, with 7 layer black and white binding.

The bolt on neck is laminated Rock Maple with a Rosewood finger board that 22 large frets with Pearloid block inlays and a large brass nut. The hardware is all Heavy Gold Plated.

The pickups are stock Ibanez Super 70 Humbuckers, each with their own volume and tone controls. It has a Gibraltar Bridge that has extra-long intonation adjustment length that will accommodate most string gauges. You can also set the height of the bridge and lock it in place. The tailpiece on this guitar is different from any of the original specs that I have seen. This one has a more artsy flare with carved vines and curved top and bottom. The tuners are stock Smooth Tuner II Machine Heads with die cast alloy housing with close tolerguitarist John McLaughlin, Bob Weir ance gears. The guitar is finished off from the Grateful Dead, and jazz guitarist with a three-ply tortoise shell pickguard.

George Benson joined Ibanez as endorsers and released their signature models. I really like how the back of the guitar’s Ibanez moved forward to produce quality body has a slightly contoured cut, more In 1977 Ibanez moved away from their guitars for the guitar buying public. like a Strat or Tele, and is a little slimmer copies and introduced their Performance than a standard Les Paul. The neck is slim series. Numerous artists such as Fusion I came across a 1978 Ibanez Performer and wide with low action, which is now an Ibanez standard feature. The PF-200 is a very comfortable guitar to play. This one shows some wear and pitting on the gold hardware, along with a few dings in the body. Overall, not bad for a guitar that’s 38 years old.

When you come across a late 70’s Ibanez guitar in a pawnshop it is always worth a second look. There are some way cool guitars from the 70’s, 80’s, and 90’s hanging on the racks in many pawnshops. Keep your eyes open for that deal, and I’ll let you know what I find next.

Roger Zimish and his wife Jamie reside just outside of Music City in Hendersonville, TN with their 2 dogs and lots of guitars.

Guitar Photos by Leslie Pardue

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