Friday 10/3/2008 ~ Guitars & Amps From The Same Manufacturer

Yesterday we bought a 1965 Gretsch amplifier.

Now, I know what you're saying to yourself: "I have certainly seen a number of Gretsch guitars, but I do not recall seeing a Gretsch amp before!"

(And I appreciate that you are using correct English while speaking to yourself... especially in this era of "If ya vote for me, I'm gonna help ya.")

You probably continued your thought: "Forsooth, since Gretsch has spent many a year constructing fine electric guitars, it only stands to reason that they would also manufacture amplifiers."

(OK, "forsooth" is going too far...)

Well, you would be right... and wrong.
Although Leo Fender's shop in Fullerton, California, manufactured both guitars and amps, most companies were not set up to do both. And that's understandable. Electric guitars and amps need each other, like pizza and beer. But not many people have both a dough-maker and a vat full of hops.

Since companies like Gretsch, Rickenbacker and Martin made quality electric guitars, it's only natural that their marketing departments wanted to also offer accompanying amps. (I know using "Martin" as an example is a stretch... but they TRIED to make a successful electric guitar. And they DID offer an accompanying amp!) Since these guitar companies didn't have a vat full of hops, the logical choice was to enlist an outside company to make their amps. And that's what Gretsch, Rickenbacker and Martin did.

Gretsch amps, like the Model 6165 we have, were made by the Valco Company. (Here's John with the amp.) Valco also made amps for Supro, Oahu, National, Airline, and others. Internally the amps Valco made for different companies were identical... only the grill cloth and other cosmetics were changed. Today, in the collectors field, many folks look for vintage Supro amps, since they were used by Jimmy Page in Fred Zeppelin. They may not know that the exact same amps can be found under different brand names... like Gretsch.

Now, at this point, you're probably thinking: "Golly, that's darn interestin' that those there guitar-makin' folks tried to get inta the amp business, as well. I wunder if any amp companies had a hankerin' to also sell guitars?"
Yes!! And we only have to go as far back as last week's email special to find one. As discussed last week, Bud Ross's Kustom Amp company took the world by storm in 1966. By 1967 Bud decided he needed a guitar to go with his amp line. With cash streaming in from the success of his padded amps, he built another factory to manufacture the guitars. The Kustom K200A electric guitar debuted in the summer of 1968. Within a few months different pickup and dot-inlay options were offered, and the new models were named the K200B and the K200C. (Same body, slightly different features.) And then a bass version was introduced. It's model designation? The K200D.

Here's John with a rare "Zebra" Kustom K200A.

Here's John with an even rarer Kustom K200D Bass.

Unfortunately, a year later Bud sold Kustom, and the new owners did not care for the instruments. By late 1969, after less than 18 months, the guitars were history. And now they're a part of history... the history of guitar and amp manufacturers who attempted to make both pizza and beer.

See you soon,
Carl

PS: A lot of musical instrument companies were being sold in the late 1960s. And generally, things did not go well afterwards. Valco was bought by Kay in 1967 and they were out of business within a year. With Valco no longer around, subsequent Gretsch amps were made by the Premier/Multivox company and were solid state instead of tube.

PPS: Speaking of amplifiers sold by guitar-manufacturing companies, Rickenbacker marketed some interesting amps. We'll have to talk about that in a future email.

PPPS: Don't forget to enter your Pittsburgh Guitars Theme Song in our Pittsburgh-Guitars-Theme-Song Contest! It could change the world!!!!

PPPPS: The Rex Theater!!
Saturday October 25th!!!
Night Of The Singing Dead, #16!!!!
People are dying to get in this show!!!!
Just added today: The Kingston Trio!!!!!!
Tickets available here, at the Rex and at Dave's Music Mine.

PPPPPS: I like songwriters. Especially when they are short and to the point. (The lyrics, not the actual songwriters...) (...not that there's anything wrong with that...)

Today I passed you on the street
And my heart fell at your feet,
I Can't Help It If I'm Still In Love With You.
Somebody else stood by your side
And he looked so satisfied,
I Can't Help It If I'm Still In Love With You.

A picture from the past came slowly stealing
As I brushed your arm and walked so close to you .
Then suddenly I got that old time feeling
I Can't Help It If I'm Still In Love With You.

It's hard to know another's lips will kiss you
And hold you just the way I used to do
Oh, heaven only knows how much I miss you
I Can't Help It If I'm Still In Love With You.

"I Can't Help It If I'm Still In Love With You"
© 1951 Hank Williams

PPPPPPS: Customer of the week: The cast of "Wicked"

Friday 10/10/2008

You know what I like about a rock & roll band? Its simplicity of design.

You can get together with a handful of friends, to write some songs and play some music, and ta-dah!... you have a band! You don't need a big orchestra; you don't need fancy studio gizmos to sample beats from other songs; and you don't need super expensive equipment... All you need is a singer (or three), a guitarist (or two), a bass player, and a drummer. Add a passion for music, and you've got a band! (Oh yeah... you also need a band name. Sometimes that's the hardest part.)

And you don't have to become famous for it to be worthwhile. It can be fun on any level... playing with your band in the basement, or around town, or even on a low-budget tour across the country... (or at the Pittsburgh Guitars Big Beatle Shows!) Music is simply a good thing. No matter what kind of song you play, you always feel better after you've played it. When you hit that last chord, even if it was a blues song, you're happier than when you started. You can't beat that.

Speaking of having fun with music, I can't write much today, because two weeks from tomorrow (Saturday, Oct 25th, to be specific) we're doing this year's Halloween Show, Night Of The Singing Dead, #16. Every year my friends and I get together and humorously perform songs from recently deceased celebrities. It's a tongue-in-cheek musical tribute to their careers and eccentricities. And like having a band with your friends, it's lots of fun for us... and the audience loves it, too.

And since it's only two weeks away... and we've already sold a lot of tickets... I better start writing it. So, I have to do that today. I'll be back next week with Email Specialis Gigantus! More ramblings then!

See you soon,
Carl

PS: Next time you're jamming with your band, write a Pittsburgh Guitars Theme Song for our Pittsburgh-Guitars-Theme-Song Contest! There will be prizes! And cake!!

PPS: The Rex Theater!!
Saturday October 25th!!!
Night Of The Singing Dead, #16!!!!
People are dying to get in this show!!!!
Tickets available here, at the Rex and at Dave's Music Mine.

PPPS: Customer of the week (this guy was super nice): Matt Mays

Friday 10/17/2008 ~ Gibson Melody Maker

I was sitting on the couch last weekend... sketching out an 8 foot by 8 foot foamcore elevator door that I'm going to try to construct for next week's Night Of The Singing Dead #16 show... (for the Isaac Hayes bit)... (you see, we're going to do "Shaft" and I figured.... well...) Anyhow, the TV was on... and I heard the intro to the Sunday Night Football game...

I had forgotten about the Sunday Night Football theme song. Last season it was sung by Pink... and this year by Faith Hill... and it's new lyrics written to Joan Jett's great song, "I Hate Myself For Loving You." The new title is "Waiting All Day For Sunday Night." (See... compared to that, my "Shaft"/shaft thing isn't much of a stretch...)

When I heard Joan's song, two things came to mind... And since you've been reading these Email Specials for ten years now, you probably know what they were... I'll give you a second to guess...
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First of all, I'm a big fan of songs, songwriters, clever lyrics, and passion in music... "I Hate Myself For Loving You" succeeds in all categories. It's a clever concept.... it's something that many people can relate to.... and it's written and sung with passion. Joan's delivery of the song, both instrumentally and vocally, drives home the frustration of being in a bad relationship that you can't bring yourself to break off. So, to me, it's very weird to see such personal passion re-written as a Football Theme Song. Now, of course, rock songs are used in advertising every day; it's not an unusual concept. I just feel that some songs are more personal than others... and it's odd to hear their intrinsic message changed. For example, this particular song's re-working feels different (and stranger) than using Bob Seger's ode to the power of youth to sell a powerful truck. ("Like A Rock.")

Secondly, when I thought of Joan Jett, I thought of her guitar!! Joan has played the same guitar, a 1964-ish Gibson Melody Maker, for the last thirty-one years. AND, not only has this guitar been used on all of her hit records, it was previously used on some else's hit records! That is an impressive guitar!
First, let's take a quick look at the history of the Gibson Melody Maker. If you recall, in the late 1950s Gibson made a handful of Les Paul models, in different price ranges. The top of the line was the fancy Les Paul Custom; followed by the Les Paul Standard; then the budget version, the Les Paul Special; and finally the one-pickup budget model, the Les Paul Junior. In 1959 Gibson decided they needed an even cheaper "student" model, and they introduced the "Melody Maker." I suspect part of their motivation for this new model was that in 1959 the Les Paul Specials and Juniors were redesigned from single-cutaway to double-cutaway bodies... and they probably still had some 1958 single cutaway bodies to get rid of. They took the single-cutaway Les Paul Junior bodies, cut them lengthwise to create a thinner, lighter body... mounted a less expensive single coil pickup... and a new "student" model was born, the Melody Maker.

>From that point Gibson changed the design of the Melody Maker nearly every two years. In 1961, (when all single cutaway Les Pauls were dropped from the line) they made it a double-cutaway. In 1963, they made the pointed horns of the cutaways bigger, and the body slightly smaller. In 1965, they began using the standard SG body (although still with the inexpensive Melody Maker pickups.) By the late 1960s sales had dropped significantly, and Gibson began to merge it into other odd SG-shaped models, like the SG-100 and SG-200. It was dropped in 1970. (Although later resurrected for assorted reissues.)

Joan Jett's Melody Maker, as evidenced by the body shape, was made between late 1963 and mid-1965. The nice thing about the Melody Makers is that while they were meant to be student models, they are still high quality Gibson-made guitars. The necks are very comfortable and easy to play. And the thin bodies are lightweight and easy to hold. The only downside to the model was the cheaper pickup. For that reason it's not unusual to see older Melody makers with changed pickups. And that's the story with Joan's guitar. Before she got the guitar, its pickups had been switched from the original single coils to humbucking pickups. It had also been refinished in white.

And its hit-record history? Joan bought it in 1977 from Eric Carmen who used it in the Raspberries.

Here's a youtube clip of Eric with the guitar.
Here's a youtube clip of Joan with the guitar before she did a million gigs with it.
Here's a youtube clip of the guitar today. In addition to adding lots of stickers, she removed the neck position pickup and had a new, one-pickup pickguard made.

Here are some photos:

Joan with guitar then.

Joan with guitar now.

It makes me wonder how many other times one guitar was used on different hit records by different artists. Hmmm...

See you soon,
Carl

PS: If you have a 1965 - 1969 Gibson solid-body and you're wondering if it's an SG or a Melody Maker, it's easy to tell. Although they shared the same body shape, the Melody Makers came in opaque solid colors, red or blue, and they featured white pickguards with the aforementioned single coil pickups. (Although, like on Joan Jett's guitar, the pickups may have been changed by now...) Also, the Melody Makers all featured a narrow headstock, unlike the flared-out headstock of other Gibson models.

PPS: You know, I like charts and lists better than paragraphs. Here's Melody Maker recap in list form:
(Note: in all years Gibson offered the Melody Maker in both one and two pickup models)
1959-1960: Single cutaway, sunburst (here's a picture)
1961-1962: Double cutaway, sunburst (same cutaway point as 1959, only now two cutaways)
1963-1965: Points become wider, lower body bout become narrower. Color changed to red. (here's a picture) (Joan Jett's is one of these.)
1965-1969: Body design changed to beveled-edge SG shape. Colors: red or blue. White pickguard and pickups. (Like this!)

1970: The final year. Color changed to walnut. This year only: Headstock enlarged to typical Gibson size. (picture)

PPPS: As passionate as "I Hate Myself For Loving You" is, it's actually a collaborative songwriting effort. It was co-written by Joan Jett and Desmond Child. You may not recognize Desmond Child's name, but you've heard his work. He also co-wrote "Angel" and "Dude Looks Like A Lady" with the guys from Aerosmith, "Livin' On A Prayer" and "You Give Love A Bad Name" with Bon Jovi, and "Livin' La Vida Loca" with Ricky Martin. Yep, Desmond has cashed a few royalty checks in his day!

PPPPS: Hey, sorry again for the duplicate emails this month. We haven't been able to find anyone to help with our server so we're looking for a new server. Hopefully we'll get everything straightened out before it messes up again! After looking at the situation, here's what one of our email readers wrote:

After reviewing the information that you provided it appears that the dedicated virtual server that you renting appears to be Linux (or UNIX) based that uses CentOS, Apache,Perl, PHP, and MySQL software for server administration and development. For a quick solution to your current problem, I would recommend that you find someone who is experienced with this specific environment (virtual servers dealing with Linux, Apache, etc...). I can't really recommend anyone because I personally don't know anyone who would have expertise in this area.

PPPPPS: Hey, don't forget that Pittsburgh Guitars Theme song you were working on!

PPPPPPS: Hey, nice talking to you again!

PPPPPPPS: Customer of the week: The Toadies

Friday 10/24/2008 ~ Otis, My Man!

Hey, the giant elevator is looking good. 

I decided to make a sign for it... above the door. So I put "Otis" for the famous Otis Elevator Company. Then under "Otis," I couldn't help myself, so I wrote "My Man!"....

It's a quote from the movie "Animal House," when one of the guys calls out to a musician, saying, "Otis, my man!" If you've seen the movie, you know what I mean. If you haven't... well, I don't have time to explain it now... but it was funny.

Whenever I hear the word "Otis" I can't help but recall that phrase. I don't think it's possible for me to even THINK the word "Otis" without adding "my man!" It made me wonder what other words immediately evoke follow-up words.

I bet I could think of another one... if I didn't have to run up to the Rex right now, to saw a guitar into a rectangle... for the Bo Diddley song in tomorrow's "Night Of The Singing Dead, #16" show...

Hey, did you see me on TV this morning? (I was plugging the show...) One of the other guests was a lady named Rickenbacker! I said, "Are you related to..." And before I could finish, she said, "NO!" Apparently any time she's near anyone associated with the music biz that's the first question she's asked... Now that I think about it, I've met people named Gibson and Martin and the guitar connection never came up... but I don't think I've ever met anyone named Fender. (Except Freddie... and that doesn't count since his real name was Baldemar Huerta...)

Anywho, I gotta saw a guitar in half... so I'll talk to ya next week!

See you soon,
Carl

PS: Tomorrow, Saturday, Oct 25th
The Rex Theater!!
Night Of The Singing Dead, #16!!!!
More fun than a pie in the face!!!!
Tickets available here, at the Rex and at Dave's Music Mine.

PPS: Customer of the week : Alejandro Escovedo

Friday 10/31/2008 ~ A Halloween Video!

This week's email special is a Halloween video!

You can see it here!!

See you soon,
Carl

PS: Also, New from Vox this week! The Satchurator Pedal!! It sounds fabulous!!!!
Now in stock at Pittsburgh Guitars!

PPS: Pictures from last week's Night Of The Singing Dead #16!

PPPS: My new favorite web site! Load this page and get ready...
"A horse walks into a bar... The bartender says, 'Hey, why the long face?'"
(now push the red button!)

PPPPS: Customer of the week: Omega Love