
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 abandonContinue reading “Adventures of a much-travelled “‘burst”…”

A Clear Favourite…
Rick Richards’ 1973 Dan Armstrong Plexiglass Guitar THE 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 SuffolkContinue reading “A Clear Favourite…”

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 andContinue reading “Stevie’s Pride and Joy…”

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 noContinue reading “Red for the blues”

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 benchmarkContinue reading “Touched by the hand of “God”…”

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 castContinue reading “Howlin’ Over The Fretboard”

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,Continue reading “Musings on Muddy…”

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 whatContinue reading “In Robert Johnson’s Shoes…”

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 asContinue reading “That Special Bond…”

52 Guitars in…So What Next?
NOT long after the start of the great 2020 coronavirus lockdown, I decided to keep myself amused by writing the “43 Guitars…and Counting!” blog, initially on Facebook, and later, in expanded, updated form, on WordPress.The idea was to list every single guitar I’d owned since 1978 – but also to tell their stories and explainContinue reading “52 Guitars in…So What Next?”
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