Never enough GUITARS

Never enough GUITARS

Rockers keep an array at hand for different tunings and tones --- and to tantalize ax fiends in the audience.

When mega-rockers the Eagles went on the road for the "Hell Freezes Over" tour in 1994, they brought something like 48 guitars with them, an all-star lineup of wood, fiberglass and steel that included 10 Les Pauls, six Stratocasters, a double-necked Gibson and a smattering of Rickenbackers.

This for a band with only three guitar players, plus a drummer who played a little acoustic here and there.

Every song on the set list meant another gorgeous vintage instrument would come out onstage. This parade of Gibsons and Fenders has been waggishly described as "guitar porn," especially for the guitar players and collectors in the audience, most of whom could only smack their chops and dream.

This week, when the Eagles come to Alpharetta for four sold-out nights at the brand-new Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre at Encore Park, 48 guitars is not enough.

Joe Walsh and Glenn Frey alone will have 50 between them. Throw in guitars for drummer Don Henley, bassist Timothy B. Schmit and the new guy, guitarist Steuart Smith, and the fellows will have a total of 80 axes at their disposal.

Does this take it past the limit?

"Some would say they're excessive, but I like them; I think they're neat," said Victor Rodriguez, the guitar tech for Frey. Besides, Rodriguez adds, "It's job security! Bring them all out!"

It's enough, in fact, to keep the band's four guitar techs busy —- changing strings, tuning, setting up action, tweaking necks and re-fretting.

And, for at least some audience members, it's a big part of the show.
"The initial reaction is 'Oh my God!' " musician-turned-software writer Leon Chalnick said of the sheer number, variety and quality of guitars that the band members play onstage. "It's the jaw-dropping wow factor."
A guitar collector and a regular contributor to the guitar-and-gear discussion Web site called the Gear Page, Chalnick has 13 guitars up on the walls of the music room at his house, and he's not that unusual among the 28,000 members of the site.

Most suffer from what they jokingly call GAS: Guitar Acquisition Syndrome.
When Kerry Marchman opened up a guitar shop in Tucker, he used his own collection as a seed inventory. He called the place Too Many Guitars.
The phrase was a regular complaint he heard from his wife, as in "Don't you think you have too many guitars?"

For women, it's shoes; for men, it's guitars, said Bryan Lilje, of Clarkston, musician, luthier and admitted GAS sufferer.

Many rock stars have severe problems with GAS, and that includes even acoustic stars like Atlanta's Indigo Girls, who at one time toured with 30 guitars on hand.

But the parade of flat-tops isn't just an excuse to play with their toys, said their guitar tech, Lisa "Sulli" Sullivan.

Like most bands, the Indigos play in a variety of tunings —- drop-D, open G, open D —- and they keep guitars dedicated to those tunings so they don't have to retune between songs. Also, Amy Ray, the dark-haired Indigo, is an enthusiastic banger, and breaks strings with abandon.
"It's a nightmare for the guitar tech," Sullivan said, "but the crowd gets off on it."

Electric guitars add another layer of complexity to the equation, offering different tones for every make and model, from Telecaster twang to Gretsch jangle.

And a certain part of the audience just wants to see those beautiful instruments.

"Part of the reason I go to any concert is see what kind of guitars they're going to play," said Jason Durham, Marchman's partner. He remembers catching the Eagles in the 1990s: "It was a feast for the eyes."

Some players carry the fashion show to extremes. Take Rick Nielsen of Cheap Trick, who has owned and played a ridiculous assortment of 2,000 instruments, including a five-neck monstrosity built by Hamer.

There are also some guitars that are closely associated with some songs. Phil Collen of Def Leppard plays a black-and-white, crackle-finish Jackson instrument on "Pour Some Sugar on Me" in concert, as he did in the video, just because "people like to see those guitars again," said Collen's tech, Scott Appleton. In the same vein, Joe Walsh brings out his 1959 Les Paul for "Life in the Fast Lane," not just because of the crunchy tone, but because it's the one he's known for playing on that song.

But art direction plays a role as well.

Derek Brooks, of guitar manufacturer Ernie Ball/Music Man, said his outfit is busy building Eagles guitarist Steuart Smith a new double-necked electric to play in "Hotel California," even though the blond double-neck they made for him several years ago is still fine.

"They've changed set cosmetics around, and they asked for black instruments," Brooks said.

String theories: Guitar techs talk
Changing strings on 80 guitars means a lot of finger pokes from the sharp ends of those wires. But some players want them changed more than others.

Glenn Frey? "He never changes the strings," said Eagles tech Victor Rodriguez. "He doesn't sweat much."

Joe Walsh? "Every day."

Are there guitars that the bosses own that the techs like to play?

"It's bad form to beat away on the rock star's guitar any more than you have to," said Eagles tech Bobby Carlos. "I actually carry my own [a '61 Gibson SG], just for fun."

GUITAR BOX SCORE
When the Eagles take the stage at Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre this week, just how many guitars will they play? Here's the lineup:
> Joe Walsh: 30, including a 1959 Les Paul
> Glenn Frey: 20, including a 1954 Les Paul Jr. (a gift from fellow rocker Jackson Browne) and a wacky-looking Gibson Moderne
> Timothy B. Schmit: 6 basses, including three 1962 Fender Jazz basses
> Don Henley: 5, including three Takamine acoustics and two Telecasters
> Steuart Smith: 19, including a custom double-necked Music Man

I can't even play guitar yet, I just got an Epiphone Les Paul to get started on. But I already want to collect every guitar I see.

They're pieces of art, every one style, every finish, they are all gorgeous in their own way. And each one can produce a different sound. Possibilities are almost endless when you start looking at the choices of pickups, paired with the right amp, etc. Each and every guitar can vary from the next, producing a different sound.

They are like snowflakes or thumb prints. And every one beautiful enough to hang on a wall in a museum.

Slash Les Paul - Guitar Center

Buy Gibson Inspired By Dave Grohl DG-335 Electric Guitar at Musician's Friend

The ESP Guitar Company :: Kirk Hammett Signature Series

The ESP Guitar Company :: James Hetfield Signature Series

Buy Gibson 50 Year Commemorative Flying V online at Musician's Friend

Buy Epiphone Zakk Wylde Les Paul Custom Electric Guitar at Musician's Friend

Buy Gibson Angus Young Signature SG online at Musician's Friend


Just a small sampling of guitars that get me hard.

I know exactly what you mean Mr. Hardcock. I keep saying I will take lessons and haven't started yet. Of course now that Hotrocker982 has turned me on to the prettiest guitars I have ever seen. I have to get a really good job so I can buy some of these. All of these guitars cost more than my last car. I don't mean together, but individually.



http://andy.dbamps.com/images/guitars/Ibanez_JEM77_FP.jpg
http://www.jemsite.com/jem/model/jem77gmc.htm
http://www.jemsite.com/jem/model/jem7bsb.htm
http://www.jemsite.com/jem/model/jem77pmc.htm
http://www.jemsite.com/jem/model/jem77bfp.htm

What are those, Steve Vai signatures?

I like the blue floral for you.

Steve Vai is the king

Haha, I'm the same way. I can barely play, but there's so many I wanna buy. I need to stop spending my time on Ebay looking at guitars and more time actually practicing

I bought an Epiphone SG 400 to start with like 2 months ago, and I've already spent $1200 on a new guitar( Ibanez PGM301). It's Paul Gilbert's signature series. I had to buy it since he's my favourite guitarist

Oh, and pedals. I can't stop buying effects pedals either. They're funnnn! I need to stop, though. I'm going broke

Think I'm gonna have to agree with ya on there, Skull... as much as I love Satch too, but having seen Vai at G3 in 2001, I was completely in awe. I couldn't imagine how Satch could possibly follow that set. Satch played a great one, but it couldn't top Vai. I've seen a lot of great guitar players live, and no one has even come CLOSE to matching the crazy shit Vai was pulling off. And I'm not talking purely SPEED either, I'm talking about his sheer command of the instrument. He can conjure any sound out out of his instrument...

Just thought it strange how Don Henley, from the prior post, primarily a drummer, has more guitars than most strictly-guitar playing friends of mine... I only have 4, a Fender Strat, Ibanez RG 7-string, an ESP H-302 (my baby), and an Ibanez classical electric-acoustic. Never been too big on effects, been trying to figure out how to work my new TC Electronics G Major... but my Mesa Boogie dual rectifier does the trick - best amp I've ever played out of, byfar.

Yeah, i fucking love those guitars. Ibanez all the way. The JEM are treasures, which is why i gave you those links.... but you should also check out the J Customs. Theyre only available in Japan and through private sales. I wish I had 50 different Ibanezes like the Eagles have so many other guitars...

Yeah, and I can't play the violin so I got a 350-year old Guarneri to practice on.

If you're gonna learn, might as well be on something that sounds decent, stays in tune, and will last longer than a Sears special.

Now it would have been another thing if I got a vintage Gibson LP to learn on. That's crazy!

If I could have found one, I would have gone with an Eph Firebird. But those are harder to come by than a standard LP.

My favorites

PRS Guitars | Private Stock Home

Love Jems for their playability, but they just don't sound up to what I want. That and I prefer the classy figured wood/"clean" look to the over-the-top inlays and graphics. Distorted they're great, but they lack the full pure clean tone I require. Thus I have a PRS SE Singlecut (GASing for a McCarty Rosewood; when I have $2-3k to spare it will be MINE) and an American Deluxe strat. I have my alder bodied Strat for the trebly kinda thing (and don't worry, this isn't a tinny 60s strat; the modern SCN pickups are a great deal thicker, and the tone control wired to the bridge pickup lets me use it for any humbucker like distorted tone; it actually gets a better tight palm muted chug than my PRS). The PRS fills the thick lead and jazzy clean territory; best sounding and playing $600 guitar I've EVER come across--highly recommended for anyone looking for a LP-style guitar with a bit more treble snap. Yeah, yeah, I know a hollowbody is the only real way to go for jazz tone, but I prefer the sustain and full frequency response of a solid body.

For some reason all my guitars except my 7 string are black...hmm...well at least only one is METAAAAL \m/ black...the rest try to be classy

Like this only black with the natural scraped binding....the figured veneers are really lacking, so I decided to dispense with that and get it in black

http://www.dolphinmusic.co.uk/shop_i...8626f32b09.jpg

Attached Images

My Strat.JPG (51.2 KB, 17 views)

i have 4 guitars, and would love to have 100 more. my baby is my fender american series deluxe fat strat 60th anniversary addition. it gives me orgasms when i play it. long live the stratocaster

Nice Strat. I like it alot. I, myself, am a fan of versatility- oriented guitars, so I tend to choose the super Strat brands (like Ibanez, Jackson, Caparison, some Fenders). I bought an Ibanez S for that reason alone (my S). I personally think that PRSs are overrated, as are most Gibsons (I own one, myself). Its obviously clear that the best clean tones are made with hollow body electrics (Gibson ES ftw).



What you said about the JEMs I somewhat believe. The tone of a solid body electric has a versatile tone, but its just can't fully reproduce that warm hollow body sound, although they come pretty damn close under the right settings. TONE IS IN THE FINGERS AND AMP. And if you want to experiment with your tone, you might choose to change the pickups.

You have to be careful or the collecting can get outta hand. I have a Guild Acoustic (F47 made in Rhode Island before fender bought them), a Burns Steer electric (same guitar my hero Billy Bragg made famous), a fender mandolin, and I'm looking at getting a Burns Marquee....which I really don't need.

Quote:

Originally Posted by quercusone You have to be careful or the collecting can get outta hand. I have a Guild Acoustic (F47 made in Rhode Island before fender bought them), a Burns Steer electric (same guitar my hero Billy Bragg made famous), a fender mandolin, and I'm looking at getting a Burns Marquee....which I really don't need.

Hmm, what does need have to do with it? I thought men and guitars were like women and shoes. Just because we can wear one pair at a time or in your case play one guitar at a time doesn't mean there isn't an actual need.