Luthiers Mercantile International, organizers of the renowned Healdsburg Guitar Festival, today announced it has postponed the next such festival until 2016.
“In August, 2013, we enjoyed our most successful festival ever,” said LMI sales manager Chris Herrod said in a written statement. “Financially, personally, and logistically, we couldn’t have been more pleased. But after having taken a closer look at our investment, especially in the amount of hours which could have been focused on expanding LMI’s core business, it became obvious that our ‘labor of love’ had many intangible costs, especially to our overworked staff. For this reason, we have made the tough decision to postpone the next festival to 2016.
“No doubt this will come as difficult news to many of you. It has not been an easy decision to make and we understand the ramifications. Besides being a great reunion of friends and colleagues, the festival has been successful in its mission of strengthening the marketplace for handmade instruments. We remain committed to this goal and are confident that after this longer than normal recess that the festival will return stronger than before.”
LMI has presented the Healdsburg festival 10 times since 1996. For more, visit lmii.com.
Knaggs Guitars’ Steve Stevens Signature Model
Price: $6,000
Contact: www.knaggsguitars.com
Everyone wants to build a better mousetrap, and those who build solidbody guitars are no different. Frequently, they strive to make superior versions of classic archetypes like the Stratocaster, Telecaster, Les Paul, Explorer, Flying V, etc. The Knaggs Steve Stevens Signature Model is derived from the venerable Les Paul, but with many upgrades. But is the Steve Stevens a better LP?
Luthier Joe Knaggs shot to prominence over the past three years with a line of impeccably built electrics and acoustics. The SS is no exception. With fine appointments and an impressive “thump factor” before it’s even plugged in or a chord is strummed, the Steve Stevens just feels like a serious build.
The guitar has a classic mahogany body with a carved maple top finished in a rich, opaque black called Faded Onyx, with pink binding per Stevens’ request. The set mahogany neck has Knaggs’ SS neck carve, which has an appealling, meaty profile comparable to a great ’50s Gibson neck – substantial but not oppressively fat. A 243/4″ scale with a 111/16″ nut width and 12″ radius, and a 22-fret rosewood fingerboard offer further evidence of LP inspiration. However, the design of the SS allows for a degree of upper-fret access that LP players can only dream about, the result of Knaggs’ less-blocky neck heel. On the Steve Stevens, a player can grab and bend that high D on the 22nd fret to E with relative ease – try that with a Les Paul. For decoration, the fingerboard has pink binding and Knaggs’ custom “morning star” inlays.
In terms of hardware, the big news is the Knaggs Influence Series “two-in-one” tailpiece, which sports a TonePros nickel bridge. Combining a tune-o-matic design and string holder in one unit for increased harmonics and sustain, this is one of the more-intriguing developments in bridge design in years. The SS has three-on-a-side nickel Grover tuners and black tophat knobs for the Volume and Tone controls. The nut is hand-cut bone and the pickups are Bare Knuckle humbuckers with Stevens’ trademark raygun graphic laser-etched on them. The image is also inlaid on the headstock, with Stevens’ signature cut into the truss-rod cover.
In performance, the Steve Stevens is a “wow” experience. It’s hefty, but not heavy, and hangs comfortably on a strap. When running the gamut from clean to dirty, it’s amazing how cleanly the tone cuts through any din – the Bare Knuckle pickups sound big and clean, with a medium output that lets the body resonance come through. Still, this guitar is made for rockin’ and loves as much gain as one can ladle on. Combined with the superior neck setup and upper-fret access, it’s a hard-rocker’s dream come true – heavenly tone combined with a design that allows the player to fly around the fingerboard with ease.
In terms of design and performance, the Knaggs Steve Stevens Signature has no debits, though its sticker price may raise eyebrows, especially for a solidbody without a flamed top. But, it is a limited edition of 99 instruments, which may interest collectors and top-line enthusiasts. Furthermore, it sets the stage for future variations, which – if they’re even half as a good – could draw players in droves. The Steve Stevens is a killer axe, plain and simple.
This article originally appeared in VG October 2013 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
You know you’re holding something special when the guy who previously borrowed your review guitar was none other than Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry, who apparently used this very Echopark Ghetto Bird – officially called Ancient Sinker Redwood Case Study #002 – for some recent recording work.
Echopark luthier Gabriel Currie makes high-end guitars that trade frills for exceptional materials and build quality. The Ghetto Bird, at its core, is a simple rock-and-roll machine with a body design that sits somewhere between a Gibson Firebird and a late-’70s RD Artist. The guitar has a custom three-toned Dusk Burst finish in nitrocellulose lacquer.
Our test Bird had an amazing figured/bookmatched redwood top that was carved from wood from ancient trees harvested from the bottom of Mendocino Lake, and a one-piece mahogany body with “tuned” chambering. For the neck, Currie used a 200-year-old piece of reclaimed Honduran mahogany. The fingerboard is old-stock Brazilian rosewood, while the headstock plate is bookmatched redwood and the nut is cut-and-polished bison bone. The pickguard is nitrate tortoiseshell.
The Ghetto Bird has a 245/8″ neck scale and a 12″ fingerboard radius with 22 frets of Jescar 55090 fretwire. One particularly cool feature is the pre-war-style open-gear tuners with an engraved nickel finish. Not only do they look classy, but they hold the tuning rock solid. The wraparound tailpiece is a TonePros AVT2 in hand-aged nickel with long steel bushings, and the control knobs are NOS Daka-Ware. Electronics include 500k CTS custom-taper pots, a Switchcraft three-position toggle, and an Asteron 047 vintage “paper in oil” tone cap. Even the strap buttons grab attention – in this case, 1959-style buttons in aged nickel. Finally, the Ghetto Bird’s PAF-style and Firebird-style mini-humbucker pickups are from Echopark’s Rose Series, custom-wound and etched by Rob Timmons.
In the hand, this Ghetto Bird is nicely balanced with a light, comfortable body (thanks to the weight-relieving chambers). The guitar has a big ol’ neck – like a ’50s Les Paul Junior – but is easy to grab and dig into.
Plugged in, the Ghetto Bird screams for rock and roll. Even without the Joe Perry connection, the guitar loves all sorts of bluesy, gnarly riffs and ’70s-style string bends. The redwood top imbues the mahogany with a little Fender quack, but thanks to the humbucker and the mini, there’s no 60-cycle hum – just a nice bit of twang on top of the ’bucker bang. From clean to slighty gritty to over-the-top crunch, the guitar is a blast to play, really loving the dirty tones, in particular. One would be hard-pressed to find a rock player who would not love this guitar’s feel and tone.
Granted, the Ghetto Bird comes at a premium price, but the materials are top-notch and every detail is meticulous. Its etched pickup covers are particularly sexy and the combination of a full-sized humbucker with a mini-humbucker is noteworthy. It’s a great rock-and-roll pairing, especially in conjunction with the properties of the mahogany and the redwood. The resulting tones bring to mind Leslie West, Rick Derringer, Mick Ronson, Perry and Brad Whitford, Steve Hunter and Dick Wagner, and other heroes of the classic-rock epoch. A big thumb’s up to Gabriel Currie for capturing the spirit of rock and roll, and for adding cool vintage touches like a wraparound bridge and open-gear tuners to seal the deal. This is some fine guitar building.
This article originally appeared in VG October 2013 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
Possessing pot codes dated April of 1954, serial number 13767 is the earliest documented Gretsch 6120. The pickguard is an accurate reproduction of the original. 6120 SN13767: Curt Wilson. Guitar courtesy of Fred Stucky.
The Gretsch company rose to the upper echelon of guitar manufacturers in the 1950s with the introduction of a diverse and dynamic array of electric models. Arguably the most identifiable guitar design of that time was the Chet Atkins Hollowbody model 6120, with its distinctive orange-stained finish, “G-brand” body, and decidedly Western aesthetic. Recently, a previously undocumented prototype of this iconic model was uncovered, fueling renewed speculation and necessitating a fresh look at the genesis of the model.
Most Gretsch enthusiasts know the legend associated with the development of the 6120. It’s well documented that Atkins was recruited to endorse a signature model in hopes of duplicating the success Gibson enjoyed with its Les Paul model of the early ’50s. Hardcore fans of the 6120 might even be aware that its prototype, labeled as a Streamliner Special with serial number 13753, was presented to Atkins in early 1954. The story goes that Atkins made some suggestions and a second prototype (serial number 13770) was created reflecting his desire for the incorporation of a vibrato tailpiece and a metal nut. For this reason, this second prototypical guitar has generally been considered the first “6120 model.” The two share the distinctive unbound headstock – a characteristic not carried over to the three subsequent production batches of the model’s 1955 debut.
A relevant side-note is that Gretsch’s factory, located in Brooklyn, typically applied consecutively serial-numbered labels into groups of like-model guitars, creating sequentially numbered batches of 50 or 100 of each model. Serial numbers were printed on rolls of 50 labels, while model numbers were applied by rubber stamp as each label was applied to a finished guitar. For example, the initial production batch of the 6120 model was a 100-unit group documented from serial number 16450 to 16549. So, for the past five decades, it has been assumed that 48 of the labels that comprised the roll containing serial numbers 13750 through 13799 went curiously unused, with only numbers 13753 and 13770 being applied to the pair of 6120 prototypes created for Atkins.
That all changed recently, when 6120 collector Fred Stucky revealed the existence of a special specimen. Once owned by Bobby Cochran, nephew of the ’50s rocker/6120-playing icon Eddie Cochran, the guitar possesses the telltale unbound headstock feature common to the other two prototypes, and its label is stamped as a 6120 and carries the serial number 13767, certifying its origin to the development of the 6120.
The provenance of this guitar extends to 1962, when it was presented to Bobby when he was 12 years old. The story behind the acquisition offers frustratingly little insight into its origins and early life. It was purchased by Bobby’s father from an insurance salesman named Burke, who had called upon the Cochran residence. After realizing the family’s connection to Eddie Cochran, he informed them about his Gretsch, which was “…just like Eddie’s.”
Outside of the Cochran connection, which appears to be as utterly coincidental as it is ironic, the revelation that another 6120 specimen exists from the mysterious 137xx serial-numbered prototype batch, and in fact falls between the initial Streamliner Special (13753) and Chet Atkins’ first 6120 (13770) is thought-provoking to say the least!
The guitar is gorgeous, with a nicely flamed maple top, deep ruddy-orange finish, and gold-plated hardware with just the right amount of patina. Equipped with the DeArmond Dynasonic single-coil pickups Gretsch was using exclusively at the time, the guitar plays amazingly well. Despite its historical significance and the fact some feel it should be in a museum, Stucky has recorded with it and is prone to periodically play it at gigs with his band, Gas Money.
Though the guitar embodies all of the cowboy motifs the 6120 has come to be known for, several of its features depart from the subsequent debut format of the ’55 Chet Atkins 6120. Most conspicuous is the anodized fixed-arm Bigsby vibrato tailpiece – a B6 on the ’55, but, inexplicably, a smaller B3 on the 13767 guitar. Equally unusual is the headstock ornamentation incorporating a white diamond on the face, just under the inlaid steer’s head. The original pickguard, disintegrated, but perhaps the first “signpost”-style example ever produced, also possesses a white strip of plastic, matching the material used to make the diamond on the headstock (shown in the photo of Bobby Cochran).
(LEFT) A young Bobby Cochran with his Gretsch 6120 (serial number 13767) – just like his Uncle Eddie’s. (RIGHT) Chet Atkins with his Gretsch “Streamliner Special” prototype (serial number 13753), already experimenting with a vibrato tailpiece at the Grand ‘Ol Opry in August of 1954. Bobby Cochran photo courtesy of Bobby Cochran. Chet Atkins with Streamliner Specail: Gordon Gillingham/courtesy of the Grand Ole Opry Archives.
One feature each of the three extant prototypes do share with the first production batch of 6120 guitars is their 21-fret fingerboard, no doubt an attribute carried over from the influential Streamliner spec. The fretboard was quickly updated to 22 frets in the second batch of 1955, retaining that characteristic throughout the 17-year lifespan of the model.
Other idiosyncrasies of the 13767 guitar include a seam of white binding at the tail, visible below the Bigsby bracket and strap button. The neck heel appears to be quite narrow when compared to ’55 examples. The pickguard has a small brass support extension protruding from the side of the fretboard, which is atypical for the 6120. Finally, the inlaid steers-head, sound-hole outline, and cutaway angle all appear to be slightly different from what resulted on later production examples. These anomalies, along with an impressive build quality, suggests that this guitar, presumably constructed for Atkins’ evaluation and use, was hand-made from the ground up.
Probably the most significant feature is the “6120” model stamp on its interior label. Based on the sequential nature of the serializing process at the factory, that makes this guitar – not Atkins’ own, number 13770 – the earliest 6120 ever documented. Technically, this also makes these two 6120-stamped instruments the only 1954 Atkins 6120 models known to exist.
Interior label: Curt Wilson.
The discovery of number 13767 will fuel debate and speculation as to the existence of others, and those 47 labels numbered 137xx are still unaccounted for. In reality, the emergence of this guitar creates more questions than it answers, but for now, 13767 is the first Gretsch-made guitar to receive a Bigsby and metallic gold “signpost” pickguard, since the Streamliner Special prototype originally possessed a brown tortoise pickguard and static (Roundup-style) tailpiece.
The survival of 13767 leads to speculation that with Atkins’ feedback to Gretsch on the original Streamliner Special, perhaps several prototypical 6120 examples, each with slightly varying features, were assembled. It’s unclear why Atkins favored 13770, or where the others (if there were others) might have ended up. Further, mystery persists around how this previously undocumented example managed to escape into the world and find its way into the family of one of the model’s most notable devotees. What is clear, however, is the undisputable impact that the 6120, enabled by the creation of these three 137xx batch prototypes, has had on the Gretsch company and brand. Today, almost 60 years later, more than 20 reissue and 6120-inspired models are being marketed, a testimony to the iconic status that the Chet Atkins 6120 model has ascended to.
Ed Ball is the author of Gretsch 6120, The History of a Legendary Guitar (Schiffer Publishing, 2010)
This article originally appeared in VG October 2013 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
The Morley Rotating Wah: 15 pounds of chromed tone. Photos: Michael Dregni.
There was a time in the mythic ’70s when guitarists were real men and lugged around 15-pound Morley Rotating Wah pedals to gigs and studios. And if they weren’t real men, they had roadies who were!
From the accelerator-like pedal to the chrome-plated chassis, Morley’s RWV and the firm’s other super-duty pedals were the American muscle cars of guitar effects. They were renowned for their sound and their reliability, and if they ever broke down, they’d have a solid second life as boat anchors.
The Morley wah was truly a better mousetrap. Thomas Organ Company had pioneered the wah pedal in ’67 with its Cry Baby and Vox Clyde McCoy models. But Morley did the wah one better. Then, the firm added other effects to the menu, including the flagship EVO wah with volume and echo, and the groovy RWV with volume, wah, and rotating Leslie-like sound.
These creations came from the mind of Raymond Lubow. The Bronx-born Lubow studied electronics at Manhattan’s Hebrew Tech before serving in the Army Signal Corps during World War II. Post-war, he settled in Los Angeles and opened a radio repair business, similar to a certain Mr. Fender down the road in Fullerton.
The Intensity knob adjusts the speed of the oil can, and thus, the rotating-speaker simulation.
It was hardly a background that hinted at far-out contraptions, but in the mid ’60s, Lubow designed an electromechanical echo unit employing a rotating disc inside a metal drum filled with electrostatic “mystery” oil. With his brother, Marvin, counting the money, Lubow started Tel-Ray Electronics, the name derived from his shop that repaired televisions and radios. Tel-Ray’s Ad-n-Echo stand-alone unit allowed musicians to re-create echo effects without echo chambers or the famed Sun Studios dual-tape-machine setup. Sold as the Adineko, the compact component was included as an OEM part in amps and effects units from Rickenbacker, Fender, Gibson, Univox, Vox, and others.
Lubow developed his oil-can concept further to simulate the spinning-speaker sound of a Leslie speaker cabinet. The brothers took their Rotating Sound pedal to market as the Morley – offering “more-lee” than a “less-lee.” Get it?
Lubow’s oil-can technology was brilliant in its simplicity. He used the metal can as a rotating capacitor, driven by a small motor. A wire brush transferred the signal to the exterior of the drum, where another brush on the inside picked it up. The conductive oil served as a buffering layer inside the drum, and the delay time was determined by how fast the drum and its mysterious liquid was spinning.
The oil-can unit was housed on a solid, chrome-plated metal chassis with a rubber-covered treadle pedal. The Morley was near bullet-proof – truly a stompbox you could stomp on!
Morley’s brochure, with the Morley Man by cartoonist Hank Hinton. Morley pedal and brochure courtesy of Nate Westgor.
Thanks to that large chrome housing, Morleys also boasted a long pedal throw – much longer than the Cry Baby/Vox. This allowed for subtle and precise control of the volume and wah – even if you were wearing cowboy boots and bell bottoms.
The Lubows began mixing and matching components and soon had a full line of pedals. They added a volume control to the Adineko plus a wah effect, and soon had the EVO Echo Volume pedal. Substituting their Rotating Sound Synthesizer into the unit, in 1971/’72 they created the RWV Rotating Wah Volume pedal. Retail price was a steep $259.95.
Inside, the Morley was unique. The Cry Baby/Vox wah used a rack-and-pinion gear from the pedal to drive a potentiometer, a setup that became commonplace on the numerous copycats. The Morley, however, used an electro-optical circuit with the pedal operating a shutter that controlled the amount of light from a bulb that reached a Light Dependent Resistor (LDR).
The great advantage of the LDR circuit was doing away with that electromechanical potentiometer. Pots can load a guitar signal, which cuts into the treble sound; the Morley’s LDR retained the full spectrum of a player’s tone. And as pots get dirty over time, their sound gets scratchy – another thing omitted by the LDR circuit.
Still, that little light bulb was one of the few things that would stop working on a Morley. But come on, how many guitarists does it really take to change a light bulb? In addition, Morley pedals were not dependent on a 9-volt battery or wall-wart transformer; Lubow instead designed the effects to run on AC and wired them with a standard cord.
Morley pedals were big. Darn big. Place an RWV next to a Maestro Fuzz-Tone (reining fuzz driver of the day) and the RWV dwarfs the little fellow. It could even make your Marshall plexi stack feel, um, inadequate.
Throughout the bad ol’ ’70s, the range of Morley pedals kept growing, all with that chrome chassis; there was the WVO Wah Volume, VPFV Phaser Volume Wah, CFL Chorus Flanger, ECV Echo Chorus Vibrato, PFL Flanger, CO Volume Compressor, PWF Power Wah Fuzz, and more. All began life as the plain-old indestructible VOL Volume pedal.
To market their wares, the Lubow brothers hired political cartoonist Hank Hinton to draw the character of one of those real men – the wailing, long-haired ’70s rock guitarist who would soon be building his biceps by touting the Morley Rotating Wah to gigs. “The Morley Man” is still used in the company’s ads.
Plug a natural-finished ’70s Strat – an ideal guitar for the era – into an RWV, and you can began to play with combinations of the effect’s three features – the volume control, wah, and rotating-speaker simulator. But to truly appreciate the RWV, get all three going at once. Turn the Intensity knob, and that little oil can spins for all its worth. The Variation lever adjusts the tone from watery to drought. The sound is a swelling, whacked-out, dreamy voice that instantly turns you into that wailing, long-haired Morley Man. It’s a pure, anti-establishmentarianistic chromed tone.
You can receive more great articles like this in our twice-monthly e-mail newsletter, Vintage Guitar Overdrive, FREE from your friends at Vintage Guitar magazine. VG Overdrive also keeps you up-to-date on VG’s exclusive product giveaways! CLICK HERE to receive the FREE Vintage Guitar Overdrive.
This article originally appeared in Vintage Guitar magazine January 2013 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
In recent years, a trend in the guitar realm has been to re-create the magic of vintage-style instruments. This has ranged from player-modded updates of classics to manufacturers painstakingly attempting to age/“relic” guitars. Dennis Fano uses both approaches in his Alt de Facto line of guitars, including the RB6 solidbody.
At a glance, the RB6 looks like an old friend; it has the classic stylings and appearance of a vintage instrument… But then you’re reminded that this guitar never existed! Of course, that’s part of its inspiration.
The RB6 is available with a body made of alder, mahogany, or swamp ash (our tester was the latter). It has a top with a nice carve reminiscent of instruments from decades past, all finished in a distressed nitrocellulose lacquer finish and sporting a Schroeder wrap-over bridge that’s also aged.
Attached to the body is a bolt-on maple or mahogany neck with a 243/4″ scale, adorned with Fano’s two-tone oversized headstock. The vintage vibe is carried on through the neck’s round profile. Customers can choose from maple or rosewood for the fingerboard, and it’s shaped with compound radius (10″ to 16″) – a feature you obviously wouldn’t find on earlier vintage instruments. The neck is detailed with dot inlays, 6105 fret wire, a Tusq nut measuring 111/16″ wide, and aged nickel Gotoh tuners.
Keeping with the straightforward approach, the RB6’s electronics are a study in simplicity – a pair of two custom Lindy Fralin P-90s guided by master Volume and master Tone and a three-way select switch.
The guitar’s natural resonance hints at a balanced overall tone with just the right amount of warmth for most styles. The swamp ash on our tester gave it a slightly jangly top-end response accentuated by the Fralins. Most impressive, though, was the overall roundness of the tone; the depth and focus of the low-end response gave a wonderful “chunk” to chords and lower strings. That said, the RB6 is easily at home pumping out the sort of serious rhythm parts employed in classic rock and punk. Not limited to a garage-rock sound, the RB6 shows its versatility in the studio, where again, the roundness coupled with the Fralins had the RB6 working equally well with fast jazz leads and country chicken pickin’. This is a quality not inherent in P-90 instruments.
Equally impressive are the “aged” touches. The distressing in the finish is dead-on; wear marks are in the proper places and the checking looks like 40-year-old lacquer that’s been played night after night and soaked with sweat and smoke. The nickel finish on the hardware had been aged with the same level of detail and the pseudo wear on the back of the neck made it look and feel like an instrument that had been played for years.
Craftsmanship, playability, and sound – all are high-caliber with the Alt de Facto RB6.
This article originally appeared in VG December 2012 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
Kentuckian Wendell Berry is a 79-year- old farmer, activist, novelist, journalist, and poet. He has received numerous awards, but never anything like this tribute, which puts Berry’s words to music – in two distinct formats, each succeeding admirably.
One CD, In Song And Shade, finds Berry reading from 10 of his poems, which are then sung by the Salt Lake Vocal Artists, Brady R. Allred conducting, with Andrew Maxfield writing the music for Berry’s words. It’s mostly a cappella, with occasional piano, violin, or cello.
For the second CD, On Wendell’s Farm, American singer/guitarist Eric Bibb also had the daunting task of creating songs from Berry’s poems – in this case backed by Bibb’s sixstring banjo-guitar, ukulele, various acoustic guitars, and a gut-string bass guitar, with a core group of musicians from his adopted Finland, including mandolinist Petri Hakala, and brothers Janne and Olli Haavisto, on percussion and steel, respectively.
It’s one thing to call “One upon a time, you dressed so fine, threw the bums a dime” poetry, quite another to put a melody to “When I rise up, let me rise up joyful, like a bird/When I fall, let me fall without regret, like a leaf.” At times, Bibb combines his own lyrics with excerpts from Berry’s poems, most successfully on “Prison Of Time.” The different interpretations of “Stay Home,” the only poem featured on both CDs, provide a fascinating study in contrasts.
Bibb’s Jericho Road marks approximately two dozen solo albums, along with a duo CD, 2004’s A Family Affair, with father Leon Bibb, a Broadway actor and major figure in the New York folk scene of the ’50s and ’60s. The opening “Drinkin’ Gourd” hearkens back to the elder Bibb’s folk roots – a traditional song dating back to the Underground Railroad.
Bibb co-wrote eight of the 15 tracks with multi-instrumentalist Glen Scott, the CD’s producer. Settings vary from small ensembles to larger productions with background singers, strings, and horns. “Nanibali,” one of the CD’s two bonus tracks, features its composer, a modern griot (musical storyteller) from Senegal named Solo Cissokho, singing and playing kora (which he also employs on “Have A Heart,” backing Bibb and guest vocalist Ruthie Foster).
Described by Ollie Haavisto as “a guitar nut,” Bibb gets a banjo-like tone from a late-’60s non-pickup National resophonic solidbody on “With My Maker I Am One.” On “Death Row Blues,” he summons a crystalline tone from the “groovy old Stella” (his words) pictured on the disc.
On his most ambitious album yet, Bibb melds folk, gospel, blues, and world music as few can.
This article originally appeared in VG‘s February ’13 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
