Tag: features

This month, we take a guided tour of the pedalboard belonging to Craig Bartock, guitarist with Heart.

Craig Bartock, a well-known (and busy) guitarist/composer, has been the touring lead guitarist for Heart since 2004. Those who’ve seen him play live know that his tone is amazing; he relies on two Vox AC30 amps, several classic guitars, and this nicely loaded pedalboard. Here’s his breakdown: 

1. Line 6 DM4 Distortion Effects Modeler
The distortion I use comes primarily from the amps, I tend to use this to shape the overall sound for various solos and rhythm parts. For example, if I’m looking more for a ’60s fuzzbox sound, I’ll accentuate Vox distortion with this to “remodel” the sound going in. In essence, I use this pedal to vary the tonality of the guitar, which changes the way the amps react. It’s a useful tool, considering Heart’s legacy and the various styles of solos. 

2. MXR M169 Carbon Copy Analog Delay
I use this to simulate reverb/filler rather than an actual delay. It’s on very softly during certain solos with a long delay time and just a bit of feedback. When we play in rooms that tend to be drier-sounding, I use it to fill the gaps between notes. The delay has a dull, echoey sort of sound that doesn’t get in the way of the initial notes, which I like and is great for “gluing” the sound together, especially in venues where the sound tends not to be as roomy. 

3. MXR M104 Distortion+
This has been my go-to distortion for many years. I use it with a lot of Heart songs, including “Magic Man.” A Distortion+ with a Strat and an AC30 on about 7 is an unbeatable combination. I use my guitars’ Volume controls quite a bit to regulate the amount of distortion. I’m constantly adjusting it to find that right amount of sound depending on the part and what type of tone Nancy Wilson has dialed in. The Distortion+ adds this level of brightness and bite that I love and can’t get just from the amp alone, especially with a Strat. When the Volume knob on the guitar is about at a 1/3 and this pedal is on, it has that Hendrix “Manic Depression” sound I really love– serious attack, as well. 

4. Red MXR M102 Dyna Comp
This is perfect for rock solos in ballads, where sustain is everything. It’s especially useful for solos in songs like “What About Love.” It’s great for studio work, as well. Years ago, I used only a direct box and this pedal, and got amazing results.

5. Line 6 DL4 Delay Pedal
The most functional delay on the market. I have three distinct sounds programmed into mine. The button on the left triggers a basic delay that’s around 150 milliseconds, with some feedback. I programmed this to work around the MXR Carbon Comp; delay times and return sounds are totally different, so they can be on at the same time and not fight each other. It’s great for solos where a long delay can accentuate the riffs. The second button triggers a very short, slap delay with no feedback – almost like a doubling effect. I’d guess it’s around 30 ms. I use it for songs like “Straight On” (which has a bit of a delay on the original guitar part) and a McCartney cover we did called “Let Me Roll It.” It fattens the overall sound. The third button is set for a crazy-heavy long delay with a lot of feedback and modulation. I use it in conjunction with volume swells. The setting is perfect for “Mistral Wind,” where the guitar has a cello-like sound in the softer parts. The last button sets the time of the delays. I can adjust accordingly for changes in tempo, etc. 

6. MXR M152 Micro Flanger
Ann Wilson wanted to cover the Robin Trower song “Day Of The Eagle,” and I needed a flanger, quickly! This was Nancy’s, and her tech, Jeffo Ousley (an excellent tech and all-around good guy), was nice enough to pass it over to me. It’s only used on that one particular song. 

7. A.J. Peat Rooster Booster Pedal
As A.J. says, this pedal “…boosts your signal, adds bloom, and opens your tonal spectrum.” I totally agree. It allows me to fine-tune how hard I want to hit the amps with guitar signal. I can then find that perfect balance between how much gain to add on the front end and how much distortion I need on the back end. 

8. A/B splitter 
The signal from my guitar goes into this and then to an A/B box behind my amp, where my tech, Edward Mendoza, can switch cables and always have a guitar ready without having to unplug. This is important because there are some songs in the set that are spaced very close, and with this, we can work a guitar change in a few seconds.

9. Voodoo Lab Pedal Power 2
Does exactly what it says –provides nice, clean 9-volt/regulated DC outputs for everything. 

I rarely leave a pedal on for an entire song. For example, one of the settings on the Line 6 distortion modeler comes on only during the second verse and guitar solo in “Kick It Out.” As a rule, the guitar and amps do most of the heavy lifting. The pedals are there to accentuate the styles Heart has been known for over the years, and make up for sonic differences in venues. 

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This article is from VG Signal Chain issue #13. All copyrights are by Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

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This Jazzmaster is an interesting example of what went on behind the scenes at the Fender factory with the research and development of body shapes and materials, and during the pre-production phase for new models in the late 1950s and early ’60s.

After having great success with the Esquire, Telecaster, and Stratocaster, in 1958, Fender introduced the Jazzmaster as its top model. Described in the catalog as incorporating “…remarkable new features which provide the ultimate in electric Spanish Guitar versatility and playing ease,” the Jazzmaster mostly missed its intended mark – jazz players – and found its niche after being popularized by surf rock bands in the ’60s.

Many of the Jazzmaster’s specifications built upon existing Fender designs, but were a noticeable departure from the Strat or Tele in an attempt to offer features that would appeal to a new segment of musicians. The Jazzmaster had a contoured body similar to a Strat, but stylized into what Fender literature called an “off-set waist” intended as an ergonomically friendly solution for seated players. While the Jazzmaster had a customary maple neck, it was the first model with a glued-on slab Brazilian rosewood fingerboard with clay dot inlays. In mid ’62, it was given a curved rosewood fingerboard. Those made beginning in late-’65 have a bound fingerboard, and, starting in late ’66, it had pearloid block inlays. The Jazzmaster also introduced “extended range” pickups with separate Rhythm Tone circuit, which enabled players to quickly switch to the neck pickup with a pre-set rhythm tone. The new pickups provided a warm, mellow sound compared to other Fender single-coils and, like early Gibson P-90s, were commonly referred to as “soapbar” pickups, due to the size and color of their covers. The Jazzmaster also offered a new vibrato system with a longer arm and a “floating” bridge, which, according to literature, would enable the guitar to “return to tuned pitch without variance.” The earliest examples of this model were available in two-tone sunburst finish (during the course of 1958, Fender switched to three-tone sunburst) and an anodized aluminum pickguard. Most custom-color examples have greenish-white pickguards, and the tortoiseshell pickguard became standard in late ’59.

This particular example belonged to longtime Fender executive and G&L co-founder George Fullerton. One of the earliest Fender employees, Fullerton is credited with many design and engineering innovations, and played a critical role in the development of Fender’s first solidbody models.

In addition, he was responsible for the custom-color finish on this pre-production Jazzmaster. In 1957, Fullerton visited a local paint shop and selected red automotive paint which was sprayed on the body at the Fender factory. The color was originally referred to as Fullerton Red by fellow employees. Custom colors were first offered in the 1956 catalog “upon the player’s request,” but were not standardized until 1960, when this color was called Fiesta Red in marketing materials. According to Fullerton, his recommendation to offer guitars with a selection of custom colors was originally discredited and scoffed at by Fender Sales staff, but, after early examples were provided to music stores, demand proved very high.

While the size and shape of this pre-production body became standard specs for early Jazzmasters, and Fiesta Red became a standard option, the neck on this guitar is representative of Fender’s further experimentation. Though it is unclear if the body was originally fitted with a neck, Fullerton matched it with one dated 7-61 (July ’61)with a vulcanized fiberboard fingerboard. A material typically used for pickup bobbins, it has an appearance similar to ebony, and Fender tested it while seeking an economical fingerboard veneer that would increase neck stability (and thu, decrease the need for adjustment). There is only one other known Fender with this fingerboard material – a 1960 Jazz Bass originally owned by Fender employee Freddie Tavares.

The Jazzmaster was discontinued in 1980, then reintroduced in 2000 as part of Fender’s American Standard Series (made-in-Japan reissues were offered beginning in ’96). It has been introduced to new generations of players by musicians like Lee Ranaldo and Thurston Moore (Sonic Youth), Nels Cline (Wilco), and Troy Van Leeuwen (Queens of the Stone Age).

In addition to his years with Fender and G&L, Fullerton later worked as a consultant to the Fender Custom Shop, assisting with the production of the George Fullerton 50th Anniversary 1957 Stratocaster. He succumbed to heart failure on July 4, 2009.

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This article originally appeared in VG‘s October 2014 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

All carved-top guitars and mandolins trace their ancestry back to Orville Gibson of Kalamazoo, Michigan. However, as this A model mandolin illustrates, Orville’s designs went through considerable refinement through the early years of the Gibson company’s existence to reach the standard of design that we know today.

The highlights of Orville’s life are well-known:

Born in Chateaugay, New York, in 1856.

Moved to Kalamazoo and began making instruments by 1894 (the date on a small medallion in an instrument now owned by the Gibson company).

Obtained a patent in 1898. Though the patent illustrated a carved-top A-style mandolin, it focused on the principle of having the back and sides carved from a single piece of wood.

Applied his carved-top design to mandolins with a pear-shaped body (A-style) and a scrolled body (F-style), as well as to guitars.

In 1902, sold his patent and the rights to his name to five men who formed The Gibson Mandolin-Guitar Mfg. Co. Ltd.

Had an immediate falling out, after which he had virtually no involvement with the company. He was eventually granted a monthly pension.

Died in Ogdensburg, New York, in 1918.

It’s not possible to make many sweeping statements about Orville’s instruments, because so few of them have survived – probably around 25, and that includes A mandolins, F mandolins, lyre-mandolins, guitars, a harp guitar, a zither, and a 10-string lute-guitar.

In the case of this month’s featured mandolin, just trying to date it creates an enigma. The label features Orville’s head surrounded by the arms of a lyre mandolin – a familiar image from the labels used by the Gibson company until about 1908. The label includes the date of Orville’s patent (Feb. 1, 1898), so it would be reasonable to date it no earlier than 1898.

However, underneath the top is the penciled date Oct. 10, 1896, so the label had to have been applied later. Either the instrument lingered unfinished for two years in Orville’s shop or Orville kept track of the owner and put a label in it after his patent had been approved. Near the date is an impressed brand stamp we’ve never seen on any instrument; “The Gibson Mandoline, made by O.H. Gibson, Kalamazoo, Mich.”

The neck extends in a long volute about halfway up the back of the headstock – sign of a grafted-on headstock. However, playing wear around the nut area of the neck reveals wood grain going continuously from the neck into the headstock, so Orville’s volute appears to be no more than an aesthetic reference to an earlier construction technique – similar to the diamond-shaped volute still found on some of Martin’s high-end models.

The peghead shape is broad but doesn’t appear to be as broad as the “paddle heads” typically associated with Orville. And the top edge of the peghead is carved with curlicues and the slightest hint of the broken-scroll pediment that John D’Angelico would use 40 years later.

The tuners, with their front plates and concealed gears, are unusual for Orville, though they would not be unusual on bowl-back mandolins of the era. The prevailing thought among collectors is that Orville used right-angle tuners on his A models and banjo-style straight-through tuners (or friction pegs) on his F mandolins. These tuners do, in fact, have right-angle gears. The use of fancy tuners probably ties in with the peghead carving.

On the other hand, this is not a fancy mandolin by Orville standards. It lacks the star-and-crescent inlay on the headstock as well as the pearl-ornamented tortoiseshell pickguard inlaid into the top that some of his mandolins have. The only pearl on this instrument is an abalone soundhole rosette.

This mandolin has the hollow body extending halfway up the neck, which is a typical Orville feature, as is the conical bore into the neck block.

Other features of this model can be better illustrated by comparing them to an A model made by the Gibson company from the early 1910s; Orville’s mandolin measures 11″ across the top – an inch wider the than the Gibson.

Orville’s mandolin looks deeper, but the rims are actually narrower – 11/2″ compared to 13/4″ inches on the Gibson.

The depth of the carving on the top and back more than make up the difference in rim dimension. Orville’s top reaches a height of 10/16″ above the rims and his back is 12/16″ above the rim. The Gibson’s top and back both rise only to about 5/16″ above the rim.

The shape of the carve is noticeably different. Orville’s top and back rise steadily from the rim and then form a large flat area about 8″ across. The Gibson carve dips below the rim, then curves steadily with virtually no flat area in the center of the top.

The Orville’s elongated body does not leave much neck for the player to work with; the heel taper begins at the fifth fret and the body binding meets the fingerboard at the seventh fret. On the Gibson A, the heel taper begins at the seventh fret – it’s a much less obtrusive V-shaped heel – and the top binding joins the neck at the 12th fret. Surprisingly, in light of the differences, the scale length on the two is the same – 133/4″.

Though the Gibson-company mandolin of the 1910s, which is still a viable instrument, is clearly a direct descendant of Orville’s mandolin, it went through a remarkable number of design “generations” in less time than a single human generation.

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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.

This Martin 00-28 is a highly unusual instrument. Made as part of a group of six created with shop-order number 366 (dated 12/14/1944) and bearing serial numbers 90002 through 90007, they were entered on the Martin shop order slip as 00-28G, indicating they were classical guitars designed strictly for gut strings.

There is no indication in the ledger that any had custom features; a ’44 00-28G was a 12-fret slot head classical style neck, 2″ wide at the nut, with a flat/non-radiused fingerboard with no dot position markers (but side dots), Spanish-style fan bracing, no pickguard, and a classical-style bridge with strings that tie on rather than use bridge pins. The model had Martin’s “Orchestra Model” body shape, which was typically used on steel-string guitars with 14-fret necks.

As is typical of a ’44 00-28G, this guitar has an Adirondack spruce top with herringbone edge trim, Brazilian rosewood back, sides, and peghead veneer, mahogany neck, ebony fingerboard and bridge, zigzag back-stripe, white ivoroid bindings on the top and back edges of the body, and Martin decal logo on the back of the peghead rather than the front. This guitar, however, deviates from the typical specifications for the G model in having X bracing, an original steel-string style belly bridge, and an original pickguard. It was clearly intended to be played with steel strings.

As is typical of Martin’s work in late ’44, the top braces are non-scalloped; most ’44 Martins have scalloped X bracing, but this practice was discontinued late that year, starting with serial number 89926. Though a few very early 00-28G guitars had X-pattern bracing, by ’44, fan bracing was standard for the G models. There is no evidence this guitar was converted later for steel strings. The neck block on the one you see here is stamped with the serial number and the model number – 00-28 – rather than 00-28G, further indicating it was not made for gut strings. At the time this guitar was made, most custom-order Martin instruments had a model number with an S suffix, indicating “special,” but this guitar does not have any such designation on the neck block. Interestingly enough, it’s remarkably similar in appearance to the limited-edition Norman Blake 000-size guitar on which Blake specified a 000-size body with a 12-fret slothead neck, X bracing, belly bridge, and a pickguard. Though Martin kept extremely good records compared to other guitar manufacturers, research today is revealing numerous Martins that deviate from (or are not included in) the records, though these comprise a very small percentage of total production.

From the time C.F. Martin, Sr. started making guitars in New York City in the 1830s until the early 1920s, with the exception of a very small number of special-order instruments, virtually all Martin guitars were designed for use with gut strings. The company targeted its marketing and endorsement efforts to classical players rather than folk or traditional players. There was a very active classical guitar scene in America, with numerous performers, teachers, clubs, and publications devoted to classical guitars and the associated music. By the early ’30s, after Andres Segovia toured the U.S. and introduced his approach to classical guitar, demand for Martin and other American-made early-design gut-string guitars plunged. Segovia played Spanish-made guitars and a Hermann Hauser, Sr. guitar made for him and modeled closely after Spanish/Torres designs. While Segovia played classical guitar, his technique was quite different from the earlier school of American classical. After Segovia took the American scene by storm, demand for classical guitars in the U.S. did not disappear, but his followers gravitated toward the Torres design and rejected Martin’s gut-string guitars, which were weren’t as well-suited for Segovia’s technique. Fortunately for Martin, its basic guitar design with a few modifications proved well-adapted for use with steel strings and a variety of music styles ranging from Hawaiian, country, ragtime, blues, bluegrass, folk, and virtually any application utilizing a flat-top steel-string.

Martin did not abandon the classical market, but by the late ’20s had focused its effort on steel-string instruments. The G series, introduced in 1936, was an attempt to recapture some of that market. The first Martins made with Torres-style fan bracing, they had a 2″ wide nut and a modern classical bridge. However, Martin’s choice of their Orchestra Model body shape, introduced for steel-string 14-fret guitars, looked incongruous to most classical players. The G series were crafted to the same standards as Martin steel-strings of the age, but their design specs simply did not appeal to many players following in Segovia’s footsteps. As a result, these instruments were a commercial failure.

This 00-28 may be one of a kind, but, in view of the fact the work-order number does not indicate it was custom-made as a steel-string, it’s possible one or more others may have been made. Regardless, it’s a fine instrument with excellent power and tone. While a typical Martin 00-28G does not have the sound or feel that appeals to a significant number of classical players, this steel-string variation holds its own compared any similar-sized steel-string, and its wide neck would appeal to many fingerpickers.

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This article originally appeared in VG November 2013 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

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The 1,164 archtop guitars made by John D’Angelico have brought him great renown as the finest individual archtop guitar builder in the history of the instrument. His mandolins, however, are seldom talked about, even though – if this particular example from the early 1940s is any indication – they are worthy of the same attention.

Mandolins played a part in D’Angelico’s career as an instrument maker from the very beginning – before he ever made an archtop guitar. Born in New York in 1905, he was only nine years old when he began an apprenticeship with great-uncle Ciani, who made violins, mandolins, and flat-top guitars. He took over the shop when his great uncle died, and then opened his own shop in 1932.

By the time D’Angelico hung out his shingle, he had become known for his archtop guitars, modeled on the f-hole L-5 Gibson introduced in 1922. And as his designs evolved and his fame grew, he continued to be known primarily as a guitar maker for the rest of his life.

One can only speculate about D’Angelico’s involvement with mandolin making in his early years, but circumstances were such that he could hardly have avoided the mandolin. His family came from Naples – birthplace of the modern mandolin. He grew up in New York, where the mandolin movement in America had begun in the late 1800s, thanks in a large part to Italian-American musicians. And the mandolin was at the height of its popularity at the time he began his apprenticeship as an instrument maker. It is known that he took violin lessons – to play and to make violins – and it is likely that interest would carry over to the mandolin, which is tuned the same as the violin, more readily than to the guitar.

D’Angelico’s ledger books offer only a few clues to his mandolin activity. While he made the first entry for a guitar in 1932, he didn’t enter his first mandolin in the books until 1940 – it was number 125. Earlier three-digit numbers have turned up, so he may have started numbering mandolins with 101 (he started guitars with 1002), and it’s unknown how many unnumbered ones he might have made. This month’s featured instrument is one without a serial number.

To make matters more difficult, D’Angelico did not record any mandolin model names. Sixteen are called “Scroll” (including one “Scroll O”). Twenty-two are called “Plain” (including one “Plain (good)”). Two are parenthetically called “(good).” One is “G.D.” And three are entered with a date but with no notation as to style.

We’re not aware of any D’Angelicos with the scrolled upper body bout of a Gibson F-style mandolin (except for a few with the “lump” scroll with the scroll simulated by curlicue binding), but some of them do have a violin-style scrolled peghead, like that of a Lyon & Healy Style A, so D’Angelico’s “Scroll” model almost surely refers to the scrolled peghead. (D’Angelico’s “Plain” model, by default, is a standard oval-hole A-style mandolin.) The scrolled-peghead D’Angelicos have an asymmetrical body with two points, similar to the body of the Lyon & Healy A, although the body of the D’Angelico is significantly deeper. The low position of the point on the treble side effectively provides some degree of a cutaway, and with only 10 frets clear of the body, the cutaway feature is a practical necessity on this instrument.

This mandolin obviously does not have the Lyon & Healy-style scrolled headstock. Instead, it has the distinctive cutout framing an ornamental button that D’Angelico began using on guitars by 1937. To the average musician that design would have no connection to the scroll of a violin peghead or a mandolin body; however, the architectural term for a pediment (the ornament at the top of a column) with that cutout shape is “broken scroll,” so in a technical sense, the term “scroll” could still be applied to this peghead shape.

This mandolin’s model name is not in doubt. The pearl inlay on the peghead is boldly engraved “Excel,” and the ornamentation is, in fact, up to the level of D’Angelico’s Excel guitars, with seven-ply binding around the top, back, soundhole, and pickguard (the pickguard is a replica of the original), and three-ply binding on the peghead. The bound ebony fingerboard is inlaid with mother-of-pearl blocks. A small pearl inlay on the peghead identifies the owner of the instrument as “Mac.”

D’Angelico succeeded in designing a mandolin that is visually unique and easily identifiable as one of his creations, and that unique quality also applies to the sound. This carved-top instrument has more volume than the similar Lyon & Healy models, and it has a stronger low-end response than the traditional Italian-style bowlbacks D’Angelico grew up with. In the process of creating this more robust tone, some of the delicacy of a bowlback’s tone, particularly on the high end, had to be sacrificed.

To today’s ears, the sound of this mandolin suggests D’Angelico was aiming for a middle ground between classical and bluegrass. However, bluegrass mandolin as we know it today didn’t yet exist when this instrument was made. If D’Angelico had even heard a Bill Monroe recording, he would not have heard the “chop” and the “woof” Monroe worked into his style in the late ’40s, after he acquired his Gibson F-5. Instead, D’Angelico would have heard an earlier Monroe style, with clear, fast-paced lead lines and a busier, unchoked rhythm style. This mandolin would have been well-suited for that style.

Interest in classical mandolin had been steadily declining since World War I (though the instrument may have remained more popular in the Italian community in New York than in the rest of the country), and bluegrass had not yet emerged.

So, what sort of player was this mandolin made for? The most visible mandolinist of the era was Russian-born Dave Apollon, a virtuoso and master showman who often fronted a full band (with an F-5). If Apollon was the standard setter, then this D’Angelico – with its combination of power and clarity of tone – was perfectly designed for the music of the day.

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This article originally appeared in VG September 2011 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

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This may well be the most desirable Fender Stratocaster on the face of the planet. And it happens to be a beat-up mongrel assembled from parts taken from three 1950s guitars.

Nevertheless, Eric Clapton’s “Blackie” is one of the most recognized celebrity-associated instruments in the history of the electric guitar, and it served Slowhand’s needs for a decade and a half until its “retirement” in the mid 1980s. Clapton was long ago quoted as saying this instrument “… has become part of me,” so VG elicited some input from two individuals who also got to know the guitar in an intimate manner when it was wielded on a regular basis by the guitar legend.

Lee Dickson has been E.C.’s guitar tech since 1979, and confirmed the chronology that led to the construction of “Blackie.”

“He bought a bunch of Strats in 1970, when they were going for nearly nothing,” Dickson said of Clapton. “He brought them back to England, gave a few to his buddies like Pete Townshend and Steve Winwood, and out of the bunch that was left, he took a ’56 body, a ’57 neck, and the pickups from a third guitar, and made Blackie. He liked the look of the black body, the feel of the neck from one of the other guitars, and the sound of the pickup assembly from another guitar.”

The Strat has been seen and heard on a myriad of albums and tours/performances, and was Clapton’s instrument of choice for his band’s three-song performance at Live Aid. Umpteen memorable riffs and licks, such as the two-chord anchor to Clapton’s cover of J.J. Cale’s “Cocaine” were evoked from this guitar.

Tulsa resident Willie Spears tech’ed for Clapton from 1975 to ’79. Spears can be seen in The Last Waltz, a documentary of the Band’s final performance, as Clapton hands Blackie to him following “Further On Up the Road.”

Spears noted that the Strat was also Clapton’s favorite studio guitar, recalling how he was dispatched by Slowhand to acquire the words to a J.J. Cale song while the Slowhand album was being recorded.

“We saw Cale perform in London,” Spears recounted. “And Eric sent me to get the lyrics to ‘Cocaine.’ We were doing ‘Lay Down Sally’ that night, which sounds like a Cale song. He always had several guitars in the studio, but he always went back to Blackie.”

Note the missing vibrato arm – Clapton doesn’t use a whammy bar, but according to Dickson, “He likes vibrato guitars, but we block the vibrato behind the bridge, and tighten up the (vibrato) springs, so it stays pretty solid.”

The guitar has had an expected history of maintenance and minor repairs. It’s had more than one fret job, pickup adjustments, and at one point Spears removed the three-position pickup toggle switch, then notched it to create a five-position switch. Dickson also replaced a volume pot.

As for the cosmetics, video and photos from the ’70s aver that some of the gouges were already on the body back in that era. Of course, the cigarette burns on the headstock simply add to the instrument’s panache, as would possibly also be the case for a non-celebrity owned pre-CBS Fender.

And soon, Blackie will go up for auction, along with other instruments from Clapton’s collection in a benefit for the Crossroads Centre. The event is a sequel to the June ’99 auction of Clapton memorabila at which another historic Stratocaster, a ’56 sunburst model named “Brownie” fetched $450,000. One can only imagine what the winning bid for Blackie will ultimately be.

And one might also wonder about the thoughts of a guitar tech who was associated with such an important instrument, and perhaps Dickson nailed it.

“My thought when we did the last auction was that at the end of the day, I’m just a caretaker, ya’know? They’re Eric’s guitars; they always have been, and they always will be until he gets rid of them. I take care of them; I may have a few emotional attachments to some of ’em – I love Blackie, I love Brownie… And the Cherry Red ’64 [Gibson] 335 from Cream is a particular favorite of mine. I may have a tear in my eye when I see ’em going. But it’s Eric’s decision, and I totally respect that.”

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This article originally appeared in VG‘s June 2004 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.

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