The holiest of relics?
Jimi Hendrix’s 1968 “Woodstock” Fender Stratocaster IT’S an eerie experience, quite unsettling in fact, to stand in the middle of this cavernous, futuristic hall in Seattle and gaze down upon a rare and precious holy relic, literally close enough to touch. A mere six inches of air and half an inch of (presumably armoured) Perspex…
Adventures of a much-travelled “‘burst”…
Peter Green’s 1959 “Lemon Drop” Gibson Les Paul I WAS in the middle of writing about Rick Richards’ Dan Armstong Plexi when I heard Peter Green had died…My first thought – beyond obvious sadness at the passing of such a great musician and a fine and interesting human being – was that I should abandon…
A Clear Favourite…
Rick Richards’ 1973 Dan Armstrong Plexiglass GuitarTHE music I love often seems to arrive from slightly unexpected directions – a case in point being my love of the world’s greatest bar-band, bar none, The Georgia Satellites, which started one fine spring day in, of all places, a distinctly unrock’n’roll little town on the Suffolk coast.It…
Stevie’s Pride and Joy…
Stevie Ray Vaughan’s “Number One” 1959/61/62 Fender Stratocaster 1989 was a big year in my guitar obsessive ‘s timeline. It was the year I found another compelling reason to buy a Stratocaster… and the year I actually bought one.I’m a bit ashamed to say I came so very late to music of the brilliant and…
Red for the blues
Gypie Mayo’s Fiesta Red 1961/2 Stratocaster SOMETIMES I seem to end up obsessing about a particular instrument. It’s happened a few times – no bad thing, I suppose, as it’s all grist to the mill of this blog. And never more was it so than my obsession with this particular Fiesta Red Fender Strat.It’s no…
Touched by the hand of “God”…
Eric Clapton’s “Beano” Album Gibson Les Paul Standard AS claims to legendary status go, the story of Clapton’s “Beano Burst” Les Paul puts it right up there with the best of them. Right up there…The instrument Clapton played on “John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers with Eric Clapton” (aka “the Beano album”) is credited with setting a benchmark…
Howlin’ Over The Fretboard
Howlin’ Wolf’s Sunburst Gibson Firebird V CHESTER Arthur Burnett, a.k.a. Howlin’ Wolf, was the biggest, baddest, scariest bluesman ever to stalk a stage. OK, so that’s just what I think – but what are blogs all about if it’s not opinions?Down the years, those of us who love the blues have seen an enormous cast…
Musings on Muddy…
“The Hoss” – Muddy Waters’ red 57 Telecaster MUDDY Waters was an inspired and inspirational performer, a magical entertainer with a sparkle in his eye, a laugh in his voice and that rare, indefinable quality, stage presence. He was also a true musical pioneer.The 1940s and 50s witnessed a huge exodus from the American South,…
In Robert Johnson’s Shoes…
Robert Johnson’s Gibson Kalamazoo KG-14 ROBERT Johnson is often called the King of the Delta Blues Musicians. Not everyone agrees (Elijah Wald’s “Escaping the Delta: Robert Johnson and the Invention of the Blues” is an particularly fascinating and challenging read on this.) Nevertheless, many regard him as the wellspring from which flowed much of what…
That Special Bond…
ALL musical instruments are special. The truth, however, is what is truly special about them is the thing that happens when a human being uses that instrument to express themselves, to share something from within themselves, something that excites a strong emotion – joy, anger, sorrow.To me, there is no instrument quite so special as…
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43 Guitars…and Counting! 