Monthly Archives: September 2001
Fender Precision Elite II
If you could only see the beautiful hue of this Precision Elite II finished in Sienna Burst, you’d melt. Arguably the most devastating of Fender’s bursts, this finish was made famous in the early ’80s on P-Basses, Jazzes, Strats, and the like. It starts at the center of the instrument in a honey yellow see-through [...]
R.L. Burnside – Well… Well… Well
If you’ve ever heard R.L. Burnside play, you’ll know the significance of this album’s title; “Well… well… well” is one of his pet phrases, a constant punctuation to his conversation. Burnside is a modern-day Delta bluesman who plays deep blues boogies in a trance jam that transcends even John Lee Hooker. He has recorded sporadically [...]
Magnatone Amps
Non-MOTS Magnatones By the mid ’50s, mother of toilet seat (MOTS) had lost its appeal, as had Hawaiian music, so Magnatone discontinued its use on all the amplifiers and offered it only as an option for the new bottom-of-the-line “Steel” guitar. In the Feb. ’98 VG (pg. 115), the five-tube, single 10″ Melodier is described [...]
Magnatone Amps
Non-MOTS Magnatones By the mid ’50s, mother of toilet seat (MOTS) had lost its appeal, as had Hawaiian music, so Magnatone discontinued its use on all the amplifiers and offered it only as an option for the new bottom-of-the-line “Steel” guitar. In the Feb. ’98 VG (pg. 115), the five-tube, single 10″ Melodier is described [...]
Fender Songwriter
Just when you think you’ve seen or heard of everything Fender ever did, along comes another tidbit about a guitar that was prototyped but never produced. In 1969 and ’70 the Acoustic Guitar Division was going strong, with Babe Simoni in charge of production. Roger Rossmeisl was the head of the R&D department, which was [...]
Phil Keaggy – Zion
Phil Keaggy doesn’t always get his due. Those of you familiar with his work know what I mean. He’s a marvelous singer and guitarist who’s been around awhile, but because he records mostly Christian music, he is sometimes passed by because he doesn’t have that elusive Top 40 record. Don’t let that fool you. He’s [...]
Deborah Coleman – Livin’ On Love
Groovy is the word for Deborah Coleman. She’s got the hip sensibility of Joan Armatrading blended with the blues groove of B.B. King. The result is music that moves you. When Coleman released her major-label debut, I Can’t Lose, in ’97, VG‘s review announced, “Deborah Coleman is a triple threat. She combines fresh songwriting, soulful [...]
Working Man
There must be a lot of hats in Pete Anderson’s closet. In the past he has worked overtime as guitarist, producer, and arranger for such diverse talents as Dwight Yoakum, Michelle Shocked, and Jackson Browne. With the release of his new solo album, Working Class on his own label, Little Dog, Pete has stepped out [...]
The Morells – The Morells
Now this is what I’m talkin’ about. These guys have been around for awhile in various forms, including as The Morells years ago. Some of you may know them as the Skeletons, who were big in the Minneapolis area 10 or 15 years ago. Whatever you want to call them, they are one of those [...]
