Brussels native Ghalia Volt moved to the U.S. in 2013 to busk in music-rich cities like Chicago, St. Louis, Memphis, Nashville, and Clarksdale, Mississippi, where for three straight years she played the Sunflower River Blues & Gospel Fest. Fresh off an appearance on CBS’ “60 Minutes,” she sat with her Silvertone 1448 Amp-in-Case rig to play this exclusive take on “She’s Holding You Back,” from latest album, “Shout, Sister, Shout!” Read our review in the December issue. Read Now!
At the end of World War II, the town of Schönbach, in western Bohemia, became Luby, Czechoslovakia, and the people of German ethnicity were expelled. The changes affected the fortunes of more than Framus and Tatra guitars – it also redirected the trajectory of Höfner guitars, perhaps best known for the “Beatle bass” played by Sir Paul.
What became Höfner guitars was founded by Karl Höfner (1864-1955) in Schönbach in 1877, though the history almost certainly goes back far longer. Höfner had been apprenticed to violin maker Anton Schaller. Whether or not that individual is related to modern Schallers is unknown, but it’s a good bet. Höfner built a good business selling violins, and later, other bowed instruments throughout Europe. Following World War I, Karl’s sons Josef and Walter joined the business. They continued to have success and in the 1930s expanded into steel-stringed acoustic archtop guitars.
1969 Höfner Model 485G
World War II ended Höfner’s instrument making, and the subsequent partition of Europe with the Iron Curtain ended the company’s tenure in Schönbach/Luby. It’s not clear if the family was expelled or simply appropriated by the State, but in any case, they moved to Germany, settled in Möhrendorf, Bavaria, and re-opened in 1948. The location was not particularly suitable, and the Höfners soon set up a working community with shops and residences in nearby Bubenreuth, which began operations in 1950. Two good resources for information include the company website, hofner-guitars.com, and, for vintage instruments, vintagehofner.co.uk.
According to factory records, Höfner began producing concert or classical guitars in 1948, but it’s unlikely that production was especially large. Early Höfner classicals had a three-digit model designation. For better or worse, Höfner tended to keep model designations for long periods, even as specifications changed. The earliest Höfner concerts included the 484 (spruce, laminated mahogany), 486 (spruce, flamed maple), 487 (spruce, laminated mahogany), 488 Masterclass (spruce, birdseye maple), and 494 (spruce, birdseye maple). Like most German makers, Höfner’s favored materials were maple and ribbon mahogany. Some rosewood was used, as on the 1950 Model 497 Masterclass.
German guitar makers generally gave different treatment to concert guitars, probably because the German tradition of lutherie focused on bowed instruments and apprentices learned to make acoustic guitars because they were in-demand money makers. Thus, concert guitars tended to receive more care in production, resulting in higher quality than other mass-market instruments.
By the mid ’50s, it was clear that electric guitars were going to take off, and Höfner (like every other maker) hopped on the bandwagon. While electric guitars and basses may have still exhibited excellent quality, they did not receive the attention of classicals (we’ll discuss Höfner electric guitars at another time).
The Höfner Model 485G is a good example of the sometimes confusing subject of Höfner classicals. There were actually two versions – the 485 and 485G. The 485 was introduced after the move to Bubenreuth, and, like the 485G, had a “fine spruce top” and highly flamed maple body. However, its body was stained brown and had smaller dimensions, with a 27.5-centimeter upper bout and 36.5-cm lower bout. The most striking feature of the 485 was that instead of the ring or mosaic rosette, it had a hand-carved rosette consisting of triangle reliefs often referred to by collectors as “dragon’s teeth.” The 485 was kept in production through 1981. Höfner’s distributor in the U.K. was Selmer and a number of standard-issue 485s were sold there as The Vienna model.
The Model 485G was introduced in ’53 and differed primarily in size and color. The body had larger bouts (28.5 cm upper, 38.5 cm lower), and the flamed maple was left blond, not stained brown. Produced until 1970, it appears that until ’68, Höfner gave it an older scroll/medallion-shaped label with an oval space where the year of production should be written. Plenty of guitars were shipped without the date, however, and plenty of owners have written over the original date, so one has to triangulate and be wary of label dates. There is evidence that, circa 1969, Höfner switched to a round label showing a troubadour lute player. This is generally seen on guitars into the late ’70s, at least. The one you see here has the printed word “Anno” (year) and a black space for writing in the year. The guitar had no date written, or, if it did, it was in pencil and has long gone. But, since the 485G was retired in 1970, this would have to be from 1969 or ’70, based on the label design.
Höfner 485/485Gs are the subject of some controversy among collectors concerning whether or not the top is solid, with proponents pointing to the carved rose as proof. Sorry. This guitar has a laminated maple body with a low-grade mahogany that looks like luan inside. The top is three-ply spruce, straight-grained, cross-grained, and quartersawn underneath, with three tapered fan braces. A close look at the carved “dragon’s teeth” rose reveals that it was cut separately from slab-cut spruce and dropped in like a normal rosette. Not as romantic, but practical. It’s possible, but highly unlikely, that earlier examples were made differently. This is one of those laminated-top guitars that has excellent, crisp tone and great projection with good volume.
Most vintage enthusiasts think of Höfner for its electric guitars and basses, but there are fans of Höfner concert classicals, which were hand-made and not produced in huge quantities. The guitars won’t break your budget, have a great pedigree, and, well… How can you argue with dragon’s teeth?
This article originally appeared in VG’s January 2016 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
When is a Grateful Dead album not a Dead album? When it’s Bob Weir’s solo debut from 1972, also featuring members of the fabled jam institution. Now remastered, the disc is a longtime fan favorite with cuts that become Dead concert staples; “One More Saturday Night” is boogie-woogie with barrelhouse piano and Allman-esque harmony guitar, while “Cassidy” is breezy West Coast rock highlighted by Weir’s spry (and underrated) rhythm guitar. With the Dead working as Bob’s studio backup band, the sounds are surprisingly focused; no listless jams here.
In 2022, Weir played a 50th anniversary concert of Ace in New York City, billed as Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros. The gig is here on Disc 2; the 75-year-old’s voice has aged (as heard in “Playing In the Band”), but guest Tyler Childers lends a mighty vocal rasp to “Greatest Story Ever Told.” Barry Sless’ steel adds depth to “Black-Throated Wind,” and you’ll hear Bob take a real-deal guitar solo on “Mexicali Blues,” deploying his signature D’Angelico Premier SS.
A live version of “Cassidy” closes the disc, neatly defining Bob Weir himself – laid back, quirky, and ever-intriguing. Just like the rest of Ace.
This article originally appeared in VG’s April 2023 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
Sunny War’s latest record blurs stylistic boundaries, rejecting fatuous labeling. Instead, it’s a document of the human experience – a hypnotic montage of black folk, acoustic blues, country, urban, and avant-garde. It’s lived adventures and harsh personal realities. Produced by Andrija Tokic (Alabama Shakes), Anarchist Gospel features Van Hunt, who wrote and sang on the soul-stirring “Hopeless,” as well as Jim James of My Morning Jacket, Jack Lawrence of The Raconteurs, and The School Zone Children’s Choir, to name a few.
Acoustic guitars, electrics, and banjos travail the frontiers of folk and dreaminess throughout the album, supporting songs of heartbreak, tragedy, and triumph. War covers Ween’s “Baby Bitch,” layered with world-weary strength, humor, and poignance. “Higher” is a breakup song chronicling War’s real-life emancipation, which left her in search of herself. War’s acoustic fingerpicking is delicate, idiosyncratic, and ghostly as ethereal pedal steel and dramatic piano waft, spirit-like, throughout.
On “Love’s Death Bed,” black-gospel call and response is used to transcend eras, as War’s rural, dominant-7th chords link 1940s folk with ’60s psychedelia and blues harmonica.
Anarchist Gospel is a buffet of haunting American grooves and atmospherics laced with the yin and yang of struggle, self-preservation, and hope.
This article originally appeared in VG’s April 2023 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
Grammy-winning flatpicking wizard Billy Strings was everywhere in 2022. Rightly seen as part of the vanguard of a new generation of Appalachian-inspired players rooted in the sounds of Doc Watson, Tony Rice, Clarence White and other past icons, for the young phenom, this project is deeply personal. It’s a return to his roots with his dad, singer/guitarist Terry Barber. Steeped in classic country and bluegrass, Barber was his son’s primary musical inspiration.
Billy Strings and Terry Barber: Joshua Black Wilkins.
Strings, Barber, and their Martin dreadnoughts get A-list accompaniment from Rob and Ronnie McCoury, Jerry Douglas, and fiddlers Michael Cleveland and Jason Carter. Strings sings lead on “I Haven’t Seen Mary in Years” and “Long Journey Home.” Barber’s unvarnished vocals dominate every song he tackles, particularly Opry star Stonewall Jackson’s 1958 hit “Life to Go” (written by George Jones) and the Carter Family ballad “Wandering Boy.”
It’s no surprise Strings’ flatpicking flows freely, particularly on two venerable Watson standards – “Way Downtown” and the instrumental “Peartree” – as well as the traditional “Frosty Morn.” He’s equally fluent behind Barber on Bill Monroe’s “Little Cabin Home on the Hill” and “Dig A Little Deeper (In the Well).” One common thread behind these 14 joyous performances is the way Strings and Barber clearly relished every second.
This article originally appeared in VG’s April 2023 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
Perhaps because he died just prior to the Folk Boom and a few years before the Blues Revival, Bill Broonzy doesn’t get proper credit. Besides being the first American bluesman to tour England, where future stars of British rock and folk saw him perform, he was a major influence on Muddy Waters, who dedicated his 1960 album, Muddy Waters Sings “Big Bill,” to him.
Broonzy was a prolific songwriter, an expressive vocalist, and a facile guitarist. Raised in Arkansas, he had a rhythmic fingerpicking style that was neither Delta blues nor Eastern Seaboard ragtime. These 10 live cuts, in excellent fidelity, offer ample evidence of his command and range. The set includes the instrumentals “Caribbean Rag” and “House Rent Stomp,” as well as the spiritual “Down By The Riverside” and folk standard “Going Down The Road Feeling Bad.” Big Bill’s monotonic bass propels an uptempo rendition of the swing standard “Glory Of Love,” while “Black, Brown, And White” is part novelty, part pointed social commentary.
Broonzy lived in the Netherlands for part of the ’50s, but died back in Chicago in 1958. He was 55 years old.
This article originally appeared in VG’s April 2023 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
Recorded during two weeks in 1991, Vai/Gash is a collaboration between Steve Vai and late singer Johnny “Gash” Sombrotto, expressing their fondness for the rockin’ tunes of their youth and Harley Davidson culture.
Sombrotto was an inspiring figure in Vai’s life who died in a 1998 motorcycle accident. After shelving the project for 30 years, Vai decided to release this album in honor of his dearly departed friend.
Recorded between Vai’s early-’90s Passion and Warfare and Sex & Religion albums, this eight-song opus is reminiscent of his work with David Lee Roth and Whitesnake – a throwback to a time when heavy rock and roll was extroverted, superficial, and filled with manic screams, pinch harmonics, whammy abuse, volume swells, and other Vai earmarks.
Rockin’ ditties like “In The Wind,” “Busted,” and “She Saved My Life Tonight” sound like demos for David Lee Roth, while “Danger Zone” and “New Generation” showcase Vai’s short, but sweet six-string pentatonic aggression. Sombrotto was a charismatic hard-rock vocalist in the DLR mold; while his life and career were cut short, Vai/Gash is a heartfelt document of what could have been.
This article originally appeared in VG’s April 2023 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
Captured in this documentary, John Monteleone’s hand-crafted fretted instruments draw inspiration from the past. His chief inspirations are legendary guitar craftsmen John D’Angelico and Jimmy D’Aquisto, and he incorporates untraditional design ideas such as oddly placed holes and sophisticated Art Deco inlays. The filmmakers capture Monteleone jamming with friends in his shop, and selecting wood in Italy.
The son of a sculptor, the luthier’s youthful days playing piano sparked an interest in tone and design. The ’60s folk revival brought him to guitars when he built his own Martin-style dreadnought. From crafting replica mandolins, he evolved into original designs mixing the venerable and innovative. Montelone’s non-musical touchstones range from the Stradivarius and designs of Raymond Loewy to famous trains (the Super Chief) and iconic buildings (Grand Central Station and Radio City Music Hall).
Testimonials from players are plentiful and eloquent. Mark Knopfler, who composed the 2009 tribute tune “Monteleone,” has much to say about his friend. So do David Grisman, Mike Marshall, Dick Boak, Woody Mann, Ben Harper, Frank Vignola, and Jimmy Bruno. Monteleone’s own explanation is more succinct: “I never look at (building) as work.”
This fascinating film makes that abundantly clear.
This article originally appeared in VG’s April 2023 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
Contributing to a recent burst of creative releases in the effects market, BBE added a pair of stompboxes to its offerings; the Sonic Stomp Pro is a pedal version of their famous Sonic Maximizer circuit, while the Green Screamer Overdrive V2 is their reimagined version of the venerable TS9.
The Sonic Stomp Pro takes a lot of the classic Sonic Maximizer’s ideas and ports them down to a handy MXR-sized box. What does it do, exactly? In a nutshell, it’s a specialized EQ that adds a certain sheen to your signal path. Unlike a blatant phase shifter or distortion box, the BBE circuit takes naked guitar or bass sound and augments the higher and lower frequencies, yet still strives to deliver natural tones. You can deploy it as a set-it-and-forget-it unit to give your tone an overall buffing, or explore the Lo Contour and Process controls for extreme EQ sounds. The Focus knob dials midrange tones to evoke single-coil to humbucker textures. Many bassists use the Sonic Maximizer to sculpt their tone and the Sonic Stomp Pro has an added dynamic range of +14dB, so active-pickup basses won’t distort.
The revamped Green Screamer V2 professes to be an improvement on the age-old Ibanez/Maxon Tube Screamer. With the essential Output, Gain, and Tone knobs you expect (plus 4558 op-amps), it can drive just about any amp to tube-y goodness – think Aerosmith rawk or Stevie Ray blues. Fresh features include a Deep switch with three settings – 1 boosts for mid/upper-bass frequencies; 0 is a flat EQ curve; and 2 is a bass boost. Unscrewing the back reveals the Switchable Buffer, which adjusts to suit specific pickups.
The Green Screamer delivers everything from slightly dirty grit to vintage hard-rock tones – that epic sound of a single-channel tube amp cranked to ungodly volumes.
This article originally appeared in VG’s April 2023 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
Imagine a world where all of your pedals work together so seamlessly that you can quickly and easily experiment with new combinations with the swipe of a finger – and without a big, heavy pedalboard to lug around.
Chaos Audio’s Stratus pedal offers just that. A multi-effect platform that can serve as a virtual pedalboard with an on/off footswitch and Volume knob, it’s otherwise unlike any other pedal. Powered by 9-volt adapter or USB, after downloading the Chaos app and going through setup, you’re ready to go as long as your mobile device is connected to the Stratus; and, big plus – the app interface is very intuitive.
Effects categories include overdrive, reverb, distortion, delay, modulation, fuzz, dynamics, and looper, all selected by clicking an image of the simulated pedal. Adjustments are then made via your device. The app allows daisy-chaining effects to create a virtual pedalboard and saving any configuration as a preset.
So how does it sound? Pretty good, actually! The overdrive and fuzz were especially cool running into a tube 1×12 combo. Some of the time-based effects were a bit thin and digital-sounding, but overall, playing with (and through) the Stratus is loads of fun, especially if you’re the type who likes to tinker with different pedal combinations.
This article originally appeared in VG’s April 2023 issue. All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine. Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.
