Archive for July, 2007
Not to be outdone by the out-of-towners, the guys behind Collings Guitars unveiled a new electric single cutaway (shown here in the middle–the sunburst guitar). They had a guitar model similar to this when they first started making electric prototypes a year or two ago, but this model looks a lot more refined and nice. It’s still lacking a name but I’m sure they’d be happy to entertain your suggestions.-JV
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July 30th, 2007
On Saturday afternoon, the Collings Guitars crew assembled in a conference room to show off some of their electrics. On hand were pickup winder Jason Lollar and Austin guitar tech Ed Reynolds, each of whom have helped Bill Collings match his vision of what an electric guitar should sound like. Demonstrating each of the models was acclaimed Berklee School of Music professor Jim Kelly; he did a great job of putting each guitar through its paces using a Fender amp and then a new Austin Tone Lab amp. (Kelly was also a special guest at the Collings’ Continental Club party on Saturday).
As you may have read, Collings tried out a lot of pickup manufacturers before settling on the Lollars they now all use. One thing I hadn’t seen previously was this prototype electric guitar that Collings made so that they could quickly try out different pickup combinations and A/B several without a ton of installation work.
Weirdly enough, minutes after I admired the Collings prototype above, I noticed this over at the TV Jones booth: a similar guitar with removable pickups. Great minds think alike!-JV
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July 30th, 2007
There weren’t a ton of new electric guitars at this Summer’s show but the few on-hand looked pretty good. PRS had a new David Grissom signature model and Fender showcased a couple of electrics that will appeal to indie/alternative rock guitarists: a J. Mascis signature Jazzmaster and a Joe Strummer model relic tele. Of the two, I liked the Mascis model the best; you can’t beat purple sparkle paint that looks like it came from a dune buggy factory.-JV
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July 30th, 2007
Carbon fiber guitars and mandolins may still seem like gimmicks to most musicians but, as this Composite Acoustics display proved, they certainly do hold up nicely in inclement weather. This guitar had water pouring on it from a shower head during the entire show but all you had to do was pick it up, wipe down the neck and it played fine. They also had a Katrina surviving-guitar that held up remarkably well.
Peter Mix at New Millenium Acoustic Design (NewMAD) mandolins didn’t have any elaborate water shows at his booth, but he did have a great looking (and sounding) F-style carbon fiber mandolin to show off. Mix claimed that doing elaborate scroll work in carbon fiber was no easy feat, but he’s finally happy with the finished product (he’s been showing off his A-style carbon fiber mandolin for about a year now). Mix is also starting to experiment with layers of colored Kevlar on his instruments, allowing him to produce red carbon fiber instruments in addition to the more familiar gray.-JV
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July 30th, 2007
So what if last weekend’s Summer NAMM Show wasn’t the most popular NAMM in history? So what if Bert and Ernie looked bored and were waving at no one in particular? It still proved to be a lot of fun. Austin is a great town, the music was great and the food was incredible.-JV
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July 30th, 2007
If you were alive during the 1970s, like I was, and went to lots of midnight movies, like I did, you probably saw the short cartoon Quasi at the Quackadero a few dozen times. (It seemed like it was in constant rotation with Bambi Meets Godzilla.) Anyway, the cartoon’s animator Sally Cruickshank has posted it on YouTube and it turns out that the music was done by FJ contributor Robert Armstrong and his friend Al Dodge, who are both founding members of the Cheap Suit Serenaders. Click here to see Quasi at the Quackadero and relive a tiny portion of my misspent youth.-MJS
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July 24th, 2007
The White Stripes played an unannounced gig in Canada and played only one note. The audience didn’t seem to mind.-MJS
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July 18th, 2007
Why spend all that time learning to play guitar when you can buy one of these flatpicks that play riff-heavy songs like “Walk This Way” and “Satisfaction” through a tiny built-in speaker. The big question is, are they compatible with air guitars?-MJS
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July 12th, 2007
On this day in 1962, Telstar I, America’s first telecommunications satellite was launched. Since then, it seems like a gazillion satellites have been launched, but none of them inspired a melody like the one the Tornados recorded in Joe Meek’s studio way back when. Lou Reed gave it a good try, though.-MJS
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July 10th, 2007
Back in issue 3, we ran a great article by Harold Fethe about Gamble Rogers, the singer/songwriter who tragically died while trying to save a drowning swimmer. Sadly, that issue is sold out but Harold has allowed the Gamble Rogers Memorial Foundation to post his article on their website. And even better, he’s added a few photos we didn’t have room for. And make sure you scroll all the way to the end for the previously unpublished story of how some of his friends made Rogers, as Fethe described it, “A Vessel for the Styx.”-MJS
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July 9th, 2007
Previous Posts
Not to be outdone by the out-of-towners, the guys behind Collings Guitars unveiled a new electric single cutaway (shown here in the middle–the sunburst guitar). They had a guitar model similar to this when they first started making electric prototypes a year or two ago, but this model looks a lot more refined and nice. It’s still lacking a name but I’m sure they’d be happy to entertain your suggestions.-JV
